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Scripture Reading: Dan. 9:24-27; Matt. 24:3, 15, 21, 27, 32-33, 36-42; Luke 21:34-36; Rev. 3:10; 1 Thes. 4:16-17; 2 Thes. 2:3-4, 8; 2 Pet. 1:19
In this chapter I will fellowship with you about the prophecies concerning Christ’s coming and concerning the consummation of the present age. This may be considered my favorite subject from the time I was saved to the present time, a period of more than sixty years.
When we speak concerning Christ’s coming, we cannot avoid speaking concerning the consummation of the present age. The age that we are in today is the age of grace. Before this age there was the age of the law, beginning with Moses’ decreeing of the law and continuing for approximately one thousand five hundred years. At the first coming of Christ, the age of the law was terminated. Christ brought grace and reality, and on the cross He accomplished God’s redemption. Thus the age of grace began. The age of grace is the age of the church; it is also called the age of mysteries. This age began with Christ’s first coming, and it will end with Christ’s second coming. When Christ comes back, He will conclude this age and bring in the kingdom age. The conclusion, the consummation, of this age is not something that takes place in one day. According to the revelation of the Bible, it will be at least seven years long. Therefore, if we want to understand Christ’s coming back, we must have a clear understanding concerning the last seven years of the present age. These seven years are not recorded in the New Testament; they are recorded in Daniel 9:24-27. These four verses tell us a great key point, which is also a secret.
At this point we will first mention the background in which the book of Daniel was written. At about 606 B.C. Nebuchadnezzar, the king of Babylon, conquered Jerusalem and carried away all the children of Israel as captives, among whom was Daniel. At that time Daniel was a youth in his teens. He loved God and feared God, and for God’s holy city and holy temple he humbled himself before God, praying and giving thanks to God three times a day. At the time when the seventy years of Israel’s captivity were about to be completed, he understood by the books that contained the word of God to Jeremiah that the number of years determined by God for the accomplishing of the desolation of Jerusalem was seventy years. Therefore, he sought God in prayer and supplications with fasting and sackcloth and ashes. God sent an angel to speak to Daniel: “Seventy weeks are apportioned for your people and for your holy city, to close the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make propitiation for iniquity, and to bring in the righteousness of the ages, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies” (Dan. 9:24).
The seventy weeks were divided into three sections. The first section consists of seven weeks, counting from the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes (Neh. 2:1-8). First, King Cyrus defeated Babylon, and, moved by God, he made a proclamation that all the children of Israel should go back to rebuild the holy temple; then Artaxerxes issued a decree for the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The period from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem to the completion of the restoration and rebuilding was a total of forty-nine years. Thus, Jerusalem was built again, with street and trench (Dan. 9:25). The second section of the seventy weeks consists of sixty-two weeks, from the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the cutting off of the anointed One (Messiah—Christ), a total of four hundred thirty-four years. In that very year, the four hundred thirty-fourth year, on the fourteenth day of the first month, the day of the Passover, the Lord Jesus was crucified. At a later time, the people of the prince who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end of it will be with a flood, and even to the end there will be war; the desolations are determined (v. 26). Thus, the first section plus the second section equals sixty-nine weeks.
At this point the seventy weeks were interrupted. A long period of time would follow before the last week would come. It is not possible to find out the length of this interval. This interval is the age of the church, which is the age of grace. It is also called the age of mysteries. This age begins and ends with the two comings of Christ. In this age, everything that God did, is doing, and will do is a mystery. For example, Christ’s incarnation, His crucifixion, His resurrection, and His becoming the Spirit to enter into His believers so that they may be formed into the church as the members of His Body are all mysteries. Although today we come from different places and speak with different accents, we have the same Christ dwelling in us to make us one. This is a mystery. Not only is Christ a mystery, but also the church is a mystery. Although we are different in our birth, in our nationality, in the color of our skin, and in our race, we pursue the same Lord, and we are co-witnesses of Christ. Furthermore, one day we will be transfigured together to meet before the Lord. These are the mysteries that have been hidden from the ages, but at the sounding of the seventh trumpet, at the consummation of the present age, all these mysteries will be finished and concluded, and everything will become open and manifest (Rev. 10:7).
When will this age come to an end? When will the last week come? The Bible clearly reveals that at the beginning of the last week, Antichrist will make a firm covenant with Israel for seven years; in the middle of the seven years he will break the covenant, terminate Israel’s sacrifices and oblations to God, and persecute those who fear God (Dan. 9:27; Rev. 12:13-17). He will set up the idol of abomination in the temple to replace God, and he will carry out a great destruction to cause desolation (Matt. 24:15) until Christ comes to the earth. Then Christ will slay Antichrist by the breath of His mouth and bring Antichrist to nothing by the manifestation of His coming (2 Thes. 2:8; Rev. 19:19-20). According to the plain words and the revelation in the Bible, the coming of the last week is related to the following few things: Antichrist and the restored Roman Empire, the restoration of Israel (including the rebuilding of the temple), the great tribulation, and the rapture of the saints.
Matthew 24:3 says, “As He sat on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to Him privately, saying, Tell us,...What will be the sign of Your coming and of the consummation of the age?” In His reply in the succeeding verses, the Lord first spoke concerning Antichrist. In verse 15 the Lord said, “Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let him who reads understand).” This will definitely be fulfilled in the last three and a half years of the present age, the time of the great tribulation, the second half of the last week. At that time Antichrist’s image will be set up as an idol in the temple of God.
In 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4 Paul also says, “Let no one deceive you in any way, because it will not come unless the apostasy comes first and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or an object of worship, so that he sits in the temple of God, setting himself forth, saying that he is God.” This shows us that before the consummation of the age, Antichrist must first appear; he will play a leading role in the last week.
Revelation 13:1 points out that a beast, which signifies Antichrist, will come up out of the Mediterranean Sea. This beast has seven heads and ten horns. Revelation 17:8-11 tells us the origin of this beast. The seven heads of the beast are seven Caesars of the Roman Empire. According to historical records, the Roman Empire had a total of twelve Caesars, but only six of them are referred to in Revelation, because all these six were “fallen” (17:10 and footnote, Recovery Version); that is, they all died unnaturally—they either committed suicide or were murdered, their throne being usurped. Antichrist, the seventh Caesar referenced in Revelation, will come from one of the Gentile nations around the Mediterranean Sea. He will have the support of ten kings, and they will unite to form a great empire, which will be the revived Roman Empire. He will make a covenant with Israel for seven years and permit them to freely worship God. After three and a half years Antichrist will be slain temporarily; then the spirit of the fifth Caesar (Nero) of the Roman Empire will come up out of the abyss and enter into the dead body of Antichrist to resuscitate him to be the eighth Caesar. Antichrist will break the covenant and begin to persecute the Israelites and the Christians. He will also set up his image in the temple (Matt. 24:15; 2 Thes. 2:4) until the complete destruction that is determined will be poured out upon the desolator, that is, upon Antichrist (Dan. 9:27).
Antichrist will be the Caesar of the revived Roman Empire. Once he makes a seven-year covenant with Israel, that will be the beginning of the last week. Today this last week is not yet manifested because the Roman Empire is not yet revived, but as we observe the world situation, it seems that the restoration of the Roman Empire will take place soon. In the previous two years we all have seen the great change in the world situation, a change that is beyond our imagination. First, the Soviet Union is proceeding with a reformation and has declared her renunciation of communism. Then a number of her satellite countries have risen up to copy her action. Now East Germany and West Germany are unified. Thus, the entire situation in Europe is pushing toward the direction prophesied in the Bible for the restoration of the Roman Empire. When that time comes, Antichrist will appear.
In Matthew 24 the Lord gave a clear revelation concerning the restoration of Israel. In verse 32 the Lord said, “Learn the parable from the fig tree: As soon as its branch has become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that the summer is near.” To the saints, the fig tree is a sign of the consummation of the age. In Matthew 21:19, during His last visit to Jerusalem, the Lord Jesus cursed a fig tree because He could not find any fruit on it. The fig tree is a symbol of the nation of Israel (Jer. 24:2, 5, 8). Because Israel was stubborn and rebellious and had no fruit that could satisfy God, she was rejected by God. In A.D. 70 Titus, the Roman prince, brought with him a great army to destroy Jerusalem and the temple, as prophesied by the Lord when He said, “There shall by no means be left here a stone upon a stone, which shall not be thrown down” (Matt. 24:2). From that time the children of Israel were scattered among the nations. Not only did their nation fall, but even their homeland was lost. Humanly speaking, there was truly no hope for the nation of Israel to be re-formed. However, the Bible contains a prophecy saying that one day the cursed and dried up fig tree would become tender and put forth leaves.
When I was newly saved, shortly after the end of World War I, many books concerning Bible prophecy were published. After studying the prophecies, I had doubts in my heart, wondering how it could be possible for the nation of Israel to be re-formed. The Holy Land belonged altogether to the Arabs, and the site of the temple had been occupied for seven centuries. However, since this prophecy is the word in the Bible, I dared not be unbelieving. In 1948 I was working in Shanghai. One day the newspaper carried a report on the front page: the nation of Israel had been restored! When I heard the news, I almost jumped up in great excitement. The fig tree truly had “become tender.” Then, after another nineteen years, in 1967, during the Six Days’ War, Israel seized Jerusalem; that was the fig tree “putting forth its leaves.” At that time I was even more excited. I knew that the summer was near, right at the door; it would not be long before the full restoration of the nation of Israel would take place.
Concerning the rebuilding of the temple, first we need to see the two halves of the last week. The last week will be cut into two halves by Antichrist’s abolishing of the seven-year covenant that he will make with Israel. In the first three and a half years, Antichrist will support the children of Israel, permitting them to freely worship God; in the latter three and a half years, Antichrist will cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease (Dan. 12:7; 9:27) and replace them with an idol of himself. In Matthew 24:15 the holy place in which Antichrist’s image will stand refers to the sanctuary within the temple (Psa. 68:35; Ezek. 7:24; 21:2), and the abomination refers to the image of Antichrist as an idol. In other words, the idol will remain in the temple for three and a half years until Christ will destroy Antichrist by the manifestation of His coming. Therefore, first the temple will have to be rebuilt; then the children of Israel will be able to worship God and offer sacrifices to Him, and Antichrist will be able to set up his image.
Since A.D. 70, when Titus destroyed the temple, the temple has never been rebuilt. Israel has regained Jerusalem and is actively making preparations for the rebuilding of the temple. All the materials that will be needed for the rebuilding of the temple and all the utensils needed for the sacrifices have been prepared according to what is recorded in the Bible. Now they are waiting for the suitable time to come, and the rebuilding of the temple will be completed.
The second half of the last week, the last three and a half years of this age, is the period of the great tribulation, such as has not occurred from the beginning of the world until now, nor shall by any means ever occur (Matt. 24:21). This period will begin with the supernatural calamities in the sixth seal of the seven seals (Rev. 6:12-17) and will end at the seventh bowl of the seven bowls (16:1-21). It will be “the hour of trial, which is about to come on the whole inhabited earth, to try them who dwell on the earth” (3:10). This great tribulation will come from three directions—from God, from Antichrist, and from Satan—upon all those dwelling on the face of all the earth (Luke 21:35). At that time God will judge the entire universe with supernatural calamities so that the earth will not be suitable for man’s existence. It seems that God will say to the men on earth, “I created all things for your existence, and My purpose is that you would fear Me, serve Me, love Me, and pursue after Me; yet you cooperate with Satan to oppose Me and reject Me. Now I am shaking the earth and the heavens; see if you will still be able to live peacefully.” Furthermore, Satan will be cast out of heaven to the earth by the overcomers, and knowing that he has a short time, he will collaborate with Antichrist, and the two will do their best to destroy and injure the human race, and they will severely persecute the Jews and the Christians (Rev. 12:7-13, 17). However, for the preservation of His people, God will limit the time of the great tribulation to only three and a half years; otherwise, no flesh would be saved.
Before the great tribulation the overcomers will be raptured, leaving the majority of the believers, those who are not yet mature, on the earth to pass through the great tribulation. Matthew 24:40-41 says, “At that time two men will be in the field; one is taken and one is left. Two women will be grinding at the mill; one is taken and one is left.” This indicates that while the worldly people are befuddled by material things, with no sense of the coming judgment, some of the sober and watchful believers will be taken away. To the befuddled and senseless people, this should be a sign of Christ’s coming. Therefore, we should take heed to ourselves, lest at some time our hearts be weighed down with debauchery and drunkenness and the anxieties of life (Luke 21:34) and we miss the rapture and become like Lot’s wife.
At that time the earth will become a place that is terribly unsuitable for man’s living. The supernatural calamities and Antichrist’s persecution will cause the believers on earth to suffer great afflictions, but God will keep and nourish them (Rev. 12:14). At the end of the great tribulation the majority of the believers, including the resurrected ones and the remaining ones, will be raptured to the air (1 Thes. 4:16-17) at the Lord’s coming (parousia). Then Christ will suddenly appear in an open way to the earth, like the flashing of lightning (Matt. 24:27).
These are the signs of Christ’s coming and of the consummation of the age. Although concerning that day and hour no one knows (v. 36), the year can be figured out. Before the consummation of this age, Antichrist will come out to be the Caesar of the revived Roman Empire. He will make a seven-year covenant with Israel, and that will be the beginning of the last week. Thus, if anyone should say, “Behold, here is the Christ!” or, “There is the Christ!” we will not be deceived (Matt. 24:23). However, neither should we become slothful, thinking that, since the Lord is delaying His coming, we can eat and drink and become drunken (vv. 48-49). We need to be watchful and ready that we may prevail to escape all these things which are about to happen and to stand before the Son of Man (Luke 21:36).
After we have seen and are clear about all these prophecies, we need to be watchful and to give heed to the prophetic word as to a lamp shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in our hearts (2 Pet. 1:19). Prior to His open appearing as the sun, the Lord will appear as the morning star in the darkest hour of the night to those who are longing for His appearing. The prophetic word of the Scripture, as the shining lamp to the believers, conveys spiritual light to shine in their darkness, guiding them to enter into a bright day until the day of the Lord’s appearing.
The time is short. By studying the prophecies in the Bible and checking with the world situation today, we know that the day of the Lord’s coming is very near and that the last week is approaching. The crucial question today is this: Do we want to bury ourselves in the world or put ourselves in the Lord’s hand? We should know that once we bury ourselves in the world and become rooted in it, it will not be easy to be uprooted. In the few remaining days we should get ourselves ready. Let us be those who love and serve the Lord, who are revived and are overcoming every day, and who let the world go and are waiting with all our heart for the Lord’s coming.
