The common narrative, popularized by Hal Lindsey, is that the Jews will be allowed to rebuild their Temple because the Anti-Christ confirms a covenant with them, and that Old Testament sacrifices will be resumed, with God’s blessing, on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. But alas! after 3 1/2 years The AntiChrist violates the terms of the agreement and presents himself as God. Then the Jews’ eyes are opened, they see the error of their ways and escape to Petra because they have just seen “the abomination of desolation” in the Holy Place.
I think that’s a reasonably accurate statement of what many believe. After this dastardly deed, God becomes angry because sacrifices and offerings (that He apparently approved of) have been discontinued, and the Great Tribulation begins.
Well, perhaps not. I’d like to propose a possibility that fits the Biblical criteria for these events, without the imaginative forays into the Land of Biblical Make-Believe.
The covenant-maker and deal-breaker is assumed to be The Bad Guy based on one very tenuous shred of “evidence” based on a mis-reading of Daniel 9:26. The verse is well-known amongst us eschaticians (I made that word up): “ … and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.” Hal Lindsey correctly pointed out that Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed during the war between the Romans and the Jews 70 AD. However, as Flavius Josephus pointed out, General Titus Vespasian tried to preserve the city, but the conscripts he had enlisted stopped following his orders. So a fairly strong case can be made that it was NOT the Romans who actually lit the fires. But more on point, both Jesus and Josephus lay the blame for the complete destruction at the feet of the Jews. They could have preserved their city but they did not. It was rebellious, stiff-necked and hard-hearted Jews who caused the ultimate destruction. Daniel was apparently saying the Jews living at the time of the Messiah would destroy the city and the sanctuary. (see Luke 11:51) If it was the Jews who destroyed the city and the sanctuary, then the “Prince” is necessarily “Messiah the Prince.”
Grammatically, the antecedent of “he” in verse 27 could not be “prince who is to come.” This is a modifying clause within a prepositional phrase; that is, a group of words that serves as an adjective to describe the noun “people.” You grammarians can help me out here, but I understand that the antecedent of a pronoun must be a noun. Since “people” is inherently plural, it would not make sense as the antecedent for “he.” What DOES make sense is the only Prince that Daniel talks about, and that’s “Messiah the Prince” in verses 25 and 26. Jesus Christ the Messiah is the one who will confirm the covenant.
Perhaps I’m not that sharp as a grammarian and the antecedent of “he” in verse 27 COULD BE the “prince who is to come.” Even so, the only prince anticipated by Daniel is “Messiah the Prince” who is mentioned twice. That the coming prince might be “The AntiChrist” is not even suggested. Remember the context and purpose of Daniel and this prophecy which he stated. The prophecy concerns ultimate reconciliation between God and the Jews.
Second, in Lindsey’s conjecture, one of the terms of this covenant that The AntiChrist allegedly confirms is that the Jews can resume Temple sacrifices. This is not in the text, but is assumed to make the model make sense. “Sacrifice and offering” are not necessarily part of the covenant that is confirmed, and when you see what “sacrifice and offering” are ended, you will agree.
We understand that Israel is blinded “in part, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” (see Romans 11:25). This is generally understood to mean that the Jews will have their blindness removed at the time of the rapture. In Lindsey’s model, the church is removed but the Jews stumble on in their blindness, accept a false messiah, and offer sacrifices of bulls and sheep for 3 1/2 years, and THEN the AntiChrist shows his true colors and the Jews’ eyes are opened. I find this problematic.
In the popular model, God’s anger is aroused when these presumably acceptable sacrifices and offerings are discontinued, so He initiates 3 1/2 years of GREAT Tribulation. I also find this problematic.
There are some other problems, but you may be thinking, “okay, so what DOES this guy believe?” So glad you asked.
Messiah the Prince confirms a covenant to begin the final seven years. This is very shortly after the rapture. God made a covenant with Abraham. Read Hebrews 11:8-13. God made earthly promises of land and blessings to Abraham and those who followed his example of faith. But they died “not having received the promises.” God will raise them up and confirm His covenant with them. The resurrection is described in Ezekiel 37 and the confirmation in Revelation 7:1-8. When God makes a promise, He will deliver. Death won’t short-circuit His integrity.
A word about the State of Israel: Jesus warns His church TWICE about those who say they are Jews and are not, but do lie. Read Rev. 2:9 and 3:9. It’s well-known that Tel Aviv is the “gayest city in the Mediterranean” – they boast about it. What is not so well-known is that any woman in Israel can get an abortion, paid for by the government, at any time and for any reason. Hitler may have killed 6 million Jews, but the modern State of Israel has done more. Israel is also leading the charge on the current global vaccine genocide. This is not my anti-Semitism; rather, my suggestion that many of the folks in the modern State of Israel are not really Jews at all. I will be happy to be proven wrong on this, and I hope they repent and get saved. But most of the evidence points in the other direction.
So modern Israel may remain more-or-less intact, and I suspect a beautiful Temple complex will be built. It will have porches or entrances for maybe five major global religious groups: Judaism, faux-Christianity, Islam, Buddhism, and Humanism. (or other flavors; it probably does not matter). But they will have as an architectural focal point: The Image – perhaps in a gorgeous central rotunda. And before that Image will be an altar for human sacrifice. THAT is the “sacrifice and offering” that Messiah Jesus will bring to an end.
For those who sent money to the Temple Institute, that’s probably where your money has gone.
In summary: the rapture, followed by an intense “great tribulation” (see Rev. 2:22 or this item), and then per Revelation 11:2 and 13:5 the Dragon/Beast/false prophet – the “unholy trinity” – rule the earth for 42 months. During that time, God has two witnesses who stand before the “god of the earth” (Rev. 11:4) for 1,260 days (a bit less than 42 months). Then they die, are raised, and Jesus returns to Jerusalem to put an end to the whole Satanic scheme. Not sure how long it takes, but the war is over and peace and blessing come to the global village by Day #1,335. (Daniel 12:12)
Leave a Reply