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Back to EpisodesA Response to THE MOST COMMON Argument for Pretribulation Dispensationalism (Daniel 9:24–27) - Ep. 134
Description
Where does pretribulationism get the belief that God does not work with Israel and the church at the same time? To answer this question, we must turn to one of the most important and fundamental prophecies recorded in the Bible, which is found in the book of Daniel:
Seventy weeks have been determined concerning your people and your holy city to put an end to rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness, to seal up the prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy place. So know and understand: From the issuing of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until an anointed one, a prince arrives, there will be a period of seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will again be built, with plaza and moat, but in distressful times. Now after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one will be cut off and have nothing. As for the city and the sanctuary, the people of the coming prince will destroy them. But his end will come speedily like a flood. Until the end of the war that has been decreed there will be destruction. He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of that week he will bring sacrifices and offerings to a halt. On the wing of abominations will come one who destroys, until the decreed end is poured out on the one who destroys. (Dan 9:24–27)
The prophet Daniel anguished over the sins of rebellious Israel praying to God and confessing on behalf of his nation and asking for mercy, forgiveness, and repentance. While Daniel was praying, God sent a prophetic word through the angel Gabriel. Daniel was told that God would take a block of 490 years out from history: “Seventy weeks [i.e. 490 years] have been determined concerning your people and your holy city to put an end to rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness, to seal up the prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy place” (Dan 9:24). In the subsequent generations after Daniel, 483 years of 490 were fulfilled at the time of Christ’s earthly ministry; however, the last seven years remain to be fulfilled. When the last seven years are fulfilled in the future, completing Daniel’s 490 year prophecy, the prophecy of Israel’s salvation will be accomplished.
The question remains how Daniel’s prophecy by pretribulationism concludes that God does not work with Israel and the church at the same time. It is predicated on a fundamental, flawed assumption. They reason that since the church did not exist during the first sixty-nine “weeks” (i.e. 483 years), it therefore cannot be present during the last seven years (i.e. “week”) that will take place in the future. This is fallacious for three reasons. First, it