Tribulation Prophecies And Doctrine 9 – The Time Of The Tribulation 1.

I. Introduction.

A. In order for us to understand the time elements of the tribulation period, it is necessary to refer to the prophecy of Daniel, where the chronology of Israel’s future history is outlined in the great prophecy of the seventy weeks (Daniel 9:24-27).

B. Notice that in the New International Version, “Seventy sevens,” is used to describe the prophetic time period of Daniel.” The New Living Translation uses “seventy sets of seven.”

Daniel 9:24-27New International Version

²⁴ “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

²⁵ “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. ²⁶ After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. ²⁷ He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”

II. The Importance Of Daniel’s Prophecy Of The Seventy Weeks.

A. Many importances may be attached to this prophecy.

B. The literal method of interpretation of prophecy, as is provided by the following authors, provides a concrete foundation on this subject.

1. Properly interpreted, the prophecy of Daniel furnishes an excellent example of the principle that prophecy is subject to literal interpretation. Practically all expositors, however opposed to prophecy “per se,” agree that at least part of the seventy weeks of Daniel is to be interpreted literally….if the first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel were subject to liberal fulfillment, it is a powerful argument that the final seventieth week will have a similar fulfilment (John F. Woolvoord, Th. D., “Is Daniel’s Seventieth Week Future?,” January 1944).

2. The prophecy of the Seventy Weeks has an immense evidential value as a witness to the truth of Scripture. That part of the prophecy relating to the first sixty-nine weeks has already been accurately fulfilled…only an omniscent God could have foretold over five hundred years in advance the very day on which the Messiah would ride into Jerusalem and present Himself as the “Prince” of Israel (Alva J. McClain, B.D., Th. M., LL. D., D.D., Daniel’s Prophecy Of The Seventy Weeks).

3. The prophecy supports the view that the church is a mystery that was not revealed in the Old Testament.

a. The seventy weeks of Daniel, properly interpreted, demonstrates the distinct place of the Christian church and Israel in the purposes of God. The seventy weeks of Daniel are totally in reference to Israel and her relation to Gentile powers and the rejection of Israel’s Messiah. The peculiar purposes of God in calling out a people from every nation to form the church and the program of the present age are nowhere in view of this prophecy.” (John F. Woolvoord, Th. D., “Is Daniel’s Seventieth Week Future?,” January 1944).

b. Walvoord’s above statement gives supporting evidence that the church is not in Revelation four through nineteen, but must have been raptued before Israel’s program began.

c. Daniel’s prophecy gives us the divine chronology of prophecy. In the predictions of the Seventy Weeks, we have the indespensable chronological key to all New Testament prophecy. Our Lord’s great prophetical discourse recorded in Matthew and Mark fixes the time of Israel’s final and greatest trouble definitely within the days of the Seventieth Week of Daniel’s prophecy (Dan 9:27; Mt 24:15-22; Mk 13:14-20). And the greater part of the Book of Revelation is simply an expansion of Daniel’s prophecy within the chronological framework as outlined by the same Seventieth Week, which is divided into two two equal periods, each extending for 1260 days, or 42 months, or 3 1/2 years (Rev 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5). Therefore, apart from an understanding of the details of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel, all attempts to interpret New Testament prophecy, must fail in large measure (Alva J. McClain, B.D., Th. M., LL. D., D.D., Daniel’s Prophecy Of The Seventy Weeks).

III. References.

A. Scripture of Daniel 9:24-27 was pasted from Bible Gateway.

B. Paragraph I.A. Commentary, “Things To Come,” 1958, Zonderan, J. Dwight Pentecost, Th. D., pp 239.

C. Paragraph II. Commentary, “Things To Come,” 1958, Zonderan, J. Dwight Pentecost, Th. D., pp 239 240.

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