dented time of trouble which Jeremiah calls “ the time of Jacob’s trouble” (Jeremiah 30:7), and which the Lord Jesus Christ calls “The great tribulation” (Matthew 24: 21 ). Who is “he” that shall confirm a covenant with Israel for seven years? Two princes are named in verse 26. One is Prince Messiah who shall be cut off after the sixty- ninth week. The other is “ the prince that shall come” whose people were to destroy the city and temple. There are at least four reasons why the prince who makes a covenant with Israel for seven years cannot pos sibly refer to Christ. First, it was not Christ’s people who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple. Secondly, the Lord Jesus Christ never made nor will make a covenant for seven years with anybody. His covenants are everlasting. Thirdly, Jesus’ death did not cause the sacrifice to cease. The Jewish sacrifices continued for thirty-eight years after His death. Fourthly, the prince who makes the seven- year covenant with the Jews could not be Christ, because in that case the seventieth week would be past, which we have already proved impossible (Matthew 24:15). That leaves the other, the Roman prince, to be the maker of the seven-year covenant with the Jews. He is the same as the little horn of Daniel 7, the man of sin of II Thes- salonians 2, and the beast of Revelation 13, the personal Antichrist of prophecy. The prophecy of this seventieth week presupposes three things: (1) a Jewish state in Palestine, (2) Jews living there in unbelief, else they would never make a covenant with the Anti-christ, (3) the temple in Jerusalem rebuilt and the ancient ritual restored. We need not remind you that Jews are already occupy ing the ancient homeland of Israel and constitute a self- governing state which now makes possible the literal ful fillment of this prophecy at any time. Furthermore, it is well known that the Jews there continue in unbelief. Most startling of all is the fact that there is only one place in the world where the Jewish temple can be rebuilt for sacrifices and that is in the old part of Jerusalem on Mt. Moriah where Solomon’s temple stood. But the Mosque of Omar stands on that spot today. If the Jews should move toward the Moslem temple, the Mohamme dans would annihilate them. At the present writing news reporters are declaring it as an open secret that the ulti mate and sworn purpose of the Arab nations in the Middle East is to exterminate Israel. The Jews will need protec tion. The Roman prince will offer his protection especially
with regard to worship in the seven year covenant. At the end of three and one-half years, or in the middle of the week, he will move into the temple himself, set up his image in the holy place and touch off the signal for the most awful wave of anti-Semitism the world has ever seen. This is the abomination of desolation referred to by our Lord (Matthew 24:15). Paul also describes that man of sin, the son of perdition, and his blasphemous act (II Thessalonians 2:4). His career will be short because he will be destroyed by the Lord Himself at His coming (Revelation 19:20; II Thessalonians 2:8). When will the seventieth week begin? It cannot begin until the true church is removed from the earth; and that will take place when Christ descends in the air and calls for His own as described in I Thessalonians 4:16, 17. On what authority do we say the true church must be removed first? Paul, after describing this man of sin and his act of abomination, says very pointedly, “And now ye know that which restraineth, to the end that he may be revealed in his own season. For the mystery of lawless ness doth already work: there is one that restraineth now, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall be revealed the lawless one” (II Thessalonians 2:6-8, A.S.V.). The great restrainer of evil has always been the Holy Spirit. Ever since the Day of Pentecost He has had His special residence on the earth as He is indwelling the church. As long as the Holy Spirit-indwelt church is on the scene, the man of sin cannot be revealed. But he will be revealed most clearly the moment he makes a seven- year covenant with the Jews. When he makes that cove nant, the seventieth week of Daniel begins. Therefore, the seventieth week can begin only after the true church, which is the Holy Spirit’s special residence, is removed by the rapture. Then the Holy Spirit is taken out of the way in His special restraining capacity. Of course, He is not removed from the world for He is God. As God He will be in the world the same as before Pentecost. The man of sin, the Roman prince, who pretends at first to be the friend and champion of the Jews (possibly because of financial advantage to himself), feels strong enough after three and one-half years to disregard his his promise and sets up the abomination. He continues his path of persecution and destruction to the end of the seven-year period. He is slain by Christ’s coming to the earth. Therefore, the seventieth week ends with the Sec ond Coming of Christ in glory as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. So then, a prophetic period of seven years elapses between the translation of the church at Christ’s coming in the air for His bride and His glorious return to the earth to judge the nations and to establish His millennial reign of righteousness. We are still living in the great unmeasured time gap. No man nor angel knows when it will end. But it will end the moment Christ returns into the air “with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first, Then we (Chris tians) which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air; and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thes salonians 4:16, 17). This return of Christ to call for His church is our blessed hope, our glorious assurance! This is our inspiring incentive to work while it is day, to win souls while we may. There is an awful night of wrath coming for this world. “For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child: and they shall not escape.” Now note the contrast! “For God has not appointed us to wrath, but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Thes salonians 5:3,9). Glory to His Name! END.
The Rev. Mr. Hax is an alumnus of the Talbot Theological Seminary. He is pastor of the Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Los Angeles, California.
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