c) He will turn against Israel
The middle of the Antichrist’s seven-year covenant with Israel marks the beginning of the Great Tribulation. The Antichrist will break the covenant and cause “the overspreading of abominations . . . [and] shall make [the Temple] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Dan. 9:27). That future desolation was previewed in history by the Greek ruler Antiochus Epiphanes, who desecrated the Temple by slaughtering a pig on the altar and forcing the priests to eat pork. That brought on the Maccabean revolt (168-165 B. C. ). But that was only a small sample of what the Antichrist will do, for he will bring “the overspreading of abominations. ”
d) He will desecrate the Jewish Temple
Idolatry is an abomination, and Scripture reveals that the Antichrist will desecrate the Temple by setting up an idol of himself there.
(1) Revelation 13:4-15–”They worshiped the dragon [Satan] who gave power unto the beast [the Antichrist]; and they worshiped the beast, saying, Who is like the beast? Who is able to make war with him? And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies, and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months [the three and a half years of the Great Tribulation]. And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven. And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them; and power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations. And all that dwell on earth shall worship him. . . . And he hath power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. ”
(2) 2 Thessalonians 2:4–The Antichrist will exalt “himself above all that is called God, or that is worshiped, so that he, as God, sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God. ”
(3) Revelation 17:16–The Antichrist “shall hate the harlot [the apostate church], and shall make her desolate and naked, and shall eat her flesh, and burn her with fire. ” The Antichrist will allow the apostate church to exist alongside Israel for the first half of the tribulation, but at the beginning of the second half he will destroy it and begin persecuting Israel. Because he will–in Roman fashion–set himself up as a deity, there will be no religion left but the worship of the Antichrist. That will continue “until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Dan. 9:27).
Conclusion
As bleak a picture as that is, history will not end with the worship of the Antichrist. Daniel 9:24 says that at the end of Israel’s seventieth week God will “finish the transgression, and . . . make an end of sins. ” That includes the destruction of the Antichrist. Then God will “make reconciliation for iniquity,. . . bring in everlasting righteousness, . . . seal up the vision and prophecy, and . . . anoint the most holy” (v. 24). That speaks of the millennial kingdom (Rev. 20:3).
It’s an amazing thought that the future history of the world has been hidden “from the wise and prudent, . . . [yet] revealed . . . unto babes” (Matt. 11:25). We ought to be deeply grateful that God has given us the privilege of knowing His plans for the future.
Focusing on the Facts
1. Show how the Bible affirms that God is not through with Israel (see p. 2)
2. According to Daniel 9:26, what historic event happened after the sixty-ninth week of Daniel 9 (see pp. 3-4)?
3. Why do we understand that there must be a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks of Daniel 9 (see p. 4)?
4. What does the Hebrew verb karath in Daniel 9:26 tell us would happen to the Messiah (see p. 4)?
5. What couldn’t the Jewish people at the time of Christ understand about their Messiah? What did the cross therefore become for many of them (1 Cor. 1:23; see p. 4)?
6. What three Old Testament texts tell us the Messiah would die (see p. 5)?
7. When Jesus died on the cross, what didn’t He receive? What did He receive instead (see p. 5)?
8. Identify “the prince that shall come” (Dan. 9:26; see p. 5).
9. What people will “the prince that shall come” (Dan. 9:26) be identified with (see p. 6)?
10. What event does Jesus’ prophecy in Luke 21:20-24 and Daniel’s prophecy in Daniel 9:26 focus on (see p. 7)?
11. What caused the conflict between the Jews and Romans in A. D. 66-70 (see p. 7)?
12. Describe the course of the Jewish war with the Romans. What hardships did the inhabitants of Jerusalem endure? What was the final result of the war (see pp. 7-11)?
13. Why are the crusades distasteful reminders of past persecution to Jewish people in our day (see pp. 11-12)?
14. What is the present regathering of Israel in preparation for (see p. 12)?
15. Explain the gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks prophesied in Daniel 9:24-27. Describe other such gaps reflected in Scripture (see pp. 12-13).
16. What may lead the Jewish people to sign a treaty with the Antichrist (see p. 14)?
17. What historical figure previewed the desolation that will be caused by the Antichrist (see p. 15)?
18. How will the Antichrist desecrate the Temple during the Great Tribulation (see pp. 15-16)?
Pondering the Principles
1. Psalm 111 recalls God’s great works. Verse 9 says, “He provided redemption for his people; he ordained his covenant forever” (NIV). God made a covenant with Israel that can’t be broken–when God says He will do something, He does it! Paul echoes that thought in Romans 8:38-39: “I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus” (NIV). Nothing can thwart the promises of God or His faithfulness to them. Take time now to praise God for His sovereign power to fulfill all His promises.
2. God’s plan for history may seem like one of those stories that ends with the familiar phrase, “And they lived happily ever after. ” As terrible as the tribulation will be, the rebellion of man against God under the Antichrist will be climaxed by “an end of sins” that establishes “everlasting righteousness” (Dan. 9:24). With that kind of outcome, Christians ought to live lives that demonstrate an established hope and trust in God for the future–the kind described in Edward Mote’s hymn “The Solid Rock”:
My hope is built on nothing less
Than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
But wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
How does your life demonstrate what you’re hoping for and trusting in?
“This article originally appeared here at Bible Bulletin Board.”
