Does Daniel 9:27 describe the Great Tribulation as seen in Revelation Chapters 6 to 18?
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Question
Does Daniel 9:27 describe the Great Tribulation as seen in Revelation Chapters 6 to 18?
Answer
What Scriptural evidence is there that the 70th week prophesied in Daniel chapter 9:27 is the Great Tribulation and therefore that chapters 6 to 18 of the Book of Revelation describe the same period of time?
There is absolutely no doubt that these two passages of Scripture relate to the same seven-year period of time immediately preceding the glorious appearing of Christ at His second coming and the reasons are as follows:
- The seventieth week of Daniel 9 is a period of seven years and is yet future. At the end of the 70 weeks six blessings are to be experienced by the Jews and Jerusalem including “reconciliation for iniquity” and a period of “everlasting righteousness” brought Israel is not now reconciled to God and is not experiencing “everlasting righteousness” so the 70 weeks must yet be future. The Book of Revelation describes Christ’s 1,000-year reign AFTER He returns. Satan will be bound and the saints reign with Christ on the earth (Revelation 20:1-6).
- The seventieth week, like the 69 weeks before it, is determined on the Jews and The prophecy began with the “going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem” after the Babylonian captivity and that was in the month Nisan, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2). Artaxerxes began to reign in 465BC so the 20th year of his reign was 445BC. Calculating by the prophetic calendar of 360-day years and converting back to the Gregorian calendar, the 69th week was fulfilled on Palm Sunday AD32 when Messiah presented Himself as Prince, or King to Israel in fulfilment of Zechariah 9:9. This leaves seven more years to run before the Jews and Jerusalem will be blessed and obviously did not happen in AD39.
- There is a gap between the 69th and 70th weeks in which Messiah was “cut off”on the cross, Jerusalem was destroyed (38 years later in AD70) and is to remain desolate until the end. It is still trodden down by the Gentiles and will remain so until Christ returns.Romans chapter 11 indicates that Israel is the “natural branches” of the olive tree which has been plucked off during this Church dispensation during which time the Gentiles, the “wild olive branch”, has been grafted into the Olive tree, but when “the fulness of the Gentiles be come in…all Israel shall be saved” (Romans 11:25-26). This indicates a gap in Israel’s prophetic history spanning the entire Church Age.
- Revelation 6 to 18 describes the Tribulation poured out on earth and Jews are mentioned as “the servants of our God” during this time (Revelation 7:3). Two Jewish prophets prophesy at Jerusalem, and the Jewish remnant are described as having “the testimony of Jesus Christ” (Revelation 12:17). The remnant endure intense persecution from Satan for a period of 1,260 days (Revelation 12:6) or “a time, times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14); the second half of Daniel’s 70th week. Daniel gives more details of the persecution of the Jews in the Great Tribulation in the 12th chapter of his He writes: “There shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation…at that time thy people shall be delivered”(Daniel 12:1-1). When Daniel asked, “How long?” he was told. “For a time, times, and an half ” (Daniel 12:7).
- Since the 69 weeks were 69×7 years (483 years), to be consistent, the 70th week is a period of seven years. Daniel 9:27 divides the 70th week into two equal parts and so does the Book of Revelation. First, two Jewish prophets prophesy at Jerusalem for 1,260 days until they are slain by Antichrist (Revelation 11:1-13) and then Antichrist reigns for 42 months (Revelation 13:5). During this time Jerusalem must be trodden down by the Gentiles for 42 months (Revelation 11:2).
- Daniel 9:27 states that half-way through the 70th week a future Roman prince will cause the Temple sacrifices to cease for the purpose of establishing the “abomination (idol) of desolation” and Revelation 13 describes how Antichrist will set up his idol image during the Tribulation and will be given power “to continue forty and two months” (Revelation 13:5). His false prophet will have power to “give life unto the image of the beast” and cause all who “would not worship the image of the beast should be killed”(Revelation 13::15). Paul tells us that Antichrist will sit in the Temple and claim Deity (2 Thessalonians 2:4). The Temple will be rebuilt.
- Jesus confirmed that the “abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet” (Matthew 24:15,21) was the time of the Great Tribulation when He said, “Then shall be great tribulation such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be” (Matthew 24:21). Furthermore He stated that the Tribulation would immediately precede His coming “Immediately after the tribulation of those days …they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds” (Matthew 24:29-30). This is consistent with the description of Christ’s return as “King of kings” indicated in Revelation 19 immediately after the Tribulation described in Revelation 6 to 18.
- Daniel 9:27 indicates that the 70 weeks conclude with the judgment of God “poured upon the desolate” (or desolator). The Roman “prince which shall come” is undoubtedly referred to for it is he who sets up the abomination (idol) in the the holy Antichrist is to be judged at the end of the 70 weeks and that is exactly how the Book of the Revelation describes it. “The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him…These both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone” (Revelation 19:20).
Undoubtedly, Daniel 9:27 describes the same period as Revelation 6 to 18.