Most of what people believe about the end times today has no scriptural support. It comes from a theory based on what might happen if we insert a gap of indefinite duration, now thousands of years long and counting, between Daniel’s 69th and 70th weeks. And then recreate the Roman Empire, to place it in its foretold setting, rounding it out for the sake of detail.
1. That would be to imagine a revived Roman empire. The same setting the original 70th week would have had if left intact.
2. Then, instead of Jesus who died for our sins in the middle of the 70th week, as the angel Gabriel predicted. Ignore this, and turn Jesus into a future “Antichrist” ruling over the 70th week, now a tribulation 7 years long, thousands of years into the future.
3. And then squeeze in a pre-trib rapture according to Margaret MacDonald’s fever induced visions of the 1800s. Even though scripture mentions only one rapture Paul says will happen after the resurrection on the last day.
4. Then add a rebuilt temple, and return to animal sacrifice with red heifers, all the time assuming Ezekiel’s temple visions were blueprints for a third temple. Even though the book of Hebrews solidly rejects a return to animal sacrifices giving the temple spiritual meaning.
5. And more, let’s say, Russia marching on Israel where ancient prophecies can come alive a second time. If, we sever them from their context and original historical settings. And turn spears into nuclear weapons and horses into aircraft. And Israel’s cattle, the reason Gog and Magog originally invaded Israel, now changed into oil and commerce. (They say their ignorance of this ever happening is proof it must happen in the future).
All based on the idea of what might happen if we sever Daniel’s 70th week from the rest of the bible. And lift scripture at will, here and there to build a case around it. All of this despite the fact Gabriel presented the weeks in an adjoining fashion. Jesus fulfilled them in the first century, and scripture doesn’t mention a gap.
1. That would be to imagine a revived Roman empire. The same setting the original 70th week would have had if left intact.
2. Then, instead of Jesus who died for our sins in the middle of the 70th week, as the angel Gabriel predicted. Ignore this, and turn Jesus into a future “Antichrist” ruling over the 70th week, now a tribulation 7 years long, thousands of years into the future.
3. And then squeeze in a pre-trib rapture according to Margaret MacDonald’s fever induced visions of the 1800s. Even though scripture mentions only one rapture Paul says will happen after the resurrection on the last day.
4. Then add a rebuilt temple, and return to animal sacrifice with red heifers, all the time assuming Ezekiel’s temple visions were blueprints for a third temple. Even though the book of Hebrews solidly rejects a return to animal sacrifices giving the temple spiritual meaning.
5. And more, let’s say, Russia marching on Israel where ancient prophecies can come alive a second time. If, we sever them from their context and original historical settings. And turn spears into nuclear weapons and horses into aircraft. And Israel’s cattle, the reason Gog and Magog originally invaded Israel, now changed into oil and commerce. (They say their ignorance of this ever happening is proof it must happen in the future).
All based on the idea of what might happen if we sever Daniel’s 70th week from the rest of the bible. And lift scripture at will, here and there to build a case around it. All of this despite the fact Gabriel presented the weeks in an adjoining fashion. Jesus fulfilled them in the first century, and scripture doesn’t mention a gap.
