CHAPTER 12
In the study of prophecy, Messiah's followers seem to be obsessed with one question. That is, will the church go through the seven year period known as the tribulation? More specifically, they are asking—Will God rapture His people before, during, or after the tribulation?
To further complicate matters, there is confusion about the timing of other End Time events. For instance, prophecy teachers routinely speak of the last seven years, God's wrath, and the tribulation as though they were interchangeable. But are they?
Perhaps the most misunderstood End Time subject is God's wrath. A few generations ago, churches were known for spirited preaching of hell fire and brimstone. Every hearer understood that one day God was going to pour out His wrath on Satan and sinners alike. But for many decades, the emphasis has been on God's love instead of His wrath. Nevertheless, the Bible says God's wrath will be seen in the last days.
What constitutes that wrath? The common belief is that it is the punishment which is poured out during the tribulation period. This leads many to conclude that the church must be raptured before the tribulation. After all, Scripture declares that believers will not experience God's wrath:
For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation [deliverance] through our Lord Jesus Christ (I Thessalonians 5:9).
No where, however, does the Bible suggest that God's wrath and the tribulation are one in the same. According to Scripture, only that which is part of the seven bowls of judgment is actually God's wrath.
And one of the four living creatures gave to the seven angels seven golden bowls full of the wrath of God (Revelation 15:7).
And I heard a loud voice from the temple, saying to the seven angels, "Go and pour out the seven bowls full of the wrath of God into the earth" (Revelation 16:1).
For reasons that will be developed later, it appears God's wrath is confined to a ten day period (certainly not seven years). The severity of the bowls of judgment tells us nothing could survive more than a few days. Therefore, it is a mistake to equate God's wrath with the seven year period at the end of the age.
One more clarification needs to be made. Contrary to popular teaching, God's wrath has nothing to do with tribulation. Wrath is that which God pours out on men; tribulation, as you will soon see, results entirely from the actions of men.
Teachers often refer to the seven year period before the end of the age as the Tribulation. The Bible, however, never refers to any period by that name. Instead we find that tribulation, which is another word for affliction, is something experienced by every follower of Messiah. It is common to every age; it is not restricted to the last seven years. Speaking of the plight of believers nineteen centuries ago, the Apostle Paul wrote,
Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God (Acts 14:22).
Tribulation does not refer to ordinary problems of life. Rather, it speaks to those afflictions which come to God's people at the hands of Satan or his minions. We are not left to wonder about the nature of those afflictions; Messiah said it would be in the form of persecution:
Then they will deliver you to tribulation, and will kill you, and you will be hated by all nations on account of My name (Matthew 24:9).
In summary, we can make the following distinctions between God's wrath and tribulation:
1. We know tribulation and God's wrath are not the same. The Bible says we will go through tribulation (Matthew 24:9), but we will bedelivered from wrath (I Thessalonians 5:9).
2. Tribulation comes horizontally—from men operating under Satan's control. Wrath is vertical—judgment poured out from above.
Though tribulation is common to all ages, the Bible indicates that in the last days it will intensify. In the Book of the Revelation, John saw a multitude of people before the throne of God. Since he did not know who they were, someone revealed their identity to him:
These are the ones who come out of THE great tribulation, and they have washed their robes and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Revelation 7:14).
What is meant by the phrase, "the great tribulation?" To begin, there is a definite article. That implies that the degree of affliction will be unparalleled. Forty-two months before the end of the age, God will instruct the angels to throw Satan out of heaven. From then on, Satan will personally direct the persecution of Israel and all those who hold to the testimony of Jesus. The affliction which results will will be unusually severe. Hence, it is called "the great tribulation."
Woe to the earth and the sea, because the devil has come down to you, having great wrath, knowing that he has only a short time (Revelation 12:12).
Now we go back to this chapter's opening question. Will believers be present when trials are so severe they are called "the great tribulation?" To answer, we return to the vision where John saw the multitudes before the throne—the ones who come out of the great tribulation. We know they are followers of Messiah because their robes were made white by His blood. We also see that the verb "come" is present tense. That likely means those believers were not removed before "the great tribulation."
At this point, some widely-held interpretations should be mentioned. I am speaking of those who believe the rapture will deliver the saints either before or mid-way through the seven year tribulation period. Its proponents agree that Messiah's followers will be persecuted during "the great tribulation." However, they think the persecution only applies to those who come to faith after the church is raptured!
As we developed in the last chapter, God didn't design the rapture to deliver anyone from "tribulation." What's more, does it not seem improbable (and presumptuous) to expect God to deliver one set of Messiah's followers from persecution, only to replace them with another?
Ask most Bible teachers how long the prophesied End Time lasts, and they will say seven years. Ask how they know, and they will say from Daniel and the Revelation. Strangely, you won't find a single statement about a seven year period in either place! Listed below are all the relevant periods mentioned in the two books.
Reading these seven verses, one gets the impression the Bible is trying to tell us something: namely, that everything happens in a 42 month period. Remember that Biblical months have 30 days, so 1,260 days is the same as 42 months (which is also three and a half years). Because Daniel 12:7 is so illuminating we will quote it in its entirety:
He swore...that it would be a time, times, and half a time [3 1/2 years]; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, ALL THESE EVENTS WILL BE COMPLETED.
The plain reading of that verse is that all the end time events will be completed in three and a half years. Why then do so many cling to the notion of a seven year period? Remarkably, those seven verses are ignored in favor of a SINGLE passage in Daniel—a passage which is confusing at best!
In all the Bible there is perhaps no greater prophetic gold mine than Daniel, Chapter 9. For all too many, however, it has produced only confusion. I am speaking of a fairly recent theory held by many of today's prophecy teachers. It is known as the "gap" theory. Here are its major points:
Until the last century, this view was unknown. None of the early church fathers mentioned a gap in Daniel's prophecy. Though the whole theory hinges on the interpretation of three difficult verses, it has gained wide acceptance. That is especially surprising since those verses do not mention a gap, meaning its existence must be inferred. Moreover, there are no other passages in the Bible which suggest such a gap.
These verses are part of a section in Daniel, Chapter Nine, known as the seventy weeks of Daniel. Because they are so difficult, we will look at the verses one at a time. From previous chapters you know that each week of the 70 weeks represents seven years, making a total of 490 years.
Vs. 25.
So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until MESSIAH THE PRINCE there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks (483 years); it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.
Daniel received this prophecy near the end of Israel's captivity in Babylon. At the time, Jerusalem was in ruins. But according to the angel, the city would be rebuilt. Notice the structure of the verse; the prophesied time began with the decree, and ended with Messiah.
Vs. 26.
Then after the sixty-two weeks MESSIAH will be cut off and have nothing, and the PEOPLE of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary...
Notice the key events of this verse: (1) Messiah is cut off and (2) the city is destroyed. History records that the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in A.D. 70. Who then is the prince? Again, from history we know that a general named Titus was in charge of the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple. But was he a prince? As a matter of fact, Titus was the son of the Roman emperor.
The gap theory does not dispute the historic record that Titus was a Roman prince / general who sacked Jerusalem and destroyed the Temple in A.D. 70. Yet, its proponents insist the "prince to come" is not Titus, but the Antichrist of End Time prophecy. There are two serious problems with that interpretation:
Vs. 27.
And he shall cause to prevail a covenant for the many one seven, and in the midst of the seven he shall cause sacrifice and oblation to cease...
This is a very difficult passage. Over the years, translators have offered many different interpretations. Of them, the New American Standard version is typical. It says, "And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week." That translation leads one to believe someone is going to make a new covenant. There are, however, serious problems with that rendering. The Hebrew word for making a covenant (cutting a covenant) was not used here. For that reason, a better reading is, "he shall cause an existing covenant to prevail."
Even so, we must admit the verse could still be interpreted as the gap theory holds—that is, someone (such as Antichrist) will cause an agreement to be put in force between say, Israel and Europe. However, it could just as easily mean that Messiah puts a promised covenant in force. Since it could go either way, we look to the rest of Scripture for confirmation. (Surely, an issue of this importance must surface elsewhere.) Are there other passages that imply Antichrist makes a covenant or treaty with anyone at any time? No, not one. (Some try in vain to equate Hezekiah's treaty with Egypt with a treaty between Israel and Antichrist. See Isaiah 28:18).
On the other hand, I offer you nearly the entire Book of Hebrews as confirmation that Messiah puts a promised covenant in force! And what covenant could that be? None other than the New Covenant.
And for this reason He [Messiah] is the mediator of a new covenant, in order that since a death has taken place for the redemption of the transgressions that were committed under the first covenant, those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance (Hebrews 9:15).
The second problem with this verse is identifying the "he" who confirms a covenant. The gap theory insists "he" refers to the prince, who they say is the Antichrist. Again, inserting this End Time character into Daniel's prophecy would appear to do violence to the context. Remember, the angel had just responded to Daniel's inquiry by describing the coming New Covenant (in verse 24). Obviously, a future peace treaty with Europe has nothing to do with that covenant.
Another problem is that two chapters later, Daniel refers to Antichrist as "the king." Now, which is it? King or prince?
If you are not convinced, get a piece of scratch paper and diagram verse 26. You will see that the "prince" is nothing more than the object of a prepositional phrase. Messiah, on the other hand, is the prominent subject of the sentence—as well as the whole passage.
In summary, Messiah's primary work was putting a promised covenant in force. On the other hand, there is no other "witness" in all the Bible to suggest that Antichrist ever makes a covenant with anyone. For all these reasons, we believe it takes an extremely active imagination to see Antichrist as the "he" in Daniel 9:27. Now let's look at the next part of verse 27.
And in the midst of the seven he shall cause sacrifice and oblation to cease.
It is Messiah who, in the midst of the 70th week (the word does not have to be translated "middle"), causes sacrifice and oblation to cease. Though nearly 40 years separated Messiah's rejection and the destruction of the Temple, the two events were vitally connected; they were cause and effect. The rejection of Messiah was the cause; the Temple's destruction was the effect.
There is still another sense in which Messiah stopped the Temple sacrifices. Even though they continued for 40 years, they had ceased to be legitimate in God's eyes. Why? Because the Old Covenant, including the sacrifices, had become obsolete. "When He said, 'A New Covenant,' He has made the first obsolete." As soon as Messiah put the New Covenant in force, the sacrifices and oblations in the Temple became unacceptable to God the Father. So, you can rightly say that during the 70th week, Messiah caused the sacrifices to cease. For these reasons, we see no need to superimpose a final week (seven years) on this or any other section of prophecy. That final seven years is over.
As a final point, you may be wondering why there was nothing to mark the end of the 70th week, as there was at the 7th and 69th weeks. (Jerusalem was rebuilt by the 7th week, and Messiah was cut off at the 69th week.) That is because the mission for the 70th week was not a single event. The 70th week was the period when individual Jews were brought into the New Covenant. Within a few years (perhaps seven?) the harvest of Jews in Israel was largely completed. After that, the bulk of evangelistic efforts was directed toward the Gentiles.
To summarize, it seems reasonable that we accept the plain reading of Scripture—namely, that End Time events will be completed in three and a half years, not seven. Where does that leave us regarding "the great tribulation," God's wrath, and the end of the age?