Page 89 - Eschatology - Student Ebook

Some try to make verse 27 refer to Antiochus Epiphanes during the Maccabean time period, or even of
Jesus Christ the Messiah. Antiochus did stop sacrifices in the temple at Jerusalem. But he did not make a
seven-year covenant with Israel that he broke after three and one-half years. His destruction was not
accomplished by purely divine initiative. Jesus Christ did not stop the sacrifices at the temple at His
death. The sacrifices and offerings continued. And Jesus will not be destroyed in the end.

This covenant could not have been made or confirmed by Christ at His First Advent, as Amillenarians
teach, because: (1) his ministry did not last seven years, 2) His death did not stop sacrifices and
offerings, 3) He did not set up “the abomination that causes desolation” (Dwight Pentecost)

The Fulfillment of this last Seven-year period is still in the Future
If verses 24-26 which describe the first 483 years have already been fulfilled, and verse 27 which
describes the last 7 years has not yet been fulfilled, then we must conclude that we are presently living
between verse 26 and verse 27. And we must necessarily conclude that there is a time gap between
verse 26 and verse 27.

The gap or parenthesis theory holds that there is a period of time between the 69th seven (the first 483)
years) and the seventieth seven (the last 7 years). If there is a gap, there is a possibility that the
seventieth week is still future.

Historically, the destruction of Jerusalem occurred in A.D. 70, almost 40 years after the death of Christ.
This does not allow for any kind of a literal interpretation of the fulfillment of the 70th seven of years if
this last period (7 years) immediately followed the first 2 periods (49 years followed by 434 years
equaling 483 years).

And the fact that vv. 25-26a were literally fulfilled to the very day requires that we expect the rest of this
passage to also be fulfilled literally.

Thus, it is necessary to accept the fact that a gap of time occurred between the 69th seven and the 70th
seven.

This gap obviously began at the end of the 69th seven, or on the day of the Triumphal Entry. Because
the Jewish nation, as represented by its leadership, formally rejected Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and
subsequently crucified Him, God put His program with the nation of Israel on a temporary hold, and
instituted a new program of using the church of Jesus Christ to represent Him in the world during the
time in this gap.

God’s count-down timer of 490 years is after the initial 383 years culminating in the Triumphal Entry of
Jesus Christ into Jerusalem, presently paused with just 7 years left to count down until the Second
Coming of Jesus Christ. When that count down timer starts moving again, on the day the antichrist signs
the peace covenant with the Nation of Israel, the Second Coming of Jesus Christ will occur 7 years later.
The problem for us is that we do not know how long the count down timer will be on “Pause”. In other
words, God never revealed to us how long the Church Age, in which we now live, would be.

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