Old Testament Study Sheet, Semester 6 , , , Haggai, Zechariah, , , – Final

10 Simple Steps thru the Bible (Know these in order) (p. 502-503) 1. The Beginning 6. The Kingdom 2. The Hebrew Fathers 7. The Exile 3. The Exodus 8. The Restoration 4. The Promised Land 9. The Coming of Christ 5. The Judges 10. The Great Commission

MEMORIZE THE FOLLOWING VERSES But Daniel purposed in his heart that he would not defile himself with the portion of the Daniel 1:8 king's meat, nor with the wine which he drank: therefore he requested of the prince of the eunuchs that he might not defile himself. BE ABLE TO MATCH THE FOLLOWING REFERENCES WITH THE AND VERSES OR TOPIC Ezekiel 28 Satan’s Fall Ezekiel 37 Vision of Dry Bones Ezekiel 38-39 The Russian/Iranian Invasion of Israel Daniel 9 Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy Daniel 11 Has over 100 fulfilled prophecies

KNOW THE FOLLOWING PEOPLE/EVENTS Belshazzar Babylonian king who saw the handwriting on the wall Shadrach, Meshach & Daniel’s friends who would not bow to Nebuchadnezzar’s image and were delivered by Abednego God in the fiery furnace Persian king who conquered & signed the first return decree (predicted by Cyrus the Great name 170 years in advance) King of Babylon who was tricked into signing the decree that resulted in Daniel being Darius the Mede thrown into the lion’s den Ptolemy One of Alexander’s 4 generals, took Egypt, the Southern part of the kingdom Seleucus One of Alexander’s 4 generals, took Syria, the Easter section Antiochus IV Epiphanes Type of Antichrist, the historical little horn, defiled the Temple A Jewish priest of the House of Hasman who refused to worship Jupiter and who slew the Mattathias king’s representative. Judas the Maccabee Led the Jewish revolt in refusing to worship Jupiter Celebrates the jewish cleansing and the rededication of the Temple and the miracle of Hanukkah the temple candelabra burning eight days on one day’s supply of oil Israel’s guardian angel who will help deliver Israel through the Tribulation King who allowed the Temple work to continue Xerxes I King also known as Ahasuerus , who make Esther his queen King who allowed the Second and Third returns and issued the decree to rebuild Artaxerxes ’s walls, stepson of Esther /Jeshua The Spiritual Leader (& High Priest) of the first return Esther’s older cousin, who raised her as his own daughter Haman Jew hating prime minister who plotted to exterminate the Jews Vashti Pershian queen deposed for refusing to display herself and who was replaced by Esther Sanballat, Tobiah & The enemies of Nehemiah’s rebuilding project Geshem

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A memorial to commemorate the salvation of the Jews from the evil plot to exterminate The feast of Purim them. Capital city of Phonecian empire destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar and Alexander the Tyre Great over a 250 year period exactly as prophesied by Ezekiel.

Ezekiel (606) Subtitle “The of the Glory of God” 1. Ezekiel was a prophet with a two-fold message a. Before the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel warned Judah of the coming judgment. b. After the fall of Jerusalem, Ezekiel encouraged the captives concerning their future restoration. Content 2. Ezekiel was the prophet to the people of the Exile as was the prophet before the Exile. 3. Ezekiel’s message was to remind the captives of why they were in Babylon and then to predict the ultimate judgment of the Gentile Nations and restoration of the Jewish Nation. Theme The deportation and restoration of Israel’s glory. 1. Ezekiel, who was a priest, as were the Jeremiah and Zechariah. 2. Ezekiel was carried to Babylon during the 2nd Babylonian Invasion in 597 BC, when he was 25 years old, along with King Jehoiachin. a. He was 18 at the time of the first invasion in 605 BC. b. He probably heard Jeremiah’s preaching before his capture and was greatly influenced by him. He ahs bee called “the prolongation of the voice of Author Jeremiah.” 3. Ezekiel received his call at age 30, which was 5 years after his capture. 4. Ezekiel ministered among the captives, by the River Chebar, a canal off the Euphrates River near Babylon. He was the prophet to the common man. 5. Ezekiel has been called the “Father of Judaism”, since it was primarily his ministry that brought the Jews back to God and away from idolatry during the Captivity. Recipients Ezekiel was written to the Jewish Captives in Babylon 1. Ezekiel was the most dramatic, flamboyant and theatrical of all the prophets, acting out his messages in amazing ways. 2. Ezekiel is called the Prophet of the Glory of God because of his amazing vision of the glory of God (Eze. 1) and his many visions throughout the book. He also records the Removal and the Return of God’s Shekinah Glory Cloud. (Eze. 10:18; 43:2,4) 3. Ezekiel is also called the first of the apocalyptic prophets. These were prophets who Importance and recorded future events in symbolic visions, such as the familiar style of the books of Distinctives (609) Daniel and revelation. 4. Ezekiel is one of the three Biblical books which describes the Fall of Satan. (Ezekiel 28:11-19; 14:12-17; Revelation 12:3-4) 5. Ezekiel describes in amazing detail the final Biblical Temple, the great Temple of the Millennium. 6. Ezekiel contains the amazing prophecies of World War III. (Eze. 38-39)

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Daniel (646-649) Subtitle The Old Testament Book of Revelation 1. Daniel contains the history of the world, written in advance. Through images and beasts, through dreams and visions, Daniel outlines the course of history from his time until the end time for the Gentile Nations. He also outlines God’s prophetic timetable Content for His dealings with Israel. 2. Daniel is the story of a young teenage captive who became prophet and prime minister. Theme The revelation of Israel’s Prophetic Future. Key Chapter Daniel 9 – Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy Daniel – “God is my Judge” 1. As a teenager, Daniel was one of those of royal blood taken captive by Nebuchadnezzar during the first Babylonian siege of Jerusalem in 05 BC. 2. In captivity, Daniel served without compromise under the administrations of several kings, including Nebuchadnezzar, Belshazzar, and Darius. Author 3. As a contemporary of Daniel, Ezekiel referred to Daniel 3 times as an example of righteousness and wisdom, comparing him with and . In fact, Daniel is one of the few well known Bible characters about whom nothing negative is ever written. 4. While Ezekiel was the prophet to the Common Jewish man among the captives, Daniel was the prophet to the Gentile Crown reigning above the captives. Date Daniel minister throughout the entire 70 year captivity. Daniel is written o the Jewish Captives and Returnees as well as to the Gentiles of the Recipients Persian Empire. 1. The book of Daniel spans the entire Babylonian Exile (605 – 536 BC) with Daniel having been captured in the first of three invasions of Israel by Babylon in 05 BC. Background 2. Daniel ministers throughout the Babylonian Empire and then even past its fall to the Medo-Persian Empire at the end of the 70 years. 1. Daniel is the most prophetic book of the O and is (along with Zechariah) the OT parallel to the NT book of Revelation. a. In fact, the prophecies of Daniel are so astounding that skeptics have attacked this book more fiercely than almost any other Bible book. The reason for this is simple: if Daniel’s prophecies are accepted as authentic, they provide irrefutable proof of the Inspiration of Scripture. b. For example, Chapter 11 alone has over 100 specific historical prophecies which have been literally fulfilled. c. The prophecies of Daniel are so accurate that the only attack skeptics can raise against them is to claim that they must have been written after their fulfillments Importance and took place and that they only claim to be prophecies. Distinctives d. This blasphemous charge is ludicrous in light of the fact that many of the prophecies of Daniel were fulfilled after Daniel had been accepted into the OT canon and even translated into the Greek translation of the OT called the Septuagint. In fact, copies of Daniel have been discovered that are older than many of the fulfillments in the book. e. Some of the Daniel’s prophecies are even fulfilled in the life of Jesus after He quoted from the book. 2. The book of Daniel is the key and foundation to understanding both God’s prophetic plan for the last days and the book of Revelation. 3. While the bulk of the OT is written in the , Daniel 2:4-7:28 is written in

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the Aramaic language. 4. Daniel is one of the Apocalyptic books of the Bible. The others are Ezekiel, Zechariah, and Revelation. Apocalyptic books are those which contain visions of prophetic symbolism. 1. Know that Daniel was carried captive in Babylonian King Nebuchadnezzar’s 1st invasion of Judah in 605 BC with Jerusalem. Things to Know 2. Know that the Temple was destroyed in the 3rd invasion. 3. Know that the Captivity lasted 70 years. (This was to allow the land to rest for the 490 years that Israel had failed to keep the 7th year Sabaths.) 1. The Smiting Stone is Jesus Christ. Nebuchadnezzar’s 2. The head of gold represents Babylon. Dream (653) 3. The breast and arms of silver represent Persia. You will need to be 4. The belly and thighs of brass represent Greece. able to match these. 5. The legs and feet of iron and clay represent Rome (322 BC – 476 AD) & the future Roman Empire 1. The Lion with Eagle’s Wings represents Babylon & corresponds with the Head of Gold in Neb’s dream. 2. The Bear raised on one side with 3 ribs in its mouth represents Persia & Cyrus and corresponds with the Silver breast and arms in Neb’s dream. Daniel’s Vision of the 3. The swift Leopard with 4 wings and 4 heads represents Greece and Alexander the four beasts (664-665) Great and corresponds to the Brass belly & thighs in Neb’s dream. You will need to be 4. The terrible Beast, dreadful and strong with great iron teeth and 10 horns historically able to match these. represents Rome and the Caesars. Prophetically it represents Rom as a United Europe consisting of 10 nations and ruled by the antichrist. This corresponds to the iron legs and the iron & clay feet of Neb’s dream. Also know that the 2 horned ram is Darius of Persia & the 1 horned goat of Daniel 8 is Alexander the Great of Greece.

Ezra (686-689) Subtitle “ Israel’s Second Exodus” and “The Hostages Set Free” 1. Ezra tells of the first 2 of 3 major returns of the Jews to Jerusalem from the , of the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple, and of the perils of the early Content settlers. 2. It is a continuation of the history of 1 & 2 Chronicles – which is then continued on in the history of Nehemiah. Theme The Restoration of Israel’s Temple and People. . He led the 2nd return from captivity. 2. He led in a great revival of the people, so great in fact, that he is credited with having actually saved both the Jewish nation and the Jewish religion from extinction. 3. He organized the synagogue form of worship to teach the people the Law. Author 4. He authored 1 & 2 Chronicles [compare 2 Chronicles 36:22-25 and Ezra 1:1-3a], Ezra (which is a continuous history), Psalm 119, and [many believe] Nehemiah. He also arranged the book of . 5. He collected, selected, and organized the books of the OT. Thus, the canon was actually selected by an inspired author of Scripture. 6. He founded the order of Scribes who meticulously hand copied the OT manuscripts

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with a precision unbelievable to us today. Ezra was written to the first 2 waves of Returnees from the 70 year Babylonian Captivity Recipients to encourage them to true worship and covenantal obedience because of God’s mercy. 1. During the first year of Cyrus’ reign, he issued the decree which permitted the Jews to return to Jerusalem and rebuild their Temple. Isaiah had actually called Cyrus by name some 170 years earlier and said that he would issue the decree to return and rebuild the Temple. (Isa. 44:28-45:1) 2. Five kings of the Persian Empire influenced Israel during their Restoration to their land and Temple. Know these four: a. Cyrus the Great (539-530 BC) conquered Babylon and decreed that Israel could Background return and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem. b. Darius the Great (522-520 BC). He ordered that construction of the Jerusalem Temple be resumed. Darius restored order in the Persian Empire after it fell into chaos after the death of Cambyses. [Darius the Great should not be confused with Darius the Mede.] c. Xerxes 1 (486-465 BC) or Ahasuerus, who make Esther his queen. d. Artaxerxes (465-424 BC), who allowed Ezra & Nehemiah to return. The combines the books of Ezra and Nehemiah as one book. It is important to remember that Ezra includes the first and second returns from captivity. Comparison Nehemiah includes the third return. These two books provide the historical background and structure of the Return Stage just as , Kings, and Chronicles do for Psalms through . - The political leader of the first return and grandson of King Jehoiachin. Key People Joshua (or Jeshua) – The spiritual leader of the first return. As grandson of Israel’s last High Priest before the captivity, he becomes Israel’s first High Priest after the Return.

Haggai (698-700) Subtitle God’s House comes first Main Content Haggai is a call to proper Priorities. It is a call to put God’s House first. It is a call to the people to get BACK in the service of God. It is a call to REBUILD. Haggai calls the returned remnant back to the task of rebuilding the Temple. Theme The CONSTRUCTION of Israel’s . Background After the 70 year Babylonian captivity and the first return under Zerubbabel, opposition extinguished the initial enthusiasm over rebuilding of the temple and led to a 15 YEAR halt in construction. The task of Haggai and Zechariah was to stir the people’s hearts back to the work. Haggai is a rebuke against this spiritual indifference. The people must reorder their Priorities and finish the Temple before they can expect God’s blessings. Comparison Haggai and Zechariah were the DYNAMIC DUO of the OT. As contemporaries of Zerubbabel (the political leader) and Joshua (the High Priest) and part of the first return, they were the spiritual cheerleaders for the rebuilding of the Temple. They are mentioned in :1 and 6:14

Zechariah (704-704) Subtitle The Old Testament Book of Revelations II Main Content Zechariah was written to ENCOURAGE the people to CONTINUE with the REBUILDING of their temple. He uses 10 visions (1-6) 4 Messages (7-8) and 2 Burdens (9-14) to show that God remembers His Covenant and will send His Messiah. Rather than rebuking them for not

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completing the Temple (as Haggai had), Zechariah encourages them by reminding them of the future importance and blessings of the TEMPLE. Theme PREPARATION for Israel’s Second Temple Author Zechariah (“Jehovah remembers”) He was of priestly descent (as were Jeremiah and Ezekiel) He was also part of THE GREAT SYNAGOGUE that, along with Ezra and Malachi, established the Old Testament Canon. Background After the return from the 70 year Captivity, Israel began to rebuild the Temple, but then delayed 15 years without completing the work. God then called Haggai and the younger Zechariah to stir the people back to the work and back to God. Comparison Haggai and Zechariah were the DYNAMIC DUO of the OT, calling the people of God back to the work of the Temple of God. Haggai was the PRACTICAL prophet and Zechariah was the VISIONARY. Zechariah and Daniel are the 2 OT parallels to the NT book of Revelation. These 3 books, as well as Ezekiel, are the APOCALYPTIC books (books of visions or revelations) of the Bible

Esther (718-719) Subtitle A Jewish Cinderella stops a Persian Hitler Main Content Esther is the story of God’s providential preservation of His people. It tells the story of what happened to the Jews who did not return with Zerubbabel. It is the story of a Banished Bride, A Mighty Monarch, a Quiet Queen, a Faithful Father Figure, and a Prideful Prime Minister. Theme The Providential Preservation of Israel. Key Word Providence Background After the 70 year Babylonian captivity, the vast majority of Jews did NOT return to their homeland after Cyrus’ decree The events in the took place between the 1st and 2nd of the 3 returns to Israel Xerxes I, also known as Ahasuerus (481-465BC) was on the throne of the Persian Empire This book tells of how God protected the Jews in the Empire from a cruel anti-semitic plot to exterminate the Jewish race

Nehemiah (728-730) Subtitle Call to the Wall Nehemiah records the 3rd return from Captivity and the rebuilding of the Walls of Main Content Jerusalem Theme The RECONSTRUCTION of the Walls of Jerusalem Key Word Walls of Jerusalem Nehemiah was the cupbearer to the Persian King Artaxerxes (stepson of Esther) and was thus his most trusted advisor. His concern for his homeland prompted him to leave a life of luxury and ease to labor and lead his people to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls, a Author task completed amazingly in only 52 DAYS (Neh 1-7). His harder task, however, still lie ahead. The reviving of the people required years of his leadership. It should be remembered that Nehemiah was not a priest or prophet, but rather a layman who had his priorities in the right order. The books of Ezra and Nehemiah are so linked that, for centuries the Jews combined Comparison them as one book, Nehemiah picking up the historical flow of Ezra. Importance and Chronologically, Nehemiah is the last in the line of HISTORICAL books of the OT, with only Distinctives one PROPHETIC book occurring later.

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Malachi (742-743) Subtitle Final OT Voice of Revival Malachi is a message of REVIVAL. The prophet challenges a complacent population’s sin with the message that while THEY may be satisfied with their relationship with God, GOD is not! Malachi, a prophet in the days of Nehemiah, directs his message of judgment to the Main Content people plagued with corrupt priests, wicked practices, and a false sense of security in their privileged relationship with God. Using the question-and-answer method, Malachi probes deeply into their problems of hypocrisy, infidelity, mixed marriages, divorce, false worship and arrogance. So sinful has the nation become that God’s words to the people no longer have any impact (The Open Bible) The Preparation of Israel for her Messiah. Israel must prepare herself spiritually through Theme repentance and revival for the coming Messiah. Key Word Revival Malachi (“My Messenger”). Jewish tradition tells us he was a member of the GREAT Author SYNAGOGUE (with Ezra and Zechariah) which compiled the OT Canon. Importance and Malachi is the FINAL voice of God for the OT. After his message, there was silence from Distinctives Heaven for 400 years.

CONCERNING STEP 7 – THE EXILE I. Know the 2 prophets of this step are Daniel & Ezekiel. II. The length of the exile is 70 years. III. Know which prophets were captured in each invasion A. 605 BC – 1st Invasion – Daniel taken Captive. Know that Daniel ministered to the CROWN. B. 597 BC – 2nd Invasion – Ezekiel taken Captive. Know that Ezekiel ministered to the CAPTIVES. C. 586 BC – 3rd Invasion – Jeremiah taken Captive IV. Know that the Northern Kingdom of Israel was carried captive by Assyria & the Southern Kingdom of Judah was carried captivity by Babylon. V. Know there were three returns to Jerusalem from Babylon beginning with the decrees of Cyrus to rebuild the Temple & Jerusalem. CONCERNING STEP 8 – THE RESTORATION I. Know the 6 books of the Restoration: Ezra, Nehemiah, Esther, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi II. Know the following events A. Return #1 – Led by Zerubbabel – The Temple rebuilt B. Return #2 – Led by Ezra – The People Revived C. Return #3 – Led by Nehemiah – The Walls Rebuilt III. Be able to match the contents and the books A. Ezra – First two returns from captivity and rebuilding of the Temple B. Nehemiah – Third return from captivity and rebuilding of the wall C. Salvation of the Jews still in captivity D. Haggai & Zechariah – This Dynamic Duo stirred the people to continue rebuilding the Temple E. Malachi – Reviving the people

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EZEKIEL THE FUTURE INVASION OF ISRAEL (YOU NEED TO KNOW THE MODERN NAMES OF THE FOLLOWING NATIONS) I. The Identity of the Invaders (634) A. Gog – End Time Ruler. B. Magog – The tribe of Magog migrated through Asia Minor and on north into modern . Josephus (the First Centruy AD Jewish historian) stated that the Scythians, who are credited with populating this region, were known by the Greeks as “Magog” or “Magogites”. C. The “Chief Prince” 1. The Hebrew words here may also be rendered “Prince of Rosh” if understood as a proper name. 2. Many scholars believe this to be the root of the modern name, “Russia”, having been so identified for centuries (long before the rise of Russia to world prominence in the twentieth century). D. Meshech – Meshech settled in the area of modern Moscow. The word changed from Meshech to Mushki (so identified by ninth century BC Assyrian monuments) to Moscovi (so identified by the fifth century BC historian, Herodotus) to Moscow. E. Tubal – Tubal settled in the modern city/province of Tobolsk (the capitol of Eastern Russia as Moscow is the capital of Western Russia and the largest province of Russia). F. This invaders come from the “uttermost parts of the north” [literal rendering]. (Eze. 38:6, 15; 39:2) A quick glance northward from Israel on any map reveals that only Russia fits this description. II. The Allies of this Invasion (636) A. Persia – Modern Iran changed its name from Persia in 1932. Portions of Iraq were also included in ancient Persia and some prophecy students thing it may be part of this future war. B. Ethiopia – Literally “Cush”, a son of Ham and grandson of Noah. His descendents eventually migrated to and settled south of Egypt. (Eze. 38:5b; Gen. 10:6) Modern Ethiopia allied itself with Russia in 1974. Cush is also the father of other black, north African Islamic nations as well as Chad, Sudan, Somalia and others. C. Libya – Literally “Put”, a son of Ham, brother of Cush, and grandson of Noah. His descendants settled west of Egypt. Libya has been allied with Russia since 1969. Put, however, also represents other North African Arab nations, such as Algeria. D. Gomer – Gomer was a brother of Magog, Tubal, and Meshech, all sons of Japheth, who was the son of Noah. (Eze. 38:6a; 10:2) This refers to a Unified Germany. Notice the words, “Gomer, and all his bands”, indicating that all of this nation will be involved. The Reunification of Easter and Western Germany took place October 3, 1990. The Germanic tribes had never been united from the time of Ezekiel’s prophecy until a brief period from 1871-1945. E. Togarmah (“the house of Togarmah of the north quarters, and all his bands”) - Togarmah was the son of Gomer. Togarmah has been variously understood as encompassing the following: Southern Russia, the Cossacks and Armenians, including former Russian republics such as Kazakstan, Turkmenistan, and Uzbekistan. Also includes Turkey and perhaps Syria. F. Daniel informs us that Egypt will also be involved in an attack on Israel with the king of the North. (dan. 11:40-44) III. The Opponents of this Invasion (Eze. 38:13) A. Israel – Obviously this prophecy could not be fulfilled until the nation of Israel came into existence in 1948. B. Sheba and Dedan – Saudi Arabia (and perhaps some of the smaller surrounding Arab states such as Oman, Yeman or the United Arab Emirates). C. Tarshish – representing one of two nations, England or Spain. In either case, this would bring about the involvement of the United European Union of the Antichrist! D. The Young Lions of Tarshish – If the first view of Tarshish (as being England) is correct, then the young lions or cubs (colonies) of this nation would include the United States. E. Daniel 11 indicates that the Unified Europe (the 10 nation revised Roman Empire of the Antichrist) is also involved. BE FAMILIAR WITH TAMMUZ, NIMROD & SEMERIMUS (620-621) 1. Ezekiel’s Seership: His extended Temple Vision (Eze. 8:1-11:25) A. The departure of Judah from the Glory of God.

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1. In a vision, the prophet goes to the northern gate of the Temple. Here he sees Jewish women weeping for Tammuz, their false god. (Eze. 8:13-14) A history of the religion of Tammuz makes sordid reading: a. Satan’s church officially began at the tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9. The purpose of this tower was to “reach to heaven”, not so much just physically, but rather spiritually, for the purpose of worshiping the heavens, the sun, moon, and stars. b. The first full-time minister of Satan was Nimrod, Noah’s wicked and apostate great-grandson and head of the Babel project. (Gen. 10:8-10) c. Secular history and tradition tell us that Nimrod married a woman who was as evil and demonic as himself. This vile woman’s name was Semerimus. 1) Knowing God’s promise of a future Saviour (Gen. 3:15), Semerimus brazenly claimed that Tammuz, her first son, fulfilled this prophecy. 2) She also claimed he was conceived by a sunbeam and was in fact, the reincarnation of Nimrod. He thus came to be worshipped as the sun god. d. Semerimus instituted a religious system in which she made herself and her son the objects of divine worship. Thus began the mother-child fertility cult that later spread over the world when the people were scattered from Babel. In various cultures, this Mother goddess and her child were known as: 1) Venus and Cupid – Rome, Venus and Jupiter in old Rome and with the Sumarians. 2) Baal and Ashtaroth – Phonecians 3) Diana – Ephesus 4. Allah, who was originally worshipped as the Moon god in a false pantheon of Arabian gods.

DANIEL DANIEL’S 70 WEEKS I. The 70 Weeks are found in Daniel 9. II. A week means 7 years. III. The event that began the 70 weeks is the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. IV. After the 69th Week, the Messiah was cut off and Jerusalem & the Temple were destroyed. This is followed by a time gap during which the Church Age occurs. V. The 70th Week A. There is one week (7 years) from the Rapture until the Millennium. B. Key events: [An approximate 2,000 year gap apparently separates this last week, during with the entire Church Age takes place.] 1. Beginning: On the first day of this final seven year period, the Antichrist (as the head of a revived Roman Empire, a United Europe) will confirm a 7 year covenant or Peace Treaty with Israel. This event begins the seven year clock of the Tribulation! Notice how the stage is already set for this event to be fulfilled in this generation. a. Israel came into existence as a nation in 1948. b. Europe began an economic union in 1948 and achieved political union on January 1, 1993. c. Peace negotiations with Israel and her Arab neighbors (with European representatives involved) began after the Gulf War and saw an initial treaty signed in September of 1993. This opened the way for additional treaties and negotiations. At the time of the September 1999 updating of these notes, another treaty was signed that very week, which was promoted as the precursor to a final status treaty. Other treaties have followed and the Peace Process continues as the present, having moved forward since the death of Arafat. Israel and the Arabs will never be able to settle the issues of the final status of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount without outside help. That help is exactly what the Antichrist, as the coming European leader, will claim to provide. The need for peace in the Middle East has become even more important in the light of the global war on terror and the expansion of the nuclear and biological weapon threats. 2. Middle: Exactly 3 ½ years later, the Antichrist will break this treaty and defile the Temple with the “abomination of desolation”. From this point on, the Antichrist will launch an insane and intense war against the Jews [and Christians] who refuse to worship him as God.

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3. End: Exactly at the end of the 7 year period, the true Christ will return and defeat the Antichrist, then establishing His perfect Millennial Kingdom.

KNOW WHERE TO FIT THE BOOKS ON THE CHART:

57 Year 12 Year GAP GAP Ezra 1 - 6 - 10 Nehemiah 1st Return 2nd Return 3rd Return 536 515 458 456 444 432 Haggai Esther & Malachi Zechariah

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