Daniel 9:27 NIV declares, "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 on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
The "he" mentioned in Daniel 9:27 is widely accepted to refer to the prior verse, Daniel 9:26, which says, "...The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary." This refers to the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple after Jesus Christ was "cut off".
This interpretation of Daniel 9:26-27 is confirmed by other passages like Daniel 2:40-43 (which refers to a "divided kingdom", a Revived Roman Empire), Daniel 8:8-12 (refers to the coming of the Antichrist from Alexander the Great's ancient Grecian Empire and also refers to the abomination of sacrifice during the Great Tribulation by the Antichrist), Matthew 24:15 (Jesus Christ specifically refers to Daniel's prophecy of "the abomination that causes desolation...") and Revelation 13:1-2 (refers specifically to the Revived Roman Empire).
The "he" in Daniel 9:27 is likewise widely accepted to be the Antichrist who will arise from the Revived Roman Empire. Daniel 8:8-9, among other passages, further narrows the place of the Antichrist's origin to be in the ancient Greek Empire, which was also in the eastern part of succeeding Roman Empire. The Greek Empire was built by Alexander the Great. After Alexander died, four of his generals divided up his empire as follows:
- Cassander took Greece/Macedonia,
- Lysimachus assumed Turkey or Asia Minor,
- Seleucus took what includes modern-day Syria, Iran and Iraq, and
- Ptolemy took Egypt.
THE EVENT described that marks the beginning of the 7-year Tribulation period is widely seen as when the Antichrist signs a peace treaty between a revived state of Israel, which currently exists, and its neighbors. This accomplishment would likely give the Antichrist wide acclaim and could lead to or enhance his rapid ascension to power.
And why will such a "covenant" be such a "big deal"?.....
Since Israel was established as a new nation in 1948, it has been at war, in a state of war, or in a state of uneasy peace with its neighbors. Also, many attempts for peace have been tried but no lasting peace has been achieved, at least between Israel and all of its neighbors. Carter, Clinton, Bush, Obama...all failed!
I would speculate with biblical support that the Antichrist will make peace after a major war, which would make his peace efforts to be perceived as an even greater coup. Psalm 83 and Ezekiel 38 both refer to major attacks on Israel by her neighbors or nations in the area. It could be these wars that will provide the basis for the Antichrist's rise to fame, according to Daniel 9:27, "he will confirm a covenant with many..."
No comments:
Post a Comment