Why I do not believe a Peace Treaty will return the Golan Heights to Syria!
December 21, 2006
http://www.tribulationperiod.com/
Daniel 9:27 – And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
The teaching of a peace treaty between the Antichrist and Israel, based on Daniel 9:27, eventually became a rock solid principle in prophetic teachings of the evangelical movement by 1918, which began between 1730 and 1740. It was never presented before 1740, because the three “he’s” in Daniel 9:27 were never taught to be the Antichrist prior to that time.
This teaching began to spread out of the evangelical masses after 1788, and swallowed up most of the prophetic world after World War I. (See Archive Prophecy Updates 230A, 230B, 231, 231A, 231B, 232, 232A, 232B, and 233).
I have both a Scriptural and a Secular reason for believing there will not be a covenant (peace treaty) signed between Syria and Israel which will result in the Golan Heights being returned to Syria.
First, the Scriptural Reason!
Begin Archive Special Prophecy Update 123D
SPECIAL PROPHECY UPDATE NUMBER 123D
June 11, 2003
What a Difference a “HE” Makes!
Almost 30 years ago I accepted the Pastorate of Dardanelle MBC, while still a Seminary student. I attended the University of Arkansas in Little Rock and Arkansas Tech University during the summers of my time in Seminary because it did not offer summer courses. I graduated from the Seminary in 1975 while enrolled full time at Arkansas Tech University, from which I graduated and began teaching at Dardanelle High School in 1977.
I have not changed my beliefs on any of the things I was taught in Seminary concerning salvation, security of the believer, the two church ordinances,
or the local identity of the church.
However, there are many things I once believed in prophecy that I am no longer able to teach with any conviction. I came to Dardanelle MBC like Peter Cottontail, hopping down the bunny trail, believing I was ready to teach prophecy.
As I studied the doctrines of salvation, the church, and the church ordinances I discovered realms of Scripture to validate what I had been taught, but when I began to search for Scriptures that would fit all the diagrams from which I was teaching prophecy, I found very few I did not have to distort. I retired as a synoptic analyst in the National Security Agency, and I know quite well how to put the pieces of a puzzle together
to form a whole premise. Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are called the Synoptic Gospels, and they can be pieced together synoptically into a Harmony of the Gospels. All the pieces of the salvation-church-ordinances puzzle came together and formed a perfect picture of conformity, but the many pieces of the prophecy puzzle simply would not mesh together, unless I symbolized or spiritualized to a massive degree. I found that in our work there was indeed agreement on the doctrines of salvation, the two church ordinances, and the church itself, but in prophecy I found “first of the weekers,” mid-tribbers,” “seventh trumpers,” “last of the weekers,” split rapturists,” and “progressive rapturists” – Or Pre, Mid, Seventh Trump, Post, Split, and Progressive positions. I knew there had to be a reason for these great divisions, and was hopeful that perhaps the answer might be found in a historical search to see if all of them have always existed and, if not, when did each one arise. What I found staggered me. Before 1827 only three positions were taught – The Last of the Week, the Seventh Trumpet, and the Mid-Tribulation positions – And the Mid-Tribulation position was born in 1788 (See Updates 74A and 73D). During all my research I also discovered something that shocked me down to my toenails – Before 1800 the majority of Bible expositors believed that the “HE” in Daniel 9:27 is not the antichrist, but the true one, Jesus Christ. I am convinced they were correct.
Daniel 9:27 – And HE shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week HE shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations
HE shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
I was fully aware of all this by 1992, but out of cowardice as to what I knew I would face from the bulk of my brethren, I would only teach it at the church I have pastored since 1974. My cowardice did not cause me to lie to the brethren – I simply stopped talking about the first three and one-half years of Daniel’s 70th week in my lectures, stopped presenting the worldwide antichrist empire that is taught today, and honed in on the last 1260 days of the tribulation period. I have believed the Seventh Trumpet position since 1982, and the “HE” of Daniel 9:27 as Jesus since 1992. Knowing that I must soon face my Savior, and give account of all I have taught from his Word, I decided to publicly declare what I believe about Daniel 9:27, for better or for worse. Many of the men who taught
me prophecy, whom I love and deeply respect, may well denounce me and regret ever having known me, but I will one day stand before the judgment seat of Christ and, in all conscience, I cannot continue to keep this to myself. I was taught synoptic analysis in the AWS and NSA, and contextual analysis in Seminary. The synoptic subject of the contextual discourse in every verse of Daniel 9:24 to 27 is the Messiah the Prince, Jesus Christ.
In verse 24 Jesus is “the most Holy” who is anointed. In verse 25 Jesus is “the Messiah the Prince.” In verse 26 Jesus is identified as “Messiah” who is cut off.
And in verse 27 Jesus is the “he” who confirmed God’s blood covenant at his death in the “midst” of the last week of Daniel’s 70 weeks of years. Jesus has already confirmed most of the first three and one-half of the last week of seven prophetic years. The prophet Isaiah, who wrote some 150 years before Daniel, whose writings were probably in Daniel’s possession when he wrote during Babylonian captivity, wrote of the one who would fulfill the “covenant” of Daniel 9:27.
Isaiah 42:6 – I the Lord have called thee in righteousness, and will hold thine hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a covenant of the people, for a light of the Gentiles;
Simeon clearly revealed Jesus as the one who had come to fulfill the covenant to his people Israel, and as a light to lighten the Gentiles.
Luke 2:25-32 – And, behold, there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. [26] And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord’s Christ. [27] And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law, [28] Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said, [29] Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to thy word: [30] For mine eyes have seen thy salvation, [31] Which thou hast prepared before the face of all people; [32] A light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glory of thy people Israel.
The word “he” in Daniel 9:27 does not refer back to the “prince that shall come” in Daniel 9:26 – That prince has already come, and the ones he led destroyed the temple and the city of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The “he” refers not to a coming antichrist, but to the contextual subject of each verse from 24 to 27 – Messiah the Prince, Jesus Christ. I am not waiting for an antichrist to destroy a sanctuary that was destroyed in Jerusalem more than 1900 years ago. I am waiting for the return of a Messiah who was cut off for my sins in the “midst” of Daniel’s last week after having fulfilled most of the first three and one-half years of it.
The covenant was finished when the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, and a token sign of its fulfillment was manifested by resurrection of many of the Old Testament saints, who came out of their graves after his resurrection.
John 19:30 – When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Matthew 27:50-53 – Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. [51] And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; [52] And the graves were opened; and many bodies of the saints which slept arose, [53] And came out of the graves after his resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto many.
You will find a thorough verse-by-verse exposition of Daniel 9:24 to 27 in our Prophecy Archives in Prophecy Updates 55, 56, 57, and 58, but I will, in this Update, exposit on verse 27 as it relates to Christ.
Daniel 9:27 – And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
“He” is used three times.
In each case it pertains to Jesus the Messiah. ”He” began to “confirm the covenant” with the “many” who would believe he was the one sent to confirm it when he was baptized in water by John, and he completed the covenant when he was crucified in his baptism by fire at Golgotha in the “midst” of Daniel’s 70th week, some three and one-half years after his water baptism. His water baptism pictured what would finish the covenant some three and one-half years later when he died, was buried, and then resurrected to complete the covenant. I am of the opinion he fulfilled the covenant during the first 1185 days of Daniel’s last week, and that the remaining 1335 days will begin when Israel actually believes it has “peace and safety.”
“He” caused “the sacrifice and oblation to cease” being acceptable to his Father when he became the true sacrifice that made void all the offerings, which had only pictured what he would do to confirm the covenant.
“He” made the Temple and its offerings spiritually desolate because of “the overspreading of abominations” he had twice cleaned out of it. The Temple had become a den of thieves and those who ministered in it had turned into blind guides.
Matthew 23:37,38 – O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! [38] Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.
Matthew 21:12,13 – And Jesus went into the temple of God, and cast out all them that sold and bought in the temple, and overthrew the tables of the moneychangers, and the seats of them that sold doves, [13] And said unto them, It is written, My house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves.
Matthew 23:23,24 – Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone. [24] Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel.
“He” has made the Temple and all its sacrifices “desolate, even unto the consummation” of this present age. They will not be restored until Jesus returns at his Second Advent.
Matthew 23:38,39 – Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. [39] For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
The “consummation” of this present age will end when “that determined will be poured upon the desolate” men and women of this present age of the Gentiles who are spiritually desolate, having not the Spirit of Christ. And that determined will be poured out on the antichrist, who will be in a position where no one can help him, as well as his false prophet, and both will then be cast into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. The battle of Armageddon
is the consummation of this age, and the last days of the tribulation period will see Michael the Archangel deal with the forces of evil during the pouring out of the vials of wrath.
Romans 2:28,29 – For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh: [29] But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.
Daniel 11:45 to 12:1 – And he shall plant the tabernacles of his palace between the seas in the glorious holy mountain; yet he shall come to his end, and none shall help him. [1] And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people: and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book.
Matthew 24:21 – For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
Revelation 19:19,20 – And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army.
I have made my choice – I believe the majority of the prophetic teachers before 1800 were correct – I believe the “he” is Jesus. This has been a hard choice for me to make – what a difference a “he” makes!
End Archive Prophecy Update Number 123D
Since we issued Archive Prophecy Update Number 123D in 2003, we have updated our original series on Daniel’s 70 Weeks, which you will find in our Archives as Prophecy Update Numbers 230A, 230, 231, 231A, 231B, 232, 232A, 232B, 232C, and 233.
Having given you the Scriptural reason I do not believe a peace treaty will cause Israel to return the Golan Heights to Israel, the following Jerusalem Post article gives the secular reason I do not believe such an event will occur.
Begin Jerusalem Post Article
Golan withdrawal depends on more than Diplomacy
Dan Izenberg, THE JERUSALEM POST
December 20, 2006
In the unlikely event that the flurry of talk emanating from Israel and Syria leads to a peace treaty that includes withdrawal from the Golan Heights, the government of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert will have to overcome two legal obstacles to implement it.
This is because in 1981, Israel officially annexed the Golan Heights. The Golan Heights Law was approved by a simple majority and did not set any special conditions for revoking it in the future. The law was passed by a simple majority, All that would have been needed to overturn it was also a simple majority.
This was the state of affairs when prime minister Yitzhak Rabin came to power and began serious negotiations with Syria, in which he made it clear that he was prepared to relinquish the Golan as part of an overall peace settlement. In fact, Rabin initiated the idea of holding a referendum to determine whether a majority of Israelis supported such a treaty. He said that if a majority opposed an agreement, he would not sign it.
Eventually the talks collapsed. In the meantime, however, those who believed the Golan should not be given back under any circumstances suffered a good scare. Their leader was Brig.-Gen. (res.) Avigdor Kahalani, then a Labor MK, who bolted the party because of its negotiations with Syria. Kahalani formed a new political party called the Third Way.
After Labor lost the 1996 election, Kahalani joined the government of prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu. In an attempt to ensure that no government would ever do what Rabin had tried to do, he proposed an amendment to the Golan Heights Law that would have required a majority of 81 MKs to revoke it.
The attempt failed. It was regarded as overly undemocratic to require approval from that many lawmakers, so far above the number of Knesset votes needed to genuinely reflect the will of the majority of the nation.
When this effort failed, Kahalani tried a different tact. He led the parliamentary struggle for approval of a bill that would apply to any territory that the government declared to be under its law and administration.
The Knesset approved the bill. According to the legislation, if the cabinet decides to give up any territory where Israeli law and administration is in force, the decision would have be put to a vote in the Knesset and win the support of an absolute majority (61) of MKs. If the Knesset endorses the cabinet decision, it would then be submitted to the nation in the form of a referendum.
Not much later, the fears that had galvanized Kahalani into action were almost realized. After prime minister Ehud Barak was elected in 1999, he held intensive negotiations with Syria.
The Justice Ministry started working on the draft of a bill that would set up the machinery for holding a national plebiscite. During those months, government and opposition forces feverishly clashed over who should be allowed to vote in a referendum, what majority should be required, and what question or questions should be put to the people.
These disputes were never settled. The talks once again failed.
The law requiring an absolute Knesset majority and a majority in a national referendum in order to cede Israeli territory also applies to any part of Israel within the Green Line and the parts of Jerusalem captured from Jordan. The cabinet applied Israeli law to these areas immediately after the 1967 Six Day War and later passed the Basic Law: Jerusalem to further emphasize that the city belongs to Israel.
However, the law does not apply to the West Bank and it did not apply to the Gaza Strip before disengagement. Since 1967, Israel has refrained from applying its law and administration to these territories. Therefore, it is not the sovereign there even in its own eyes. It currently holds the West Bank in belligerent occupation.
Indeed, last year, during the discussions on the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, rightwing MKs tried to pass a law obliging the government of then-prime minister Ariel Sharon to hold a referendum before implementing disengagement.
The bill, however, did not pass and Sharon was able to proceed without any further legislative obstacles.
End Jerusalem Post Article
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