Lesson 12

    God Told Daniel of a Time Gap Before

                 the 70-Week Prophecy!

Review

Introduction

“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Daniel 8:14.

     •   These words are the first part of the mareh vision.

     •   They are a microcosm of God’s vast restoration theme put to a timeframe.

What do these tell us?

     •   The restoration of God’s church – His people – Jerusalem – would not occur until after the 2300 years.

     •   Since 70 weeks-of-years is given to complete holiness, it can’t occur within the 2300 years but only afterwards. The 70 weeks is also part of the mareh vision.

     •   The prophecy is given in segments.

          •    7 weeks – to show it represents Jubilees, restoration cycles

          •    62 weeks – general probation time

          •    1 week – last chance – pre-cross / post-cross, before final Jubilee / restoration

Daniel didn’t understand this until two years later when he had been fasting and praying for three weeks.

     •   He then said in third person, “he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision” (Daniel 10:1) (mareh).

     •   What “thing?”

     •   The time appointed to fulfill holiness – and he acknowledged it was long into the future (10:1).

Key Timing Elements Jesus Addressed

“When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)” Matthew 24:15.

The end of time relates to the abomination that leads to desolation, which Daniel the prophet talked about!

     •   Then Jesus goes on to describe a sequence:

          •   Abomination (vs 15)

          •   Flee Jerusalem (apostasy)

          •   Tribulation (vs 21)

          •   Consummation (vss 29-30)

In the prophecy of the seven Seals we note a similar sequence.

     •   Abominable rider – red horse (second Seal)

     •   Tribulation (6:4, 9)

     •   Consummation (6:16)

As is in Revelation 12:

     •   Abominable beast (12:17)

     •   Tribulation (12:17)

     •   Consummation (12:12)

Daniel Notes This Sequence:

     •   Abomination (Daniel 11:31) – last 1290 days (12:11)

     •   Time of Trouble (11:33, 12:1)

     •   Special resurrection (12:2) – just preceding the consummation

“... even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” Daniel 9:27c.

Here we have the finale’ associated with the last part of the 70-week prophecy.

     •   Abominations

     •   Desolation comes by the decree of Messiah the Prince.

     •   Consummation

What does all this association mean to Daniel 9?

     •   Gabriel stopped talking about God’s people except that the covenant had to be completed in that last week.

     •   He ended the 70-week prophecy describing the end of the abomination at the consummation.

     •   This was a commentary insert to make sure we made no mistake about its end-time meaning.

          7 weeks       62 weeks      1 week abomination      consummation

From 8:14 to this commentary our attention is drawn to after 1844 to the consummation or coming of Jesus.

     •   BUT – within the greater context of the abomination for which God will make desolation. Where were all these addressed in Daniel?

  8:13:

     Transgression

     Little Horn

     Desolation

  9:27:

     Abomination

     Prince

     Desolation

11:31:

     Abomination

     King of North

     Desolation

12:11:

     Abomination

     Final timing event (of Babylon)       

     Desolation

Each of these relates to the final desolation of the world.

     •   “Christ, upon the Mount of Olives, rehearsed the fearful judgments that were to precede His second coming: ‘Ye shall hear of wars and rumors of wars.’ ‘Nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom: and there shall be famines, and pestilences, and earthquakes, in divers places. All these are the beginning of sorrows.’ While these prophecies received a partial fulfillment at the destruction of Jerusalem, they have a more direct application to the last days.” – Testimonies, vol. 5, p. 753.

     •   Refer back to page 38.

Notice the time gap to desolation. That is when the sealing up of the vision (chazown) and prophecy (mystery of iniquity) comes to an end.

     •   Some are fearful of a “gap.”

     •   It is not the Jesuit Ribera’s gap.

     •   It is the contextual break to the time when God has a holy people repeatedly declared coming at the very end of time.

     •   It is the Tarrying Time!!!

Franklin S. Fowler Jr., M.D.; Prophecy Research Initiative © 2004