Eschatology : The Events of the Seven Year Tribulation. 1-4

The First Three and a Half Years.

1. The Formal Organization of the super harlot church.

Revelation 17

2. The appearance of the Anti-christ and the false prophet.

We have looked at Daniel 7:19-25; and Daniel 11:36-45 and 2 Thess 2:1-12; and Revelation 13.

It is possible that the Anti-christ will come from the revised Roman Empire The 10 toed Kingdom of Iron and Clay of the Book of Daniel and the False Prophet from the Ecumenical Movement. They are just waiting in the wings to be revealed at the proper time, very soon.

3. The Revival of the Ten-Toed Kingdom.

Dan 2:41  You also saw the feet and toes. They were partly potters' clay and partly iron. This means that there will be a divided kingdom which has some of the firmness of iron. As you saw, iron was mixed with clay.

Dan 2:42  The toes were partly iron and partly clay. Part of the kingdom will be strong, and part will be brittle.

Dan 2:43  As you saw, iron was mixed with clay. So the two parts of the kingdom will mix by intermarrying, but they will not hold together any more than iron can mix with clay.

Principles of Interpretation

At the outset the expositor who attempts to interpret these portions of Scripture is confronted with the major hermeneutical problem of how to interpret prophecy. Two major points of view are reflected in the conclusions reached by various expositors. One view adopted by amillennial and postmillennial interpreters is the dual hermeneutics of Augustine, namely, that while Scripture as a whole should be interpreted normally or literally, prophecy is a special case which should be interpreted allegorically, symbolically, or in a nonliteral sense. Opposed to this is the normal interpretive principle adopted by the single hermeneuties of premillennialism, which is that prophecy should be interpreted much the same as other types of Scripture, namely, that the normal literal sense should be followed unless the context or the thought requiries a nonliteral or symbolic interpretation.  John F. Walvoorde

See John Walvoorde <https://bible.org/article/prophecy-ten-nation-confederacy>

WE are Looking at the Revival of the Roman Empire.

Jesus in His Olivet discourse uttered the following concerning Jerusalem

Luk 21:23  But woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people.

Luk 21:24  And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.

Luk 21:25  And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;

Luk 21:26  Men's hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken.

This treading down of Jerusalem and the “times of the gentiles” began with the captivity of Judah by Nebuchadnezzar and the Babylonians and has continued up until the present time with the Dome of the Rock and the Muslims on the Temple Mount.

From Daniel 2 and Daniel 7 we see that

1. Four Major world powers will rule over Jerusalem and the holy Land.
2. These powers are viewed in Daniel as gold, silver, bronze, and iron and clay.
3. These powers are also pictured as four Beasts: a winged lion,, a bear, a winged Leopard and and indescribably, brutal and vicious beast. These represent Babylon, Medo-Persia Greece, and Rome.
4. The Roman Empire will be revived in the Last days under a Ten Nation Confederacy under the Antichrist..Four factors will be evident in the Union of these Ten nations : Military,economic, political, and religious.

Neb's Image and the Vision of the Four beasts

4. The Anti Christ’s Seven-Year Covenant with Israel.

Isa 28:14  Therefore hear the Word of Jehovah, scornful men who rule this people in Jerusalem.

Isa 28:15  Because you have said, We have made a covenant with death, and we have made a vision with hell; when the overwhelming rod shall pass through, it shall not come to us; for we have made lies our refuge, and we have hidden ourselves under falsehood,

Isa 28:16  therefore so says the Lord Jehovah, Behold, I place in Zion a Stone for a foundation, a tried Stone, a precious Cornerstone, a sure Foundation; he who believes shall not hurry.

Isa 28:17  Also I will lay judgment to the line, and righteousness to the plummet; and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.

Isa 28:18  And your covenant with death shall be wiped out, and your vision with hell shall not stand; when the overwhelming rod shall pass through, then you shall be beaten down by it.

Dan 9:26  And after sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself. And the people of the ruler who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. And the end of it shall be with the flood, and ruins are determined, until the end shall be war.

Dan 9:27  And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. And in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease, and on a corner of the altar desolating abominations, even until the end. And that which was decreed shall be poured on the desolator. KJV

Dan 9:27  And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." ESV

1. The Background to this Covenant.

From June 4th till June 8th, The World famous Six day War between Israel and her Muslim neighbours took place. 50,000 Israelis soldiers defeated the armies of Egypt, Jordan and Syria

in a stunning and amazing victory,  which saw the Land Area of Israel increase from 7, 992 sq. miles to more than 26,000 sq. miles. In spite of all this and a hard won victory in 1973 as well Israel still does not live with security.

Oct 1973

She is surrounded by powerful enemies who have sworn by their gods to drive Israel into the sea. Also her powerful northern neighbours have vowed to annihilate her.

The Scriptures indicate that this intolerable situation will worsen. The Antichrist will offer them a peace treaty and allow them to rebuild the temple on the Temple Mount. The Seven year security treaty by the Antichrist will guarantee the status quo in the Middle East. Israel will seek peace at all costs and will fall for the trap.

2. The Breaking of the Covenant.

Dan 9:27  And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." ESV

Dan_9:24
שבעים שבעים נחתך על עמך ועל עיר קדשך
לכלא הפשע ולחתם  חטאות
ולכפר עו ולהביא צדק עלמים
ובצלחתם חזו ונביא ולמשח קדש  קדשים׃
Dan_9:25
ותדע ותשכל
מן מצא דבר להשיב ולבנות ירושלם
עד משיח נגיד שבעים שבעה
ושבעים ששים ושנים תשוב
ונבנתה רחוב וחרוץ ובצוק העתים׃
Dan_9:26
ואחרי השבעים ששים ושנים
יכרת משיח ואין לו
והעיר והקדש ישחית עם נגיד הבא
וקצו בשטף
ועד קץ מלחמה נחרצת שממות׃
Dan_9:27
והגביר ברית לרבים שבוע אחד
וחצי השבוע ישבית זבח ומנחה
ועל כנף שקוצים משמם
ועד כלה ונחרצה תתך על שומם׃


Houbigant’s Translation of Dan_9:24-27
Of the whole passage Houbigant gives the following translation: - 
Dan_9:24
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, and the city of thy sanctuary:
That sin may be restrained, and transgressions have an end;
That iniquity may be expiated, and an everlasting righteousness brought in;
That visions and prophecies may be sealed up, and the Holy of holies anointed.
Dan_9:25
Know therefore and understand: - 
From the edict which shall be promulgated, to return and rebuild Jerusalem, there shall be seven weeks.
Then it shall be fully rebuilt, with anxiety, in difficult times.
Thence, to the Prince Messiah, there shall be sixty-two weeks.
Dan_9:26
And after sixty-two weeks the Messiah shall be slain, and have no justice.
Afterwards he shall waste the city and the sanctuary, by the prince that is to come.
And his end shall be in straits; and to the end of the war desolation is appointed.
Dan_9:27
And for one week he shall confirm a covenant with many;

And in the middle of the week he shall abrogate sacrifice and

offering; And in the temple there shall be the abomination of 

desolation,
Until the ruin which is decreed rush on after the desolation.