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The Rapture of the Church - Part Two of Eight

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by Dave Root, VividChristianity.com, last modified on 02/24/2024.


Introduction

In Part One we saw the definitions of "the Rapture" (when Jesus will come down out of heaven to "snatch up" all Christians and take us up into heaven) and "the Tribulation" (the future seven-year period when the Antichrist will try to rule the world, which will end at the Second Coming). Throughout this series we'll see that all of the scriptural evidence shows that the Rapture will be pre-tribulational (pre-trib), meaning that the Rapture will take place before the seven-year Tribulation period begins.

In Part Two we'll examine a significant end-times prophecy that was given to Daniel by the angel Gabriel, and we'll see why this prophecy only fits with the pre-trib view of the Rapture.


Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophecy

In the Old Testament, the Jews often thought in terms of "seven." For example, notice that a period of 49 years is referred to as "seven times seven years":
"Count off seven sabbaths of years - seven times seven years - so that the seven sabbaths of years amount to a period of forty-nine years." (Leviticus 25:8)
With that in mind, let's look at a prophecy that the angel Gabriel gave to Daniel:
"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. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree 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. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off 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. 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." (Daniel 9:24-27)
In the KJV, the above prophecy begins by saying, "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city" (Daniel 9:24 KJV). For this reason, the above prophecy is often referred to as "Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy" by pastors and Bible teachers. In a moment we'll see that each "seven" or "week" in the above prophecy is seven years, so the "seventy sevens" refers to a period of 490 years (70 times 7 years), just as "seven times seven years" refers to a period of 49 years in Leviticus 25:8 (above).

In order to understand Daniel's prophecy, it's helpful to have some background information. First, notice that the land of Israel was meant to have 1 year of rest every 7 years:
"The LORD said to Moses on Mount Sinai, "Speak to the Israelites and say to them: 'When you enter the land I am going to give you, the land itself must observe a sabbath to the LORD. For six years sow your fields, and for six years prune your vineyards and gather their crops. But in the seventh year the land is to have a sabbath of rest, a sabbath to the LORD. Do not sow your fields or prune your vineyards.'"" (Leviticus 25:1-4)
One chapter later, God warned Israel that if they did not obey His commands then He will scatter them in exile among the nations, and then the land of Israel will have its sabbath rests while the Israelites are in exile:
"If in spite of this you still do not listen to me but continue to be hostile toward me, then in my anger I will be hostile toward you, and I myself will punish you for your sins seven times over...I will scatter you among the nations and will draw out my sword and pursue you. Your land will be laid waste, and your cities will lie in ruins. Then the land will enjoy its sabbath years all the time that it lies desolate and you are in the country of your enemies; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths. All the time that it lies desolate, the land will have the rest it did not have during the sabbaths you lived in it." (Leviticus 26:27-28, 33-35)
The Jews did not obey God's commands, so they were carried off into exile to Babylon for 70 years. This allowed the land of Israel to enjoy all of the sabbath rests that it had not properly received:
"He [God] brought up against them the king of the Babylonians, who killed their young men with the sword in the sanctuary, and spared neither young man nor young woman, old man or aged. God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar. He carried to Babylon all the articles from the temple of God, both large and small, and the treasures of the Lord's temple and the treasures of the king and his officials. They set fire to God's temple and broke down the wall of Jerusalem; they burned all the palaces and destroyed everything of value there. He carried into exile to Babylon the remnant, who escaped from the sword, and they became servants to him and his sons until the kingdom of Persia came to power. The land enjoyed its sabbath rests; all the time of its desolation it rested, until the seventy years were completed in fulfillment of the word of the LORD spoken by Jeremiah." (2 Chronicles 36:17-21)
The above passage says that the surviving remnant of the Jews were carried off into exile to Babylon for 70 years, and this allowed the land to make up for all of the missing sabbath rests that it had not received. Since the land should have received a sabbath rest every 7 years (Leviticus 25:1-4, above), and since there were 70 sabbath years in which the land should have rested (compare Leviticus 26:33-35 and 2 Chronicles 36:17-21, above), this means that the land of Israel had not received its sabbath rests for 490 years (70 times 7 years) before the exile to Babylon.

As 2 Chronicles 36:21 (above) points out, the prophet Jeremiah wrote a letter to the captive Jews in Babylon (Jeremiah 29:1), saying that their exile in Babylon will last for 70 years:
"This is what the LORD says: "When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my gracious promise to bring you back to this place. For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you. You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart. I will be found by you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back from captivity. I will gather you from all the nations and places where I have banished you," declares the LORD, "and will bring you back to the place from which I carried you into exile."" (Jeremiah 29:10-14)
Putting all of this background information together, the Jews had disobeyed God for 490 years (70 sabbaths of years or 70 sevens of years or 70 weeks of years) concerning the sabbath rests for the land of Israel, and they were taken into exile to Babylon. This background information helps us understand the terminology that Gabriel used when he gave Daniel the 70 Weeks prophecy.

Daniel lived during the exile in Babylon, and he understood from the prophet Jeremiah (above) that the exile would last for 70 years. This prompted Daniel to begin pleading with the Lord in prayer and petition and fasting:
"In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom - in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the LORD given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years. So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes." (Daniel 9:1-3)
As one of the exiled Jews in Babylon, Daniel recognized that the exile would last for 70 years (Daniel 9:1-3, above). While Daniel was praying in the above passage, God sent the angel Gabriel to give Daniel the 70 Weeks prophecy:
"While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the LORD my God for his holy hill - while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. He instructed me and said to me, "Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision: "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. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree 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. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off 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. 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.""" (Daniel 9:20-27)
Now let's break down the above prophecy and examine it verse by verse:

  • Daniel 9:24
    "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." (Daniel 9:24)
    This verse says that God had decreed a period of 70 sevens concerning Daniel's people (the Jews) and the holy city (Jerusalem). As we've seen, the 70 sevens or 70 weeks refer to a period of 70 times 7 years, which is 490 years.

    The purpose of these 70 sevens or 70 weeks was 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 (Daniel 9:24, above). This indicates that when the 70 weeks (490 years) are completed, then all of Israel's sins will be at an end. As we'll see later in this series, every Jew on earth will believe that Jesus is the Messiah when the 490 years are completed. Since modern Israel is a secular country and most Jews do not believe that Jesus is the Messiah, we know that the 490 years have not yet been completed.

    My article called The Second Coming shows that in the days before the Second Coming, all Jews on earth will receive salvation. In this way, they will "finish transgression" and "put an end to sin," and they will have "atone[d] for wickedness," as Daniel 9:24 (above) says. My article called What Will Happen after the Second Coming? explains that after the Second Coming, Jesus will establish a kingdom on earth (the Millennial kingdom) that will "bring in everlasting righteousness" (Daniel 9:24, above). That verse then says that "vision and prophecy" will be sealed up, which refers to the completion or fulfillment of God's promises to Israel during the Millennial kingdom, according to several Bible commentaries. Daniel 9:24 (above) finishes with: "and to anoint the Most Holy Place [qodes qodes]." The Hebrew word qodes means "a holy thing, holiness, and sacredness" (The Complete Word Study Dictionary of the Old and New Testaments, Dr. Spiros Zodhiates, qodes). This word is usually translated as "holy" in the NIV, and in the 44 places where the word is used twice in a row it's almost always translated as "most holy" in the NIV. It's always used for most holy places or most holy things, but never for people. Apart from Daniel 9:24 (above), here are the other references to "most holy" (qodes qodes): Exodus 26:33-34, 29:37, 30:10, 25-29, 36, Leviticus 2:3, 10, 6:15-17, 25, 29, 7:1-2, 6, 10:12, 16-17, 14:13, 21:22, 24:8-9, 27:28, Numbers 4:4, 17-19, 18:8-10, 1 Kings 6:16, 7:48-50, 8:6, 1 Chronicles 6:49, 23:13, 2 Chronicles 3:8-10, 4:19-22, 5:7, 2 Chronicles 31:14 NKJV, Ezra 2:63 NKJV, Nehemiah 7:65 NKJV, Ezekiel 41:4, 42:13, 43:12, Ezekiel 44:13 NKJV, 45:3, 48:12.

    When Jesus returns to the earth at the Second Coming, the Jewish temple will have been desecrated by the Antichrist because of "the abomination that causes desolation" (Daniel 9:27, below). One month after the Second Coming, and a month and a half before the Millennial kingdom begins, Jesus will somehow remove this "abomination" (see my article above) and anoint or consecrate the Most Holy Place (where Jesus will live during the Millennium) as Daniel 9:24 (above) says. This will bring the 70 weeks (490 years) to an end, shortly after the Second Coming.

    So after 70 times 7 years, all of Israel's sins will be forgiven. Notice that the 70 Weeks prophecy specifically deals with Israel's disobedience to God, and it specifically relates to Jerusalem and the Jews. It has nothing to do with the church.

  • Daniel 9:25
    "Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree 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." (Daniel 9:25)
    In this verse, the angel Gabriel told Daniel that the 70 weeks (490 years) will begin when a decree is issued to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. According to The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, Daniel 9:25), there were four decrees issued in the Old Testament in reference to the Jews. The first of these decrees was issued by Cyrus in 538 BC, and it's recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Ezra 1:1-4, 5:13. However, that decree was only for rebuilding the temple, not for restoring and rebuilding the city of Jerusalem. Darius I also decreed a rebuilding of the temple in 520 BC, but this was simply a confirmation of Cyrus' decree (see Ezra 6:6-13). The third decree was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus in 458 BC (see Ezra 7:11-26), but it related specifically to finances for animal sacrifices at the temple. None of these decrees said anything about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem, which is what the angel Gabriel had prophesied. The decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was issued by Artaxerxes Longimanus around 444 BC (see Nehemiah 2:1-8).

    The starting date for the 70 weeks (490 years) is accepted by many scholars as being approximately 444 BC, when the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem was issued in fulfillment of Daniel 9:25 (above). The above verse says that there will be 7 weeks, which is 49 years (7 times 7) followed by 62 weeks, which is 434 years (62 times 7). A number of Bible commentaries point out that the initial period of 49 years is the approximate length of time it took for restoring and repairing Jerusalem after many Jews had returned to Israel after their exile and captivity in Babylon (Nehemiah 1:1-3), plus restoring the Sabbath laws and tithing laws and all of the other commandments in the Law of Moses that had been neglected during their exile (e.g., Nehemiah 13). The initial period of 49 years is also when the last two Old Testament books were written (Nehemiah and Malachi, both written around 430 BC - see my article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes), and the 434 years (62 times 7) after that were the bulk of the silent period when there was no more Scripture being written until after the birth of the church.

    So in the above verse, Gabriel said that from the issuing of this decree until the Anointed One comes (meaning the Messiah - see Luke 4:18, Acts 4:27, 10:38), there will be 483 years (49 plus 434). Starting from the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and adding 483 years, this brings us up to the Triumphal Entry when Jesus officially entered Jerusalem as the Messiah, riding on a donkey. For a detailed description of the math involved, see The Bible Knowledge Commentary (Walvoord and Zuck, Dallas Theological Seminary, Daniel 9:26), or The Footsteps of the Messiah (Dr. Arnold Fruchtenbaum, p.131), or Major Bible Prophecies (John Walvoord, chapter 16), or other books on Bible prophecy.

    When Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey, Bible scholars refer to this as the Triumphal Entry because Jesus was officially presenting Himself to Israel as the Messiah by fulfilling a prophecy in Zechariah 9:9:
    "The next day the great crowd that had come for the Feast heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, "Hosanna!" "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" "Blessed is the King of Israel!" Jesus found a young donkey and sat upon it, as it is written, "Do not be afraid, O Daughter of Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey's colt." [Zechariah 9:9]. At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that they had done these things to him." (John 12:12-16)
    These actions by the Jews and these shouts of greeting had been prophesied concerning the Messiah (e.g., Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm 118:22-27), which tells us that the crowd was officially greeting Jesus as the Messiah in the above passage. The word "Messiah" in Hebrew means "Anointed One," so at the end of the 7 weeks plus 62 weeks, the Anointed One officially came to Jerusalem, right on schedule, which Bible scholars refer to as the Triumphal Entry. Part of the angel Gabriel's prophecy to Daniel was literally and accurately fulfilled at that moment, bringing the 69 weeks of Daniel 9:25 (above) to an end.

    This means that there was one more week (7 more years) remaining until Israel's sins will be completely ended for all time.

  • Daniel 9:26
    "After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off 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." (Daniel 9:26)
    In this verse, Gabriel said that the Anointed One will be "cut off" after the 7 weeks plus 62 weeks, and the Hebrew word for "cut off" is sometimes used to describe violent deaths (e.g., Genesis 9:11 NKJV, Obadiah 1:9 NKJV, and Nahum 3:15 NKJV). Jesus suffered a violent death just a few days after the Triumphal Entry (see Mark 11 through 15), which further confirms that the 69th week ended at the Triumphal Entry.

    Gabriel also said that "The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Daniel 9:26, above). This indicates that a future ruler will come on the scene (referring to the Antichrist as we saw in Part One), and it tells us that the city of Jerusalem and the Jewish temple will be destroyed by "the people" from whom the future Antichrist will come. In AD 70, the Romans attacked the city of Jerusalem (see the Historical Highlights at Israel's Ministry of Foreign Affairs Offsite Link) and destroyed the Jewish temple, which literally and accurately fulfilled part of Gabriel's prophecy in Daniel 9:26 (above). This indicates that the Antichrist will be of Roman heritage, meaning that he will be a Gentile. For more reasons why he will be a Gentile, and what the Bible says about his origins, his character, his rise to power, and why he will emerge from a revival of the old Roman Empire, see The Rise and Fall of the Antichrist Offsite Link.

  • Daniel 9:27
    "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 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." (Daniel 9:27)
    Notice that this verse says, "He will confirm a covenant with many." People sometimes assume that the "he" is Jesus, and that the "covenant" is the New Covenant, but there are problems with that view. For one thing, Daniel 9:27 (above) says that this will be a seven-year covenant (because we've repeatedly seen that a "seven" refers to 7 years), yet the New Covenant in Jesus' blood was not limited to 7 years. Another problem is that Daniel 9:27 (above) says that "he" will set up "an abomination that causes desolation" in the Jewish temple (desecrating the temple) until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. This cannot be describing Jesus. A further problem is that the word "he" in Daniel 9:27 (above) refers back to a person who was previously identified, and the most recent person to be identified is "the ruler who will come" (Daniel 9:26, above). Notice that this ruler is described in another one of Daniel's prophecies that also mentions that same "abomination":
    "His armed forces will rise up to desecrate the temple fortress and will abolish the daily sacrifice. Then they will set up the abomination that causes desolation. With flattery he will corrupt those who have violated the covenant, but the people who know their God will firmly resist him...The king will do as he pleases. He will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will say unheard-of things against the God of gods. He will be successful until the time of wrath is completed, for what has been determined must take place. He will show no regard for the gods of his fathers or for the one desired by women, nor will he regard any god, but will exalt himself above them all." (Daniel 11:31-37)
    This passage tells us that the "abomination" (e.g., Revelation 13:14-15, 14:9-11, 15:2, 16:2, 19:20, 20:4) will be placed in the Jewish temple by a ruler or a king who is able to do as he pleases during "the time of wrath," and who will "exalt and magnify himself above every god." As we saw in Part One, the name that we often use for this future ruler is "the Antichrist."

    In Daniel's prophecy about the 70 Weeks, the entire context concerns Daniel's people (the Jews) and what will happen to them. In this context, the angel Gabriel said that the future ruler (the Antichrist) will make a "covenant" (a treaty or contract agreement of some kind) with "many" for 7 years, and then immediately Gabriel made a point of telling us that in the middle of that seven-year period the Antichrist will desecrate the Jewish temple (Daniel 9:27, above). The context tells us that this treaty or contract agreement is between Israel and the Antichrist, although they won't understand that he is the Antichrist as we'll see later in this series.


In order to determine how Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy relates to the Rapture, we need to take a close look at the final week (7 years) of that prophecy.


When Will the Final Seven Years of Daniel's Prophecy Take Place?

Out of the 70 weeks in Daniel's prophecy, 69 of those weeks ended at the Triumphal Entry, which leaves one more week (7 years) remaining. Daniel 9:27 (above) describes those final 7 years. As we've seen, the man in Daniel 9:27 (above) is the Antichrist, so the activities of the Antichrist will take place during the final 7 years of Daniel's prophecy. My article called End-Times Prophecies Are Coming to Pass Right before Our Eyes describes some of the activities of the Antichrist, and it shows that these events have not yet taken place. The final 7 years in Daniel's prophecy will take place in the future, so there's a gap of time between the 69th week and the 70th week in the 70 Weeks prophecy.

In Daniel 9:26 (above) we saw that after the 69 weeks of years the Messiah will experience a violent death, which was fulfilled at the cross a few days after the Triumphal Entry. Notice that the prophecy does not say that the Messiah's violent death will take place during the 70th week, it says that the Messiah's violent death will take place after the 69th week. The 70th week is not mentioned anywhere in Daniel 9:26 (above), and we don't see it mentioned until we come to Daniel 9:27 (above). The implication is that the Messiah's violent death takes place after the 69th week ends but before the 70th week begins, which is another indication that there's a gap of time between the 69th week and the 70th week in the 70 Weeks prophecy.

The 70th week in Daniel's prophecy has not yet happened, and we can demonstrate this even further by noticing what Jesus said about the Second Coming:
"So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel - let the reader understand - then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains...For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now - and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened...So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man. Wherever there is a carcass, there the vultures will gather. Immediately after the distress of those days 'the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.' At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory." (Matthew 24:15-30)
In Part One we saw that when the Antichrist places an "abomination" in the future Jewish temple then this will be the beginning of the Great Tribulation, the final three and a half years of the seven-year Tribulation period. In the above passage, Jesus mentioned the "abomination" from Daniel 9:27 (above) and the Great Tribulation period, immediately followed by the Second Coming, so the "one seven" in Daniel 9:27 (above) will be the 7 years just prior to the Second Coming.

What this means is that the 70th week in Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy (the "one seven" in Daniel 9:27, above) is the seven-year Tribulation period. This further confirms that there's a gap of time between the 69th week and the 70th week because the seven-year Tribulation has not yet begun (it will begin when the Antichrist makes a seven-year treaty or contract agreement with Israel).


The Significance of the Gap in Daniel's 70 Weeks Prophecy

We've seen that the angel Gabriel told Daniel about a period of time lasting for 70 weeks of years (490 years), and this prophecy was specifically for the Jews. When Jesus rode a donkey into Jerusalem at the Triumphal Entry, this marked the end of 69 of those weeks for the Jews. At that point, the 70 Weeks prophecy for Israel was put on hold, so to speak, and it will pick up again for the 70th week when the seven-year Tribulation period begins.

But why did God intend to put His 70 Weeks plan for Israel on hold, creating a gap of time between the 69th and 70th weeks? This gap has now lasted for almost 2,000 years, so what was God's purpose for this huge gap in His plan for Israel?

Recall that Jesus was crucified shortly after the 69 weeks ended at the Triumphal Entry, and within two months the church was born on the day of Pentecost as we saw in Part One. The 70 Weeks plan is specifically for the nation of Israel, to put an end to their sins. Notice that for the entire time that the 70 Weeks plan was active, there was no such thing as "the church." When the 70 Weeks plan for Israel was put on hold, almost immediately (in less than two months) God initiated His plan for the church.

In other words, God deliberately did not initiate the church while the 70 Weeks plan for Israel was active, and He has deliberately kept the 70 Weeks plan for Israel on hold while the church is active on the earth. God's 70 Weeks plan for Israel and His plan for the church have always been kept separate and distinct from each other. God placed the church on the earth specifically during the gap between the 69th and 70th weeks of His plan for Israel.

All of the evidence indicates that God intends for these two plans to remain separate and distinct from each other because He has never allowed them to be mixed together in any way. The implication from all of this is that these two plans will continue to be kept separate and distinct, with no mixing. If the Church (the body of Christ) goes through any part of the seven-year Tribulation period then this would mix together God's plan for the church with His plan for Israel, which is something that He has never allowed to happen.


Conclusion

There's only one view of the Rapture that preserves the separation between God's 70 Weeks plan for Israel and His plan for the church, and that's the pre-trib view. The other views of the Rapture (mid-trib and post-trib) are wrongly trying to mix together the church and the 70 Weeks. Those other views are unscriptural because nowhere in Scripture has God ever allowed these two plans to overlap in any way.

The Church (the body of Christ) will only be active on the earth during the gap in the 70 Weeks prophecy. The Church will be removed from the earth at the Rapture (which can happen at any moment) before the 70th week begins. Almost immediately after the Rapture, Israel will sign a seven-year treaty or contract agreement of some kind with the Antichrist, initiating the seven-year Tribulation period (the 70th week in Daniel's prophecy). God will then pick up where He left off in dealing with Israel's disobedience. Multitudes of people will receive salvation during the Tribulation, but they will not be part of the Church because the entity known as "the Church" will be removed from the earth before the Tribulation period begins.


Back to Part One.
Continue on to Part Three.


For the glory of the Lord Jesus, the Christ, the Son of God, who came in the flesh, was delivered over to death for our sins, and was raised to life for our justification.

Dave Root
home page and email: https://www.vividchristianity.com

"Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3)

"Who is the liar? It is whoever denies that Jesus is the Christ. Such a person is the antichrist - denying the Father and the Son. No one who denies the Son has the Father; whoever acknowledges the Son has the Father also." (1 John 2:22-23)

"If anyone acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God, God lives in them and they in God." (1 John 4:15)

"Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world." (1 John 4:1-3)

"And this is love: that we walk in obedience to his commands. As you have heard from the beginning, his command is that you walk in love. I say this because many deceivers, who do not acknowledge Jesus Christ as coming in the flesh, have gone out into the world. Any such person is the deceiver and the antichrist." (2 John 1:6-7)

"He was delivered over to death for our sins and was raised to life for our justification." (Romans 4:25)
 
 
Modification History

  • 02/24/2024 - Added more information in the section called "Daniel 9:26."

  • 09/30/2023 - Updated the capitalization of "church" throughout the article for consistency, as explained in Part One. Modified the section called "When Will the Final Seven Years of Daniel's Prophecy Take Place?"

  • 02/05/2023 - Added more information under Daniel 9:24. Added more information under Daniel 9:25.

  • 08/04/2022 - Modified the Introduction section.

  • 07/23/2022 - Modified my closing statement.

  • 11/03/2021 - Made the font size a bit bigger and added a fish symbol as a favicon (which is displayed in the browser tab).

  • 09/24/2021 - Made a slight change to say that when the Antichrist makes a seven-year "covenant" with Israel, it will be a treaty or contract agreement of some kind. Originally I had said that it will likely be a peace treaty, but that's too narrow of a definition of "covenant."

  • 06/25/2021 - Added Matthew 18:21-22 in the breakdown of Daniel 9:24.

  • 02/14/2019 - Modified some of the wording.

  • 03/01/2004 - New article.