THE BOOK OF REVELATION

INTRODUCTION - According to the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24, the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD will be preceded by certain signs. The disciples of Christ were told to watch for these things, as they will culminate in Christ's judgment against the Jews as the Temple is destroyed. When this occurs, it would be the sign that the New Covenant in Christ had started, that Christ was truly on the throne of the kingdom, and that the church is the true people of God. Before Jerusalem fell, false messiahs would abound, there would be wars, rumors of wars, pestilences, and earthquakes, Christians would be martyred while others would deny the faith, then the Gospel would be preached as a witness to all the nations. All of these signs find their fulfillment in the first century before 70 AD. This morning we now turn to the actual event of Jerusalem's overthrow and see how it had been prophesied hundreds of years earlier through the prophet Daniel.

5) THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION - JERUSALEM SURROUNDED BY THE ROMAN ARMIES - Matthew 24:15, Mark 13:14; Luke 21:20 - Though the references in Matthew and Mark speak of "the abomination of desolation" recorded in the book of Daniel, it is the Luke passage which makes it clear what this means. According to Luke, the abomination of desolation is when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies. When the Christians living in Judea saw this happening, they were to flee immediately to the mountains, for this was the sign that Jerusalem was about to fall. When the Roman armies surrounded Jerusalem, it would be the Christians who would escape, leaving thousands of unbelieving Jews to perish in the holocaust. There have been different interpretations concerning "the abomination of desolation", but Luke makes it perfectly clear. It is not the antichrist, it is not the Roman armies desecrating the Jewish Temple, it is the Roman armies surrounding Jerusalem. The fascinating point about this passage is that Christ is actually referring to a prophecy contained in the book of Daniel, written hundreds of years earlier. The prophet Daniel was given an incredible picture of the days of Christ, along with the coming destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Therefore, we shall take some time to deal with Daniel's prophecy, for it has great bearing on our understanding of Matthew 24 and the book of Revelation.

A) THE CONTEXT OF DANIEL'S PROPHECY - Daniel 9:1-21 - In Daniel 9 we see the prophet reading the book of Jeremiah. Daniel has been reading about the judgment which would fall upon the Jews because of their unfaithfulness to God. King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon was sent against the Jews in order to destroy Jerusalem and the Temple. The Jews were either killed or sent into exile. Daniel is one of those captives taken away in the Babylonian captivity. Yet as Daniel reads Jeremiah, he realizes that they are coming to the end of the time of judgment. Thus, he prays to God, confessing the sins of Israel, and looking for mercy from the Lord. Daniel desires the restoration of the Temple, the city, and the Jews. In answer to his humbled prayer, God sends the angel Gabriel to speak to him. Gabriel's answer is that yes, the temple, city and people will be restored, but this is not the end of his message. There is more that God is concerned with. Gabriel speaks to Daniel about events that will take place some five hundred years from Daniel's lifetime. He speaks about the coming of the Messiah, the work of the Messiah, as well as the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple by the Romans (the quote we have in Matthew 24)

B) THE ANGEL GABRIEL'S MESSAGE TO DANIEL - Daniel 9:22-27 - This passage is an incredible panorama of history from the time of Daniel till the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. What is remarkable about this chapter is that Daniel is given the exact time of the coming of the Messiah. Any Jew who knew of Daniel's prophecy could easily predict when the Messiah would come, down to the actual year. We shall deal with Gabriel's message in four portions.

1. IN DANIEL 9:24, GABRIEL GIVES DANIEL THE TIME FRAME FOR THE REBUILDING OF JERUSALEM AND THE MESSIAH'S WORK - According to Gabriel, the rebuilding of the city and Temple, along with the coming of the Messiah and His work, will all take place in seventy weeks. Obviously this is not literally seventy weeks, for this would only amount to 490 days, an impossibility, since Christ came hundreds of years after this prophecy was given. Gabriel is using prophetic language here, and we are to, therefore, interpret the "seventy weeks" as "seventy times seven years" or 490 years, not 490 days. This interpretation historically fits exactly into the timing of the Lord Jesus entering into this world. Yet do we have a right to make this numerical interpretation? Yes, because such figurative language has been used before in Scripture (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:4-6). Days can represent years, and since Gabriel is speaking in prophetic language, there is no difficulty in applying it here. Altogether, there is a 490 year period where the city and Temple will be rebuilt, and Christ will come to earth to accomplish His work. What is the work of the Messiah to be accomplished? Daniel 9:24 tells us, first, that transgression will be finished. This could refer to the transgression paid for at Calvary, yet it could also mean the transgression of the Jews will finally come to its culmination. Christ has already spoken this way about the Jews in Matthew 23. Their final sin will be the rejection of the Messiah, thus, their cup of transgression would be filled. Secondly, there will be an end of sins. This too could refer to Christ's death, but again the application can be made to the climax of the Jewish sins against Christ. Then, there will be reconciliation for iniquity. Certainly this applies to the atonement of Christ, who has reconciled us to God (II Corinthians 5:18). Next, we read that everlasting righteousness will be brought in. Again, this is accomplished by Christ at Calvary (Romans 5:21), as He becomes our righteousness. Next, Gabriel says that the vision and the prophecy will be sealed up (or ended). With the coming of Christ, everything that was written in the Old Testament concerning Christ was accomplished. He was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy and vision (Luke 18:31-33). Finally, the Most Holy will be anointed. Jesus is certainly the anointed One, the Christ, the One chosen by the Father to carry out the work of redemption (Acts 2:36). Therefore, Gabriel is saying that all of this, the rebuilding of the city and Temple, along with the work of the Messiah, must take place in this 490 year time span. Now, in verses 25 to 27, he breaks up that time period, showing us key things which will happen within the 490 years.

2. IN DANIEL 9:25, GABRIEL SPEAKS OF THE REBUILDING OF JERUSALEM AND THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH - The Jews will be allowed to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city and Temple. The books of Nehemiah and Ezra record these events for us. Gabriel is saying that it will be during the first 49 years (7 weeks) that Jerusalem will be rebuilt. Then, there will be a waiting period of 434 years (62 weeks) until Messiah comes. In total, 483 years will pass until Messiah comes into this world. Again, this fits amazingly into the time frame of the coming of the Lord Jesus into this world.

3. IN DANIEL 9:26,27, GABRIEL SPEAKS OF THE DEATH OF THE MESSIAH, HIS CONFIRMATION OF A COVENANT, AND THE END OF SACRIFICE AND OFFERING - During the last seven years of the time period which Gabriel is using, the Messiah will be cut off. This is certainly a reference to the crucifixion of Christ and it did occur halfway through those last seven years Gabriel speaks of - the three and a half year ministry of Christ ending with His death. It is during the 70th week, the last week, that the Messiah is cut off. It is also during this week that the Messiah will confirm a covenant (here is the New Covenant in Christ Jesus - Hebrews 7:22). (The "he" of Daniel 9:27 gramatically refers back to the Messiah in verse 26.) He will also bring an end to sacrifice and offering. Certainly with the death of Christ, Old Testament sacrifice and offering were made obsolete.

4. IN DANIEL 9:26,27, GABRIEL ALSO SPEAKS ABOUT THE FINAL DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM AND THE TEMPLE - THE ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION OF MATTHEW 24 - Yet historically, this does not fit into the time frame of Gabriel. The destruction of Jerusalem would not happen till approximately forty years after Christ. Yet in Gabriel's original time period mentioned in Daniel 9:24, the destruction of Jerusalem is not included. In those 490 years, only the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the Temple, and the work of Christ were to take place. The subsequent destruction of Jerusalem is only a result of the Messiah's rejection. The abomination of desolation is not part of the 490 year period, but is a result of that entire time period.