Daniel 9 tells us that 70 “weeks” (or “sevens,” שִׁבְעִים) have been determined for Daniel’s people, and for Jerusalem. If these “sevens” represent 7 year periods, then Yahweh is prophesying of a period of 490 years (70 x 7 = 490).

 

Verse 25 tells us there would be 7 “sevens” and 62 “sevens” from the time the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem went forth, until Messiah the Prince. 7 “sevens” plus 62 “sevens” makes 69 “sevens.” 69 x 7 = 483. Thus Messiah would come 483 years after the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem went forth.

 

History records that Artaxerxes, King of Babylon, sent forth the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in 457 BCE; so if we add the 483 years to 457 BCE we arrive at 26 CE, which is when many scholars believe Yeshua began His ministry. [Further, since Yeshua is the only person ever to fulfill this prophecy, the Tanach (“Old Testament”) shows that Yeshua is the Messiah.]

 

Verse 26 tells us that after the 62 “sevens” (i.e., after 483 years), the Messiah would be cut off, but not for Himself. This took place at Golgotha, yet this only accounts for 69 of the “sevens.” There is still 1 “seven” unaccounted for, and this is where many scholars get the idea of a “seven year tribulation ‘week’.”

 

Verse 26 also speaks of a “prince who is to come,” who would destroy both the sanctuary and the city. Rome destroyed both the sanctuary and the city in 70 CE, and this might fulfill the prophecy, except that the destruction in 70 CE did not “come with a flood” (either literally or figuratively); and therefore this part of the prophecy has to pertain to a coming temple. It may yet be Rome (i.e., the papacy) who fulfills this prophecy, or it may be Rome’s spiritual progeny (Islam); but either way, many scholars believe this passage has to pertain to a future “anti-Messiah’s temple.” In later chapters we will see how Rome, Islam, and even Judaism are all conspiring to build this temple together on the Temple Mount, but for now we need to stay focused on the coming seven year tribulation “week.”

 

 

In verse 27 we read of a “prince who is to come,” whom many believe refers to an anti-Messiah. He will confirm a covenant with many for one “seven” (i.e., 7 earth years); but in the middle of the week (i.e., after 3-1/2 years) he will bring an end to sacrifice and offering. This seems to imply that an “anti-Messiah’s temple” will be built on the Temple Mount, and that sacrifice and offering will be re-instated for the first 3.5 years.

 

But if there will be a papal/anti-Messiah’s temple built during the tribulation week, then when will this temple be built? Scripture does not say, but it might be built between the 6^th and 7^th seals.

 

Many secular people want world government, believing that this is the only way to avoid nuclear war. A nuclear blast in the Middle East would lead many of them to demand a world government, and yet bringing a world government to full power is not easily achieved. We know it will never become a reality, because as we will see later, during the trumpet judgments there will still be warfare between the nations. That means the UN will never be truly in charge of all nations.

 

What can happen, however, is that following any kind of nuclear blast in the Middle East, the public can demand that the UN intervene. Jerusalem can be made into an “international city,” and the Temple Mount can be given to the pope. A “joint temple” can be built, so that all three of the world’s main monotheistic religions (Xtianity, Judaism and Islam) can worship in “peace and safety” there. Sacrifices and offerings could also be made there. This is a highly realistic and believable scenario, and as we will see later, preparations for this joint temple are already underway. All that is needed to “get the ball rolling” is for a planned nuclear exchange to take place, like the kind prophesied at the 6^th seal.

 

 

It could be that the anti-Messiah’s temple is built in the “half hour of silence” that takes place when the 7^th seal is opened (before the trumpet judgments begin).

 

 

In general, the seals take long periods of time to play out, while the trumpets play out over a much shorter period of time, and the cups/bowls seem to take place within days or weeks. If this pattern holds true, then it is thought that there should be plenty of time between the 6^th and the 7^th seals for the temple to be built, and for sacrifice and oblation to begin. There are several variations of this scenario, but one of them calls for sacrifice and oblation to cease as a result of the trumpet judgments.

 

[Alternately, it has been suggested that perhaps the tribulation “week” begins before the 6^th seal (and that the anti-Messiah’s temple is also built before the 6^th seal). According to this theory, it is the blast at the 6^th seal that causes sacrifice and offering to cease.] In any case, we can surmise that the anti-Messiah’s temple is standing during the time of the trumpet judgments, because as we will see, the 2 witnesses give their testimony for 3.5 years, and their testimony ends between the 6^th and 7^th trumpets. We know that this cannot be a temple of Yahweh, because the outer court is “trodden underfoot” by the gentiles.

 

 

We will discuss the 2 witnesses more in a later chapter; however, because Revelation is a vision, the things we read are typically symbolic of something else. Therefore, the “great earthquake” in verse 13 may be a reference to societal and governmental change (which may still be accompanied by a physical earthquake). If a “tenth of the city” falls in the vision, this might refer to a weakening of the anti-Messiah’s power, since those who were not killed gave glory to Elohim (rather than the anti-Messiah).

 

We also need to keep things in perspective. Scripture tends to focus on the land of Israel, and the Middle East. It also tends to refer to the Middle East as “the whole world.” One example of this is how Alexander the Great’s Empire was to control “all the earth,” which in Hebrew would be “b’kol ha-aretz” (בכל הארץ), but in the Aramaic of Daniel is “b’kal ha-arah-ah” (כָלאַרְעָא).

 

 

If the prophecies over “the whole world” really pertain only to the Middle East, this also has a huge impact on how we interpret the prophecies over the trumpet judgments. For example, the trumpet judgments call for death and destruction by 1/3rds. If these destructions pertain only to the Middle East (which seems likely), then that is a very different picture than if the death and destruction affects the whole globe.

 

In this chapter we have learned that the UN never will control the whole planet, because there will still be warfare between the various nations during the trumpet judgments. This cannot occur if the UN is truly in full control. We also learned that the trumpet judgments may affect the entire planet, or they may refer only to a large regional war in the Middle East, in which Israel and Jerusalem are overrun. The latter is a highly believable scenario.

 

In the next chapter we will read about the “destruction by 1/3rds” that takes place with the trumpet judgments. Let us remember that because Revelation is a vision, the things we are reading likely refer to events that take place in the heavens, or are symbolic of other things. For example, when we get to Trumpet 5, we will see that a “star” falls to earth, and is given the key to the “bottomless pit.” We know this is not talking about a physical star, because there is no bottomless pit here on earth; and even if there was, it would not have a “key.” Therefore, this “star” is not likely a star, or even a missile, but a demon.