A number of prophecy teachers (c.f. Herb Peters) are beginning to claim that Daniel's 70th week has already started, basing this view on the passage in Daniel 9:27...
"Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.." [NKJV],
and pointing to Javier Solana's ENP which took on real effectiveness 1 January 2007.
Quoting from Times of Noah...(minus all the references)...
"Javier Solana’s [initial] European Neighborhood Policy (ENP) is to last from 2007-2013, with a mid-term review period, in which the EU's High Representative (currently Javier Solana) will be involved. Sixteen nations have currently signed up, including Israel and the Palestinian Authority. Israel signed up in December 2004. All countries will have [have had!!] their agreements confirmed on January 1st, 2007.
The ENP’s prime aim is to bring security and political control to Europe’s borders. The ENP might very well be the covenant that triggers the start of the tribulation."
I have been thinking about this, and suddenly realized that the AC must confirm a covenant with many at the beginning of the 70th week. Also, it is a requirement that the Church must be "taken out of the way ... then the lawless one will be revealed..."(2 Thess 2:7-8) and "...for that Day will not come unless the Departure or Going Away [literal Greek] comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition..." BEFORE the AC can come to power and make this covenant - this has not yet happened - otherwise we have all been left behind!!
Confirm means that, IMHO (not too humble!!), that the covenant must already be in place and operational to some degree, just as it has been since the beginning of this year.
What if the covenant is confirmed by the person who will become the AC (Solana???) in 3-4 years from now (say 2010), and promises that the ENP agreements will be extended for a further 7 years, but after 31/2 years the AC breaks his agreement - and desecrates the Temple, declaring himself to be god - would this timetable not also fit with Daniel's prophecy.
Let me explain further...
We know that the AC makes a 7 year covenant with Israel, guaranteeing them peace and the right to restart Temple worship (As given to Daniel, and referred to by Jesus).
This has not yet happened, BUT one could see a scenario rapidly developing in the ME this summer, where Israel goes to war with Syria, Hamas (Samaria, Gaza) and Hezbollah (Tyre, Sidon, Southern Lebanon) (see Zech 9:1-8 and Isiah 17), wins decisively (with the destruction of Damascus), then makes peace overtures to the remaining Palestinians living in the West Bank to meet the US and EU 8-month deadline (HaAretz)
Then, because of their overwhelming victory (which the world will recognize as being supernatural - Zech 9:1), Israel is allowed to commence rebuilding the Temple on the Temple Mount - probably next to the Dome of the Rock mosque, to be ready for use by 2010.
Meanwhile, massive deposits of oil are discovered under Israel and commercial production starts up during this timeframe (YnetNews.com).
Iran, egged on and supplied by Russia, continues its military and nuclear build-up through 2008-9, and then, again with Russia's help, decides to both (i) avenge the destruction of Damancus, Hezbollah and Hamas in 2007) and (ii) lay claim on Israel's oil reserves - their own oil production having been off-line since summer 2007 after a short but sweet attack by the US on the county's oil, gas and electricity infrastructure (ostensibly to punish the Iranians for refusal to stop their nuclear ambitions, but also to appease more moderate Arab states who won't take action themselves, c.f. Saudi Arabia).
They do this by launching all out war on Israel sometime in 2009 , fully supported by Russia and all the other extremist Moslem nations, incl. Turkey (Togamar), and aided by Germany (Gomer) - albeit reluctantly (who are being blackmailed by Russia who is controlling much their supplies of natural gas)- after all the US troops have been pulled out of the ME by the newly elected Democratic US president - resulting in the fulfillment of the Gog-Magog war in Exek 38-39. Russia will feel obligated to support Iran because of its failure to help during the 2007 war with Syria, and because of its need for more oil - having lost access to Iran's oil since 2007.
The EU, under the direction of Solana (??), steps in to sort out the mess, promising peace - backed up by the threat of military intervention by the EU's now fully deployed military forces (see Javier Solana's role in the formation of the EU's 2010 Headline Goal, effectively a military response group which can be deployed anywhere in the world within 5 days in the event of an emergency.
This all culminates in the confirming of the covenant (a beefed up ENP) around 2010 with many - Daniel 9:27 (including all the EU, ME and African countries that would complete the revived Roman Empire), and giving a guarantee to Israel of 7 years of peace, and complete freedom for the resumption of full Temple based worship, complete with daily sacrifices, etc.
At some point in all of this, I would expect the 1st Resurrection, followed by the Rapture of all born-again believers in Jesus to occur.
Just a thought...
John
3 comments:
John,
So good to see you post...This is my first visit to your site...
Very Interesting thoughts on the EU and the chain of events thru 2007 and beyond. Very possible. Solana gives me the creeps, but do you really think he is the AC or setting everything in place for one (like a forerunner).
Oh, and not to sound stupid, but what does IMHO stand for? (I don't get it, sorry!)
God bless you John, Have a great day!
Love, Faith
John, The little green guy ("secret rapture" appeared on my blog and right afterward everything on my postings disappeared. We couldn't even get into the edit phase of it.
Just wanted to also share with you what I found on Dr. Fruchtenbaum's web page. He is an acknowledged scholar on Israel, the Bible and especially eschatology.
I copied this article and I hope I am not overstepping to post it here for you.
" The Sequence of Pretribulational Events
The Great Tribulation is not imminent. A number of events are clearly stated to precede the Tribulation period. This study is concerned with the sequence of those events – nine in all – that on one hand come before the Tribulation and, on the other hand, consecutively lead up to the Tribulation.
A question raised so very often is:
Are we living in the last days? Invariably, the answer is: Yes! But when asked, How do we know?, the answers tend to be rather general and based on present-day crises, particularly on those current events affecting the United States. In this area, many "newspaper exegetes" have had a field day proclaiming almost every major, world event to be a partial fulfillment of prophecy and another proof that these are, indeed, the last days. However, this is a very dangerous practice. Prophecy must first be determined from the Scriptures and then applied to current events rather than taking current events and forcing them to fit some kind of scriptural passage. Only after one's eschatology has been developed exegetically from the Scriptures should current events be taken into account to determine if any are fulfilling prophecy. And only if the current events fit the demands of Scripture perfectly are these events to be identified as a fulfillment of prophecy.
Nevertheless, we know that we are living in the last days, because certain pretribulational events have been fulfilled:
A. World Wars I and II
The prophecies regarding World Wars I and II are found in Matthew 24:1-8. Jesus is asked three questions by the disciples, including one of great concern to this study: What shall be the sign of the end of the age? These are typical Jewish expressions of that time. The rabbis spoke of two ages: “this age” and “the age to come.” “This age” is the age in which we now live. “The age to come” was the Messianic Age. Their question is: What is the sign that marks that the end of this age has indeed begun?
Christ reveals in verses 7-8 the one event that will indicate that the end of the age has begun. This sign is said to be when nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. This is to be accompanied by famines and earthquakes. It is clearly stated that these things are the beginning of travail. Throughout the prophetic portions of Scripture, the end days are pictured by the word travail, which means "birth pang," i.e., the pain a woman endures before giving birth to her child. Just as the pregnant woman goes through a series of birth pangs, so the closing days of this age will bring a series of birth pangs before giving birth to the new age of the kingdom.
It is crucial to understand the cultural and historical meaning of the idiom, nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. Taken in the Jewish context of Jesus' day, this expression points to a total conflict in the area in view. This idiom is found in two Old Testament passages: In Isaiah 19:1-4, the idiom points to a conflict all over the land of Egypt as the nation is engrossed in civil war; in II Chronicles 15:1-7, the Middle East is in view, and the idiom describes a conflict throughout the area. Back to Matthew 24 now, it is clear from verses 14, 21, 30 and 31 that the entire world is in view. Hence, the idiom refers to a worldwide conflict - the first birth pang signifying that the last days have begun.
World War I, waged from 1914-1918, marked the first such worldwide conflict. And most historians concur that World War II was, in effect, a continuation of World War I. These global wars were the first of the events leading up to the Tribulation period.
B. The Re-Establishment of Israel
Amazingly, some Christians have concluded that the present State of Israel has nothing to do with the fulfillment of prophecy. The issue that bothers so many who hold this view is that not only have the Jews returned in unbelief with regard to the person of Jesus, but the majority of those who have returned are not even Orthodox Jews. Certainly, then, Israel could not possibly fulfill the biblical passages dealing with the return of a regenerated nation, according to these proponents.
The problem with this belief is the failure to see that the prophets spoke of two international returns. First, there was to be a regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment, namely the Tribulation (Ezekiel 20:33-38; 22:17-22; Zephaniah 2:1-2). This was to be followed by a second worldwide regathering in faith in preparation for blessing, namely the Messianic Age (Isaiah 11:11- 12).
Thus, 1948 marked another birth pang of the last days. The restoration of the Jewish state is a fulfillment of those prophecies that spoke of a regathering in unbelief in preparation for judgment. It is another event leading up to the Tribulation and so sets the stage for several other pretribulational events. In fact, in terms of the nine events leading up to the Tribulation, each event sets the stage for its succeeding event. The re-establishment of Israel arose out of World Wars I and II. World War I gave the impetus to the growth of the Zionist movement, and World War II affected world sentiment to allow the establishment of a Jewish state in Israel.
C. Jerusalem Under Jewish Control
The third pretribulational event involves the Jewish control of Jerusalem. The fact that the Jewish state had to exist before the Tribulation does not necessarily require the total Jewish control of Jerusalem. Following the Israeli War of Independence (1948- 1949), Israeli forces were in control of West Jerusalem, the newer Jewish section. The Old City of Jerusalem (the biblical city) fell into the hands of the Jordanian Legion and was later annexed into the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan. Jerusalem thus became a divided city and remained that way for the next 19 years.
Nevertheless, prophetically-speaking, the Old City of Jerusalem had to fall under Jewish control. This can be deduced from the prophecies dealing with the third Jewish Temple, sometimes known as the Tribulation Temple. There are four passages of Scripture that describe a specific mid-Tribulation event regarding the Tribulation Temple. Each passage (Daniel 9:27; Matthew 24:15; II Thessalonians 2:3-4; and Revelation 11:1-2) speaks of the third Jewish Temple, namely the Tribulation Temple. And all four make the point that in the middle of the seven-year Tribulation, the Antichrist will take control of the Temple and commit the abomination of desolation. These verses view the Jewish Temple as having been rebuilt, and they also presuppose Jewish control of the Temple compound, as well as the Old City of Jerusalem.
Though none of these factors specify a time as to when this was to occur, it was clearly fulfilled in the Six Day War and, thus, became the third birth pang.
D. The Russian Invasion of Israel
Unlike the previous three pretribulational events, the remaining six such events are all to occur in the future. One of these is foretold in Ezekiel 38:1 - 39:16, which details an invasion of Israel from the north and the subsequent destruction of the invading forces upon reaching the mountains of Israel.
In Ezekiel 38:1-6, the prophet names the peoples involved in this invasion. In verses 1-4, attention is centered on Gog, the leader in the land of Magog. He is the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal. The identity of Gog will only be determined at the time of the invasion, as Gog is not a proper name but a title of the ruler of Magog (like the terms pharaoh, kaiser and czar). The identification of Magog, Rosh, Meshech and Tubal can be determined from the fact that these tribes of the ancient world occupied the areas of modern-day Russia. Magog stood between the Black and Caspian Seas which today comprises southern Russia. The tribes of Meshech and Tubal later gave names to cities that today bear the names of Moscow (Russia’s capital) and Tobolsk, a major city in the Urals in Siberia. Rosh – the basis for the modern name Russia – was located in what is now northern Russia. The modern nation of Russia, then, encompasses all of these areas spoken of by Ezekiel.
As if to avoid any further possible doubt, Ezekiel adds that these come from the uttermost parts of the north (Ezekiel 38:6, 15; 39:2). From Israel, the uttermost parts of the north is Russia, with Moscow situated at a point almost a straight line due north from Jerusalem. Hence, Russia - led by Gog - is the leader of the northern confederacy.
But Russia is not alone as she invades Israel; she is the leader of a confederacy. Other nations involved are (verses 5-6): Persia, or present-day Iran; Cush or Ethiopia; Put or Somaliland or Somalia; Gomer, located in modern Germany; and Togarmah, which today is Armenia. Verse 6 adds the phrase, even many peoples with thee. This phrase may simply define the numbers of the nations already mentioned, or it may include other nations not mentioned. One interesting point is that not a single Arab nation participates in this invasion.
These nations are geographically located both north and south of Israel, but it is Russia that is the controlling nation and allied with Moslem, non-Arab states. A common error made in previous interpretations of this passage was to assume that this was a communist invasion. The fall of communism in East Europe has caused many to abandon the "Russian" interpretation of this passage. But there is no need to do so. It should be noted that the text never describes the invading nation’s type of government. It does not indicate whether it is a monarchy, socialistic, communistic, democratic, or dictatorial government. The focus is on the geography, not the type of government. While the names of these geographical areas have changed over the centuries, and may change again, the geography itself remains intact. Regardless of what names they may carry at the time of this invasion, the nations involved are those very nations which comprise the particular geographical areas described. So, the leading nation may have once been called the Soviet Union, and more recently the Commonwealth of Independent Sates, and traditionally Russia… regardless, it is this territory, by whatever name it may be known, that will lead the invasion.
Ezekiel (38:1 - 39:16) also affirms that the Russian confederacy's invasion of Israel comes when the latter nation is dwelling securely before the Tribulation (38:14). The prophet reveals too, that the confederacy is destroyed in Israel before the Tribulation (38:17-23).
E. The One-World Government
The fifth birth pang leading up to the Tribulation is the development of a one-world government as found in Daniel 7:23. The fourth Gentile empire is to continue until it eventually devours the whole world. The Roman Empire is hardly a fulfillment of this prophecy.
In light of Ezekiel 38:1 - 39:16, the eastern balance of power – currently centered in Russia and the Moslem block of nations – will collapse with the fall of the Russian forces in Israel and the destruction of Russia itself. With the eastern power destroyed, this will open the way for a one-world government. As to the exact nature of this government, nothing is stated. It will certainly be a form of imperialism, but whether this will be in the form of the United Nations or that of a select leadership is unknown. But that this one world government will develop and devour the whole world is clear.
F. The Ten Kingdoms
This one-world government will eventually split up into ten kingdoms, according to Daniel 7:24a. Of course, there has been much speculation in recent years concerning the European Common Market. This, again, is an errant attempt at “newspaper exegesis” which does not correlate with the scriptural text. Textually, after the world falls under the one-world government, then and only then does the one-world government split into ten kingdoms. But these ten kingdoms cover the entire world rather than just Europe alone. The sixth birth pang will be this division of the one-world empire into ten kingdoms with ten kings who will rule the world. At best, the Common Market might become one of the ten, but could hardly become all ten. Beginning before the Tribulation, this ten-kingdom stage will continue into the middle of the Tribulation.
G. The Rise of the Antichrist
Following the division of the world into ten kingdoms, the Antichrist will begin his rise to power in Daniel 7:24b. That there was to be a revelation of the identity of the Antichrist before the Tribulation is clear from II Thessalonians 2:1-3. In this passage, two events are said to occur before the day of the Lord, which always refers to the Tribulation. The first is the apostasy; the second is the revelation of the man of sin and the son of perdition. This seventh birth pang – the revelation of the identity of the Antichrist – will precede the Tribulation.
H. The Period of Peace and False Security
Another pretribulational event is portrayed in I Thessalonians 5:1-3, where the term, the day of the Lord, is applied once again. The destruction of the Tribulation hits with such sudden and devastating force at a time when men are saying, "Peace and safety." This period, then, must come just before the act that initiates the Tribulation itself. So, while all the world is under the ten kingdoms and the Antichrist is rising to power, there will be a period of peace and false security - the eighth birth pang.
I. The Seven Year Covenant
The event leading up to the Tribulation is the signing of the seven-year covenant between Israel and the Antichrist, something foretold in Daniel 9:27 and Isaiah 28:14-22. It must be emphasized that it is not the Rapture that ushers in the Tribulation but, instead, the signing of the seven-year covenant.
The Rapture will precede the Tribulation by some unknown period of time but does not actually start it; only the seven-year covenant can do so.
Copyright © 2005, Ariel Ministries. All Rights Reserved.
Yeshua is the Lion of the Tribe of Judah
The complete Messianic Bible Study of “The Basis of the Second Coming of Christ” is available as Catalog item #mbs-038."
Here is the link, I hope!!
http://ariel.org/ffruit.htm#top
I really enjoy your postings and I agree with your summing up the apostacy. That word is 1588 in Strongs and means to be removed to a new place. Out of the picture so to speak.
Do you have a Hebrew/Greek study Bible. If not, there is a really neat one from AMG Publishers and it is edited by Spiros Zodhiates, Th.D. Well worth the $ spent and I use it all of the time.
Hope you find this article interesting.
Shalom
Wilma
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