There remains, therefore, one week of the 70, or 7 years; and some, whose judgment is well worthy of respect, have explained that the first half of this week (or 3 ½ years) has been fulfilled in the ministry of our Lord, which just lasted that time; but the unbelieving part of the nation of Israel, not recognizing Him, have to go over the whole week in a future day. In the book of Revelation, we get the events recorded with the last half of the week especially in view; and our Lord referred particularly to this time also when he spoke of the “great tribulation.” According to the prophet Daniel, room was left for the acceptance of the Messiah by the nation of Israel; and at the beginning of His ministry the announcement was made, “the time is fulfilled” (Mark 1:1515And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel. (Mark 1:15)) the 69 weeks had gone by. But the Jewish nation was unbelieving, and only a small remnant received Him. The nation as such, influenced by the religious leaders, rejected Christ, and will be allowed of God to fall into the snare of receiving the Antichrist in a future day. Antichrist, as we shall see later on, will be in league with the imperial head of the revived Roman Empire (here called “the prince that shall come") and this head of the Empire will confirm a covenant with “the many,” or the mass of the Jews, for one week.
It has been said that, “In the half-week of the Lord's ministry the remnant received Him, the nation did not. When under Antichrist the nation again go through the first half-week, it will be the converse; the nation receive him [Antichrist], the remnant do not” (Coll. Writ., J.N.D., xxviii. 551).
The present period of time, during which the church is being gathered out, namely, the whole period from Pentecost to the coming of the Lord, being a parenthesis in God's direct dealings with Israel as a nation, is entirely omitted from the 70 weeks, as we might expect.
The interval between the coming of the Lord for His saints and His appearing with them in glory to reign, occupies therefore not only the last week or 7 years (which dates from the confirmation of a covenant with the apostate mass of the Jews, referred to in Dan. 9:2727And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)), but, before this begins, a certain space of time, the length of which we cannot determine. From the book of Revelation (chaps. 6-9) and other passages, however, we may gather that it will be long enough for the complete overthrow of the present political status, what has been often called the status quo, and for the development of the apostasy, the mystery of lawlessness, which is already working, and which will go on to the close. We see, indeed, the foreshadowings of this already. But, on the other hand, there will be the gracious work of the Holy Spirit in the hearts of the godly remnant of Israel, as well as in those Gentiles who will receive blessing through their instrumentality, in enabling them to witness for God on the earth, and in preparing them to receive Christ as their Messiah.
Let us now inquire what will take place on the earth during the interval between 'the coming and appearing of the Lord, always bearing in mind that the church, composed of all true believers of this dispensation, will have been already translated to heaven, “caught up to meet the Lord in the air,” and thus kept out of the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole habitable world, to try them that dwell on the earth (Rev. 3:1010Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. (Revelation 3:10)).
The Jews will be gathered back to their land—the mass of the nation in the same unbelieving state in which they were when the Lord was on earth; but a remnant will be prepared of God to receive Christ the true Messiah. It is quite possible, even probable, that the events now taking place in Europe will prepare the way for this return.
The prophet Zechariah thus describes this godly remnant; after first stating that the apostates, the two parts of the nation, shall be cut off and die, he adds— “But the third shall be left therein (i.e., in the land); and I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried: they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say, It is my people: and they shall say, Jehovah is my God.” This remnant, in whose hearts God's Spirit had wrought, leading them to repentance, will pass through deep trial and persecution, as well as sorrow of heart, for having crucified their Messiah.
The return of the Jews to Palestine is a subject which has occupied the attention, not only of Christians who are interested in these things, but of politicians also. No doubt there are many more there now than there were some thirty or forty years ago, and the events now passing, as already remarked, may facilitate their return. But we have not to wait for the gathering back of the Jews for Christ to come for His church. Doubtless the bulk of the nation will return after that event has taken place, and with the modern facilities for travel, this would not occupy a long space of time.
Once Christ has come for His saints, and the Jews are back in their land, everything is ready for the last great series of events which will fill up the last week of Dan. 9, or rather more (Dan. 12:11, 1211And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days. (Daniel 12:11‑12)); and which will be brought to a close by the appearing of the Lord in the execution of judgment on the apostate Jews and Gentiles and the deliverance of His people.
In Dan. 2 we read the account of the great image, which formed the subject of Nebuchadnezzar's dream, gives us a general outline of the four great Gentile empires which have ruled the old world, presented as one whole. Nebuchadnezzar's universal authority was a grant from God Himself, when Israel, and especially the house of David, had utterly failed to represent Him in government. After that came the Medo-Persian empire, then the Grecian, and finally the Roman, under which our Lord suffered.
At the close of the present dispensation, the Roman empire will come into prominence again as we shall see later on. The feet of the image were part of iron and part of clay; this is what we see at the present time. The clay represents, no doubt, the democratic and socialistic elements, where the will of the people largely controls the ruling power. The result of the mixture is that it is “partly strong and partly fragile,” it has neither the coherence nor stability of the original monarchies.
But all these are broken to pieces and become as the chaff of the summer threshing-floor, when the stone cut out without hands (Christ in His judicial character) smites the image upon its feet. Then the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom which shall not be destroyed or pass away as all others did.
We find in Scripture three personages who play a leading part in the events of this period, namely, THE HEAD OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE, THE ANTICHRIST, AND THE ASSYRIAN. The first two of these are brought before us in Rev. 13; the former under the figure of a beast arising out of the sea; the latter, a beast arising out of the earth. The sea is, in prophetic imagery, the symbol of the unsettled, turbulent state of things, somewhat like what existed at the time of the French Revolution. This beast has ten horns and seven heads—; and from the explanation given us in chapter 17 we learn that the seven heads are seven mountains, and the ten horns are ten kings, who receive power for one and the same time with the beast, that is, with the head of the revived Roman Empire, as is clearly indicated by the seven hills or mountains. This re-formation or reconstruction of the Roman Empire which ruled and dominated the world for so many centuries, will be a very remarkable event, and will be the cause of wonder and admiration to the dwellers on earth of that day.
If we look at the Latin or Roman kingdom as it is now, it is by no means strong, as compared with some of the Powers; but what circumstances may, lead up to the putting of such complete authority into the hands of its chief or head in a future day, we cannot say. It may be a political move, designed to form a union of nations of the West, as a counterpoise to the growing power of the East and of Russia, or it may be brought about for other political reasons without war or bloodshed. But, however this may be, it is clear that, when the Roman Empire is revived, it will have a distinctly Satanic origin; it will “ascend out of the bottomless pit,” will blaspheme God, His name and His people, and derive its power directly from the dragon (Satan). We are told in chapter 17 that this beast “was,” that is, it existed in the days when John wrote; then it “is not,” for the empire in its unity under one head has disappeared; and it “shall be” (R.V.), it will reappear in its last imperial form, with its ten subordinate kings. This beast is said to continue forty-two months, that is, three and a half years, or the last half of the week mentioned in Dan. 9.
Moreover, when the Empire is reconstituted in the future, Satan will have been cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7-127And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. 10And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night. 11And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. 12Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time. (Revelation 12:7‑12)); he will be no longer there to accuse the brethren before God. The future head of the empire, arising out of the state of anarchy which will then exist, will represent Satan's power and authority on the earth (Rev. 13:-10). This beast, as before remarked, has seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads are seven mountains (Rev. 17:99And here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, on which the woman sitteth. (Revelation 17:9)), which locates, it geographically at Rome. And there are seven kings, or forms of power; five of which had passed away in John's day, one existed then, and another was to come and continue a short space. The eighth was “of the seven,” and is still future.
This eighth head will revive the empire under Satanic authority, causing all the world to wonder. We learn from Dan. 7:88I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. (Daniel 7:8) and 24, where he is represented under the figure of the “little horn,” that this king contrives by some means to put down three others and take their place.
The ten “horns” or kings under the future empire receive power for one and the same time with the beast (17:12), therefore it is clear that the empire must be revived, after ceasing to exist ever since it was broken up by the barbarians about the fourth and fifth centuries.
It has been remarked that “the empire existed at the first without these kings. Then these kings existed without it, and you have the ten kings without the beast. At the end you get the ten kings with the beast.... I can surely say we have not had the beast in this form yet” (Coll. Writ. J.N.D., xi. 499).
As to the extent of the future empire, it seems probable that we should exclude from it those portions of the ancient empires referred to in Dan. 2, which did not, at the time they existed, form part of it. These are the Babylonian, Medo-Persian and Grecian empires, which successively preceded the Roman. Some remains of these empires will, doubtless, be found at the dose; not in the form of extensive empires as they once were, but as minor kingdoms or states.
So, when the “stone cut out without hands” (Christ coming in judgment) falls on the image, it breaks to pieces, not only the legs and the feet (the Roman part), but the whole image. It would seem, therefore, that the previous kingdom may have some kind of existence, concurrently with the Roman, till the end (see also Dan. 7:1212As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. (Daniel 7:12)).
Another reason why it is likely that the future representatives of these three empires should be excluded from our forecast of the ultimate form of the Roman Empire is, because these probably belong to the confederation of powers in Asia Minor, Syria, Greece, etc., which will come under the control of the great northern Power, the final phase of which will be the “Gog” of Ezekiel, or Russia (Ps. 83, Ezek. 38; 39).
Even if the Roman beast of the future gained possession of the eastern part of the ancient empire for a time, it is probable that it would soon pass under the influence of Gog and his allies. This may be embraced in the series of events brought before us prophetically in Rev. 8 and 9.
Roughly speaking, the Roman Empire of the future would embrace what is now Morocco, Algeria, Tunis, Tripoli, in Africa; and in Europe, Spain, Portugal, France, Belgium, Italy, part of Southern Germany, part of Austria, and England. But the present war will doubtless modify these divisions considerably.
The imperial head of the future Roman Empire will have the seat of his authority at Rome, and he will be closely leagued with the Antichrist, the seat of whose power and pretensions will be at Jerusalem.
We have now to speak of THE ANTICHRIST, or second beast, of Rev. 13. He comes up out of the “earth,” which is a figure of the settled or ordered state of things, as contrasted with the “sea,” or state of unrest and anarchy. He has two horns like a lamb, but speaks as a dragon. Whatever his pretensions may be, to the spiritual mind, taught of God, his voice betrays his Satanic origin. He is a complete travesty of the Lord Jesus Christ. The seat of his power is at Jerusalem, and he acts in close league with the first beast of this chapter, the imperial head of the revived Roman Empire. He is more a religious than a political or civil ruler, though he has this latter character also.
At the present time the priesthood of Christ is exercised in heaven on behalf of His saints, and Satan is a kind of anti-priest, the “accuser of the brethren": but when the time spoken of in Rev. 13 arrives, Satan will have been cast out of heaven (Rev. 12:7-97And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, 8And prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. 9And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. (Revelation 12:7‑9)), and will have his representative man on earth, not exactly as anti-priest, but as a kind of false prophet. The Antichrist has power to perform remarkable miracles, causing fire to come down from heaven, as the prophet Elijah did when witnessing for the true God and against Baal. He makes an image of the first beast, to which he has power to give breath (not “life,” that belongs to God), and he causes that all should worship this image on pain of death.
There are many passages of Scripture, both in the Old and New Testaments, descriptive of the Antichrist in various ways. We can only touch on a few of these. Our Lord Himself said to the Jews in His day, “I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not: if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive.” Solemn pronouncement! If they would not have the Sent One of the Father, they should be caught in Satan's snare, and receive Satan's counterfeit, as they will in a future day. Again, we read in the First Epistle of John, “Little children, it is the last hour: and as ye have heard that antichrist cometh, even now there have arisen many antichrists.” The Antichrist (only so-called in this place) is here characterized by two things—he denies that Jesus is the Christ, this is Christ's relationship to Israel as their Messiah; and he denies the Father and the Son, the latter being the special relationship in which the divine Persons are revealed in Christianity. He is, therefore, the complete embodiment of avowed infidelity and unbelief in the truth in its full character as revealed in Scripture.
We have a very distinct reference to the Antichrist in 2 Thess. 2, where he is called the “man of sin,” the “son of perdition,” “the lawless one.” All the craft and subtlety, as well as the power of Satan, will accompany his manifestation, for his coming is said to be “after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders"; this is the exact contrast to our Lord Jesus Christ, who did His works in the power of the Holy Spirit. Christ was, as Peter said to the Jews (Acts 2:2222Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: (Acts 2:22)), “a man approved of God, by powers, and wonders, and signs, which God did by Him.” These same three words are applied to the man of sin, and the word “lying” may be taken as an adjective applying to all three. He is Satan's exact counterfeit of Christ, and the instrument of his lying deception. In the garden of Eden, Satan said, “Ye shall be as gods,” and this man “exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped." It is not here a question of imperial power so much, but of religious deception; his deceits will be practiced and his pretensions manifested in the temple at Jerusalem, which will be rebuilt at that day. There he sets himself forth as God. This is the full climax of man's self-will and pride.
We may now turn to another striking passage where we get further light respecting the Antichrist and his actings. It is in that remarkable chapter, Dan. 11, which gives us such a concise survey of events set down in the scripture of truth which were then future, but which have since become matters of history, at least up to verse 35. The history, given in its prophetic form, commences with the Persian kingdom, which was then just in its beginning, and carries us right on (from ver. 35) to the latter days, which are, of course, still future. All is in connection with Daniel's people the Jews, and with the land of promise. The prophet speaks of the “time of the end,” “the time appointed,” which evidently shows a break in the historical sequence of the chapter at this verse, and brings in the events of the last days.
Here we find “the king” introduced abruptly as a personage well known to the student of prophecy; “and the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and shall speak marvelous things against the God of gods.” Is not the unity of Scripture, of which skeptics seem to understand nothing, a manifest mark of its divine inspiration? Here we have the prophet speaking hundreds of years before Paul wrote to the Thessalonians, and yet delineating the same features as are attributed to the same person in that epistle. Self-will carried beyond all bounds, and impious opposition to God Himself, is what characterizes the Antichrist.
It would seem from this passage in Dan. 11, that the Antichrist will be a Jew, indeed, it would be difficult to see how the apostate Jews would be deceived by his pretensions as a false Messiah if this were not so. Thus we read: “Neither shall he regard the God of his fathers (Jehovah, the true God of Israel) nor the desire of women (Christ), nor any god.” But, as man cannot do without an object of some kind, he honors the god of fortresses or forces: because the resources he relies on to carry out his designs and enforce his decrees cannot, after all, go beyond human strength of arms, though Satan's power acts behind it all.
Let us pause here for a moment to consider the moral and present effect which this prophetic teaching of the word of God should have upon us. There can be no doubt that much of what we see around us at the present moment will contribute to, and find its full expression in, the Antichrist. Infidelity in its various phases, such as the general unsettling of the belief in the authority and inspiration of Scripture, the socialism and lawlessness which are so widespread, the growing pride and boastfulness of the age, the desire for what some have called a “superman"; all these things and many more will find their complete climax in “the lawless one.” God warns His people beforehand as to what is coming, and it is for us to seek grace to keep clear of the spirit and tendency of the age, learning of Him who was meek and lowly in heart, who, though God over all, was truly the dependent and obedient One here, and who came down from heaven, not to do His own will, but the will of the Father who sent Him.
Turning now to Isa. 57:99And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell. (Isaiah 57:9), we find “the king” introduced abruptly as follows: “And thou wentest to the king with ointment, and didst increase thy perfumes, and didst send thy messengers far off, and didst debase thyself even unto hell.” How vain it will be for the apostate part of the Jewish nation in that day to ally themselves with this deceitful enemy of Christ! It is, in truth, to debase themselves even to hell. And yet this is just what the scornful men who will then rule in Jerusalem, will do in order to secure themselves, if they can, from the over; flowing scourge which God will bring upon them, namely, the Assyrian. So we find in Isa. 28:1515Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: (Isaiah 28:15), “Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves.” Vain delusion to think that they can escape God's chastisement thus! Terrible hardness of heart, under the influence of Satan's craft!
That man should rise to such a pitch of pride and wickedness as characterizes the Antichrist, we can hardly conceive, but God allows this great manifestation of Satanic energy as a just judgment upon the apostate nation of Israel, as well as upon apostate Christendom. “For lo,” says the prophet Zechariah, “I will raise up a shepherd in the land, which shall not visit those that be cut off, neither seek the young one, nor heal that that is broken, nor feed that that standeth still: but he shall eat the flesh of the fat, and tear their claws in pieces.” Then follows God's judgment upon him: “Woe to the worthless shepherd that leaveth the flock! the sword shall be upon his arm, and upon his right eye: his arm shall be clean dried up, and his right eye shall be utterly darkened.” The cup of his iniquity is full, and his judgment comes at last. We learn from various scriptures that he will meet his end, not by being overcome by force of arms, nor by angelic power, but by the judgment of the Lord Himself in person when He appears. Thus we read in 2 Thess. 2:88And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: (2 Thessalonians 2:8), “Whom the Lord Jesus shall slay with the breath of his mouth, and bring to naught with the manifestation of his coming.” With this we may compare Isa. 30:3333For Tophet is ordained of old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large: the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it. (Isaiah 30:33), which may be best read, “For Tophet is ordained of old; for the king also it is prepared he hath made it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, doth kindle it.” “The king” here is clearly the Antichrist, and his fearful doom, as being cast into hell, is plainly brought before us.
Finally, we get the execution of judgment on these two leaders in evil—the head of the Roman Empire, and the Antichrist who acted in league with him—described as the subject of prophetic vision in Rev. 19; “And 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.” The Lord Jesus will descend from heaven in warrior-judgment, as King of kings and Lord of lords, followed by the armies which are in heaven, and will execute summary judgment on both these, who will be cast straight into hell, without any further judgment.
“Everlasting fire,” we are told, in Matt. 25, is prepared [not for men but] for the Devil and his angels, but what a striking fact it is that these two men will be cast in there 1000 years before the Devil! During the millennium the Devil will be kept bound in the bottomless pit, or abyss (Rev. 20); after which he will be loosed for a little season, and finally “cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are.” Note the dosing words here, for they indicate that these two leaders of evil, who are taken in open rebellion against Christ, and cast into the lake of fire, will have been there during the whole thousand years of Christ's reign over the earth.
Let us inquire, What will be the state of things religiously in Christendom after the coming of the Lord for His saints? Scripture dearly proves that the rapture of the saints will, in the end, be followed by apostasy from Christianity; but we must not suppose that all profession of Christianity will be given up immediately upon the taking away of the church. On the contrary, the symbol of the woman riding upon the scarlet-colored beast (Rev. 17) shows us that the corrupt forms of Christianity which we see around us—Romanism, Ritualism, etc.—will go on, and even increase in outward pomp and show, for a time. How long God has lingered in patience over this terrible travesty of Christianity, called here “Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth"! She was characterized by pride, assumption, and idolatry she was a persecutor of the true saints of God, and she deceived the nations by her sorceries. But her cup is full at last, and judgment, swift and complete, comes upon her. MARKER
So we read, “And the ten horns which thou sawest, and the beast, these shall hate the harlot, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and shall burn her utterly with fire” (Rev. 17:1616And the ten horns which thou sawest upon the beast, these shall hate the whore, and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. (Revelation 17:16), R.V.). Thus she will be brought to utter desolation, for God will “put it into their hearts to do His mind, and to come to one mind.” These are the ten kings under the revived Roman Empire, or imperial head of power, which will control Western Christendom, who “give their kingdom unto the beast,” acknowledging him as their chief, and recognizing his authority as binding all together. These will cast off this corrupt religious system calling itself Christian, which had seduced them by its allurements, and held them bound under its sway for so long a time, making a bad use of conscience in its dupes, in order to forward its own ambitious ends.
There was, on a small scale, a sample of this at the time of the French Revolution. Then, as history informs us, Christianity was formally repudiated, and the sacredness of the Republic and the worship of Reason was solemnized. At the time to which our chapter (Rev. 17) refers, the profession of Christianity will be given up in toto; this is what is called in 2 Thess. 2:33Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; (2 Thessalonians 2:3), “the apostasy.” And we find in this same chapter that He who now lets or hinders the power of evil, will then be taken out of the way, so that full scope will be given for the exercise of man's will. This hinderer of the full development of lawlessness is, doubtless, the Holy Ghost, who took the place of Christ here, and who now is the blessed active Agent for the carrying on of the work of God in this world. The Holy Ghost dwells on the earth, in the house of God; but when the church is taken to heaven, the Holy Ghost will no longer dwell here in the same way as now. When this restraint is removed, there is no hindrance to the development of the apostasy. Such will be the end of these highly-favored Christian lands, and this is a very solemn consideration. Unbelief may sneer or deny it, but God's word is bound to stand true whatever men may say.
Going back for a moment to Dan. 9:26, 2726And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:26‑27), we find that the “prince that shall come,” whose “people” (the Romans under Titus, A.D. 70) destroyed the city and the sanctuary, shall confirm a covenant with “the many,” or the unbelieving mass of the Jews, for one week of seven years. In the middle of the week he will “cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease.” He will put a stop to the Jewish system of worship; or, as we have seen from Dan. 7 when speaking of the “little horn,” he “shall speak words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High: and he shall think to change the times and the law.” This state of things lasts during the period of three-and-a-half years, for they (the Jewish times and laws), “shall be given into his hands until a time, and times, and half a time,” or three years and a half. This period will, therefore, be a time of unparalleled energy of Satan, acting both through the head of the revived Roman Empire and the Antichrist in deceit and violence, and it will be a time of terrible trial to all who witness for God on the earth. It is to this time the Lord refers when He says, “There shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved” (Matt. 24:2121For 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)).
[F.G.B.]
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(To be continued)