Revelation 5

Revelation 5

This is a series of short expositions of Revelation 4-22 from a futurist perspective. Follow along with a timeline here.

John now looks up from the worship of the elders and the seraphim and fixes his eye upon the figure on the throne, who is the Father himself. In the Father’s right hand, he spies a “scroll written inside and on the back, sealed up with seven seals” (Rev 5:1). This “scroll” may indeed be a rolled-up scroll (compare Lk 4:16-20), or it may be a book like we’re familiar with today. The book or codex format didn’t become widespread until the 3rd century, so this is probably a traditional scroll. You get the impression that John can tell the writing is on both sides, perhaps like how you can immediately tell that a sheaf of paper is printed double-sided.

This scroll is the trigger for everything that happens in the rest of the book of Revelation. What is this writing? What does it mean? It’s clearly a document of great importance: “And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, ‘Who is worthy to open the scroll and to break its seals?’” (Rev 5:2).

Whatever the scroll reads, only someone worthy can take the momentous step of opening it. Doing so will bring divine judgment upon the kingdom of darkness and those who follow it—this is why the powerful angel cries out his question in a loud voice. It’s a solemn event. The angel knows the answer. He doesn’t have to ask, but he does anyway—not for theater but to formally ask and receive the solemn answer.

And no one in heaven or on the earth or under the earth was able to open the scroll or to look into it. Then I began to weep greatly because no one was found worthy to open the scroll or to look into it (Rev 5:3-4).

At this point, does John know what the scroll means? What does it represent? He weeps in frustration. How will Jesus’ kingdom come? How shall his will be done on earth, as it is in heaven, if judgment does not first cleanse his creation? If nobody worthy can be found, is the whole thing over, right here and right now? You get the impression of deliberate drama, a heightened tension—John is interpreting the vision after the fact as he writes it down, armed with reflective insight from the entire revelation of this book.

One of the 24 elders steps forward, perhaps with a hand on John’s shoulder: “Stop weeping; behold, the Lion that is from the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has overcome so as to be able to open the scroll and its seven seals” (Rev 5:5).

  • The “lion of Judah” statement refers to Jacob’s blessing of his son Judah at Genesis 49:9-10. The connection to our passage is that Jacob prophesied that his son, Judah, was a “lion’s cub” who would be fearsome and mighty. The scepter of royal authority, Jacob declared, would never depart from this “lion’s” hands “until Shiloh comes” (Gen 49:10).[1] Shiloh was the sacred site where the ark was kept during the period of the judges (Josh 18:1), and Jacob seemed to be prophetically identifying the place with God himself—the city of Shiloh personified YHWH’s rule. So, one day, this “lion from Judah” would rule until Shiloh (that is, YHWH) arrives. Evidentially, this “lion from the tribe of Judah” reference was shorthand for this event—and it is he who has conquered all enemies and may open the scroll!
  • The “root of David” reference is about the great descendant who will come from Jesse, King David’s father. Isaiah refers to “the root of Jesse” (Isa 11:1) which is the same thing (under different color) as “root of David”—it is Jesus, descended from David and, of course, also from Jesse (David’s father). It is this “root of David” who will one day rule the world in righteousness (Isa 11:1-5).
  • Too many Christians today will not recognize these references, because too many Christians don’t read their Old Testaments.[2]

Together, these two allusions act as flashing neon lights which read: “Messiah! Messiah!” for those with eyes to see and ears to hear. So, the kind elder says, there is no need to cry—because Jesus has won. The word the angel uses, which the NASB translates as “overcome,” means Jesus is victorious, he’s conquered, he’s prevailed against all obstacles.[3] And so, as a result,[4] he is worthy to open the scroll and its seven seals. Astonished, John looks up sharply at the throne once more and sees something new beside the seraphim— “a Lamb standing, as if slaughtered, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth” (Rev 5:6). Jesus is both the lion who conquers and the lamb who allows himself to be taken and slaughtered.[5] The vision is bizarre, but it’s a vision communicating truth in a deliberately startling way. Just as the figure of “Uncle Sam” represents the United States in broad strokes, so too this curious mutant lamb represents the slain, powerful, and all-seeing Jesus—the eternal Son of God. The number “seven” suggests completeness; seven horns imply strength, and seven eyes convey omniscience; an “all-seeing” power.

  • Jesus is the “lamb” who has been slain to take away the sins of the world (Jn 1:29). “For by one offering He has perfected for all time those who are sanctified” (Heb 10:14).
  • In this way, Jesus has vanquished Satan and all his schemes and frees everyone who comes to him for rescue.
  • And yet, we cannot forget that the lamb was slain and yet stands there alive, beside the throne. The resurrection is strongly implied. Christians have a live savior, not a dead one.

This lamb moves immediately after John notices him, as if he’d been waiting for his cue. He strolls over, still bearing the marks of his own slaughter, and “took the scroll out of the right hand of Him who sat on the throne” (Rev 5:7). It’s as if he says, “I’ll take care of this. I’m the only one who can!”

Again, this is not a flippant thing. This scroll is extraordinarily important. When the lamb grabs hold of it, “the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb, each one holding a harp and golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of the saints” (Rev 5:8). They bow down in worship, each cradling a bowl containing the prayers of saints or holy ones (i.e., God’s people). In fact, these bowls are the prayers themselves (cp. Ps 141:2), vessels ready to be offered to God upon a figurative altar.[6] John doesn’t tell us what God’s people are asking for in their prayers, but soon enough it will be clear they are begging for justice and relief from prosecution.

The elders and the seraphim cry out in worshipful song—a “new song” (Rev 5:9), because the time has divine judgment has come at last, bringing a paradigm shift with it:

Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation (Revelation 5:9).

In the previous chapter, the elders and the seraphim fall down before the Father on his throne (Rev 4:8-11). Now, they fall down before the lamb.[7]God is triune, which means within the one Being who is God, there eternally exists three divine Persons—Father, Son, and Spirit. Each Person is co-equal and co-eternal, and each divine Person receives worship—the Father in Revelation 4, and the lamb (i.e., the Son) here.

The KJV and NKJV translations render this as if the 24 elders have been purchased by God (“thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us …”), but no modern English version (except the NKJV) agrees with this reading[8]—it is believers whom God has ransom and “bought.”

Why, exactly, is Jesus the only one worthy to break the seals and open this scroll?

  • Because he was slaughtered. He died. The phrasing is in the passive voice, which means Jesus let himself be slaughtered. He saw it coming and let it happen. He didn’t resist. Jesus told his disciples in his final hours of freedom: “[T]he ruler of the world is coming, and he has nothing in regard to Me, but so that the world may know that I love the Father, I do exactly as the Father commanded Me” (Jn 14:30-31). Satan has nothing on Jesus—no accusation to make, no legal charge into which he can sink his claws. Nevertheless, Jesus (in his human nature as our vicarious representative) obeyed his Father’s will and let it happen. This is why he told Judas: “What you are doing, do it quickly” (Jn 13:27).
  • As a consequence of his death,[9] Jesus bought or purchased people from God from everywhere on earth. This is a ransom motif (cp. Mk 10:45)—his blood (i.e., his vicarious death) is the means of payment[10] which “buys” people from spiritual slavery and legally pardons them in God’s eyes. This is why the apostle Paul told the believers in Corinth: “For you have been bought for a price: therefore glorify God in your body” (1 Cor 6:20).

Because nobody else can accomplish this, nobody else is worthy to unleash divine judgment on a world which rejects such amazing grace. It’s as if, when Jesus cracks open the seals, he is also saying: “I did everything necessary, and yet you still reject YHWH’s authority, and his offer of forgiveness and love!”

The elders and the seraphim continue: “You have made them into a kingdom and priests to our God, and they will reign upon the earth” (Rev 5:10). This is language from the old covenant ceremony at Mt Sinai (Ex 19:1-6), re-purposed and re-packaged for the new (and better) covenant. These people whom Jesus purchased for God (that is, all who “repent and believe in the Gospel,” Mk 1:15) are a kingdom and a collection of priests for him.[11] We are a kingdom and we are priests right now, and so we will one day reign on the earth. Elsewhere, scripture suggests this will happen during Christ’s 1,000-year millennial reign.

John perhaps startled, now sees the angelic chorus join the crowd around the throne: “myriads of myriads, and thousands of thousands, saying with a loud voice, ‘Worthy is the Lamb that was slaughtered to receive power, wealth, wisdom, might, honor, glory, and blessing” (Rev 5:11-12). Jesus has not only died and thus purchased people from spiritual slavery—he is worthy to receive the kingdom and the divine worship he deserves!

As if in response, every living thing on, above, or under the earth (and everything in the sea) raises its voice and sings praise to the lamb as one: “To Him who sits on the throne and to the Lamb be the blessing, the honor, the glory, and the dominion forever and ever” (Rev 5:13).

The seraphim declare “Amen” in true independent Baptist fashion, while the elders fall down in worship. The ceremony is over, and the time has come for the lamb to open the seals and bring down judgment upon the kingdom of evil on earth.

[1] Hebrew: עַ֚ד כִּֽי־יָבֹ֣א שִׁילֹה. There is much discussion about what this phrase means. For our purposes, I’ll just say that it seems to refer to a place where the ark was kept during the time of the judges and, for some reason, the Holy Spirit (through Jacob) chose to use this place in Jacob’s blessing of Judah to personify YHWH’s personal presence. We know this is true, because the subject of this clause is Shiloh, which performs the action of the verb “until he comes.” A city cannot “arrive” anywhere, so it’s best to see “Shiloh” as standing for YHWH’s arrival.

[2] On this sad state of affairs, see Brent Strawn, The Old Testament is Dying.

[3] See BDAG, s.v., sense 1; GE, s.v., sense 1: “to conquer, prevail in a battle or in a contest.”

[4] The anarthrous infinitive (ἀνοῖξαι τὸ βιβλίον καὶ τὰς ἑπτὰ σφραγῖδας αὐτοῦ) expresses the result of the previous statement (ἰδοὺ ἐνίκησεν ὁ λέων ὁ ἐκ τῆς φυλῆς Ἰούδα, ἡ ῥίζα Δαυίδ).

[5] Swete, Revelation, 78.

[6] Grammatically, the true antecedent of the relative pronoun is probably the bowls, not the incense. φιάλας χρυσᾶς γεμούσας θυμιαμάτων, αἵ εἰσιν αἱ προσευχαὶ τῶν ἁγίων. The pronoun is a feminine plural, and the bowls are the same. But, the incense is a neuter. True, the relative pronoun is a nominative and so does not match the accusative case of the bowls. But, we can attribute this to (a) the accusative case of the bowls is because is an object of the participle, and (b) the pronoun is nominative because it introduces a relative clause.

[7] Schreiner, Revelation, 251-52.

[8] The KJV translation was completed in 1611 using a comparatively very small group of printed Greek manuscripts, and its translators did not have access to the wealth of data and manuscript evidence we now possess. This is why it (and its child, the NKJV) sometimes has different readings that, while odd, don’t change the meaning of bible doctrine in any meaningful way.

Nevertheless, Walvoord doggedly understands the text this way (Revelation, 118-19); perhaps because he wishes to see the 24 elders as the church because this would support a dispensational, pre-tribulational rapture.

[9] The conjunction in our phrase (ὅτι ἐσφάγης καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους) is likely a conclusion, not a simple additive. It would read something like this: “… because you were slaughtered, and so you purchased [people] for God by your blood from every tribe, and language, and people, and nation.”

[10] The preposition + dative here indicates means (ὅτι ἐσφάγης καὶ ἠγόρασας τῷ θεῷ ἐν τῷ αἵματί σου ἐκ πάσης φυλῆς καὶ γλώσσης καὶ λαοῦ καὶ ἔθνους).

[11] John records the elders and seraphim using the aorist tense-form throughout this song, which basically means John sees Jesus’ achievements as an undefined event happening in the past. The aorist has a perfective aspect, which means it’s often expressing past events as a whole. Anyone who presses the aorist tense-form too much here is missing the boat. The kingdom reference (and the rest of the aorist verbs in this song) is simply a constative aorist: “you made them a kingdom and priests for our God.” In other words, believers are a kingdom and priests right now. It is a present reality, and it has been one since Jesus’ ascension.

When bible teachers become weird

When bible teachers become weird

Too many otherwise solid, reliable, and trustworthy bible teachers become really strange when it comes to two things: Genesis 1-11, and prophecy. It doesn’t have to be this way! In this video, I describe this unfortunate problem and suggest a few pointers that will help you interpret Genesis 1-11 and prophecy in a more reliable way.

Revelation 4

Revelation 4

This is a series of short expositions of Revelation 4-22 from a futurist perspective. Follow along with a timeline here.

After the revelation of Jesus’ messages to the churches (Rev 1:9 – 3:22), the apostle John sees something else. A door is open in heaven, like an invitation. A voice booms out at him—the voice of Jesus. It was he who ordered John to copy down the messages to the churches (“the first voice which I heard,” cp. Rev 1:10-13), and it’s him again who says: “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things” (Rev 4:1). Some bible teachers argue passionately that Revelation’s events here (Rev 4-19) focusses on Israel, because the church is in heaven, because the pre-tribulation rapture must have happened sometime between the end of Revelation 3 and the start of Revelation 4.[1] This is a weak argument from silence (see the article “Does Revelation 3:10 Teach a Pre-Tribulation Rapture?”), and instead we will simply take the text as we find it.

Immediately after receiving this open-door invite, John tells us he was “in the Spirit,” which likely means he felt as if he’d entered a different spiritual plane—this is an ecstatic vision given by the Spirit, not just shown to him but experienced, too. He sees, as if beyond the beckoning door, a strange figure seated on a throne in heaven. In words reminiscent of Ezekiel’s so long ago (Ezek 1:26-28), John tells of a man glittering as a jewel, surrounded by a rainbow that glinted and sparkled in deep emerald hues (Rev 4:3).

24 creatures sit on 24 thrones arrayed round about this mysterious man (Rev 4:4). John calls them “elders,” a word which could mean older men, or religious leaders (i.e., pastors). Here, it seems to refer to angelic creatures of some stripe[2] (we’ll come back to them soon). They’re clad in white robes and wear golden crowns.

As is his way, the apostle John borrows old covenant language to describe the scene. Just as when the people of Israel did when they came to Mt. Sinai (Ex 19:16), John sees “flashes of lightning and sounds and peals of thunder” coming out from the throne (Rev 4:5).

Seven lamps of fire, which are God’s seven Spirits, flicker and burn before the throne (Rev 4:5). These seem to be the heavenly reality which the temple’s golden lampstand foreshadowed (Ex 25:37). Much ink has been spilt on these “seven spirits of God,” which are likely the Holy Spirit. John’s visions include letters to seven churches, seven Spirits before the throne of God above, seven seals on the judgment scroll which Jesus slowly cracks open throughout this book, seven trumpet blast judgments within the seventh seal judgment, and seven bowl judgments nestled within the seventh trumpet judgment. Elsewhere, Daniel tells us of that 70 “sevens” will elapse before the Lord’s program for this present evil age is complete (Dan 9:24-27). In short, “seven” is a number that inevitably calls to mind “fullness” or “completeness.” If the seven lamps are the Holy Spirit, then because we will shortly meet the Lamb who was slain standing between the elders and the throne (in ch. 5), then we have the Trinity in God’s throne room.

Also, in this scene there are images so fantastic that John scarcely knows what to make of them. We get the strong impression that he tries his best to describe the indescribable. Imagine an average American in 1850 trying to describe to his family a vision of a mobile phone with the Amazon app! He wouldn’t have the words or concepts to imagine such a thing—the conceptual distance is far too great. Perhaps the best he could do would be to liken it to a portable telegraph without wires—but even that would be inaccurate. John seems to be doing something like that.

There is a glassy sea, like crystal, surrounding the shimmering, rainbow-emerald throne. Around the throne are four bizarre creatures bursting with eyes all around, sporting faces of (in turn) a lion, a calf, a man, and that of an eagle. They each have six wings (Rev 4:6-8).

  • These are remarkably similar to what Ezekiel saw when he beheld an image of God’s throne room (Ezek 1:4-21). The figures he described are not identical to John’s, but they are close. They’re so close that surely they saw the same thing.
  • It’s not worth our time to object that Ezekiel’s creatures had four wings and different faces. Both John and Ezekiel are describing the indescribable in the best language they knew. To return to our 19th century analogy: it doesn’t matter if one time-traveler from 1835 Kentucky describes a portable telegraph, while another tells of a glowing black brick with a burning silhouette of an apple on the back—they’re clearly seeing the same thing!
  • Isaiah saw and recorded almost exactly what John did and called these creatures “seraphim” (Isa 6:1-3).

The point is not what the seraphim are—they’re otherworldly creatures, accept it and move on! The point is what they and the 24 elders do and why they do it.

  • First, the four seraphim: “[A]nd day and night they do not cease to say, ‘Holy, holy, holy is the Lord God, the Almighty, who was and who is and who is to come’ (Rev 4:8). This is precisely what Isaiah heard (and saw) during his own ecstatic temple vision (Isa 6:1-3). The seraphim praise God’s eternity—he always was, always is, and always will be. He has no beginning and no end.
  • Second, the 24 elders: As the seraphim sing their praise, the elders bow down to the figure on the throne, cast off their golden crowns, and declare: “Worthy are You, our Lord and our God, to receive glory and honor and power; for You created all things, and because of Your will they existed, and were created” (Rev 4:11).

This is very dramatic, and it’s meant to be that way. If this were a movie, there would be haunting music, ratcheting tension, and expectation of some “big moment.” Jesus, the lamb slain to rescue his people and to reclaim a ruined world, is about to unleash judgment upon the kingdom of darkness. This vision of praise and solemn majesty is the backdrop for this unfortunate but necessary event.

  • YHWH is eternal—this means he has the jurisdiction and authority to move against a terrorist insurgency.
  • YHWH is the creator of everything—this means he has the power and justification to put down Satan’s rebellion.

Our dramatic scene continues in the next chapter with a ceremony of sorts that ends with Jesus taking the scroll of judgment. It is this document which, when slowly cracked open, unleashes divine fury upon the antichrist and his kingdom of evil (Rev 6-18).

[1] John Walvoord, The Revelation of Jesus Christ (Chicago: Moody Press, 1966), 101-103.

[2] Walvoord suggests they represent the Body of Christ (Revelation, 106-107), but this is largely driven by his assumption that the church has been raptured away to heaven—an argument from silence.

Missing bible pages … found?

Missing bible pages … found?

A church member recently asked me about a recent article which described of “42 missing pages” of St. Paul’s letters. So, I made a short video explaining why it isn’t a bad thing to find new (old!) copies of manuscripts of biblical letters. I talk about how we can know whether what St. Paul, or Peter, or Matthew wrote is actually what we have in our bibles. This is a very general overview! For more info on these topics (in both video and print formats), see the resources linked in YouTube in the video description.

Does Revelation 3:10 Teach a Pre-Tribulation Rapture?

Does Revelation 3:10 Teach a Pre-Tribulation Rapture?

The “pre-tribulation rapture” is the belief that Jesus will remove the church (the living and the dead) from the earth before the great tribulation. Faithful Christians who believe this often cite Revelation 3:10 as a key proof for this doctrine. However, the preponderance of evidence does not support this claim.

  • The “time of testing” which from Jesus promises to protect his church is not the antichrist’s persecution against believers, but his own divine wrath against the antichrist.
  • Jesus’ promise is to the Christian congregation at Philadelphia as a collective whole, not to every believer individually. He made good on his promise because the original audience died ordinary deaths long ago. Jesus’ promise will apply equally to his worldwide church at the “time of the testing,” which is yet future.
  • In the context of Revelation 3:10, the phrase “keep/protect you from the hour of testing” probably does not mean physical removal out of a situation. Those who argue that it does mean this sometimes believe outdated and erroneous ideas about Greek grammar.
  • The bottom line is that Revelation 3:10 (by itself) does not support a pre-tribulation rapture. The preposition translated “from” is a very slender reed upon which to hitch your interpretive wagon. The doctrine may be true. But, it is likely not present in Revelation 3:10.

We’ll examine each of these, below.

What is this “time of testing”?

Here is our text:

The “time of testing” from which Jesus protects the church is the tail end of the great tribulation, when Jesus pours out the seven-seal judgments upon the kingdom of evil. This is a critical point. Many Christians are confused here.

  • Revelation 4-18 is not really about the antichrist’s reign of terror against believers—the “great tribulation.” Many Christians think it is about that. But they’re wrong (except for Revelation 13).
  • Instead, Revelation 4-18 is about the time at the end of this seven-year “great tribulation” when Jesus pours out the seven seals of judgment upon the kingdom of darkness.

We know this because Revelation 4-5 shows us the solemn run-up to this day of the Lord, which culminates with the slain Lamb being the only one worthy to break the seals and open the scroll which heralds the better tomorrow (Rev 5:2).

  • Because Jesus has overcome for his people, as our vicarious and righteous substitute, he alone may open the scroll and its seven seals (Rev 5:5).
  • As if to solemnize this awful but necessary time of divine wrath against evil, the angelic creatures sing: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and to break its seals; for You were slaughtered, and You purchased people for God with Your blood from every tribe, language, people, and nation” (Rev 5:9). 
  • Before Jesus can receive power, honor, glory, blessing, “and dominion forever and ever,” he must first destroy his evil counterpart and his wicked kingdom. What follows in Revelation 6-16 are the seven-sealed judgments of wrath against the antichrist and Babylon.

The horsemen, the brimstone, the incineration of one-third of the earth’s vegetation, the waters turning to blood, the mutant, demonic locust-like creatures—all the “bad stuff” we associate with Revelation is divine wrath against antichrist and his followers. The antichrist is doing none of this! Instead, Jesus is doing it to the antichrist and to his people.[1]

This means this “time of testing—the one about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth” (Rev 3:10) is against unbelievers—against the antichrist and his followers.[2] Jesus is testing whether they will repent and choose Jesus or cling to darkness. Some translations use the word “trial” here, but this not the best because Jesus is not evaluating the faith of believers. He is testing whether unbelievers will truly continue to reject him.

This judgment ends with the Lord destroying Babylon and the antichrist’s people wailing because Jesus has smashed their world (Rev 18:9-19). “Rejoice over her, O heaven, and you saints and apostles and prophets, because God has pronounced judgment for you against her” (Rev 18:20). Now that the Lord has vanquished the kingdom of evil, John tells us: “I heard something like the voice of a great multitude and like the sound of many waters, and like the sound of mighty peals of thunder, saying, ‘Hallelujah! For the Lord our God, the Almighty, reigns’” (Rev 19:6). Jesus now returns to establish his kingdom on earth (Rev 19:11-21).

So, the “time of testing” is not the antichrist’s persecution of believers—it is Jesus’ wrath upon the kingdom of darkness. During this period, Jesus will protect his people. Before Jesus cracks open the sixth seal of judgment, he commands an angel to mark a vast number of believing Jewish people with his “seal” to protect them from the coming judgments (Rev 7:3; cp. Ezek 9:4-6; Ex 11:6-7, 12:13).

Who does Jesus protect?

Our passage is here—who is Jesus protecting and what kind of protection does he promise? He will protect his church (as a collective whole) from physical and spiritual destruction.

Because the church in Philadelphia (collectively, as a single referent)[3] is protected from this time of testing, it’s reasonable to believe that this protection applies to the entire church as a whole. The is a promise to the community, not to every single individual. So, taken collectively as a single community, Jesus will protect his church from this time of testing.

Pre-tribulational Christians go beyond the evidence when they insist that: (a) if any Christians die during the Great Tribulation then Jesus’ promise here is void, so (b) this must mean Jesus promises to physically remove the church from the scene. This does not necessarily follow.

First, as we saw, the “time of testing” is not the antichrist’s persecution of believers—it is Jesus’ wrath upon the kingdom of darkness. So, the entire objection fails.[4] Some object that, if this be true, then it’s cold comfort indeed:[5] “A whole bunch of y’all will die during the antichrist’s persecution, but don’t worry—I’ll protect the believers who are still alive when I unleash literal hell on earth. Cheers!” This is a false dilemma that demands: “What took you so long!?” One might as well criticize God for allowing the Israelites to suffer in Egypt before “finally” protecting them during the final plague (Ex 2:23-25; 12:23, 29).

Second, even if we (wrongly) conclude that Jesus does promise protection during the time of antichrist’s persecution during the last 3.5 years of his sinister reign … because Jesus’ promise is to the church as a whole, collectively, it simply means that the church will be protected during this period. That is, as an organism and a worldwide family of Jesus people, Satan shall never destroy the church because the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. Indeed, Jesus promised that he would intervene to stop this great tribulation lest no believers be left alive (Mt 24:21-22). That intervention is the judgments of the seven-sealed scroll which together destroy antichrist’s kingdom (culminating at Rev 16, re-told in Rev 17-18).

Will some believers will die during this “time of testing” when Jesus pours out the seven judgments upon the whole world? The answer is yes—but they will die at the antichrist’s hands, not Jesus’ hands. That is, the antichrist will never destroy “the church” as a whole. The Japanese killed many Americans sailors in the Pacific theater of operations in World War 2, but they never destroyed the U.S. Navy. Many Israelites died under Pharoah’s rule in Egypt (Ex 1:15-16), but “Israel” never did die.

  • John tells us about believers who have already died during the antichrist’s reign of terror before Jesus responds to the prayers by unleashing judgment upon the kingdom of darkness (Rev 6:9-10, 7:13-14). These martyrs who died during this great tribulation plead for justice upon “those living upon the earth” who killed them—the very people who are the objects of this “time of testing.”
  • After Jesus opens the fifth seal, the angels tell the great tribulation martyrs “to rest for a little while longer, until the number of their fellow servants and their brothers and sisters who were to be killed even as they had been, was completed also” (Rev 6:11).
  • But, we also see believers being sealed and protected—John highlights Jewish believers in particular who are safe from these judgments (Rev 7:3, cp. Rev 9:4).

Some may protest that it is too fantastic to believe that believers will be protected from death at a time when the first four “trumpet judgments” of the seventh seal destroy a major portion of the world (Rev 8:6-12). But, consider the plagues upon Israel before the Exodus: “But not even a dog will threaten any of the sons of Israel, nor anything from person to animal, so that you may learn how the LORD distinguishes between Egypt and Israel … The blood shall be a sign for you on the houses where you live; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and no plague will come upon you to destroy you when I strike the land of Egypt” (Ex 11:6, 12:13).

Kept from the hour?

Here is the passage—what kind of protection is Jesus promising? Physical removal from the scene, or protection from danger during the time of testing?

Advocates for a pre-tribulation rapture expend much energy on what it means to be protected from the time of testing. Bible teachers crack open their Greek New Testaments (or fire up their bible software) and begin speaking about the preposition ἐκ (“from”), which in its most basic, original sense suggests an exit from some sort of relationship.[6] So, pre-tribulationists may argue, the idea is that Jesus will take the church away from the coming wrath.

This doesn’t necessarily follow, for a host of nerdy reasons that I’ll try to explain without making you fall asleep.

Blurred lines and prepositions

First, while the original meaning of the preposition ἐκ does indicate motion out of something, that certainly isn’t its exclusive or even primary sense in the New Testament. By then, prepositions no longer had a rigid meaning, which means you cannot say: “it must mean ONLY THIS!” Some pre-tribulation advocates do not seem to appreciate this because they sometimes rely on an outdated understanding of prepositions.[7] Language changes over time, and by the New Testament era the precise distinctions of meaning between koine Greek prepositions had now blurred and overlapped.[8]

  • For example, the preposition εἰς, in a strict sense, means “motion into a thing”[9]—you pour coffee into a cup. But, the Gospel of Mark says Jesus “was sitting on (εἰς) the Mount of Olives” (Mk 13:3).
  • If you want to insist on the classical meaning for this word, you’d translate it as “Jesus was sitting into the Mount of Olives.” Of course, that’s ridiculous—is he a mole, burrowing into the soil?
  • What’s happened is that the meaning of εἰς has blurred and overlapped with that of another preposition (ἐπί), whose “basic idea is ‘upon.’”[10]

What happens with every word is that its original sense expands into all kinds of figurative uses, and this expanded meaning eventually moves far afield of the “original,” rigid “meaning.”This is why, in English, the original meaning for the word “ball” is “a round or roundish body or mass.”[11] But, this meaning has expanded to mean a basketball, or a testicle, or a great time (“I had a ball at the park yesterday!”), or even a formal dance (“Cinderella made it to the ball!”).

With the preposition ἐκ, its basic sense of spatial movement out of something has expanded to indicate:

  • Disassociation (“Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law,” Gal 3:13).
  • Derivation (the crown was made from thorns, Mt 27:29).
  • Time (the man was blind from birth, Jn 9:1).
  • Means (a person isn’t justified by means of doing what the law requires, Gal 2:16).
  • Personal agency (people are born by the will of God, Jn 1:13).

… and more. My point is that, in Revelation 3:10, the preposition ἐκ doesn’t necessarily mean the Lord will physically remove believers out of this world, as in: “Hang on! I’m gonna get y’all outta there!”[12]

Second, regardless of that point, in Greek the sense of John’s phrase “protected from the time of testing” still doesn’t suggest physical motion out of a situation. When you have the construction like that in Revelation 3:10 of “stative verb (τηρήσω) + transitive preposition (ἐκ),” the stative verb swallows up the transitive force of the preposition.[13] In Revelation 3:10, this suggests the idea of physical (i.e., transitive) motion—spatial exit from a situation—falls away.[14] This implies we’re left with some kind of protection from the time of testing that doesn’t include physical removal from the scene.

Therefore, building on our first point, we must look beyond the original, rigid meaning of ἐκ to rightly understand the nature of Jesus’ protection—we need the context.[15]

What does “from” (ἐκ) mean in Revelation 3:10?

A normal Christian with a good English translation doesn’t have to do this—but here is what responsible nerds must do “behind the scenes” to figure out what, say, Revelation 3:10 is saying.[16]

  1. Look at the list. As we learned, every word has a range of possible meanings. Look at the preposition’s original, rigid meaning (for example,ἐκ is spatial—“out of”), then look at the range of figurative meanings common to the word. It isn’t true that a preposition has a “literal meaning.”[17] Instead, it has a range of meanings, and some (depending on context) are more likely than others.[18]
  2. Look at the word(s) the preposition modifies. In this case, “the time of testing” (τῆς ὥρας τοῦ πειρασμοῦ) is in the genitive case, whose historical function was to depict a description or a separation.[19] Usually, prepositions govern the nouns they modify.[20] In Revelation 3:10, both the preposition and the genitive case of the modified noun indicate separation from this “time of testing.”
  3. Look at the context. What does the larger paragraph tell us about what the prepositional phrase means?

Using this method, the preposition in Revelation 3:10 likely means protection from Jesus’ divine wrath which, during this “time of testing,” he will unleash upon antichrist and his kingdom:

  1. Look at the list.

Because (as we saw, above) a stative verb swallows up the transitive nature of the preposition, ἐκ likely doesn’t mean “physical removal outta here” in Revelation 3:10. Instead, it’s probably a preposition of separation by disassociation.[21] Jesus will somehow separate us from the time of testing, and the best rendering here is “protection from the time of testing.” The most logical kind of protection from something, without involving physical motion away from it, is to be guarded and protected during the event.

Elsewhere, John uses the very same construction[22] to record that Jesus prayed that the Father would “keep them from the evil one” (Jn 17:15b). That is, protect us by separating us from Satan—not isolating us from his physical presence, but protecting us from his dominating power. In a similar way, in our passage Jesus promises to protect the church from the power of this time of divine judgment upon the kingdom of evil—just as he did in Egypt before the Exodus.

  1. Look at the word(s) the preposition modifies.

As we said (above), the genitive case here suggests separation from the time of testing, which pairs nicely with the preposition which conveys the idea (in this context) of a non-physical disassociation from the time of testing.

  1. Look at the context.

Jesus tells this church in Philadelphia that he has set before them “an open door,” which probably means a “door” of ready access to him “because you have a little power, and have followed My word, and have not denied My name” (Rev 3:8). Despite their likely small numbers (“a little power”) and seeming impotence, they are faithful. The door to the Messianic kingdom remains open and ready for them, despite this church’s “unimpressive” nature.[23] He promises to deal with a specific cabal of Jewish people in the city who hate this congregation and are persecuting it.[24] These folks, Jesus declares, are not “Jews” at all—their “synagogue” actually belongs to Satan, who is tricking them (cp. Jn 8:44).

But, Jesus assures them, because they have persistently obeyed (“kept”) his message about perseverance, he will protect (“keep”) the church in Philadelphia from the time of testing—the one about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell upon the earth (Rev 3:10). They will be protected during the time when Jesus unleashes the seven-sealed judgments onto the kingdom of evil (Rev 6-16).[25] He will return soon (“quickly”), so they must hold firmly to their faith as they endure persecution from the local “synagogue” and narrow-eyed suspicion from Roman authorities—or else they may lose their crown (Rev 3:11). In other words, keep on persevering and holding on!

Jesus will make the ones who overcome all these difficulties “a pillar in the house of my God,” and he will write his name on their foreheads to mark them as his own. He will not write his own name only, but the names of the Father and of the new Jerusalem—the celestial city (Rev 3:12).

Bottom line

The bottom line is that Revelation 3:10 (by itself) likely does not support a pre-tribulation rapture. A preposition is a very slender reed upon which to hitch your wagon.[26] It doesn’t mean a pre-tribulation rapture is wrong. It just means that Revelation 3:10 probably doesn’t teach it. I believe the preponderance of evidence here does not support a pre-tribulation rapture, but it would be a mistake for either side to be dogmatic.

  • In terms of weight of evidence, “preponderance of evidence” is the weakest–it means something is more likely than not true.
  • This is followed by “clear and convincing” evidence, which means what it says.
  • Finally, the strongest case is “beyond a reasonable doubt,” which you may be familiar with from bad police movies or TV shows.
  • My assessment about whether the pre-tribulation rapture is present in Revelation 3:10 is at the level of “preponderance of evidence.”

Jesus swears he is returning soon and, if the church perseveres in faith, he promises to protect this local church from the outpouring of his divine judgment that will one day come: “In this great trial, the servants of Christ shall be kept safe.”[27] He doesn’t explicitly say how he will protect them. But the preponderance of evidence suggests that it will be protection from the power of the divine judgments (Rev 6-16), just as God protected the Israelites from the plagues in Egypt.

Of course, Jesus did fulfill this promise to the church in Philadelphia because they died long before the antichrist’s reign—which is still future today! He did protect them from this time of divine wrath against the kingdom of evil. But ultimately, this is a promise to the entire church—to the entire Jesus family that is alive during the great tribulation. When the Lamb who was slain cracks open the seals to open the scroll (Rev 6-16), he will protect his church from the power of this time of testing against antichrist, his people, and his kingdom of evil.

Translation

ὅτι ἐτήρησας (BDAG, s.v., sense 3) τὸν λόγον τῆς ὑπομονῆς (gen. comm. content) μου, κἀγώ σε τηρήσω (BDAG, s.v., sense 2d) ἐκ (disassociation = sit. out of which someone is brought = BDAG, s.v., sense 1c) τῆς (monadic) ὥρας τοῦ πειρασμοῦ (att. gen.) τῆς μελλούσης ἔρχεσθαι (art. inf. = appositional clause) ἐπὶ τῆς οἰκουμένης ὅλης πειράσαι (anarthrous = purpose) τοὺς κατοικοῦντας ἐπὶ τῆς γῆς.

“Because you have persistently obeyed my message about perseverance, I also will protect you from the time of testing—the one about to come upon the whole world to test those who dwell on the earth.”

[1] Buist Fanning briefly states that the ones who hide from Jesus’ wrath in Revelation 6:16-17 are believers who die because of the divine judgments, but this makes no sense in context. He does not try to substantiate the claim—he just makes it in one sentence (Revelation, in ZECNT (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2020), 177). These people are likely unbelievers who follow the antichrist.

[2] “There the faithful are sealed with a view to their preservation from the assaults of demons, but are not thereby secured against physical death … It will be observed that the demonic trial spoken of, while worldwide, was to affect only ‘those that dwell upon the earth,’ i.e. the non-Christians” (R. H. Charles, A Critical and Exegetical Commentary on the Revelation of St. John, vol. 1, in ICC (Edinburgh: T&T Clark, 1920), 89).

[3] The referent is singular in Greek, referring to the Christian community in Philadelphia as a collective whole.

[4] For example, Jeffrey Townsend objects: “This presents an immediate problem for post-tribulationism since it holds that the church will be preserved on earth during the hour of testing. Yet verses such as Revelation 6:9–10; 7:9, 13, 14; 13:15; 14:13; 16:6; 18:24; and 20:4 present a time of unprecedented persecution and martyrdom for the saints of the tribulation period” (“The Rapture in Revelation 3:10,” in Bibliotheca Sacra, BSAC 137:547 (Jul 1980), at 153).

He is incorrect—the horrors in Revelation 6-16 are not the antichrist persecuting Christians. It is Jesus pouring out divine wrath upon the kingdom of evil.

[5] Robert L. Thomas, Revelation 1-7 (Chicago: Moody, 1992), 286. “What good does it do to be preserved from the physical consequences of divine wrath and still fall prey to a martyr’s death?”

[6] Murray J. Harris, Prepositions and Theology in the Greek New Testament (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2012), 103.

[7] Robert Thomas (Revelation 1-7, 284-86), Paul Feinberg (“Pre-tribulation,” in The Rapture, 63-68), and Craig Blaising (“Pre-tribulation,” in The Rapture, 38, note 67) rely heavily upon the arguments of Jeffrey Townsend, who in turn relied on A. T. Robertson’s assessment of the preposition at issue: “According to Robertson, ‘The word means ‘out of,’ ‘from within,’ not like ἀπό or παρά’” (Townsend, “Revelation 3:10,” 253).

But, as modern Greek grammars recognize, Robertson was incorrect to insist on precise, classical categories to distinguish koine Greek prepositions from one another. Townsend reflects this error when he states: “This is an untenable position because the idea of preservation in and through the hour of testing would normally have been expressed by ἐν or διά” (“Revelation 3:10,” 253). He is wrong.

Dan Wallace’s admonition is relevant here: “… too often prepositions are analyzed simplistically, etymologically, and without due consideration for the verb to which they are connected. Prepositions are often treated in isolation, as though their ontological meaning were still completely intact” (Greek Grammar Beyond the Basics (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 359).

[8] Wallace, GGBB, 362-63; Harris, Prepositions, 34-35; Richard Young, Intermediate New Testament Greek (Nashville: B&H, 1994), 85-86.

[9] William Arndt (et al.), A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 2000). s.v. Hereafter “BDAG.”

[10] BDAG, s.v.

[11] Merriam-Webster Collegiate Dictionary, s.v. “ball,” noun, sense 1 (Springfield: Merriam-Webster, 2026), 132.

[12] “[I]ndeed, it is now becoming more and more clearly recognized that it is a mistake to build exegetical conclusions on the notion that classical accuracy in the use of prepositions was maintained in the Koine period” (C.F.D. Moule, An Idiom Book of New Testament Greek, 2nd ed.(Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1959), 49).

[13] Wallace, GGBB, 358-59. “Stative verbs override the transitive force of prepositions. Almost always, when a stative verb is used with a transitive preposition, the preposition’s natural force is neutralized; all that remains is a stative idea.” Emphasis in original.

[14] This is not the case in John 17:15a, which bears a transitive verb (ἄρῃς) + a transitive preposition (our old friend ἐκ) = the sense of movement out of this world is retained. Jesus prayed: “I do not ask that you take them away from the world …” (οὐκ ἐρωτῶ ἵνα ἄρῃς αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ κόσμου).

[15] “It is important to remember that prepositions are extremely flexible in meaning, and careful consideration of the literary context is essential in determining the nuance of a preposition” (Andreas J. Köstenberger; Benjamin L. Merkle; Robert L. Plummer, Going Deeper with New Testament Greek: An Intermediate Study of the Grammar and Syntax of the New Testament (Nashville: B&H, 2016; Kindle ed.), KL 10481-10482).

[16] I adapted this from Harris, Prepositions, 31. I left off his fourth step because it does not apply in this case.

[17] Erroneously, Craig Blaising wrote: “This view depends on a ‘dynamic’ interpretation of the preposition ek …” (“A Case for the Pretribulation Rapture,” in Three Views on the Rapture: Pretribulation, Prewrath, or Posttribulation, ed. Alan Hultberg (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 2010), 38). This is incorrect and does not reflect the realities of language in general, let alone koine Greek.

[18] Young, Intermediate Greek, 86.

[19] Young, Intermediate Greek, 23.

[20] Wallace, GGBB, 360-62.

[21] BDAG, s.v., sense 1c; cp. Brill Dictionary of Ancient Greek (hereafter “GE”), ed. Franco Montanari (Leiden: Brill, 2015),s.v., sense II.A.c.

[22] Gk: τηρήσῃς αὐτοὺς ἐκ τοῦ πονηροῦ = preposition ἐκ + genitive object. “[T]he thought is quite in keeping with that of our Seer” (Charles, Revelation, 1:89-90). And, the apostle also wrote this same phrase at both John 17:15 and Revelation 3:10. This suggests it is a stylistic quirk of John’s of which we ought to take note.

[23] Robert Mounce, The Book of Revelation, in NICNT (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 1977), 117.

[24] Some people think this means that members of this hostile Jewish synagogue will come to believe Jesus is their Messiah. Others think Jesus refers to their eventual acknowledgment of him in a non-saving way—perhaps on the day of judgment (Rev 20). That is, “every knee will bow, and every tongue will confess …” (etc.).

[25] Some pre-tribulation advocates eagerly seize upon a distinction between (a) being kept from the danger itself, and (b) being kept from the time period of this danger. The latter, they sometimes claim, suggests a physical removal from the scene. In truth, this is a de minimis argument.

[26] For example, Paul Feinberg spent five pages discussing the preposition ἐκ as he supported the pre-tribulation rapture perspective at Revelation 3:10. If a preposition is the best you got, then your argument is very weak (“The Case for a Pre-tribulation Rapture Position,” in The Rapture: Pre, Mid, or Post-Tribulation, ed. Stanley Gundry and Gleason Archer (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1984), 63-68).

[27] Henry Alford, The New Testament for English Readers: A Critical and Explanatory Commentary, New Edition, vol. 2 (London; Oxford; Cambridge: Rivingtons; Deighton, Bell and Co., 1872), 969. Similarly, John Gill writes that: “it will be known who are his true churches, and pure members; and these he’ll keep close to himself, and preserve safe amidst all the distress and confusion the world will be in” (An Exposition of the New Testament, vol. 3 (London: Mathews and Leigh, 1809), 711).

What does Matthew 24 mean?

What does Matthew 24 mean?

Matthew 24 is the longest discussion we have from Jesus about how “this present evil age” (Gal 1:4) will transition to the next. It’s important. It’s also difficult to follow. This article is my best attempt to simply explain what Jesus is saying.

Three questions

The passage opens with Jesus leaving the temple complex after condemning the Pharisees for missing the entire point of true faith (Mt 23). He declares he is finished with the Jewish civil and religious leadership (Mt 23:37-39). Jesus is likely in a dark mood as he and his disciples leave the complex and “point out the temple buildings to him” (Mt 24:1). It was an impressive compound and had been under construction for decades. It was far larger than the temple building itself—more of a compound with the temple as its center.

We can imagine Jesus scowling at the whole thing before declaring that it would soon all be destroyed (Mt 24:2). This is shocking—how can this be? How will people worship YHWH? How will they have atonement for their sins? Once they climbed the hill opposite the temple mount, they asked Jesus: “Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?” (Mt 24:3).

The end of the age (Mt 24:4-14)

Jesus answers the third question (“when will be … the end of the age?”) first. The basic answer is at Mt 24:14: “This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all the nations, and then the end will come.” The end will only come when the whole world hears. We don’t know when this will happen. But, because it is impossible to ensure every single person hears the Gospel (after all, someone is always being born somewhere), perhaps the idea is that when the world reaches a “gospel saturation point,” then Jesus kicks off the day of the Lord.

In the meantime, as local churches do their part to be sure the world reaches this gospel saturation point, we’ll see an escalating on ramp of hostility towards Christianity.

  • Many false teachers will claim to be the Messiah, but they’re liars (Mt 24:4-5).
  • Wars, famines, and political unrest will come and go. Any historical survey of any century proves we don’t live in a peaceful or friendly world. This does not signify “the end.” It’s simply the on-ramp (Mt 24:6-8).
  • Christians will be persecuted and even executed in various places—the gospel message is not welcome. Even professing believers will betray the faith and turn on one another, perhaps out of fear (Mt 24:9-10). History tells us this ebbs and flows depending on local circumstances.
  • False prophets will lead many people astray (Mt 24:11). Believers will grow cold towards the faith, perhaps insular (Mt 24:12). But, the true believer is the one who endures or perseveres to the end (Mt 24:13).

But, of course, “the end” will not come until the world reaches its undisclosed gospel saturation point (Mt 24:14). So, in the meantime, local churches must do their part to spread the good news.

The sign of Jesus’ coming (Mt 24:15-28)

Jesus says he’ll return after a period of awful persecution. He begins by directing his readers to the prophet Daniel, who spoke of an evil figure in Jerusalem who would bring abominations upon God’s people (Dan 9:27). But the picture is complicated because Jesus speaks of two different events at the same time—the destruction of Jerusalem by the Roman armies in A.D. 70, and the destruction wrought by the forces of darkness in the last days. We know this because, while Matthew and Mark emphasize the last days, Luke describes the Romans in A.D. 70:

Matthew 24:15-16Mark 13:14Luke 21:20-21
So when you see standing in the holy place ‘‘the abomination that causes desolation,” spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains …When you see “the abomination that causes desolation” standing where it does not belong—let the reader understand—then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains …When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains …

We know Luke is not describing Satan or the antichrist, because they never destroy Jerusalem (see Rev 19:19; Rev 20:9). But, Luke tells us that some abomination (the Roman armies) will make Jerusalem desolate—this happened in A.D. 70. Add to it that Jesus’ declaration of the future destruction of the temple mount is what triggered this conversation, and so the evidence suggests Jesus is speaking of two events at the same time in Matthew 24:15-28. Like a polaroid that slowly fades into focus, the “A.D. 70” bit begins at Matthew 24:15 but fades away until, by Matthew 24:21, the great tribulation has taken its place.

  • When the Jews in Jerusalem see the Roman armies massing against Jerusalem during the coming First Jewish War (A.D. 66-70), they should drop everything and ruin (Mt 24:15-18). Josephus (The Jewish War, 5.1 – 7.162) tells us that the ensuing siege was awful.
  • Indeed (shading to the end of days, but still with secondary applicability to A.D. 70), Jesus tells us, “for then there will be a great tribulation, such as has not occurred since the beginning of the world until now, nor ever will again” (Mt 24:21). Surely nobody would survive if the Lord did not end it (Mt 24:22)—and he will do so by returning (Rev 19:11f).

Jesus doesn’t tell us when he’ll come back. But, it will be so obvious and so clear as to be unmistakable. Liars and charlatans will sally forth, but we should ignore them (Mt 24:23-36) because Jesus’ return will be as obvious as lightening in the sky. You see it. You hear it. You can’t miss it. It’s unmistakable. That’s how blindly obvious it will be that Jesus has returned—no persuasion will be necessary. Just as surely as you know that a gathering of vultures means there is a corpse on offer, so will Jesus’ return be just as obvious (Mt 24:27-28).

Jesus’ return (Mt 24:29-31)

Immediately after the tribulation of those days—that is, the “great tribulation” which other scriptures (e.g., Dan 9:27) tell us will be the antichrist’s brief, seven-year reign—Jesus will return. To describe this event, Jesus borrows phrases from the prophet Isaiah’s declaration about Babylon’s destruction (Isa 13:10; Mt 24:29). It’s no accident that “Babylon” is the symbol of evil and is the kingdom which the Lord destroys just before his return (Rev 16, further described in Rev 17-18).

  • Otherworldly phenomena will kick off for all to see—no sun, no moon, stars falling from the sky. There will be no natural explanation.
  • A mysterious “sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky” (Mt 24:30). Nobody knows what this sign will be—some ancient Christians believed it will be a cross floating in the heavens, likely illuminated against a now darkened world. If so, it would surely be terrifying beyond belief.
  • All the nations of the earth will mourn and wail in horror as Jesus arrives on the clouds of heaven (Mt 24:30), just as Daniel said he would (Dan 7:14)—perhaps with the blazing cross (“the sign of the Son of Man”) backlighting him from the heavens?
  • As Jesus arrives, he’ll send out his angels who will gather his elect people from the four winds (cp. Mt 13:24-30. 36-43). This is likely the same event the apostle Paul described at 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18. Elsewhere, Paul tells us that Christ will resurrect believers “at his coming” (1 Cor 15:23), and here it is.

So, this section leaves us with Jesus having arrived in Jerusalem to inaugurate his kingdom. He has gathered his saints from the earth (the living and the dead) to be with him (cp. Rev 19:11ff).

Be ready (Mt 24:32-51)

These signs are warning lights we can recognize. Just as the fig tree telegraphs when summer is close, so too will the signs of the “great tribulation” (Mt 24:21-28) tell us when Jesus’ return is near—“right at the door” (Mt 24:32-33). Indeed, once the kick-off happens, everything will be wrapped up within one generation (Mt 24:34). This is a solemn promise (Mt 24:35).

Some good Christians believe “this generation” refers to the folks to whom Jesus is speaking. Grammatically, this is an easy option and I used to believe it. Others believe it refers to the Jewish people, but the grammatical case for this is weak (however, consider Dr. Ryan Meyer’s argument for a variation of it here). But, when you harmonize our passage with Mark 12:28-32 and Luke 21:29-33, the scenario which best fits all three accounts is that “this generation = the folks alive when the great tribulation kicks off.”

Jesus tells us that, speaking from the perspective of his human nature, he has no idea when he will return (Mt 24:37). Just as the rains and floods burst upon the earth without warning during Noah’s day (Gen 7:11-12) “and they did not understand until the flood came and took them all away; so, will the coming of the Son of Man be” (Mt 24:39). Indeed, when Jesus arrives people will suddenly disappear (Mt 24:41-41). This is the rapture of living saints, wrought at the hand of the angels whom Jesus dispatches as he arrives on the clouds of heaven (Mt 24:31; cp. Mt 13:40-43; 1 Thess 4:13-18).

So, Jesus warns, true believers must be ready for his return … and live like it. If a homeowner knew when a thief would break in, he would be ready (Mt 24:42-43)! “For this reason you must be ready as well; for the Son of Man is coming at an hour when you do not think He will” (Mt 24:44).

The parables which follow (the ten virgins (Mt 25:1-13), and the talents (Mt 25:14-30)) emphasize this point—our job is to be faithful now while we wait. It isn’t to speculate about dates, times, or to fight about the timing of the rapture. It’s to carry out the great commission—to make disciples of all nations, baptize them into Christ’s family, and teach them everything the Lord commanded us (Mt 28:19-20). Indeed, one key criterion when Jesus separates the believers from the unbelievers on the day of judgment is whether we demonstrated love to our new covenant brothers and sisters (Mt 25:31-46)—whether we’ve lived and acted like Christians.

That must be our focus, and “blessed is that slave whom his master finds so doing when he comes” (Mt 24:46).

A Summary of Daniel’s 70 “Weeks”

A Summary of Daniel’s 70 “Weeks”

After producing five articles and four teaching videos (see below), I’ll just summarize what on earth the angel Gabriel was talking about when he gave Daniel his infamous “70 weeks” prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27. I won’t defend this summary here (that’s why I wrote individual articles about each verse–again, see below). Instead, I’ll just state what each verse means and leave y’all to read each article and/or view the accompanying video if you want more details.

Daniel 9:24

You can read the article here.

A message from God (via the angel Gabriel) to Daniel in answer to his question about when God will bring the people of Israel back to the promised land and restore the kingdom. In this verse, Gabriel gives Daniel a short summary statement, describing six great things God will accomplish by the end of 70 “sevens,” which some English bibles translate as “weeks.” By the end of this period, God will have brought an end to wrongdoing, make an end of sin, make atonement for guilt, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up vision and prophecy, and anoint a most holy place (or person). These things will only fully happen in the paradise to come, which suggests this vision takes us from Daniel’s era to the end of “this present evil age” (Gal 1:4).

Here is a teaching video on this verse:

Daniel 9:25

The article about this verse is here.

The marker of time which God uses in this prophecy is a “seven” (or, if you prefer, a “week”). There are 70 of them (see Dan 9:24). Many good Christians disagree about how to understand what a “seven” is. The best understanding is that a “seven” is one set of seven years = 490 years (i.e., 70 sets of seven years each).

In this verse, Daniel records that 69 “sevens” will elapse from (a) a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, and (b) the arrival of Messiah, the leader or prince. This “one seven = one set of seven years each” interpretation fits if we understand (a) the decree to be from the Persian ruler Artaxerxes to Ezra in 457 B.C. (see Ezra 7:11-26), and (b) Messiah’s arrival being his baptism in approximately A.D. 30. This time gap is 483 years, which Daniel records as 69 “sevens,” which means each “seven” is a set of seven years (69 “sevens” times 7 years per “seven” = 483 years).

We are now well on our way to seeing God make the six great things from Daniel 9:24 happen. The Messiah will arrive at a definite time, and no doubt the good times are about to roll … right?

The teaching video on Daniel 9:25 is here:

Daniel 9:26

The article about Daniel 9:26 is here.

Here, things take a dark turn. Daniel tells us that, after the 62 “sevens” (that is, the second time-span which, together, comprises the total 69 “sevens” from Daniel 9:25), Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the prince (or, if you prefer, leader) of the people who are to come will destroy the city of Jerusalem and its sanctuary. This is terrible and puzzling news. How can the prophecy end happily (as Daniel 9:24 says it must) if things take such a horrible turn here? The Messiah dead? Jerusalem and its temple destroyed?

Because we already know each “seven” is one unit of seven years each, evidence strongly suggests that there is a gap of time between the end of the 69th and the beginning of the 70th “seven.” That is, the 70 “sevens” do not run consecutively. Because the 69th “seven” ended at Daniel 9:25, if the “sevens” did run consecutively, then the 70th (and last) “seven” would begin immediately after Messiah the prince arrived in A.D. 30 … which would have the entire prophecy end in A.D. 37.

This clearly did not happen. Instead, evidence suggests there is a gap in the prophecy between the 69th “seven” (at the end of Daniel 9:25) and the 70th “seven” in Daniel 9:27.

The teaching video on Daniel 9:26 is here:

Daniel 9:27

The two articles about Daniel 9:27 are here and here.

Here, at the end of the prophecy, Daniel tells us how God will make all the good things happen.

When the last and 70th “seven” begins, a mysterious and sinister figure will make a covenant with “the many” (likely the people of Israel) for one “seven.” This is the antichrist, who is described elsewhere at 2 Thessalonians 2 and Revelation 13. Some good Christians think the events in Daniel 9:27 are positive, and that Jesus is the man who makes a covenant. This is incorrect.

In the middle of this “seven” (that is, 3.5 years into this covenant), the antichrist will put a stop to all religious worship of the one true God. This appears to be the trigger for the time of relentless persecution against God’s people that Jesus describes in Matthew 24:15-28. Like a sinister shadow creeping across the land, Daniel tells us about a “wing of abomination” upon which will arrive one who makes desolate = the antichrist drops the mask and unveils his true self. This is the kingdom of darkness which the apostle John says will be destroyed at Revelation 16-18. This kingdom will endure until a complete destruction will pour forth on this evil leader.

At that time, when the antichrist is defeated, Jesus returns to establish his kingdom and usher in righteousness (Mt 24:29-31; Rev 19). That is when the six great events promised in Daniel 9:24 will be fully realized, and paradise will follow.

The teaching video on Daniel 9:27 is here:

I hope these articles and videos will shed some responsible light on a very important, very encouraging passage of prophecy. There is far too much irresponsible speculation about prophecy. I hope you find this work helpful.

Understanding Daniel’s 70 “Weeks” Prophecy (pt. 5)

Understanding Daniel’s 70 “Weeks” Prophecy (pt. 5)

We continue our look at the great prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27. Read the rest of the series.

This prophecy wraps up here, in the last bit of Daniel 9:27. It is the antichrist will make a covenant. He is the one to whom Titus Vespasianus—the conqueror and destroyed of Jerusalem in A.D. 70—pointed in Daniel 9:26 (“the people of the prince who is to come”). With whom will antichrist make this covenant and for how long? How does this prophecy end, in light of other scripture passages?

The covenant—with whom and for how long?

Gabriel tells Daniel:

And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate (Daniel 9:27).

Who are “the many” with whom this evil ruler will make this covenant? Gabriel does not explain who the “many” are. If you believe the “he” in Daniel 9:27 is Jesus, then “the many” would be believers—members of the new covenant in Christ’s blood. But we’ve seen that this isn’t the best interpretation, so we’ll leave that aside and instead assume the antichrist makes a covenant with … someone. There are two good options:

  • Option 1: Because Gabriel told us at the beginning that this prophecy was “for your people and your holy city” (Dan 9:24), we might assume the “many” here are the people of Israel—the nation.[1]
  • Option 2: However, another option is that the “many” with whom Antichrist makes a covenant are his followers—that is, the unsaved people who desire (either because of terror or by demonic conviction) to ally themselves to antichrist in a crude imitation of Jesus’ coming kingdom.[2]

Three factors tip the scales in favor of Option 1:

  • The angel Gabriel said this prophecy was “for your people and your holy city” (Dan 9:24). This suggests the Israeli people are the focus of the prophecy.
  • The antichrist’s actions in Daniel 9:27 seem to be against the people with whom he made a covenant—they are the ones against whom he moves “in the middle of the week.” It makes little sense for the Antichrist to attack and persecute the people who are already on his side.
  • Other passages very strongly suggest there will be a period of approximately seven years during which antichrist specifically persecutes Israel (Rev 11, 13). The Book of Revelation paints these events in a dramatically figurative manner with a strong Jewish flavor (see Rev 11:1-8).

So, it seems better to understand the antichrist as making some kind of covenant with the nation of Israel. We do not know what this covenant will be about—whether it will be voluntary or coerced. The covenant may not be voluntary—the word can give the sense of the evil ruler forcing it on the basis of superior strength.[3]

Because we already learned that each “seven” = a unit of seven years, and that the first 69 “sevens” work when interpreted this way, it’s reasonable to believe this 70th “seven” is also one unit of seven years. Remember, this 70th “seven” is the last event in Gabriel’s timeline.

The scriptures often give hints of a terrible calamity during the last days, lasting for approximately seven years.

  • Revelation 11:1-13 speaks of two special, powerful witnesses for Jesus who go about Jerusalem for 1,260 days or 42 months (≈ 3.5 years), preaching and doing miracles, before a ferocious, sinister, and evil creature kills them both—the Antichrist, empowered by a “dragon” who represents Satan.
  • This antichrist/beast figure then rules in a cruel and evil manner for 42 months (≈ 3.5 years; Rev 13:1-10).
  • Combined, this is a total of ≈ seven years, which Daniel hints is characterized by (a) one half (3.5 years) of relative peace but impending danger, and then (b) 3.5 years of abject evil.

In Daniel 9:27, in the midst or middle of this covenant that lasts seven years, we learn “he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering.” On face value, this makes no sense—unless there is a temple (complete with a re-launched, old covenant sacrificial system) in Jerusalem at which the antichrist can put a stop to this. Many Christians in America believe it must mean this.[4] If so, there must first occur a series of events so cataclysmic that they seem implausible today:

  1. The modern state of Israel must completely change its character and become a Jewish nationalist state. This would be a big deal. Modern Israel is a very secular country.
  2. Israel must expel all Muslim structures and worshippers from the historical site of the temple in Jerusalem. This is almost too fantastic to believe—it would have to be a miracle.
  3. Israel must have sufficient military and economic resources to pull this off in the face of determined opposition—many, many, many political stars would have to align.

With God, all things are possible. God can do this if he wishes. Many Christians believe he will—this is why so many bible teachers watch Israel and Middle East politics very closely. Unfortunately, some of these teachers make absurd speculations and are poor ambassadors for their position—and for Christianity.[5] But Daniel does not necessarily mean there will be another temple operating in Jerusalem, complete with a restoration of the sacrificial system. It may only mean that worship in general is abolished and, on that interpretation, Gabriel explains this using old covenant language.[6]

Regardless—the antichrist will forcibly stop believers from worshipping the one true God.

How does the prophecy end?

The antichrist will then do two things:

  • “On the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate.” This probably uses the figure of an over-spreading shadow of darkness and evil (the “wing of abominations”) filling the land. This antichrist makes Jerusalem “desolate” because he has outlawed all worship of the true God—it is now an empty shell. The apostle Paul tells us the antichrist “opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God” (2 Thess 2:4).
  • Daniel continues: “… until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.” This darkness will spread across the world until the antichrist is suddenly destroyed.

This tells us that antichrist will be completely destroyed, in accordance with a decision God made long ago. In Revelation 19:20, we learn that when Jesus returns: “… the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.”

Now, once Messiah returns (i.e., “the second coming”) and casts antichrist and the false prophet into the lake of fire and locks Satan away in the abyss (Rev 20:1-4), righteousness will reign and all the promises of Daniel 9:24 will come true. The 70 “sevens” end with Christ inaugurating his 1,000-year kingdom reign on earth.

  • Immediately after this millennium (“When the thousand years are completed …” Rev 20:7), Satan will be released from prison and lead a rebellion against Jesus’ kingdom, at which point God will vaporize this wicked host with a fireball from on high (Rev 20:7-10).
  • Some may protest that, because Satan will quickly find folks to join his rebellion at the end of Christ’s millennial reign, the everlasting righteousness (etc.) Gabriel promised in Daniel 9:24 could not arrived at the beginning of the millennial kingdom.
  • But this need not follow—Satan’s rebellion is put down so swiftly and so decisively that sin and wickedness will not reign or have any impact on the world. God smacks this last gasp rebellion down immediately.

So, we are left with antichrist destroyed. Other important passages tell us this happens when Jesus returns, and at that time “THE RIGHTEOUS WILL SHINE FORTH LIKE THE SUN in the kingdom of their Father” (Mt 13:43) and there will be peace on earth. The six-item list from Daniel 9:24 will be accomplished, and the Messianic reign will begin.

[1] Barnes declares “[t]here is nothing in the word here which would indicate who they were …” (“Daniel,” 182, emphasis in original), but he surely forgets that Gabriel told Daniel (9:24) the emphasis of the prophecy was the people of Israel.

[2] See, for example, H.C. Leupold, Exposition of Daniel (Columbus: Wartburg, 1949; reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1969), 431-32).

[3] Joyce Baldwin, Daniel (Downers Grove: IVP, 1978), 191. “Therefore the thought is this: That ungodly prince shall impose on the mass of the people a strong covenant that they should follow him and give themselves to him as their God” (Keil and Delitzsch, Commentary, 9:736).

[4] Walvoord, Daniel, 235.

[5] Michael Svigel, a dispensationalist scholar, writes: “For some reason, the study of eschatology tends to attract a disproportionate number of—let me be blunt—hacks and quacks. End-times hacks produce mediocre, uninformed, trite work for the purpose of self-promotion or money. They ride the end-times circuits tickling ears with sensationalistic narratives, usually resting their interpretations of Scripture on current events or far-fetched conspiracy theories. Or they flood the market with cheap paperback books with red, orange, yellow, and black covers, usually repeating the same worn-out words they used in previous editions of their end-times yarns—sometimes with updates to fit their interpretations with the latest current events. Many of these hacks can be classified as end-times quacks” (The Fathers on the Future: A 2nd-Century Eschatology for the 21st-Century Church (Peabody: Hendrickson, 2024), 24).

[6] Stephen Miller, Daniel, in NAC, vol. 18 (Nashville: B&H, 1994), 272. Leupold suggests that “all organized religion and worship as offered by the church of the Lord are to be overthrown when this prince has his day” (433).

Understanding Daniel’s 70 “Weeks” Prophecy (pt. 4)

Understanding Daniel’s 70 “Weeks” Prophecy (pt. 4)

We continue our look at the great prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27. Read the rest of the series.

We come now to the last verse of Daniel’s great prophecy. This has been a long journey. If it makes you feel better, many good teachers have struggled to rightly understand this passage. The most insane discussion of which I’m aware is from a British pastor named Andrew Willett in 1622—he devoted 96 pages to answering 89 questions about the mysterious 70 “sevens”![1]  

In Daniel 9:27, there are three key questions to consider:

  1. Who is the mysterious “he” in Daniel 9:27?
  2. With whom and for how long does this guy make a covenant?
  3. How does the prophecy end?

We’ll discuss each, in turn, to wrap up this series. This article answers the first question

Who is the mysterious guy?

The bible says:

And he will confirm a covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate (Daniel 9:27).

We need to figure out who this person is who will “confirm a covenant with the many for one week.” Because Gabriel doesn’t use a name in Daniel 9:27 but just says “he will put a stop …,” we must look back and identify the last notable person Gabriel mentioned in Daniel 9:26. Who is it?

It is “the people of the prince who is to come” whom Gabriel last mentioned. The guy mentioned in our verse here in Daniel 9:27 doesn’t seem very friendly. He (a) confirms a covenant of some sort for one “seven” or “week” (the 70th in this vision), and (b) he stops the sacrifices and grain offering, (c) he ushers in some sinister abomination that destroys or desecrates, and eventually (d) he himself is destroyed.

So, who is this strange man who does all this? Many good bible teachers have suggested many options. We’ll focus on three common possibilities, one of which we can dismiss immediately:

  • Option 1: The man in Daniel 9:27 is the Roman general Titus Vespasianus, whom we met in Daniel 9:26, who will destroy the temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Daniel 9:27, the argument goes, is still about what happened in 70 A.D. at the end of the First Jewish War.[2]
  • Option 2: The guy is Jesus.
  • Option 3: The antichrist—the evil ruler who is to come (2 Thess 2; Rev 13).

We can dismiss Option 1 straightaway—the six-item summary of the entire prophecy at Daniel 9:24 ends with paradise regained. But Option 1 leaves us stranded at halftime with no resolution, no eternal righteousness, no removal of sin, no closure. This option is wrong.

Option 2 is more interesting. This is how the argument goes:

  • Jesus establishes or (some say) re-affirms the covenant with his church—that is, the new covenant that the prophets said would one day arrive (Ezek 36:25; Jer 31). He would establish “true religion.”[3]
  • So, they assume, Jesus “put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering” in the sense that he made the old covenant sacrifices obsolete (Heb 8:1-13; Mt 27:51).
  • And, following on from that great event, they believe the “abominations” are the manner in which the Roman armies profaned the temple sanctuary by destroying it.

Further, these same Christians also believe the “he” in Daniel 9:27 cannot be the antichrist because:

  • It is the “people of the prince who is to come” in Daniel 9:26 who will destroy the temple and its sanctuary—an event we now know happened in 70 A.D.
  • In Daniel’s day this was all in the future. The people who did this (the Romans) belonged to a particular prince or leader (the Hebrew word can mean either one). And, that leader was the Roman general Titus Vespasianus.
  • So, that whole discussion was over by the end of Daniel 9:26—that verse spoke about Titus Vespasianus, and that subject is finished.
  • So, Daniel 9:27 must be about a different guy—a guy like Jesus the Messiah.

But this is not best way to understand the passage.[4] Option 3 is the way. There are a few good reasons why:

  • First, the guy at Daniel 9:27 seems very unfriendly.
  • Second, the length of this 70th “seven” ought to match those of the other 69 “sevens.”
  • Third, the last guy Gabriel mentioned was the coming leader whose people will destroy the temple (Dan 9:26)— the Roman general Titus Vespasianus foreshadows the antichrist to come.

First, this guy from Daniel 9:27 doesn’t seem nice. But Jesus is nice. Many (but not all) English bible versions agree and so they translate the conjunction after the covenant as adversative (וַחֲצִ֨י)—the guy does something sinister after he confirms the covenant.

The two emphases are very different. The NASB (et al) sees this leader take a dark turn sometime after he confirms the covenant. The ESV (et al) just sees another event following it. There is no “right way” to render the conjunction—context must decide. But, it’s enough for you to know that many solid bible translations understand Daniel 9:27 to be describing something very bad.

Second, the length of this 70th “seven” ought to match those of the other 69 “sevens.”

  • If this last and 70th “seven” is only a symbolic number, then why does God specifically say this person will abolish the sacrificial system in the middle of the week? It is difficult to understand why God would give specifics if the time-period is symbolic.
  • Christians who take this approach really struggle to make this last “seven” make any consistent sense. One bible teacher admitted this was “the most embarrassing portion of the prophecy” because he could not find a good solution.[5]
  • There are no crazed beasts (Dan 2, 7), flying scrolls, women in pots, or storks carrying a wicked woman off to the far East here (Zech 5) that suggest this passage is figurative language. When we see that stuff elsewhere, we know it isn’t painting reality in “normal” hues. But that isn’t happening here—this is normal language. This suggests we ought to understand the language in a normal, straightforward way.
  • Also, we ought to interpret the “sevens” consistently throughout this passage. We’ve already seen that the interpretation that understands “one seven = one set of seven years” makes the best sense of the evidence. So, this “70th seven” ought also to be understood as a period of seven years. This suggests the evil leader (the antichrist) will establish a covenant that lasts seven years (i.e., the 70th “seven”).
  • John Gill, the great Baptist pastor, agreed. It cannot be the Messiah at Daniel 9:27, he argued, “for this is not for one week only, but for ever.”[6] Messiah rules forever, not for one “seven” only!

Third, the last guy Gabriel mentioned was the coming evil ruler whose people will destroy the temple (Dan 9:26), so the antichrist sounds like our guy.

  • The way language works is that we identify unnamed people, like the mysterious “he” in Daniel 9:27, by two methods: (a) identifying the most recent name just mentioned, or (b) looking back at the most prominent name featured in the paragraph or text cluster which came immediately before.
  • In this case, the most recent and prominent person is the “prince who is to come” whose people destroy Jerusalem and its sanctuary (Dan 9:26). This suggests the mysterious “he” is the Antichrist.[7]
  • There are clear bible passages that tell us that a sinister, dark figure will emerge in the last days who will demand divine worship and persecute God’s people.[8] This man of lawlessness will only be destroyed when Jesus returns (see 2 Thess 2; Rev 13; cp. Mt 24:15-31, 1 Thess 4:13-17). Because we know to expect this evil man, it makes sense to see him foretold in our passage here—this is why Jesus explicitly references Daniel 9:27 (in Mt 24:15) and tells us to pay close attention to this very prophecy!

As I mentioned, some bible teachers object that “the prince/leader” in Daniel 9:26 is clearly Titus, so it cannot be the antichrist.[9] True, the most obvious historical referent is the Roman general Titus Vespasianus in 70 A.D., but it’s reasonable to believe he just foreshadows the true evil kingdom that will come in the last days. The prophecy of the crazed, fearsome beast in Daniel 7 suggests the fourth great pagan kingdom in God’s timetable, that of “Rome,” will exist in three phases.[10]

  • Phase 1: The old Roman Empire under whose jurisdiction Jesus and Pontius Pilate lived (Dan 7:23).
  • Phase 2: Sometime after Jesus’ day, a splintered remnant that has divided into various pieces (the “10 horns” of the scary fourth beast, Dan 7:23-24).
  • Phase 3: A powerful king who will arise from among the splintered bits of Phase 2 (Dan 7:24-26).

It is this third phase which the antichrist represents. Jesus himself, in Matthew 24:15-28, seems to shade two calamitous events—the destruction of the city and temple in 70 A.D. and the antichrist’s reign of terror during the last days—together in the telling. Trustworthy bible scholars and teachers of every stripe recognize this—just look at any study bible you have lying about and see for yourself! Just as David’s life and standing is a shadowy reflection that points to Jesus, so too does Titus point to the antichrist in this sense.

If true, then (a) Titus does not exhaust the meaning of “the prince/leader who is to come” at Daniel 9:26, and (b) antichrist is just as much a leader of “Rome” as Titus—he just operates in a different phase of that pagan kingdom.

We tackle the remaining two questions about Daniel 9:27 in our next (and final) article.

[1] Andrew Willett, Hexapla in Danielem (Cambridge: Legge, 1622),264-360.

[2] This is John Gill’s argument (Exposition of the Old Testament, 6:346-47), and that of Matthew Henry, Matthew Henry’s Commentary, 6 vols. (reprint; New York: Revell, n.d.), 1094-95.

[3] Albert Barnes, “Daniel,” in Barnes’ Notes, vol. 7 (reprint; Grand Rapids: Baker, 1998), 182.

[4] “Ultimately, the question facing every expositor is what interpretation gives the most natural and intelligent exposition of the text” (John Walvoord, Daniel: The Key to Prophetic Revelation (Chicago: Moody, 1971; reprint, 1989), 234).

[5] Barnes, “Daniel,” 183. In desperation, Barnes suggests this last “seven” consists of (a) Jesus’ ≈ 3.5-year ministry, and (b) the apostle’s ministry of “about” 3.5 years (183-85). This is absurd. Does this mean that the new covenant ended 3.5 years after Jesus’ death!?

[6] Gill, Exposition of the Old Testament, 6:346 (emphasis added). I admit that Gill disagrees with my larger position, but everyone disagrees with everyone about how to interpret Daniel!

[7] Edward Young argues mightily that the true antecedent is not the prince but the people, because they are foremost in Gabriel’s mind as he relates the prophecy. This is not taken seriously by any commentator I’ve read, but it is the best attempt I’ve seen to evade the obvious in this passage and it is rhetorically persuasive.

[8] Irenaeus, Against Heresies, 5.25.

[9] Young, Daniel, 208-13. His is the best argument of which I’m aware for the “he = Christ” perspective in Daniel 9:27.

[10] Young, Daniel, 147-50. He is excellent, here.

New book: “Faith, Explained”

New book: “Faith, Explained”

Earlier this year, I published a question and answer book about the Christian faith. I’m excited to share it with you now. It is available in paperback and in Kindle at Amazon. You can browse the book and see excerpts from the table of contents there.

Here’s the description:

What is the Christian story all about? What is sin? Who is Jesus, and how can he make us right with God? Why do Christian say the one true God is triune, and what does that even mean?

The Christian story is the true story of reality, and this book explains that story in a question + answer format that’s engaging, easy to follow, and a handy reference for important issues. M. T. Robbins is a bi-vocational pastor who frames bible truth in everyday terms and stresses a relationship with God based on grateful love—not simply right behavior or academic head knowledge.

Robbins covers 27 topics, including:

  • Biblical and sexual ethics.
  • Protestantism, denominations, boundaries, and Baptists.
  • The last things.
  • The imitation of Christ.
  • The church, baptism, and the Lord’s supper.
  • Union with Christ and Justification.
  • Creation and evolution.

Most chapters include recommended reading (some of which are classic, older resources free online) to guide you to further study and reflection. If you are a Christian wanting accessible, meaningful answers about the Christian story and the Christian life, then this work will help you along that path.

Here are some sample excerpts:

Again, you can find the book here. I hope some folks will find it helpful, and that it is a blessing to the church.