The Seven Kingdoms Of Daniel 2

As the end-time countdown begins, I have become increasingly interested in the study of prophecy — especially as it relates to “what’s next” on the prophetic calendar. In recent posts I have demonstrated that the next great event will be the descent of our Lord into the lower heavens to set up His tribunal over the earth. At that time, there will be a selective rapture of saints who have been “watching and waiting,” in accordance with our Lord’s admonitions to the seven Asian churches (Rev. 2 and 3). The rest of disciples will be left to “ripen” under the hot suns of tribulation. Those slain for their testimony will be raised as martyrs at the close of the Great Tribulation (Rev. 20: 4).

But anyone who studies prophecy will see that prior to the parousia (i.e., our Lord’s stationary presence in the lower heavens) there will also be great commotions among the nations of the world. Our Lord intimates as much (Luke 21: 25-26); and the book of Daniel confirms that great political changes must occur before Antichrist is revealed in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week.

In Daniel 2, the prophet mentions seven kingdoms; and not, as is often thought, four or five. Our analysis of the mechanics of the endtime governmental system will be borne out by typology, which looks backwards from Daniel; and the book of Revelation, which looks forwards, and whose prophecies are yet future to ourselves.

When interpreting Nebuchadnezzar’s dream, Daniel listed the various components of the great “colossus” in order, starting with the head of gold, which typified the Babylonian empire (Dan. 2: 37-38). This is followed by a description of the arms of silver (Medo-Persia), the belly and thighs of brass (the Graeco-Macedonian power), and the legs of iron (Rome). The feet of iron and clay are a subsequent power that constitute the final form of the Roman empire. Thus we have five kingdoms so far.

The sixth kingdom will be the reconstitution of all the previous world empires under the authority of Antichrist, who arises out of the fifth kingdom. For when the “stone cut out without hands” comes from heaven, the iron, clay, brass, silver, and gold are broken to pieces together (Dan. 2: 34-35). That means that the colossus will be standing when Christ comes the second time.

So here are the kingdoms in order:

1): Head of gold = Babylon

2): Breast and arms of silver = Medo-Persia

3): Belly and thighs of brass = Greece

4): Legs of iron = Rome

5): Feet of iron and clay = Revived Roman empire.

6): All components reunited = Antichrist’s universal kingdom.

7): Stone from heaven = The kingdom of Christ.

The typology of the Old Testament confirms our view. For Goliath, an acknowledged type of Antichrist, is stamped with the number 6. His height was six cubits and a span; his spear’s head weighed 600 shekels of iron (1 Samuel 17: 4, 7). When he stood on his feet and defied the God of Israel, all were put in fear (1 Sam. 17: 24). But Daniel, a type of Christ, went out to meet him, to take away the reproach of Israel. Instead of using Saul’s armor, however, David gathered smooth stones out of a brook, one of which, when slung from afar, smote the Philistine giant. It was not man’s weapons, however well crafted, that killed Goliath, but a “stone cut out without hands.”

The antitype of the battle between David and Goliath will occur in connection with the Great Tribulation, when Antichrist, comprising not only the leader of the fifth world empire, but the head of the sixth, stands upon his feet to defy the God of Israel. It is evident that this cannot take place until all the previous world empires are united. While Antichrist will arise out of the revived Roman empire, his power will climax in a universal kingdom that comprises all the components of Nebuchadnezzar’s colossus.

The teaching that there are only four empires preceding Christ’s kingdom, or at the most five, comes from an attempt to harmonize Daniel 2 with Daniel 7. But we see no contradictions in the two visions. In Daniel 7, the prophet describes the same progression of hostile world powers, except he only sees five. The sixth is an amalgamation of those contained in Daniel 7, and was not seen by Daniel himself, but by John when on the island of Patmos.

Comparing Daniel 2 with Daniel 7, it is easy to recognize that the first beast like unto a lion, represents Babylon (Dan. 7: 4). The second, like unto a bear, represents Medo-Persia (Dan. 7: 5). The third is a leopard, which stands for Greece (Dan. 7: 6). The fourth “dreadful and terrible” beast with iron teeth, is the Roman power (Dan. 7); the ten horns representing the empire in its final form; and the little horn prophetic of Antichrist, the leader of this revived Roman empire. Seen in this light, the fourth beast is actually an amalgamation of the fourth and fifth powers.

What John saw in Revelation 13: 1-5 was not the fourth beast of Daniel, but all of Daniel’s beasts combined, with the horns of the fourth beast intact. This is the sixth empire, which will arise during the last half of Daniel’s 70th week. For the beast is like unto a leopard (Greece), but it has feet like a bear (Medo Persia), and a mouth like a lion (Babylon), while the ten horns indicate the Roman power revived. It is a universal kingdom of Antichrist, which will challenge the Living God. And the beast will be cast alive into the lake of fire, along with his coadjutor the false prophet (Rev. 19: 20).

The “seven heads” seen in John’s vision indicate that Antichrist, as the little horn of the fourth beast, will enter into struggle with the remaining kingdoms not absorbed by the revived Roman empire. After the establishment of the fifth kingdom under Antichrist, there will be certain world powers that have yet to be subdued. The conquest and absorption of these powers will probably occur prior to the first half of the 70th week. Five of these world powers will fall before a sixth actually assumes dominion (Rev. 17: 10). The sixth will be displaced by Antichrist. Antichrist is the eight, but is of the seven (Rev. 17: 11). He is the seventh head, who shall put down all opposition and head up all world government as the “eighth.” His incarnation as the eighth head fills up the last half of Daniel’s 70th week.

Thus, interpreting the visions of Daniel and John, we have:

1): First beast, like a lion = Babylon

2): Second beast, like a bear = Medo-Persia

3): Third Beast, like a leopard = Greece

4): Fourth beast = Rome

5): Ten horns on fourth beast = Revived Roman empire.

6): John’s composite beast = Antichrist’s universal kingdom.

In agreement with the vision of Daniel 2, John’s beast points us back to Goliath. For Antichrist is depicted as opening his mouth to blaspheme God (Rev. 13: 6) and those who tabernacle in heaven (that is, those saints who have been caught up to the throne as the “manchild” of Rev. 12: 5. With these facts in mind, it should be clear that John’s beast is in all respects parallel with Daniel’s colossus, and that both represent and illustrate that final form of Satanic and anti-Christian opposition to Jehovah Elohim, which will manifest itself before the coming of Jesus Christ with all His saints.  Then will the seventh, or perfect, kingdom be established.

The Morning Star

“And he that overcometh, and keepeth My works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of My Father. And I will give him the morning star” (Revelation 2: 26-27).

Contrary to the claims of many modern prophecy teachers, the epistles to the seven churches in the Book of Revelation contain conditional promises and warnings, addressed to the professing church during the closing days of the present dispensation. Each church is given a promise, and all but one are threatened with judgment. The epistles are to be read as a unified message to the visible church.

If one would take the time to arrange the promises and the warnings in parallel columns, he would see that the resultant list forms a didactic version of Christ’s parable of the wise and foolish virgins (Matthew 25: 1-13). The wise virgins are promised deliverance from a coming time of trial, whereas the foolish virgins will be cast into “great tribulation.” The deliverance and the punishments are to be levied at the same time.

These facts are exemplified in the above passage, where Christ says that he that endures unto the end will be given power to rule over the nations. The Greek word here translated “end” is “telos.” The same word is found in Matthew 24: 15, where Christ mentions the abomination of desolation as the sign of the telos. The AOD is the image of the beast that will be set up in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week (Daniel 9: 27; 11: 31; 12: 11; Rev. 13: 5).

Consider again what Christ saith unto the churches. Disciples that endure unto the telos will be saved (see Matt. 24: 13). And they will be given power to rule over the nations.

In Revelation 12: 5, John records a vision of a manchild caught up to heaven immediately prior to the 1,260 days that comprise the Great Tribulation, or last half of Daniel’s 70th week. It is said of this manchild that he is to rule all nations with a rod of iron. The identity between Revelation 2: 26 and 12: 5 can hardly be ignored. Compare with Isaiah 66: 7, and you will see that John is depicting a deliverance which takes place prior to the time of travail (Great Tribulation). John is describing the fulfillment of Christ’s promise in Revelation 2: 26!

Our Lord also declares that to them who overcome will be given the morning star. The morning star precedes the rising of the sun. Christ is called the Sun of Righteousness (Malachi 4: 2), and He will arise in a twofold manner: to bring healing to the nation of Israel when He comes the second time (cf. Zech. 12: 10); and to burn up the wicked. He will inaugurate a new day of righteousness (Zech. 14: 6-7), even the Day of the Lord. Christ’s coming as the Sun of Righteousness occurs after the tribulation (Matt. 24: 29).

But before the tribulation, Christ will descend into the lower heavens and become the “morning star” to those who endure unto the telos. They who keep the word of His patience will be kept out of the hour of temptation which will try the entire habitable world (Rev. 3: 10). Those who fail will be cast into the tribulation, to be purified and made white and tried (see Daniel 12: 10; 11: 35). Many of them will fall.

To be delivered out of the hour of temptation it is needful to remain in prayer (Luke 21: 36). For none who have not prayed unto the Son of Man for deliverance will be accounted worthy to attain unto the blessed promise of being caught up to the throne of God before the tribulation. When the telos comes, some will be taken and others left (Matt. 24: 39-41).

The same message is taught in the parable of the wise and foolish virgins. At the midnight cry, those who are prepared go into the wedding chamber, while the unprepared are shut out (Matt. 25: 10). There is a time during which they knock fervently at the door for entrance, but they are refused. This is their hour of trial. Those who withstand Antichrist will be beheaded for their faith (Rev. 20: 4).

As Christ’s coming as ‘morning star’ precedes the full-orbed Millennial day, so Antichrist must also make his appearance around the same time. Antichrist is called the ‘morning star’ in Isaiah 14: 12, for he is Christ’s counterfeit. He will be manifested to the world in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week. His parousia marks the telos, at which the true Morning Star, Jesus Christ the Son of God, will snatch away the faithful ones into heaven.

“I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star” (Rev. 22: 16).

Who Are The “Holy People” Of Daniel 12: 7?

  In the present endtime controversy, there are a large number of views regarding the “Great Tribulation.”  Daniel 12 seems to be a key pivot on which much of the debate (at least insofar as the Old Testament ties in with Matthew 24) seems to turn.  In Daniel 12: 7, Daniel heard the man clothed in linen say to one of the men by the bank of the river Hiddekel, that “when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”  OK.  The first question is, who is “he?”  Then we ask, who are the “holy people?”

   Unless we answer these two questions properly, we’ll be far at sea when it comes to getting at the timing of the Great Tribulation.  I think it’s safe to say that the “he” is Antichrist, for the context involves the 1,290 days — or last half of Daniel’s 70th week, during which the beast (i.e., Antichrist) shall have power (see Rev. 13: 5).  If this position is correct, then the “holy people” can be none other than the saints which are persecuted by Antichrist during the tribulation.

  Now, Preterists would tell us that the Great Tribulation happened in A.D. 67-70, and that the “holy people” were the Jews, which were “scattered” when the temple was destroyed.  But there are several difficulties in this view.  First, everyone knows that the Jews retained their national existence long after A.D. 70.  They even had enough “power” to foment another major rebellion under Bar-Cochebas in A.D. 135.  So I cannot see in what sense their power was scattered in A.D. 70. 

   It also occurs to me that whatever power the Jews possessed had long been forfeited to Rome.  Israel was subject to Roman rule when the temple was destroyed; and so in order to give Daniel 12 an A.D. 70 application, qualifications must be placed on the meaning of the word “power;” and this is unfeasible.

  However, there is a graver concern.  It is blatantly unscriptural to call the apostate and rebellious Jews of the first century the “holy people.”  This, I think, is the crux of the whole issue.  Preterists fail to see the Dispensational change which occurred on the Day of Pentecost. 

   When the church was conceived on Pentecost, the earthly Israel was made of none effect, and the heavenly came into play.  No longer would circumcision according to the flesh, or the keeping of the letter of the law, avail.  As Jesus Christ told the Jews: “It is the Spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing” (John 6: 63). This looked forward to the coming Dispensational change, which took place in A.D. 30.

   To say that the natural Jews who remained uncircumcised in heart and unrenewed by the power of the Holy Spirit were the “holy people” is to adopt a curious twist of reasoning which contradicts the very words of our Savior.  If the Preterist thesis is correct, then Christ’s words are not true, and “the flesh profiteth something.” 

  Far from being the case, though, we mustn’t forget that after A.D. 30 it could be truly said that: “He is not a Jew which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God” (Romans 2: 22-23).

  Now, mark well that I am not endorsing any kind of “Replacement Theology.”  What I am saying is that Israel has two aspects.  There is the natural, which is as the dust of the earth (Genesis 13: 16); and the spiritual, which is as the stars of heaven (Genesis 15: 5).  During the Mosaic economy the natural had predominance — but not to the exclusion of the spiritual.  So in this present Dispensation, the spiritual has predominance — but not to the exclusion of the natural (see Romans 11: 1-12). 

  The promises of future blessing were made to Abraham, who (loosely speaking) was a “spiritual Jew,” but also a “natural Jew.”  He was not only circumcised in the flesh, but also in the inward man.  Now, to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.  Christ is the Seed of Abraham (Gal. 3: 16), Who unifies the two aspects of Israel. 

   Therefore, the promises will be fulfilled when the Heir returns, and the two seedlines of Israel — both natural and spiritual — converge once more.  This is not Replacement Theology, but an affirmation that all of God’s promises will be fulfilled to the letter.  What we have, then, in this Dispensation is a converse of what took place during the Mosaic Dispensation.  We have an enforcement of spiritual principles and regulations, which correspond to the natural things of the Mosaic economy.

  The Dispensational change that took place on the Day of Pentecost mustn’t be overlooked.  Prior to the resurrection and ascension of Christ it could truly be said that the natural Jews were the “holy people.”  However, when the promise of the Holy Spirit was given from above, and the apostles sent forth to preach the glad tidings of God’s grace, God’s principles of administration changed.  No longer were the natural Jews reckoned as “holy people.”  The only “holy people” that God recognizes during this Dispensation are those who have been sanctified by the blood of Christ, and washed in the spiritual waters of regeneration (Titus 3: 5). 

  This was the very principle that obtained during the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70; and so it is incorrect to say that the rebellious (and in many cases apostate) Jews were the “holy people” whose power was scattered.  I believe that the “holy people” will constitute Israel — but Israel during the last 7 years of the age, after the 144,000 saved Israelites are presented to God as a first-fruits offering of national repentance.  Then will the signs and miracles re-commence, and the purging (i.e., refinement) of the nation be effected during that period of Great Tribulation. 

   Antichrist will scatter the power of the holy people when he slays the two witnesses in the middle of the Daniel’s 70th week (Rev. 11: 7), and then wars against the saints during the remaining 3 1/2 years of the age.  This will be the true fulfillment of Daniel 12: 7.  And in connection with this “time of trouble,” there will be a resurrection of many from the dust of the ground (Dan. 12: 1-2). 

   Now, it is clear that none of these things happened in A.D. 67-70.  There is no evidence that 144,000 Israelites were saved and sealed before the investment of Jerusalem.  Nor did the Emperor Nero (whom Preterists label the Antichrist) function until the temple was destroyed [Note: he actually committed suicide in A.D. 68].  Neither was there a resurrection; and to say that there was is to tamper with the Sacred text. 

   No, friends.  The Preterist interpretation of Daniel 12 certainly doesn’t fit the bill. But only recognize the “he” of Dan. 12: 7 as Antichrist, and the scattering of the holy people as the persecution of the saints during the last half of Daniel’s 70th week, and all the facts will harmonize.

Interview With Dr. Gavin Finley

In this 1-hour podcast, Brian Simmons interviews Dr. Gavin Finley of Endtime Pilgrim. The topic of discussion is the apostasy of the last days. Finley shows how the present proliferation of false doctrines, and the rise of dominion theology, will eventually pave the way for the harlot church of Revelation 17, which will gain dominance during the first half of Daniel’s 70th week. Finley offers deep insight on the unseen spiritual warfare being waged behind the scenes, and the conflict as it will ultimately affect the witness of God’s people. He also speaks concerning the great endtime revival. Despite the trying times ahead, Dr. Finley gives a message of encouragement to the church.

Listen now: Interview With Dr. Gavin Finley

Preterism And The Rapture

 Does Preterism preserve the correct concept of the rapture? Although most orthodox Preterists do maintain the reality of the doctrine, Hyper-Preterists go far astray in their interpretation of the rapture as a non-physical event. In this full-length Bible study podcast we examine the doctrine of the rapture, and show that it will occur in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week. We also cover Scriptures dealing with Antichrist, the Great Tribulation, and the “last trump.” Although audio is not the best quality, this is a must-listen for anyone who really wants to know the truth regarding the rapture!

Listen now: Preterism and The Rapture

Why I’m A Pre-Millennialist

   [Note: The following article was published a few months ago at Larry Siegle’s blog, “Kingdom Victory.” Since it correctly expresses my position on the futuricity of Daniel’s 70th week, and has never been refuted by Preterists, I am here re-publishing it, with some minor revisions. Essentially, my position is the same as when I wrote this article. Until I see something from The Bible proving that the events of Daniel’s 70th week happened in the first century, I will continue to hold to a Dispensational scheme of eschatology. The real issue, I think, involves who we believe more: Christ or Josephus.]

   As a former Hyper-preterist, I can certainly appreciate the arguments put forth by members of the movement, as to the second coming being a past event. After all, if “all these things” mentioned in Matthew 24: 1-34 really took place in A.D. 70 (which would include the one parousia mentioned in v. 3), then one must accept the logical consequences of his/her view and afirm that the Hyper-Preterist view is correct.

   Nevertheless, despite the evidence that I always see put forward by Preterists, there is no way I would ever return to preterism. And the reason is based on solid exegetical evidence. The evidence may not be apparent at first sight. But when one really gets down to studying the Old Testament prophets, a great number of truths crop up that make any kind of preterism an impossibility. Of course there is the claim made by Dispensationalists (to which I agree) that prophecies relating to the restoration of Israel remain, for the most part, unfulfilled. But these prophecies and predictions are too many to get into. To discuss them all would require the length, not of an article, but of a book. Therefore, in giving my reasons why I am a pre-millennialist, I will only focus on a few texts which tend to support the Pre-Millennial system of eschatology.

   As this article is mainly addressed to Preterists, I’ll start with a text on which we share some common ground. That text is Daniel 12: 1-2: “And at that time shall Michael the stand up, the great prince whih standeth 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. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.”

   This obviously describes the Great Tribulation predicted by Christ Himself. Moreover, the passage unmistakably places resurrection in connection with this tribulation. Now Christ said that the tribulation would be set off by the abomination of desolation (Matt. 24: 14). What is meant by the term “abomination of desolation?” A comparison of Scripture with Scripture would inform us that it is none other than the image of the beast which will be erected in the rebuilt temple of Jerusalem. Its placement will take occur in the midst of Daniel’s 70th week, triggering that time of “Jacob’s Trouble” (Great Tribulation) out of which Israel will be saved (see Jeremiah 30: 6-7).

   Notice that when Christ referenced the abomination of desolation, He said that it was the same one mentioned by Daniel the prophet. Appended to His words is the solemn injunction: “whoso readeth, let Him understand.” Whether Christ Himself said this, or it is an interpolation of Matthew, is not very important. However, I incline to the first view. Christ wanted us to understand that the Abomination of Desolation which He foresaw was the very subject of Daniel’s inspired predictions. This is the key element to understanding what the “abomination of desolation” really is. Keep it steadily in mind as we continue.

   Going back to the book of Daniel, we find this “abomination of desolation” mentioned four times. As we’ll see, these passages are all intimately related, and point to the times of which Christ spoke in His Olivet Discourse . Therefore, any alleged “past fulfillment” must be viewed as anticipatory, and not final.

   (Daniel 8: 11-14) “Yea, he magnified himself even to the Prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. And a host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground, and it practiced and prospered. Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saints which spake, How long shall the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”

   (Daniel 9: 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.”

   (Daniel 11: 31) “And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.”

   (Daniel 12: 11) “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.”

   To understand these passages better, it is suggested that the reader study E.W. Bullinger’s two papers, “The Times and Numbered Days of Daniel” and “The Visions of Daniel Synchronous.” There is no doubt but that the four passages cited above speak of the same period of intense tribulation of which Christ prophesied. Therefore, when the Lord said that the tribulation would be set off by the “abomination of desolation” spoken of by Daniel; and when going back to Daniel we find that this would take place in the “midst of the week,” leaving a remaining period of three-and-a-half years, or a half-week, until the “time of the end,” we conclude that the preterist view of Daniel’s 70 weeks is mistaken, and that the Dispensational/Pre-Millennial view is correct.

   We should keep in mind, of course, that the “2,300 days” of Daniel 8: 14 begin 220 days into the beginning of the 70th week; whereas the extra 75 days alluded to in Daniel 12: 11-12 extend beyond the close of the 70th week (see Bullinger’s papers). This leaves us a time-period of 42 months, or three-and-a-half years during which Antichrist (the little horn) will persecute the saints. This same period comes into play in John’s Apocalypse. In Revelation 11: 3, we read of the “two witnesses” bearing testimony during the 42 months. When their testimony is finished, “the beast that ascendeth out of the bottomless pit shall make war against them, and shall overcome and kill them.” Then after three-and-a-half days, they are resurrected (as per Daniel 12: 2) and ascend to heaven in a cloud (Rev. 11: 11-12). It is at this point that the seventh angel (last trump) sounds and the “kingdoms of this world become the kingdoms of the Lord and of His Christ.” Compare with Daniel 7: 25-27, which refers to the same “42 months” as a “time and times and the dividing of time.”

   The inter-relation of these several texts is further confirmed when we see that the beast from the bottomless pit is described as functioning for exactly “42 months.” Nobody who compares Revelation 13 with the above Scriptures in Daniel will doubt that it is the same events of which both prophets are writing. “And there was given unto Him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue for 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” (Rev. 13: 5-7).

   When, we ask, does this persecution commence? It begins in the “midst of the week” when the daily sacrifice is taken away and the abomination that maketh desolate is erected in the holy place of the temple. Christ Himself said that this would mark the beginning of the Great Tribulation (Matt. 24: 14-21). And Daniel, in ch. 12, references the same exact period of time. This period, moreover, ends in a resurrection of many from the dust of the earth. Let us not wrest words, but believe what the Holy Spirit has recorded for our edification. Did any such events as mentioned in the inspired prophecies of Daniel occur during the Jewish war?

   The answer is a firm no. Although it is sometimes alleged that the “abomination of desolation” was fulfilled during the Roman campaign against Judea, a closer comparison of Scripture with Scripture makes such a scenario impossible. For we look in vain for any “prince” who made the daily sacrifice cease in A.D. 67, or for any persecution of the saints by this aforesaid “prince” (identified with the “beast” and “little horn“) which began at that time and ended in A.D. 70. These main ingredients are needed, however, to support a Preterist view.

   But matters become more complicated. For Preterists believe that Christ was the “he” of Daniel 9: 27, and that after “confirming a covenant with many” for “one week,” He was “cut off” in the midst of the week, thus causing the temple sacrifices to cease as a divine appointment. This view, while cleverly framed, breaks apart under closer examination. For, in the first place, it is expressly declared that Messiah would be cut off “after the threescore and two weeks“–that is, upon the termination of 69 weeks–and not in the middle of the 70th.

   Secondly, if Christ made a covenant with many for “one week,” the Scripture gives us no clue of what this covenant consisted or when it was made. Such an important fact would not have been left out of the record of our Lord’s earthly ministry. Christ came to confirm the promises made to the fathers (Romans 15: 8), and to offer Himself a sacrifice for the sins of the world–not to make a one-week covenant.

   On the other hand, Antichrist is described in Daniel as entering into a league with the Jewish people. “And after the league made with him, he shall work deceitfully: for he shall come up, and shall become strong with a small people” (Dan. 11: 22). This same “vile person” is depicted as having his heart set against the “holy covenant.” After a flurry of indignation, “arms will stand on his part,” and “they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength,” and “take away the daily sacrifice,” placing the “abomination that maketh desolate” (Daniel 11: 28-31). It is this very breaking of the covenant by Antichrist which Gabriel describes in Daniel 9: 27–and not the crucifixion of Christ.

   Thirdly, as the taking away of the daily sacrifice is accompanied by the placement of the abomination of desolation, the Preterist view forces the student to do two things:– 1): argue for a fulfillment of the abomination of desolation in A.D. 30, when Christ was crucifed. And– 2): place a 36-year gap between the first and last halves of the week. But Christ declares the abomination as the event which begins the tribulation. Hence, His own interpretation links the first and last halves of the week together. Lest we be lost in confusion, we have only two choices. The first is to argue for a fulfillment of the 70th week in A.D. 33, which theory the Olivet Discourse, the prophecies of Daniel, and the Book of Revelation all make impossible. The second is to see the 70th week as still future. I’ll leave the reader to judge which view is in better alignment with common-sense, logical consistency, and the Word of God.

   All Christians have for determining whether or not the 70th week was fulfilled in the first century is the inspired New Testament record. But where the Bible is silent, secular history affords no help. The main problem with the Preterist view is that it ignores the fact that the return of Christ was conditional on Jewish national repentance (Hosea 5: 15; Matthew 23: 39; Acts 3: 19-21). Since the nation rejected the kingdom in A.D. 63 (see Acts 28: 25-26), they rejected the coming of the King, and therefore all has been postponed. Incidentally, this is the only view which honors a consistent literal interpretation of the Scriptures, and one that relies on direct Scriptural support, and not clever theorizing. Therefore, it is to be accepted by all reverent students of God’s Word.

   Before I close this article, allow me to say that it was Philip Mauro’s book on the Seventy Weeks that led me into Preterism. At that time I knew very little of prophecy, and was impressionable to his arguments. Now, however, I see that book as a very poor and disjointed study. Ironically, it was Dispensationalists like E.W. Bullinger and Clarence Larkin, as well as early church fathers like Irenaeus and Hippolytus, that led me ultimately away from the Preterist view, and toward a futuristic interpretation of the 70 weeks of Daniel. Because of the inconsistencies of the Preterist view, which cannot be reconciled except by ignoring the clear testimony of sacred Scripture and enforcing hypothetical views of fulfillment, I remain, and shall always remain, a died-in-the-wool Pre-Millennialist.

Studies In The Apocalypse (Part 22– Rev. 6: 7- 6: 8)

(6: 7) “And when He had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say, Come and see.”

   This fourth seal continues the train of events played out under the first three.  It shows what will happen once the wars and famines have spread.  In this self–satisfied age of ours, and as western Americans, we can hardly conceive of such things occurring in our part of the world.  But a bit of sober reflection will quickly apprise us of our folly. 

  Not only has humanity long been heading downhill in a moral sense, but the vision in Revelation 6 tells us that at some future time the world must pay for its disobedience to God.  In Ezekiel 16, God tells the prophet that Sodom was destroyed on account of “pride, fullness of bread, and abundance of idleness,” as well as neglect of the poor.  This should send a shout of warning to the nations now at ease.  Once Christ begins breaking the seals, escape from tribulation will no longer be an option.

  Many prophecy students think that the present Middle-Eastern crisis will bring about the conditions described so vividly in these seal judgments.  A massive attack on Israel and western interests by a confederation of Islamic states, for instance, could precipitate the world into a WWIII scenario.  This would certainly trigger wars and famines and pestilences, and make possible the rise of an Antichrist figure. 

   But let’s not forget who is behind the curtains.  In the breaking of the seals, all judgments proceed from God.  However, most of the disasters and depredations will be brought about by the immediate agency of the white horse rider.  The red and the black are followed by yet another rider.  Let’s find out who he is, and what events he brings with him to the inhabitants of earth.

(6: 8) “And I looked, and behold, a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with the sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth.”

  Wherever famine reigns during the tribulation, pestilence will rear its ugly head.  We are not sure whether the pestilence here mentioned has causal connection with the preceding famines.  However, it appears as one factor in a series of judgments which will come upon the world for its iniquity– warfare and famine being the other two.  These judgments are set into operation, as we have seen previously, by the rise of Antichrist, which will probably take place during the first half of Daniel’s 70th week.

  The color of the horse is “pale,” the Greek word chloros signifying a pasty green color.  This is a corpselike hue quite in keeping with the rider who sits thereon, whose name is death.  We are here informed that the events of the fourth seal must be more terrible than the previous three. This is why hell is seen following the pale horse rider as its attendant; to remind us that all death, which is separation of body from soul, will end in the gathering of bodies to the grave, and of souls to the “intermediate state,” where they’ll await the resurrection.

  Here the word death is put by the figure metonymy, as the effect for the cause.  The cause is sword, hunger, and pestilence.  The effect is death.  The jurisdiction of this seal is “a fourth part of the earth”–earth signifiying the Adamic creation, and not one particular part of the globe.  The “fourth part” may refer, however, to the confines of the revived Roman empire, as many think, or even some unidentified nation which will play a key part in last-days events.  It is most probable that it refers to the lands over which Antichrist will extend his dominion, as he marches forward on his career of conquest. 

   During the first half of Daniel’s 70th week, or toward the close of the sunteleia which merges into the 70th week, there will be a time of psuedo-peace, a sort of “calm before the storm.”  Antichrist, a European leader, will come forward and make a covenant with the Jews (Dan. 9: 27).  This covenant will include provisions of international protection for Israel, and a liberation of the Temple Mount from Muslim occupation, to allow the Jews to re-build their Temple. 

   Preparations for this Temple are already underway.  Furthermore, it is believed that the Ark of the Covenant is secretly stored beneath the Temple Mount and accessible by way of the now-sealed Warren’s Gate entrance outside the Western Wall.  Many feel the presence of the Ark to be indispensable in validating a re-institution of the temple service.   Others are vigorously opposed to such a move, insisting that the Gospel superseded the Old Covenant system in such a way as to make any return to the priestly elements impossible, and even abominable in the sight of God.

   But regardless of the controversy attending these issues, there are two organizations (The Temple Institute and The Temple Mount Faithful) whose sole purpose is to spearhead the rebuilding of the Temple.  Once the temple is rebuilt, the Ark returned to the Holy of Holies, and the sacrificial system restored, a brief time of peace will follow for Israel.  Antichrist will leave the Jews alone while he wages warfare elsewhere, bringing the nations under his dominion.  This false peace will be shattered in the midst of the 70th week, when Antichrsit breaks the covenant and desecrates the Temple.

   What we have, then, in these seal-judgments ostensibly takes place during the first half of the 70th week, during the same period of false peace outlined above.  With this in mind, the “fourth part of the earth” most likely refers to areas outside the land of Palestine.  

   As seen, the judgments will consist largely of pestilence, but will be accompanied by sword, and famine, and unnatural death, as well as the “beasts of the earth.”  It is difficult to define what is meant by this last phrase.  It most probably refers to wild animals which will enter into the towns and cities of earth to devour and destroy.  This bespeaks very chaotic conditions characterized by the desolation of inhabited towns by famine, death, disease, and conquest.  As the whole civilized world will be thrown into confusion at this time, it is not unreasonable to assume that the beasts of the earth, who now fear man, will become more rapacious as woodlands are contaminated, water sources polluted, and the bodies of men left in the fields by the battles waged as Antichrist marches forward. 

  It was such conditions as these against which Israel was warned by Moses: “I will also send wild beasts among you, which shall rob you of your children, and destroy your cattle, and make you few in number, and your highways shall be desolate” (Lev. 26: 22).  We find in the next verse that the such afflictions will be issued for reformatory purposes (v. 23).  Compare also with Ezekiel 5: 17 and 14: 5. 

   These depredations of beasts are Pre-Millennial in scope, as the prophecies of Israelite national restoration confirm.  “And I will make with them a covenant of peace, and will cause the evil beasts to cease out of the land: and they shall dwell safely in the wilderness, and sleep in the woods” (Ezek. 34: 25). 

   While it is possible that the beasts will ravage Palestine during the tribulation, their activities are not necessarily restricted to the Holy Land, because the Jews are now scattered throughout all the nations of the world.  As the purpose of the Tribulation is to bring Israel under the bonds of the New Covenant, so the tribulation will be of a worldwide scale.  Here, as we see in the “beginnings of sorrows,” the jurisdiction of these judgments is over the fourth part of the earth.  The fulfillment of these Mosaic warnings and curses will be to urge the Jews to turn to their Savior, Who alone can and will restore them, on the condition of national repentance (Acts 3: 19-21; Matthew 23: 39; Leviticus 26: 40-45; Deut. 30: 1-10).

   Needless to say, these will be very trying times for the inhabitants of earth.  While Antichrist rises in power, and wars and rumors of wars rage abroad, we fully expect that many Christians, especially those who embrace “Covenant Theology,” will continue to deny that the Tribulation is in progress.  It is these people who will become main candidates for the end-time deception that will cause large portions of the professing church to accept and endorse the agenda of Antichrist and the False Prophet.

Studies In The Apocalypse (Part 20–Rev. 6: 3- 6: 4)

 (6: 3) “And when He had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see.”

 This second seal is intimately connected with the first.  As already stated, Antichrist will be on the scene until the very end.  While the successive seals are broken, he is still riding forward on his grisly career of carnage and world conquest.  But now we are ready to view the contents disclosed by the breaking of the second seal.  What comes next?  When the white horse rider goes forward, many will be tempted to think that peace has finally come.  The whole world will accept Antichrist’s flatteries and welcome him with open arms.  Laodicean Christians will believe that the long-awaited Millennium will begin if once this man is placed at the head of world politics.  But what is the follow-up to his receipt of power?  We shall soon see. 

 (6: 4) “And there went out another horse that was red: and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another: and there was given unto him a great sword.”

  The breaking of the second seal results in the unloosing of the second horse of judgment.  We do not not need to interpret this vision, for the interpretation is already given us by John himself.  The red horse is war; and its riding forth will issue in a period of tumult and devastation among the nations, such as we have never seen.  The period of false peace ushered in by Antichrist will soon be shattered, and a declaration of war issued.  Whether the war will be universal, or to an extent localized, we are not given to know.  Other portions of the prophetic record must help us out.

  Going back to Christ’s Olivet Prophecy, we read of what shall occur after the rise of false Messiahs.  “And ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars: see that ye be not troubled: for all these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet.  For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom” (Matt. 24: 6).  When Christ says “the end is not yet,” He means that these signs which had given must precede the telos, or Great Tribulation.  The sign of the telos will be the “abomination of desolation” which shall occur precisely in the middle of Daniel’s seventieth week, as the Scriptures declare (Dan. 9: 27; 11:31; 12: 11).

  From the commencement of the sunteleia onward, we are to expect “wars and rumors of wars” as well as a rising of “nation against nation.” The kingdoms of the world will be absorbed into Antichrist’s universal empire, and the Roman empire revived.  This must happen before the Great Tribulation can occur. In Revelation 17 John saw a vision of a whore arrayed in purple and scarlet, riding a beast with seven heads and ten horns.  These heads represent kings whose empires will be subdued and consolidated into the conglomerate beast of Revelation 13.  It was revealed to John that five of the heads had (at that stage of the vision) already fallen, whilst a sixth was in control.  The seventh (Antichrist) had not yet come.  We’ll later find that this vision, which gave John a glimpse into the end of this age, will have its fulfillment immediately before the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week.  Therefore, it must correspond to this same period played out under the second seal. 

   Now we see that when the red horse goes forward, “peace is taken from the earth” and many will be killed with the sword.  This denotes bloodshed, which is why the horse is described as red.  But let us understand that, unlike other wars we’ve witnessed throughout history, which trace their cause to the lusts that war in our members (James 4: 1), these will proceed directly from the throne of God.  Recall the words of Christ: “Think not that I am come to send peace on earth: I came not to send peace, but a sword” (Matt. 10: 34).  The succeeding context, in which our Lord quotes from Micah 7: 6, reveals that these perilous times will be characterized by familial  disputes and internecine divisions.  These are connected with a foregoing decline in moral character.  See Micah 7: 2-5.  Verses 7 and 9 of Micah’s prophecy, however, make it obvious that they will immediately precede the time when Christ will bring salvation to His people.  Therefore, Matthew 10: 34 refers to the “end of the age.”

  It will sometimes be asked, what age Christ was referring to when he gave us these signs of what would come to pass?  It is generally believed, and on indisputable evidence, that the age is none other than the “present evil age” which began after the flood and has continued ever since.  Some (especially Preterists) claim that the age was the “Mosaic Age.”  However, the loose way in which the term “age” is sometimes used leads many into error of believing that “all these things” are “past fulfillment.”  Many, through failure to study the Scriptures, do not know that there is a marked difference between an “age” and a “dispensation.” 

  An “age” (Gr. aion) is always defined in regard to its particular mode or manner of living–its physical characteristics, if you will.  Whereas a “dispensation” has respect to a prevailing principle of Divine administration–whether it be innocence, conscience, law, or grace.  When the term “this age” is used in the New Testament, it will be seen in all cases to refer to “this life,” or the present natural order of things (see Luke 16: 8; 2 Tim. 4: 10).  Because of its moral characteristics, it is evil (Gal. 1: 4); and the Gospel (even this word which we preach) promises deliverance therefrom.  So when Christ speaks of the “end of the age,” He is pointing to the close of this present world-period, elsewhere called “man’s day” (1 Cor. 4: 3).

  The period during which the ceremonial law remained in force, however, was not an age, but a Dispensation.  This is vitally important to keep in mind.  The “present evil age” was just as much current when the Sinaitic Covenant was ratified as it was when the Jews were dispersed in A.D. 70, and as it still is today.  The Mosaic economy was marked by an administration of law; whereas the Ecclesiastical economy is marked by that of grace.  When the principle of administration altered in A.D. 30, there was a change of Dispensations, but not of ages. There is no such thing as a “Mosaic Age.”  And the failure to discern this simple but all-essential principle has led not a few to dash themselves to pieces on the rocks of Preterism, Historicism, and other theologies which fail to “rightly divide the word of truth.”

  Now we’ve already seen that the breaking of the seals have to do with that same time-period of which Christ spoke in His Olivet Discourse; a time which would begin with the rise of false Messiahs and close with His own second coming in glory.  The period embraced by these two end-markers is termed the “consummation of the age.”  And the prophecies relative to this period will all have their fulfillment during the close of this present order of human existence.  Because our Lord’s predictions do not pertain to principles of administration, but to the culmination of the present mode or character of human life, we must be cautious in forcing passages to fall in with a theory of past fulfillment.  Since the Olivet Prophecy relates to the end of the age, and not to the close of a Dispensation, it is therefore entirely future. 

  That said, we proceed to look at the effects of this “great sword.”  As in our last study, we found a “key” in Jeremiah 27 relating to the “first seal,” so in Jeremiah 25 we’ll find another key pertaining to this one.   In Jeremiah 25: 15-33 we have a vivid description of this second seal.  We can’t help but believe that when Antichrist steps on the scene, the troubles will begin in Jerusalem and gradually work their way outward throughout the entire earth.  In Jeremiah’s prophecy, the wine cup of Jehovah’s fury is sent to all nations, starting with Judah, and then passing on to those of the entire habitable earth.  The last to drink of this cup of fury will be the “king of Shesach” (Jer. 25: 26)–that is, the king of Babylon–otherwise known as Antichrist (cf. Isaiah 14: 4).

  The result of this passing of the wine-cup of Jehovah’s fury is then outlined in verses 31-33: “A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the Lord hath a controversy with the nations, He will plead with all flesh; He will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the Lord.  Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth.  And the slain of the Lord shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground.”

  This hellish scenario will issue directly from the throne as a punishment of the inhabitants of the world for their wickedness.  Read Isaiah 13: 11: “And I wil punish the world (tebel= inhabited world) for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible.”  As the age progresses in moral corruption and unbelief, we find ourselves hurtling forward toward an eventual fulfillment of these prophecies.  We have already seen the rise of Messianic figures.  And although wars and rumors of wars have been a characteristic mark of this dispensation, we know that the rise of a personal Antichrist will issue in a war the likes of which mankind has never yet seen.  What must we do, but pray that calamity be averted, or the judgments postponed, that men may seek the Lord their God and obtain mercy and forgiveness?  As we see the age drawing to a close, let us continue to preach the Gospel of grace to all nations, and remain fervent in our endeavors, while we wait for the “salvation ready to be revealed in the last time” (1 Peter 1: 5).