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Pt. 14 God's Consolation for His Chosen
People & City
Gabriel did not offer an explanation as to why he
split the “seven ‘sevens’ [49 days],” from the “sixty-two ‘sevens’ [434 days]”
(Daniel 9:25) in the 70 Weeks prophecy of Daniel 9. The 49 days do
represent a tenth of the whole. However, Gabriel simply revealed these
two periods (49 days and 434 days) to Daniel and moved on. Evidently,
understanding the division or the event related to this point would come at the
time of fulfillment.
The two witnesses, Moses and Elijah, will begin
their end-time ministry with a 49 day period between Passover and Shavuot
(Points 9 & 11), a time that God’s people are to count the days (7 weeks
of 7 days) in preparation for a Mount Sinai encounter
and
Pentecostal experience.
The two witnesses are also associated with, and involved in, the 490 day time
period, and so it too begins with 49 days of preparation. Therefore, the first
49 days of the 70 Weeks (490 days) prophecy, representing a tenth of the whole,
is a time for God’s people to count the days and consider where they are in
prophetic time. The events of the 70 Weeks prophecy are also associated with
sorrow and mourning and represent the Merciful One’s last call for the salvation
of Israel and the Holy City, as mankind marches towards the end of the age and
God’s eternal kingdom. It is a time of soul searching and prayer.
During the early 2008-2011 festival period (which
has now past), the Appointed Times & Seasons Calendar showed
(Point 14) that the first 49 days of the
490 day prophecy ended on a special day called Shabbat Nachamu—the Sabbath of
Comfort, July 24, 2010. According to Judaism, Shabbat Nachamu is the first of
seven Torah readings starting with the first Sabbath after Tisha B’Av and
leading up to Rosh Hashanah. The seven consolations are
from the prophetic portion of the Scriptures, which readings begin with Isaiah
chapter 40. The chapter opens with the words Nachamu, nachamu ami—“Console,
console My people, says your God.” This is meant to bring consolation to
the people of God because of the destruction of the Temple many centuries ago
and to offer reassurance that it will be built again. During the 2009-2012
festival period, there is no apparent Sabbath or special day on the Hebrew
Calendar that corresponds to the ending of the first 49 days.
In spite of our passion for Jerusalem and
God’s grace in preserving the beloved city, prophecy warns the end-time
rebuilding of the war-torn community will only lead to greater sorrow and
destruction of all Israel when Antichrist is allowed into the heart of the city
and onto the Temple Mount to set up his abomination.
The seventy ‘sevens’ not only represent the final
period of grace for Jerusalem and her Jewish inhabitants, but also for
Christians and Moslems who lay claim to Abraham and the Holy City. Prophecy
foretells of Antichrist’s miracles through demonic powers, which subdue not only
Judaism, Christianity and Islam, but all faiths and peoples of the globe. The
masses will be intrigued by his intelligence. Antichrist will use his knowledge
of world religions and Jewish culture and experience to his advantage in swaying
many to his side and away from the Holy Covenant.
He will distort the truths of God’s Word with the great errors of Catholicism,
which include the Pope’s infallibility, purgatory, the Eucharist, the rosary,
worship of the dead, worship of Mary, plus other cultic religious activities
that are contrary to Holy Writ.
Events of the past teach many lessons about the
future and are given as examples for those of us who live at the end of the
world. Israel, during King David’s 40 years of leadership from about 1011 B.C.
to 971 B.C., experienced military victories by God’s miraculous intervention.
It was during this momentous period of time the “years, months and days” pattern
of punishment was introduced, as recorded in 2 Samuel 24. Towards the end of
his reign, King David decided to count the fighting men of Israel. His military
general Joab questioned the king’s decision to tally the men, for it was not in
keeping with the fundamental principles of the Hebrew monarchy. However, David
decided to proceed, and for almost a year, the counting continued. However,
during the census, David began to think over the implications of what he had
done and realized he was making a colossal mistake.
The people of Israel would certainly pay the price
for their leader’s spiritual blunder. Therefore, “the word of the LORD had come
to Gad the prophet, David’s seer: “Go and tell David, ‘This is what the LORD
says: I am giving you three options. Choose one of them for Me to carry out
against you.’” So Gad went to David and said to him, “Shall there come upon you
three years of famine in your land? Or three months of fleeing
from your enemies while they pursue you? Or three days of plague in your
land? Now then, think it over and decide how I should answer the One who sent
me,” (2 Samuel 24:11-13). Out of the three (3) years of famine, three (3)
months of enemy pursuit and three (3) days of plague, David
reluctantly decided for the shortest term—the three days of plague. However,
the LORD brought sudden chastisement upon Israel and 70,000 men died. The city
of Jerusalem stood in the balances and was about to be destroyed, but the
prophet Gad offered instruction for reprieve; in response, David, growing in
wisdom, bought the threshing floor on Mt. Moriah for fifty shekels of silver,
built an altar and offered sacrifices to YHVH, and the plague against Israel
stopped. It was this same mountain where Abraham had erected an altar for the
offering of Isaac and where God had appeared to him years before,
the same place where Solomon later erected the Temple, known today as the Temple
Mount area in Jerusalem.
Just 40 years ago, by the third day of the Six-Day
War in 1967, God gave the armies of Israel clear and decisive victory over their
surrounding enemies, as King David before them, restoring the fortunes of
Jerusalem back to Israel. From the beginning of the Six-Day War, the clock of
Israel’s final days began on a decisive countdown that will not end until the
final 40 years, months and days of Israel’s earthly history comes to a
conclusion, and God’s eternal kingdom begins.
In the last days during the prophetic countdown,
Antichrist, the assigned leader of Israel, will make one last disastrous
decision; he will step onto the sacred Temple Mount where he will not set up
worship to the True God, as David did, but he will set up the idolatrous
abomination in honor of himself (Point 17) that will bring desolation to
Jerusalem and then the world. By doing so, he will, as King David years before
him, trigger the last and shortest segment of time for Israel’s punishment, the
40 days of Great Tribulation, known as the time of Jacob’s trouble (Point 19).
Jesus described the times this way, “So when you see standing in the holy place
‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet
Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the
mountains,” (Matthew 24:15-16). Luke portrayed the great disaster to fall upon
Israel and the Holy City in this manner: “When you see Jerusalem being
surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those
who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city [of Jerusalem] get
out, and let those in the country not enter the city [of Jerusalem]. For this is
the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written,”
(Luke 21:20-22).
In David’s day, “When the angel stretched out his
hand to destroy Jerusalem, the LORD was grieved because of the calamity and said
to the angel who was afflicting the people, “Enough! Withdraw your hand. The
angel of the LORD was then at the threshing floor of Araunah the Jebusite,” (2
Samuel 24:16)—today’s Temple Mount. In stark contrast, on that future day when
the counterfeit King of Israel steps onto the Temple Mount, the destroying
Angel’s hand of destruction will not be stopped against Jerusalem. Punishment
will begin at the house of God.
The Holy One of Israel is rich in mercy, and His
grace will continue until time runs out. However, the ten Days of Repentance
(Point 15) will end on schedule, and the Day of Atonement will commence when all
who are unrepentant will be eternally cut off. May we live faithfully and with
compassion for the City and her people until the end, for “the love of most will
grow cold, but he who stands firm until the end will be saved,” (Matthew
24:12-13).
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