Chapter 1: An Overview - Part 2

*Now there are 2 things that God must have done on Israel’s Clock.

First of all, when Israel rejected Him, He must have STOPPED her Clock, because Israel were now (temporarily) cut off from the place of God’s favour as His Representatives. At this time, He introduced the Church to be His Representative, and so He now measures time by the Church-Clock instead. Thus Israel’s Clock has been stopped for the duration of the Church-Age. When the Church is removed, Israel’s Clock will start running again.

Secondly, God REWOUND the Israel-Clock by 7 years. Since Israel had rejected the 7-year Ministry of Grace of John the Baptist and Jesus Christ, God cancelled them in order to rerun them as the 7 years of the Tribulation (giving them a 2nd chance, just as they had a 2nd chance to possess the Promised Land 40 years later). Therefore, Israel still has 7 years to run on her Clock, according to Daniel’s 70 Weeks. These final 7 years are described in v27. When the Church is removed in the Rapture, God will return to Israel to be His anointed representatives, as shown by the sealing of the 144,000 Evangelists from the 12 Tribes of ISRAEL in Revelation 7, to spearhead the Evangelism and great Soul-Harvest of the Tribulation. This means the ‘Israel-Clock’ will start ticking again after the Rapture to complete the the last 7 years of the 490 years. These 7 years will be completed when Christ returns to set up His Kingdom.

Thus the 7 years of Grace to Israel under Christ (the 70th Week) were cancelled in order to be rerun as the 7 years of Tribulation under the antichrist, that will run after the Church-Age (v27), during which Israel will repent and return to her Messiah, and at the end of which is the Second Coming of Christ, Who will return to save Israel at Armageddon. Thus at the end of the Rerun of the 70th Week the Kingdom will be established on earth in fulfilment of v24.

Interestingly, verse 26 describes a more immediate Judgement upon Israel (the destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple), that also took place over a 7 year period, the time of the Jewish War with Rome (AD 66-73), which was foreshadowing of the 7 year Tribulation. Thus the initial Judgement for their 7-year rejection of Christ was the 7-years (AD 66-73) under the Romans. These 7 years were exactly 40 years after the Time of Messiah (AD 26-33), ending with their complete defeat with the fall of Masada, 40 years, to the day, after the Cross in AD 33! Then after Israel is restored to her land near the close of the Church-Age, according to v27, there must also be another final 7-year time of Judgement (the Tribulation).

This Chart shows these 2 Judgements upon Israel.

According to Daniel 9:24, there are 70 Weeks (490 years) on Israel’s Clock after which the Messianic Kingdom is to be established. The last 7 years (the 70th Week) are yet to run (again) as the yet future Tribulation (v27). Thus, the final Week of years will be the 7-year Tribulation that will lead to the national conversion of Israel and her Salvation at Christ’s Return (Roman 11:26). This will lead to a full and literal fulfilment of God’s entire program for His people, Israel. The Church (composed of Jews and Gentiles made into one single united Body of Christ) is something brand new (Matthew 16:18), a Mystery previously hidden in God (Ephesians 2,3) and so the Church-Age is something quite distinct from this program for Israel (outlined in the 70 Weeks), and cannot be included on Israel’s Clock. The Church-Age started at the Resurrection when God stopped the Clock on Israel. When the Church is removed in the Rapture, God will turn back to Israel and restart her Clock, for her last 7 years must run, until the 70th Week is fulfilled at Christ’s Return.

God allocated 490 years to Israel (from about 458 BC) after which the Messianic Kingdom would be established (v24). However, since then, more than 490 years have already passed. Moreover, v27 indicates that the last (70th) Week (of 7 years) is yet future! Therefore, this 70th Week has become separated from the rest of the Weeks. The only explanation (if Daniel’s 70 Weeks are to be fulfilled) is that since national Israel rejected Jesus as her Messiah, His Kingdom was postponed, and in the meantime, the Mystery of the Church was introduced instead. This Mystery had been hidden in God, and was only revealed in the New Testament.

This 70th Week has therefore been postponed in order to run as the future 7-year Tribulation. During the Church-Age, God is working through the Church, rather than Israel, as His Representative on earth, and so God has stopped Israel’s Clock for now. It must still have 7 years yet to run on it (Daniel’s 70th Week), but it can only start ticking again after the Church-Age ends. Thus, when the Church is removed in the Rapture, Israel will again take the place of being God’s Representative, and the last 7 years (of the 70 Weeks) will run on her Clock (the Tribulation). Thus, a literal fulfilment of Daniel’s 70 Weeks requires the Pre-Tribulation Rapture of the Church.

* This is also confirmed in the Book of Revelation: (1) by the Church’s Presence in Heaven (represented by the 24 elders) at the start of the Tribulation (Revelation 4,5),
(2) her Absence from the earth in all descriptions of the Tribulation (Revelation 6-18) and (3) her returning to earth with Christ from Heaven in Revelation 19.