George Orwell said it very well. "If you want a picture of the future, imagine a boot stamping on a human face -- forever." This is what America has now come down to, as we face a future with Marxist-Communist-loving leaders who can't wait to march us all into that totally depraved life style of the new world order. Indeed, animals on a farm might have it better than humanity if our current leaders hold full sway, as they will, it seems, since you refuse to wake up!
Americans, and especially American "Christians", have failed to do their homework in the sacred Scriptures, and in our Constitution, but now, one set of Scriptures will become indellibly imprinted on their minds, and they need to pay full attention, for the day of reckoning is close at hand. It is just as Rev. David Meyers stated in the opening of his November Newsletter at http://www.lasttrumpetministry.org/
The Lord says: "I called to you often, but you didn't come. I reached out to you, but you paid no attention. You ignored my advice and rejected the correction I offered. So I will laugh when you are in trouble! I will mock you when disaster overtakes you--when calamity overcomes you like a storm, when you are engulfed by trouble, and when anguish and distress overwhelm you.
I will not answer when they cry for help. Even though they anxiously search for me, they will not find me. For they hated knowledge and chose not to fear the Lord. They rejected my advice and paid no attention when I corrected them. That is why they must eat the bitter fruit of living their own way. They must experience the full terror of the path they have chosen. For they are simpletons who turn away from me--to death. They are fools, and their own complacency will destroy them. But all who listen to me will live in peace and safety, unafraid of harm" (Prov. 1:24-33. NLT See also 3:21-26).
If you are truly concerned, you would do well to check out Glenn Beck's program on Fox News Channel on cable. It airs at 5:00 pm et weekdays. Also repeats of program are available at 2:00 am and 3:00 and 9:00 pm on Saturdays. Glenn is an excellent teacher, and very enjoyable as well, so be sure to check him out if you love this great country!
Another great website to check out is givemeliberty.org
Tuesday, October 27, 2009
Monday, October 19, 2009
New Websites and Tools of help for Christians.
Some more additional sites to visit for helpful input include the following. These include info on the collapse of the U.S. dollar and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. These are important issues for every Christian patriot to work with and to spread the word on. Just get them out there everywhere you can to get things moving forward for God and country. Thank you so much!
Go to The Watchman's Cry, A Herald to Prepare -- http://www.watchmanscry.com/audio.html Click on there a new audio sermon #140 -- Lament for the coming sorrow! A serious prophetic warning... Sermon runs over an hour, It is highly activist oriented. I think you will enjoy it, and it is good information to get to all of the sleepy Christians out there!
http://www.israel-palestinenews.org/2009/10/michigan-public-radio-censoring.html From If Americans Knew. Far more responsible and objective coverage of the conflict than most Americans are accustomed to. And they could use your help also in getting the truth out there! If we do love the God of the Bible, then we won't let these things slip by.
One more reason why Israel does not have the glorious future in store that modern fundamentalist Christians claim it is supposed to have. Go to ezinearticles.com. Do a quick search there under Anita Whalley's article "What About a Glorious Modern Theocratic Kingdom in Israel?"
Go to The Watchman's Cry, A Herald to Prepare -- http://www.watchmanscry.com/audio.html Click on there a new audio sermon #140 -- Lament for the coming sorrow! A serious prophetic warning... Sermon runs over an hour, It is highly activist oriented. I think you will enjoy it, and it is good information to get to all of the sleepy Christians out there!
http://www.israel-palestinenews.org/2009/10/michigan-public-radio-censoring.html From If Americans Knew. Far more responsible and objective coverage of the conflict than most Americans are accustomed to. And they could use your help also in getting the truth out there! If we do love the God of the Bible, then we won't let these things slip by.
One more reason why Israel does not have the glorious future in store that modern fundamentalist Christians claim it is supposed to have. Go to ezinearticles.com. Do a quick search there under Anita Whalley's article "What About a Glorious Modern Theocratic Kingdom in Israel?"
Friday, October 2, 2009
An Examination of Daniel's Prophecy by H. C. Heffren
The enclosed valuable treatise is reproduced for the benefit of all concerned Christians whose primary desire and goal is the finding of God and his real truths as established in his holy,inspired Word. May it offer each Christ-honoring Christian new spiritual breakthroughs as the Word of truth penetrates our darkness and sheds God's heavenly light into the darkest recesses of our being. And always keep in mind, the pen is mightier than the sword. --Anita.
An Examination of
Daniel's Prophecy
H. C. Heffren
"SEVENTY WEEKS ARE DETERMINED…"
--Daniel 9:27
The prophecy that is about to engage our attention is found at Daniel 9:24-27. Although our readers may have pondered it many times, sometimes with perplexity and frustration, basically its message is not difficult. We have to admit that it has been the source of conflicting opinions and interpretations, still it is part of God's Word and therefore we should search for the message it seeks to convey. This will be both rewarding and enlightening.
The passage reads as follows: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even unto the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
Although this passage of Scripture has presented a great variety of opinions and different interpretations among theologians and scholars, there are basically only two major irreconcilable dissimilarities. On the one hand, there are those who accept the prophecy as totally fulfilled. These are often called Amillenialists, but a more appropriate designation would be Scriptural Millenialists, since they regard the Kingdom of God which was inaugurated by Christ as the Scriptural fulfillment of the promises made to the fathers in the Old Testament. The Dispensationalists on the contrary, claim that Daniel's 70th week is in the future, and will begin when the so-called Rapture takes place. In order to do this, they have originated what is called the Postponement Theory, which means that the first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel happened on schedule, but the Seventieth Week was postponed or put in abeyance indefinitely. The Church Age, according to them, is called "The Great Parenthesis", according to H. A. Ironside and many others.
H. A. Ironside portrays the prophets as men standing on the prairie, gazing at the distant mountains. They see the first range of mountains, and dimly see the more distant peaks, but they do not see the intervening valleys that separate them. This, says Dr. Ironside, is like the prophets who saw the First Coming of Christ, and also the Second Coming, but they did not see the Church Age that intervened (The Great Parenthesis, p. 12). What Mr. Ironside fails to reveal is that the prophets were not telling just what they saw, as men standing on the prairie, but as we read in 2 Peter 1:21, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." In view of the fact that the Bible was divinely inspired, any suggestion that the prophets were less than 100% accurate in their predictions reflects on the Holy Ghost, the Inspirer.
It is in that connection that the interpretation of the Dispensationalists is violently and diametrically at variance with the Word of God. For instance, in Ironside's book (The Great Parenthesis, page 23), he tells of the prophecy of Daniel, then adds, "The fact is, they were not fulfilled." But Jesus said, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me" (Lu. 24:44-53). Although we have only made one quotation, we can add scores of others. Whose word has authority, Ironside and Dispensationalism, or Christ? Christ said He fulfilled ALL that the prophets had written. Ironside said He didn't. This is serious and needs to be thoroughly investigated.
Now on p. 23 of this book by Ironside, I quote: "The fact is, they were not fulfilled. Israel did not recognize their Messiah. They do not know Him yet as their Sin-Bearer. Their transgression has not been finished. An end to sins for them has not been made. They do not know anything yet of atonement for iniquity." There is a Scriptural answer to each of the above assertions. The Jews "finished" their transgression when they crucified Christ. That was their crowning offense. The enormity of the crime of condemning Christ to death on the cross cannot be exceeded, and therefore it "finished" their transgression. Ironside says, "They do not know anything yet of atonement for iniquity." The Bible says, "He came to his own but his own received him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name." Atonement for all mankind has been made, and when we believe it , that is what makes us sons of God. Those who reject Him, neglect Him or refuse Him, are still among those "who receive Him not; but the Atonement or death of Christ for us was made for whosoever believes, John 3:16.
Ironside continues, "The Seventieth Week has been postponed by God Himself…the moment Messiah died on the cross the prophetic clock stopped. There has not been one tick on that clock for nineteen centuries. It will not begin to go again until the entire present age has come to an end, and Israel will once more be taken up by God." There are a few questions that ought to be asked here. Where does the Scripture say unambiguously that God postponed the Seventieth Week? What clock was God using that stopped? What has Israel got to do to start the clock ticking again?
A lot of these questions appear senseless, but they are based on Dispensational claims. They say that God postponed the Seventieth Week. The various meanings in Roget's Thesaurus state that postpone means: to delay, defer, procrastinate, suspend, waive, table, shelve, reserve, etc. According to Deut. 22:18, God does not permit any of these interpretations to accompany a prophecy He has determined. If God has anything to do with it, it must be executed on time or we can deem it false. God did give the Covenant He promised in the Seventieth Week of Daniel according to His infallible Word. Dispensationalism rejects this and says, "Another covenant with the Antichrist is required to fulfill their interpretation of the prophecy." Who is right?
Dispensationalists anchor their entire system of interpretation on what they call the Postponement Theory. According to Webster, a theory is an unproved assumption, or a hypothesis accepted for the sake of argument. This meaning is amplified elsewhere to include a surmise, supposition, conjecture, speculation or proposal. Neither "postponement" nor "theory" have anything authoritative to rest upon. In the last analysis, it amounts to a shrewd guess. John Walvoord, in his book called The Millennial Kingdom, p. 227, admits this weakness as follows: "While the most literal interpretation of the first sixty-nine weeks is thus afforded a literal fulfillment, nothing can be found in history that affords a literal fulfillment of the last seven, or the Seventieth Week (italics mine). It has been taken by many that this indicated a postponement of the fulfillment of the last seven years of the prophecy to the future preceding the second advent. If so, (italics mine), a parenthesis of time involving the whole present age is indicated." The issue is simple. Either we accept the statement of H.A. Ironside, "The fact is, they (i. e. the prophecies of Dan. 9:24-27) were not fulfilled;" or we accept Christ's statement that "all was fulfilled" (Luke 24:44). Either we build our theology on Walvoord's dispensational unproved hypothesis or we build on "Thus saith the Lord." There is no other alternative.
Let us examine the first statement, Walvoord says, "While the most literal interpretation of the first 69 weeks is thus afforded a literal fulfillment…" Please note that the first 69 weeks only measured a period of time, viz., 483 years until the baptism of Christ, or, as Daniel says, "until Messiah the Prince" or the Anointed. The opening words of Jesus when He began His ministry were, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed Me…" (Luke 4:18a). The first 69 weeks literally described the return of the Jews from Babylon and the rebuilding of Jerusalem during the first seven weeks. The remaining 62 weeks is only a space of time until the 70th week. Everything in the prophecy hinged on the specific and detailed fulfillment of the 70th week. 7 + 62 + 1 = 70.
Dispensationalism falls into a very embarrassing and fatal trap at this point. John Walvoord writes in The Return of the Lord, p. 49, "For the purpose of the present study…we must assume the inspiration of Scripture and the validity of infallibility of its revelation…" Elsewhere, the same writer goes on record in favor of the inerrancy, infallibility and the inspiration of the Scriptures. On p. 124 of The Millennial Kingdom, he states, 'Premillenialism is based on the infallibility of the Scriptures." Infallibility means "incapable of error, that which is certain, reliable, decisive, conclusive, unerring, to be depended on, trustworthy." It is unimpeachable. It is faithful, constant, precise and authentic.
Now notice how Dispensationalism discounts the infallible Word of God. God's infallible Word says, "Seventy Weeks are determined." That is God's decree. But because Dispensational doctrine finds, "nothing in history that provides a literal fulfillment of the Seventieth Week, therefore it dictates a postponement." At this point, they exchange God's infallible Word that is inspired by the Holy Ghost for man's unproved assumption. Notice that they do not even offer a Scriptural authority for their postponement, for there is none. They simply say, "If so, a parenthesis…is indicated." That is the biggest IF in Dispensationalism, where they discard God's infallible Word in favor of man's conjecture and supposition. Dispensationalism is built on supposition. If they are wrong and God's Word is right, their entire citadel of error crashes.
In Ironside's book, The Great Parenthesis, p. 25, quote: "Strange is it that many have supposed it was the Prince Messiah Himself who was to confirm a covenant for one week. But when did He ever make such a covenant? The blood of the covenant which He shed upon the cross is not to confirm a covenant for seven years, but it is the blood of the everlasting covenant." It is interesting to note here, that Dispensationalists do admit that there was a covenant ratified by Christ during the Seventieth Week. But they, and the Jews, reject this covenant, although it was "everlasting," as the fulfillment of Dan. 9:24-27. Again they substitute their interpretation for God's infallible Word.
We shall illustrate this point by a further quotation from The Millenial Kingdom, p. 133: "Daniel's seventy weeks are subject to literal interpretation even though the interval between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth week is only hinted at by Daniel himself." Dr. Walvoord does not explain where this supremely important postponement was "only hinted at." Nor does he explain how the infallible Bible could be confronted with such an embarrassing error as flagrant as the postponement of the entire Old Testament to some future age. To maintain this delusion, Dispensationalism has resorted to some very serious and questionable allegations. For instance, on p. 228 of The Millenial Kingdom, we read, "This very fact confused (italics mine) even the prophets." In his book, The Return of the Lord, p. 41, the same author says, "As the time of His ascension into heaven drew near, the disciples were somewhat confused…they did not understand (italics mine) that the Kingdom would follow the Second Coming…" Mr. Walvoord does not enlighten us as to how he arrived at his clear understanding that all the prophets and apostles were confused in their understanding of the Bible, especially since the Holy Ghost inspired their utterances. To be confused means that they were perplexed, bewildered, tangled or at cross-purposes. It is a rather serious assessment to make against those who were chosen to be the vehicles of God's infallible truth. Dispensationalism is bankrupt of any Scriptural authority to support the Postponement Theory, an unproved hypothetical assumption.
The Bible says, "Seventy weeks are determined" (Dan. 9:24). Commenting on this Bible passage in the Scofield Reference Bible, p. 915, Dr. Scofield says, "Prophetic time is invariably so near as to give full warning, so indeterminate as to give no satisfaction (italics mine) to mere curiosity." First of all, notice that where the Bible says "determined," Scofield says "prophetic time is invariably indeterminate." The prophetic time to which Dr. Scofield refers is now more than 1900 years overdue, so it cannot be classified as near enough to give any warning. The Bible says, "Seventy weeks are determined." Scofield says in his notes on the same page in the Bible, "Prophetic time is invariably indeterminate." Let us see if it is invariably indeterminate. Christ was to be buried and rise again on the third day. Was there anything indeterminate about his rising? Could He have risen any other day and still fulfill the prophecy? Joseph prophesied of seven years of famine. Was the time to be regarded as invariably indeterminate? Jeremiah prophesied of seventy years of captivity in Babylon. What if that did not happen on schedule? If the seventieth year had happened several hundreds of years later, would that have fulfilled the prophecy?
God keeps His appointments meticulously on schedule. A break or postponement does not make a future fulfillment possible. It is a flagrant error. Jesus said, "If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not" (John 10:37). Dispensationalism is wrecked on this rock, for it is decisive. Daniel prophesied by the Holy Ghost and no man can tamper with what Deity has ordained. Jesus further said, "For the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me." (John 5:36b). God's standard of the veracity of prophecy is: "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not [no postponement possible], nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken; but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him" (Deut. 18:22). "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 19:35).
Let us ask, what does Dispensationalism expect to happen during Daniel's Seventieth Week? Their current literature assures us there will first of all be a secret Rapture, when the believers will be caught up for a seven-year excursion in the air. There will be the manifestation of Antichrist, and his covenant with the Jews which he will break in the middle of the week. There will be the Great Tribulation and the Millenium. Unfortunately for them, none of these speculations can be found in Dan. 9:24. There is no reference to re-establishing the Jewish nation or economy mentioned. What the inspired writer and prophet did plainly say is as follows: "And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations shall be determined…and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" (Daniel 9:26-27b). What Daniel wrote about was the "consummation" of Jewry, not its exaltation and eventual restoration.
On p. 136 of The Millennial Kingdom, Dr. Walvoord states, "The doctrine of Israel remains one of the central features of premillenialism." We would like to point out that "Israel" is not a doctrine. Israel is a "history" as far as the Bible is concerned. Whether doctrine or history, it is not central in the Bible. Christ is the central theme of the Word of God and He is the One Whom God has exalted. If Israel is central in premillenialism, we must remember that Christ is central in the Kingdom of God and in the Bible.
On p. 227 of The Millennial Kingdom, we read, "While Dispensationalists have regarded as a parenthesis unexpected and without specific prediction in the Old Testament…" On the contrary, Peter says, "To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His Name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43). Surely that is specific and it includes all.
We repeat the following two quotations because we wish to answer them clearly. They are crucial to the issue we are dealing with, and therefore, require special attention. H. A. Ironside says in The Great Parenthesis, p. 25, "Strange is it that many have supposed it was the Prince Messiah Himself who was to confirm a covenant for one week. But when did He ever make such a covenant? The blood of the covenant which He shed on the cross is not to confirm a covenant for seven years, but it is the blood of the everlasting covenant." To this we add from Dr. John Walvoord in The Millennial Kingdom, p. 227, as follows: "Nothing can be found in history that provides a literal fulfillment of the last seven years, or the Seventieth Week. It has been taken by many that this indicates a postponement of the fulfillment of the last seven years…"
First of all, let us do a little mathematics. The Bible says, "Seventy weeks are determined." This period is composed of seven weeks (sevens) during which the city of Jerusalem is restored. Then a period of 434 years (62 weeks) elapses until the baptism of Christ. The baptism of Christ is established because He is referred to as Messiah, the Prince; in other words, the Anointed One. There remained but one week, the seventieth, during which the ministry of Christ is executed, and during which He is cut off in the midst of the week. It is generally established that Christ ministered three and one half years before his crucifixion, when He was cut off. The remaining three and one half years of the seventy weeks was the period when the Gospel was proclaimed to the Jews, ending with Peter's divinely guided mission to the house of Cornelius, the first Gentile to embrace salvation (Acts 10). Further, the duration of the Covenant was not limited to one week, but it was ratified during that one week of prophecy. Its duration was endless—the New and Everlasting Covenant.
Next we take the keenest issue with Dr. Walvoord in saying, "Nothing can be found in history that provides a literal fulfillment of the last seven years, or the Seventieth Week." First of all, it should be pointed out that the ministry, death and resurrection of Christ was literal. It is an historical event that actually happened. We repeat that during that period of time, the Jews did "finish" the transgression. Their culminating crime was the rejection of Christ and delivering Him up to be crucified. Christ pointed out to them a long list of prophets and godly men whom they executed, and ended by saying, "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers" (Matt. 23:32). Christ did make an end of sins. Christ made expiation for sin. Christ did bring everlasting righteousness. The Old Testament lived in prophecy. The New Testament lives in history.
Now if all the things prophesied were fulfilled on schedule, there is no need of wresting the Scriptures and saying unequivocally, "The fact is they were not fulfilled." Dispensational interpretation was most certainly not fulfilled, but God fulfilled all that was prophesied literally and infallibly. It couldn't be otherwise, for God cannot fail. He knows the end from the beginning. "For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counselor?" (Rom. 11:34). We just do not accuse God of being delinquent with His promises, and of injecting postponements, interstices, and parentheses of time to justify our interpretation. We accept His terms and His time, and if we seem mistaken, let us remember God has not changed. What God determines, man cannot postpone.
In my book, The Sign of His Coming, I take the following quotation. When Daniel prophesied, "He shall confirm the covenant" (Dan. 9:27), the evidence is very conclusive that he meant the Messiah. Quote: "There are 281 references to "covenant" in the Scriptures listed in Young's Analytical Concordance. Not one of these references in any way suggests the idea of a covenant between the Jews and the Antichrist. There is not a hint anywhere that such a covenant is suggested, intended, proposed or prophesied at any time. Concerning the covenant between the believers and the Messiah, there are many scores of such references" (See Jer. 31:31-33 and Heb. 8:7-13).
Even more convincing, is the testimony supplied by the Hebrew word for covenant, used in the phrase: "He shall confirm the covenant." The Hebrew word is Bereeth. According to the Pulpit Commentaries, Vol 29, p. 275, Bereeth is only used in connection with a Divine Covenant. It is never used to designate a "league" with any other power or force, but is always reserved to describe a covenant between God and man. For that reason, the covenant cannot apply to anyone except the Messiah. It cannot possibly describe a covenant with any future Antichrist, or any political group involving apostate Jews.
The Massoretic Text renders Daniel 9:27 thus: "And one week shall confirm a covenant to many, and in the middle of the week, my sacrifice and offering shall be taken away." The use of the personal pronoun "my" signifies that it was the Mosaic sacrifices and oblations that were meant. God honored and ordained these shadows of good things until the time of Christ's death. That is the only sacrifice that God could call my sacrifice. We see, then, that the death of Christ did inaugurate the New and Everlasting Covenant and that Christ did confirm that covenant at Calvary during his earthly ministry. When Christ died, the old Mosaic sacrifices ceased to have any further efficacious value, for the way to God was opened by a new and living way when the veil was Divinely torn asunder, Heb. 10:20.
Perhaps there is no better place to end this treatise than with the words found in Heb. 13:20, 21: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." In other words, God's Word is infallible. That which God determines, He fulfills—on schedule! Prophecy is not based on any Dispensational unproved assumptions. The God Who knows the end from the beginning, tolerates no such thing as a postponement theory. He does everything according to His own determinate will, Acts 2:23.
This wonderful treatise was originally published at CHAPEL LIBRARY. 2603 West Wright Street, Pensacola, FL. 32505. USA. Phone (904) 438-6666. FAX (904) 438-0227. A Worldwide ministry of Mt. Zion Bible Church. Unfortunately it appears to be currently out of print. For a current listing of old classics of the faith I encourage you to log onto www.mountzion.org
This treatise is being forwarded to other concerned Christians by Anita Whalley, who authored the inspiring Christian book, There Is A Kingdom, which is available at Amazon.com. This book supports and defends the new and everlasting covenant of Jesus Christ!
An Examination of
Daniel's Prophecy
H. C. Heffren
"SEVENTY WEEKS ARE DETERMINED…"
--Daniel 9:27
The prophecy that is about to engage our attention is found at Daniel 9:24-27. Although our readers may have pondered it many times, sometimes with perplexity and frustration, basically its message is not difficult. We have to admit that it has been the source of conflicting opinions and interpretations, still it is part of God's Word and therefore we should search for the message it seeks to convey. This will be both rewarding and enlightening.
The passage reads as follows: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even unto the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate."
Although this passage of Scripture has presented a great variety of opinions and different interpretations among theologians and scholars, there are basically only two major irreconcilable dissimilarities. On the one hand, there are those who accept the prophecy as totally fulfilled. These are often called Amillenialists, but a more appropriate designation would be Scriptural Millenialists, since they regard the Kingdom of God which was inaugurated by Christ as the Scriptural fulfillment of the promises made to the fathers in the Old Testament. The Dispensationalists on the contrary, claim that Daniel's 70th week is in the future, and will begin when the so-called Rapture takes place. In order to do this, they have originated what is called the Postponement Theory, which means that the first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel happened on schedule, but the Seventieth Week was postponed or put in abeyance indefinitely. The Church Age, according to them, is called "The Great Parenthesis", according to H. A. Ironside and many others.
H. A. Ironside portrays the prophets as men standing on the prairie, gazing at the distant mountains. They see the first range of mountains, and dimly see the more distant peaks, but they do not see the intervening valleys that separate them. This, says Dr. Ironside, is like the prophets who saw the First Coming of Christ, and also the Second Coming, but they did not see the Church Age that intervened (The Great Parenthesis, p. 12). What Mr. Ironside fails to reveal is that the prophets were not telling just what they saw, as men standing on the prairie, but as we read in 2 Peter 1:21, "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man, but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost." In view of the fact that the Bible was divinely inspired, any suggestion that the prophets were less than 100% accurate in their predictions reflects on the Holy Ghost, the Inspirer.
It is in that connection that the interpretation of the Dispensationalists is violently and diametrically at variance with the Word of God. For instance, in Ironside's book (The Great Parenthesis, page 23), he tells of the prophecy of Daniel, then adds, "The fact is, they were not fulfilled." But Jesus said, "These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the Psalms, concerning Me" (Lu. 24:44-53). Although we have only made one quotation, we can add scores of others. Whose word has authority, Ironside and Dispensationalism, or Christ? Christ said He fulfilled ALL that the prophets had written. Ironside said He didn't. This is serious and needs to be thoroughly investigated.
Now on p. 23 of this book by Ironside, I quote: "The fact is, they were not fulfilled. Israel did not recognize their Messiah. They do not know Him yet as their Sin-Bearer. Their transgression has not been finished. An end to sins for them has not been made. They do not know anything yet of atonement for iniquity." There is a Scriptural answer to each of the above assertions. The Jews "finished" their transgression when they crucified Christ. That was their crowning offense. The enormity of the crime of condemning Christ to death on the cross cannot be exceeded, and therefore it "finished" their transgression. Ironside says, "They do not know anything yet of atonement for iniquity." The Bible says, "He came to his own but his own received him not. But as many as received Him, to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His Name." Atonement for all mankind has been made, and when we believe it , that is what makes us sons of God. Those who reject Him, neglect Him or refuse Him, are still among those "who receive Him not; but the Atonement or death of Christ for us was made for whosoever believes, John 3:16.
Ironside continues, "The Seventieth Week has been postponed by God Himself…the moment Messiah died on the cross the prophetic clock stopped. There has not been one tick on that clock for nineteen centuries. It will not begin to go again until the entire present age has come to an end, and Israel will once more be taken up by God." There are a few questions that ought to be asked here. Where does the Scripture say unambiguously that God postponed the Seventieth Week? What clock was God using that stopped? What has Israel got to do to start the clock ticking again?
A lot of these questions appear senseless, but they are based on Dispensational claims. They say that God postponed the Seventieth Week. The various meanings in Roget's Thesaurus state that postpone means: to delay, defer, procrastinate, suspend, waive, table, shelve, reserve, etc. According to Deut. 22:18, God does not permit any of these interpretations to accompany a prophecy He has determined. If God has anything to do with it, it must be executed on time or we can deem it false. God did give the Covenant He promised in the Seventieth Week of Daniel according to His infallible Word. Dispensationalism rejects this and says, "Another covenant with the Antichrist is required to fulfill their interpretation of the prophecy." Who is right?
Dispensationalists anchor their entire system of interpretation on what they call the Postponement Theory. According to Webster, a theory is an unproved assumption, or a hypothesis accepted for the sake of argument. This meaning is amplified elsewhere to include a surmise, supposition, conjecture, speculation or proposal. Neither "postponement" nor "theory" have anything authoritative to rest upon. In the last analysis, it amounts to a shrewd guess. John Walvoord, in his book called The Millennial Kingdom, p. 227, admits this weakness as follows: "While the most literal interpretation of the first sixty-nine weeks is thus afforded a literal fulfillment, nothing can be found in history that affords a literal fulfillment of the last seven, or the Seventieth Week (italics mine). It has been taken by many that this indicated a postponement of the fulfillment of the last seven years of the prophecy to the future preceding the second advent. If so, (italics mine), a parenthesis of time involving the whole present age is indicated." The issue is simple. Either we accept the statement of H.A. Ironside, "The fact is, they (i. e. the prophecies of Dan. 9:24-27) were not fulfilled;" or we accept Christ's statement that "all was fulfilled" (Luke 24:44). Either we build our theology on Walvoord's dispensational unproved hypothesis or we build on "Thus saith the Lord." There is no other alternative.
Let us examine the first statement, Walvoord says, "While the most literal interpretation of the first 69 weeks is thus afforded a literal fulfillment…" Please note that the first 69 weeks only measured a period of time, viz., 483 years until the baptism of Christ, or, as Daniel says, "until Messiah the Prince" or the Anointed. The opening words of Jesus when He began His ministry were, "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because He hath anointed Me…" (Luke 4:18a). The first 69 weeks literally described the return of the Jews from Babylon and the rebuilding of Jerusalem during the first seven weeks. The remaining 62 weeks is only a space of time until the 70th week. Everything in the prophecy hinged on the specific and detailed fulfillment of the 70th week. 7 + 62 + 1 = 70.
Dispensationalism falls into a very embarrassing and fatal trap at this point. John Walvoord writes in The Return of the Lord, p. 49, "For the purpose of the present study…we must assume the inspiration of Scripture and the validity of infallibility of its revelation…" Elsewhere, the same writer goes on record in favor of the inerrancy, infallibility and the inspiration of the Scriptures. On p. 124 of The Millennial Kingdom, he states, 'Premillenialism is based on the infallibility of the Scriptures." Infallibility means "incapable of error, that which is certain, reliable, decisive, conclusive, unerring, to be depended on, trustworthy." It is unimpeachable. It is faithful, constant, precise and authentic.
Now notice how Dispensationalism discounts the infallible Word of God. God's infallible Word says, "Seventy Weeks are determined." That is God's decree. But because Dispensational doctrine finds, "nothing in history that provides a literal fulfillment of the Seventieth Week, therefore it dictates a postponement." At this point, they exchange God's infallible Word that is inspired by the Holy Ghost for man's unproved assumption. Notice that they do not even offer a Scriptural authority for their postponement, for there is none. They simply say, "If so, a parenthesis…is indicated." That is the biggest IF in Dispensationalism, where they discard God's infallible Word in favor of man's conjecture and supposition. Dispensationalism is built on supposition. If they are wrong and God's Word is right, their entire citadel of error crashes.
In Ironside's book, The Great Parenthesis, p. 25, quote: "Strange is it that many have supposed it was the Prince Messiah Himself who was to confirm a covenant for one week. But when did He ever make such a covenant? The blood of the covenant which He shed upon the cross is not to confirm a covenant for seven years, but it is the blood of the everlasting covenant." It is interesting to note here, that Dispensationalists do admit that there was a covenant ratified by Christ during the Seventieth Week. But they, and the Jews, reject this covenant, although it was "everlasting," as the fulfillment of Dan. 9:24-27. Again they substitute their interpretation for God's infallible Word.
We shall illustrate this point by a further quotation from The Millenial Kingdom, p. 133: "Daniel's seventy weeks are subject to literal interpretation even though the interval between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth week is only hinted at by Daniel himself." Dr. Walvoord does not explain where this supremely important postponement was "only hinted at." Nor does he explain how the infallible Bible could be confronted with such an embarrassing error as flagrant as the postponement of the entire Old Testament to some future age. To maintain this delusion, Dispensationalism has resorted to some very serious and questionable allegations. For instance, on p. 228 of The Millenial Kingdom, we read, "This very fact confused (italics mine) even the prophets." In his book, The Return of the Lord, p. 41, the same author says, "As the time of His ascension into heaven drew near, the disciples were somewhat confused…they did not understand (italics mine) that the Kingdom would follow the Second Coming…" Mr. Walvoord does not enlighten us as to how he arrived at his clear understanding that all the prophets and apostles were confused in their understanding of the Bible, especially since the Holy Ghost inspired their utterances. To be confused means that they were perplexed, bewildered, tangled or at cross-purposes. It is a rather serious assessment to make against those who were chosen to be the vehicles of God's infallible truth. Dispensationalism is bankrupt of any Scriptural authority to support the Postponement Theory, an unproved hypothetical assumption.
The Bible says, "Seventy weeks are determined" (Dan. 9:24). Commenting on this Bible passage in the Scofield Reference Bible, p. 915, Dr. Scofield says, "Prophetic time is invariably so near as to give full warning, so indeterminate as to give no satisfaction (italics mine) to mere curiosity." First of all, notice that where the Bible says "determined," Scofield says "prophetic time is invariably indeterminate." The prophetic time to which Dr. Scofield refers is now more than 1900 years overdue, so it cannot be classified as near enough to give any warning. The Bible says, "Seventy weeks are determined." Scofield says in his notes on the same page in the Bible, "Prophetic time is invariably indeterminate." Let us see if it is invariably indeterminate. Christ was to be buried and rise again on the third day. Was there anything indeterminate about his rising? Could He have risen any other day and still fulfill the prophecy? Joseph prophesied of seven years of famine. Was the time to be regarded as invariably indeterminate? Jeremiah prophesied of seventy years of captivity in Babylon. What if that did not happen on schedule? If the seventieth year had happened several hundreds of years later, would that have fulfilled the prophecy?
God keeps His appointments meticulously on schedule. A break or postponement does not make a future fulfillment possible. It is a flagrant error. Jesus said, "If I do not the works of My Father, believe Me not" (John 10:37). Dispensationalism is wrecked on this rock, for it is decisive. Daniel prophesied by the Holy Ghost and no man can tamper with what Deity has ordained. Jesus further said, "For the works which the Father hath given Me to finish, the same works that I do, bear witness of Me, that the Father hath sent Me." (John 5:36b). God's standard of the veracity of prophecy is: "When a prophet speaketh in the name of the Lord, if the thing follow not [no postponement possible], nor come to pass, that is the thing which the Lord hath not spoken; but the prophet hath spoken it presumptuously, thou shalt not be afraid of him" (Deut. 18:22). "The Scripture cannot be broken" (John 19:35).
Let us ask, what does Dispensationalism expect to happen during Daniel's Seventieth Week? Their current literature assures us there will first of all be a secret Rapture, when the believers will be caught up for a seven-year excursion in the air. There will be the manifestation of Antichrist, and his covenant with the Jews which he will break in the middle of the week. There will be the Great Tribulation and the Millenium. Unfortunately for them, none of these speculations can be found in Dan. 9:24. There is no reference to re-establishing the Jewish nation or economy mentioned. What the inspired writer and prophet did plainly say is as follows: "And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations shall be determined…and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" (Daniel 9:26-27b). What Daniel wrote about was the "consummation" of Jewry, not its exaltation and eventual restoration.
On p. 136 of The Millennial Kingdom, Dr. Walvoord states, "The doctrine of Israel remains one of the central features of premillenialism." We would like to point out that "Israel" is not a doctrine. Israel is a "history" as far as the Bible is concerned. Whether doctrine or history, it is not central in the Bible. Christ is the central theme of the Word of God and He is the One Whom God has exalted. If Israel is central in premillenialism, we must remember that Christ is central in the Kingdom of God and in the Bible.
On p. 227 of The Millennial Kingdom, we read, "While Dispensationalists have regarded as a parenthesis unexpected and without specific prediction in the Old Testament…" On the contrary, Peter says, "To Him give all the prophets witness, that through His Name whosoever believeth in Him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43). Surely that is specific and it includes all.
We repeat the following two quotations because we wish to answer them clearly. They are crucial to the issue we are dealing with, and therefore, require special attention. H. A. Ironside says in The Great Parenthesis, p. 25, "Strange is it that many have supposed it was the Prince Messiah Himself who was to confirm a covenant for one week. But when did He ever make such a covenant? The blood of the covenant which He shed on the cross is not to confirm a covenant for seven years, but it is the blood of the everlasting covenant." To this we add from Dr. John Walvoord in The Millennial Kingdom, p. 227, as follows: "Nothing can be found in history that provides a literal fulfillment of the last seven years, or the Seventieth Week. It has been taken by many that this indicates a postponement of the fulfillment of the last seven years…"
First of all, let us do a little mathematics. The Bible says, "Seventy weeks are determined." This period is composed of seven weeks (sevens) during which the city of Jerusalem is restored. Then a period of 434 years (62 weeks) elapses until the baptism of Christ. The baptism of Christ is established because He is referred to as Messiah, the Prince; in other words, the Anointed One. There remained but one week, the seventieth, during which the ministry of Christ is executed, and during which He is cut off in the midst of the week. It is generally established that Christ ministered three and one half years before his crucifixion, when He was cut off. The remaining three and one half years of the seventy weeks was the period when the Gospel was proclaimed to the Jews, ending with Peter's divinely guided mission to the house of Cornelius, the first Gentile to embrace salvation (Acts 10). Further, the duration of the Covenant was not limited to one week, but it was ratified during that one week of prophecy. Its duration was endless—the New and Everlasting Covenant.
Next we take the keenest issue with Dr. Walvoord in saying, "Nothing can be found in history that provides a literal fulfillment of the last seven years, or the Seventieth Week." First of all, it should be pointed out that the ministry, death and resurrection of Christ was literal. It is an historical event that actually happened. We repeat that during that period of time, the Jews did "finish" the transgression. Their culminating crime was the rejection of Christ and delivering Him up to be crucified. Christ pointed out to them a long list of prophets and godly men whom they executed, and ended by saying, "Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers" (Matt. 23:32). Christ did make an end of sins. Christ made expiation for sin. Christ did bring everlasting righteousness. The Old Testament lived in prophecy. The New Testament lives in history.
Now if all the things prophesied were fulfilled on schedule, there is no need of wresting the Scriptures and saying unequivocally, "The fact is they were not fulfilled." Dispensational interpretation was most certainly not fulfilled, but God fulfilled all that was prophesied literally and infallibly. It couldn't be otherwise, for God cannot fail. He knows the end from the beginning. "For who hath known the mind of the Lord? Or who hath been His counselor?" (Rom. 11:34). We just do not accuse God of being delinquent with His promises, and of injecting postponements, interstices, and parentheses of time to justify our interpretation. We accept His terms and His time, and if we seem mistaken, let us remember God has not changed. What God determines, man cannot postpone.
In my book, The Sign of His Coming, I take the following quotation. When Daniel prophesied, "He shall confirm the covenant" (Dan. 9:27), the evidence is very conclusive that he meant the Messiah. Quote: "There are 281 references to "covenant" in the Scriptures listed in Young's Analytical Concordance. Not one of these references in any way suggests the idea of a covenant between the Jews and the Antichrist. There is not a hint anywhere that such a covenant is suggested, intended, proposed or prophesied at any time. Concerning the covenant between the believers and the Messiah, there are many scores of such references" (See Jer. 31:31-33 and Heb. 8:7-13).
Even more convincing, is the testimony supplied by the Hebrew word for covenant, used in the phrase: "He shall confirm the covenant." The Hebrew word is Bereeth. According to the Pulpit Commentaries, Vol 29, p. 275, Bereeth is only used in connection with a Divine Covenant. It is never used to designate a "league" with any other power or force, but is always reserved to describe a covenant between God and man. For that reason, the covenant cannot apply to anyone except the Messiah. It cannot possibly describe a covenant with any future Antichrist, or any political group involving apostate Jews.
The Massoretic Text renders Daniel 9:27 thus: "And one week shall confirm a covenant to many, and in the middle of the week, my sacrifice and offering shall be taken away." The use of the personal pronoun "my" signifies that it was the Mosaic sacrifices and oblations that were meant. God honored and ordained these shadows of good things until the time of Christ's death. That is the only sacrifice that God could call my sacrifice. We see, then, that the death of Christ did inaugurate the New and Everlasting Covenant and that Christ did confirm that covenant at Calvary during his earthly ministry. When Christ died, the old Mosaic sacrifices ceased to have any further efficacious value, for the way to God was opened by a new and living way when the veil was Divinely torn asunder, Heb. 10:20.
Perhaps there is no better place to end this treatise than with the words found in Heb. 13:20, 21: "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well pleasing in His sight, through Jesus Christ; to Whom be glory forever and ever. Amen." In other words, God's Word is infallible. That which God determines, He fulfills—on schedule! Prophecy is not based on any Dispensational unproved assumptions. The God Who knows the end from the beginning, tolerates no such thing as a postponement theory. He does everything according to His own determinate will, Acts 2:23.
This wonderful treatise was originally published at CHAPEL LIBRARY. 2603 West Wright Street, Pensacola, FL. 32505. USA. Phone (904) 438-6666. FAX (904) 438-0227. A Worldwide ministry of Mt. Zion Bible Church. Unfortunately it appears to be currently out of print. For a current listing of old classics of the faith I encourage you to log onto www.mountzion.org
This treatise is being forwarded to other concerned Christians by Anita Whalley, who authored the inspiring Christian book, There Is A Kingdom, which is available at Amazon.com. This book supports and defends the new and everlasting covenant of Jesus Christ!
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