I have been reading down through this thread and see many believe that the prophecies God gave to Israel are still waiting fulfillment, therefore your attention is focused on such prophecies as Ez. 38, and 39. Please consider the following:
Plan B Means God Does Not Give Up
Under the “new” covenant, there is a “new” Israel. A “new” sequence of prophetic events will culminate with a second advent.
The prophecies in Daniel and Revelation concern “Plan B.” Mixing and/or merging different types of prophecies produces insurmountable confusion. Prophecies belonging to Plan A [prophecy pertaining to Israel] will not mix with Plan B prophecies. Plan B is a bigger and better plan. Plan B contains a brighter set of promises and prophecies and unlike Plan A,
Plan B is unconditional! This time around, God will not wait for a group of people to get their act together and He will not depend on a particular religious body of people to accomplish the gospel commission. At the appointed time, He will complete His work by hand picking 144,000 people from all over the world. These trustees of God, having Abraham’s faith and love for Him, will accomplish all that God wants done in a mere 1,260 days!
God has done a very clever thing by creating Plan B using parallels from Plan A.
Remember that Plan A and Plan B cannot be mixed or merged. However, to appreciate Plan B, it is very helpful to understand some of the building blocks in Plan A. In this sense, the prophecies and promises in the Old Testament remain indispensable. By studying the Old Testament carefully, we can understand God’s plans better because there are many parallels between Plan A and Plan B.
Many people have asked if I think the Jews will rebuild the temple in Jerusalem because the Old Testament indicates the temple would be rebuilt. The Old Testament does indicate the temple would be rebuilt, but the Old Testament is not referring to a third temple. Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the first temple (Solomon’s temple) in 586 B.C. and four decrees were issued to rebuild it. The Romans completely destroyed the second temple in A.D. 70. There is no prophecy in the Bible indicating that a third temple will be built. The reason for this silence is because God abandoned the nation of Israel at the end of the seventy weeks. He destroyed Jerusalem and the temple because He had installed a new covenant and created a new Israel. God has no need for a third temple. Jesus told the Jews,
“Look, your house [your temple]
is left to you desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again [I will not live among you]
until you say, ‘Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.’ ” These two sentences are easy to understand. Jesus declared the temple of Israel, which was designed to be His dwelling place, would be left empty. Jesus declared this benediction on the temple because Israel had rejected Him, and as a result, He then rejected Israel. Second, Jesus made it perfectly clear in this text that
He would never dwell in Israel again. Israel will not see Jesus again until the Second Coming, and then the Jews will be forced to say,
“Blessed is he [Jesus]
who comes in the name of the Lord.”
Historically speaking, the Roman army destroyed the second temple in A.D. 70. Later, a Moslem mosque (the Dome of the Rock) was built on the temple mount in A.D. 684. The presence of this mosque keeps the temple mount from Jewish control. God gave the site to the Moslems so that a third Jewish temple could not be built. Many Christians who do not understand Plan B are frustrated that a mosque now sits on the temple mount, but they should not be frustrated. There will not be a third temple. The temple that we should be focusing on and studying about is in Heaven! That is where Jesus lives and intercedes for us. Soon, Jesus will call for the seven trumpets of Revelation to begin! When that day arrives, the present confusion over rebuilding a third temple in Jerusalem will vanish.
Plan B Sealed Up
Now that we have discussed Plan A and Plan B at some length, please consider two statements:
God foreknew that Plan B would be necessary from the beginning and He began preparing for Plan B during the Babylonian captivity. The book of Daniel contains visions that pertain to Plan B.
- God loved Israel as much as any father could love a child. He desperately wanted His trustees to do the work that
He had chosen them to do. During the Babylonian captivity, God spoke to Ezekiel and Jeremiah. Through them, He gave Israel many encouraging prophecies and promises that would come to pass if Israel would cooperate with Him during the seventy weeks (Plan A). At the same time, God spoke to Daniel. Even though God revealed Plan B to Daniel, the information He gave to Daniel was sealed until the end of the world. If Israel had been faithful and Plan A was realized, the book of Daniel would not have been needed.
The Final Generation
The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation tell a story that covers many centuries. It gradually builds in intensity until it reaches the time of the final generation. This story contrasts the powers of sin and rebellion with the power of Jesus, revealing all who He really is. God hid this story from previous generations by hiding four rules in the book of Daniel. This process helped to keep prophetic matters a secret until the time arrives for fulfillment. God does this for two reasons. First, when the time for fulfillment comes, those who love truth move forward. They are spiritually renewed when they see God’s Word fulfilled with their own eyes, and in the process, those moving forward are separated from those who prefer darkness and tradition. This response to truth explains why some people were overjoyed when Jesus was born and others were deeply offended by His ministry. Second, as knowledge increases, man’s knowledge of God increases. God reveals new information about Himself in an orderly way so that His children can spiritually mature. Jesus told His disciples,
“The knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them [unbelievers]
.”
If being a part of the kingdom of Heaven is important to you, then the secrets of the kingdom of Heaven will be
very important to you. On the other hand, when people are spiritually dead, secrets about the kingdom of Heaven are not important. From the beginning, God predetermined the number of days allotted to Earth’s existence. I believe the appointed time of the end has come because the book of Daniel has been unsealed. The architecture that has been hidden for twenty-six centuries has been discovered and the intended meaning of Daniel and Revelation is now available!
[This is appendix D, taken from the book, Jesus Final Victory, authored by Larry Wilson. Should you be interested in considering a new interpretation of the prophecies of Dan., and Rev., based on the architecture/hermeneutics hidden for the final generation that would witness their fulfillment, the book is available through Amazon.]
