Micah 6:9, the armies of destruction are coming.

It has been a rough week and I needed to spend some time the Father.

Micah 6:9 NLT  Fear the LORD if you are wise! His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem: “The armies of destruction are coming; the LORD is sending them.
Without explanation, let's break this down.

• “Fear the LORD if you are wise! Words of wisdom, no matter who you are, or, what you are doing. Notice how it says if; perhaps we should all look at this as one of those self-analyzing questions that now and again needs to be asked as you say, if I am found to be wise, let it be in your eyes Father. I guess that means that I recognize that He is your Father and that you need to hold the mirror of the word up frequently as you would a mirror and look in it.

• “His voice calls to everyone in Jerusalem:” The NET translation implies that this can also be read - “the voice of the LORD is calling.” Keil & Delitzsch, in their commentary on the Old Testament, state, “because Israel is altogether wanting in these virtues, the Lord must threaten and punish. Mic_6:9. “The voice of Jehovah, to the city it cries, and wisdom has thy name in its eye; hear ye the rod, and who appoints it!” With these words, Micah introduces the threatening and reproachful words of the Lord. It is not to be taken by itself, as an exclamation, “Hark! voice of the Lord!” as in Isa_13:4; Isa_40:6, but must be connected with what follows.”

The deadly nature of the warning comes next.

• “The armies of destruction are coming;” J. Vernon McGee attempted to give us a portrayal of Micah; it goes as follows. “We have seen that Micah has been directing his prophecies largely to the urban areas, to the cities. His writing reveals that he is a very sophisticated writer. He was in the know; he belonged to the upper echelon. He is in contrast to Amos who said, "I'm no prophet. I'm just a gatherer of sycamore fruit.” And yet, it was McGee that gave me this: “Micah the Moresthite means that he was a native of Moresheth of Gath, which is southwest of Jerusalem. Although he was in the kingdom of Judah, he prophesied to both kingdoms, but his main message was directed to the northern kingdom. I have often wondered about that. His contemporary, Isaiah, was a prophet to the southern kingdom;... You will never misunderstand Micah because he makes it very clear to whom he is speaking.”

If Micah had not told us, we would have never known of such a place called Moresheth in Judah. Isaiah the prophet, also from Judah, was born of influence and therefore had access to the court of kings and influential people. Isaiah's lifestyle, it seems, was not Micah's. As you can see above, Micah prophesied to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, where Samaria lay.

Many will read a passage like Micah 6:9 and only see the relatively immediate Assyrian destruction that is coming, first to Israel and, in time, to Judah. The Assyrian invasions that occurred throughout this period, beginning around 730 BC, and culminated in 701 BC against Judah, however, as Micah tells us, the Assyrian is coming again.

The next aspect should cause some to shudder.

• “ the LORD is sending them.” The simplistic definition of this is that God is sending all that this “Assyrian” represents. In the passages from Micah 5:5-6, I see, not only a singular entity but again, fighting forces. That entity, I believe, is known to us as the Antichrist. Now, what of this “they” that rules Assyria with drawn swords and enters the gates of the land of Nimrod?

Micah 5:5-6 NLT  And he will be the source of peace. When the Assyrians invade our land and break through our defenses, we will appoint seven rulers to watch over us, eight princes to lead us.  (6)  They will rule Assyria with drawn swords and enter the gates of the land of Nimrod. He will rescue us from the Assyrians when they pour over the borders to invade our land.

Because we now should be able to make a strong tie between Micah 6:9 and Micah 5:5-6, we should able to grasp, at least minimally, some idea of this Assyrian and where he comes from. Let me help you by showing you a map.

Everything that is yellow, green or a blend of those colors comprised the Assyrian empire.
When Micah 5:5-6 speaks of Nimrod we are talking about the region that comprises modern-day Iraq.
To be honest, the first thing I thought of as I saw the name Nimrod was Jonah and Nineveh; these too were Assyrians. Unless you have been living in a cave then you are aware of the group, of which we seem to have no origins called ISIL, or their preferred name ISIS. With firearms lifted high, they entered the region that formerly was Nineveh and retook towns like Mosul – a town that sat on the outskirts of Nineveh after Americans “liberated” it in the Iraq wars.
In so many ways I can see ISIS fulfilling some of Micah's prophecy, but the greatest fulfillment is found in Ezekiel 38 and 39 when Gog, the leader of Magog, swarms over Israel and dies on the hills of that country.

 Keep your eyes on the Holy Land.

You won't have anyone left! Micah 2:5-7

Micah 2:5 NIrV  So you won't even have anyone left in the LORD's community who can divide up the land for you.

I must include the context that leads to this sad statement.

Micah 2:3-4 NIrV  So the LORD says to them, "I am planning to send trouble on you. You will not be able to save yourselves from it. You will not live so proudly anymore. It will be a time of trouble.  4)  At that time people will make fun of you. They will tease you by singing a song of sadness. They will pretend to be you and say, "We are totally destroyed. Our enemies have divided up our land. The LORD has taken it away from us! He has given our fields to those who turned against us.'"
It often helps of me to break things down in a childlike manner.

• I am planning to send trouble on you.
• You will not be able to save yourselves from it.
• You will not live so proudly anymore.

Search for similar verses that speak of pride and arrogance, and you will find that there are many; more than I want to bog you down with them all.

• It will be a time of trouble.
• At that time people will make fun of you. They will tease you by singing a song of sadness. They will pretend to be you and say, "We are totally destroyed.
• Our enemies have divided up our land.
  • that breaks out and burns up something, whether people, things, or animals (Exo_22:6 [5]).
  • Both idols and the golden calf were burned up by fire (Exo_32:20; Deu_7:5, Deu_7:25; Deu_12:3).
  • In some cases, it was fire from the Lord which consumed sacrifices (Lev_9:24; 2Ch_7:1, 2Ch_7:3).
  • It was used to depict lightning in the plagues in Egypt (Exo_9:23-24.
• The LORD has taken it away from us!
• He has given our fields to those who turned against us.”

Since we now understand how bad it will get, the realization sets in.

Micah 2:5 NIrV  So you won't even have anyone left in the LORD's community who can divide up the land for you.

Who are those who divide the land?
I suppose you could say that real estate agents do. But then, even they have to submit to county records, and then there is the county assessors office who taxes you on what you own. Maybe the bottom line is that governments divide the land. When Israel came out of Egypt God spoke through Moses, and He divided the land, we now call Israel, among the twelve tribes. Since ownership among the tribes was done away with through captivity and foreign domination, it would seem that the government has taken over.

The point is, this onslaught is so bad that there is no one left of God's people that could redistribute the land.

Have you ever endured harassment from “believers” about the things you understand and words you say?
I have, and so did Micah. Hopefully, your words are in line with scripture and not so much about your opinion, otherwise, these zealots we have to deal with could be correct in their assessments of us.

Micah 2:6 AMP) Do not preach, say the prophesying false prophets; one should not babble and harp on such things; disgrace will not overtake us [the reviling has no end].

He just as easily could have said, this is what I hear: Do not preach; one should not babble and harp on such things; disgrace will not overtake us. Micah continues with, this reviling has no end.

A “brother in Christ” and a pastor, both, at different times, pointed out that the admonition that we wait expectantly for the Lord was given well over 2000 years ago. They say Jesus is not coming back anytime soon. They both effectively told me that I should not babble and harp on such things; Jesus will not come anytime soon.

The word translated disgrace is the Hebrew word k^elimmāh: It is a feminine noun referring to disgrace, shame, humiliation. It has the meaning of embarrassment.

So, in majority, Israel, then and now, are saying they will not be overtaken by:

• shame
• humiliation
• embarrassment
• And of course, disgrace.

One would think that the German death camps would have fulfilled all those terms, and they did. So we are really talking about some future event, aren't we?

Do you read any of the news coming out of Israel? They are not so different from any other modern nation, as they are barraged with scandal, not only in the government, but within the priesthood of Israel; and this is not accounting for the multiple, daily attacks on citizens, police, and the military.
What is being conveyed by Micah's words is far beyond the scope of the ordinary harassment that occurs daily. Two-thirds of Israel will be killed, buildings and homes will be turned into rubble, and there will be no one left to live in them - much like Damascus.

First, I want you to see Micah 2:7 in the King James Version, as it is archaic and hard to decipher at times.
Micah 2:7 KJV  O thou that art named the house of Jacob, is the spirit of the LORD straitened? are these his doings? do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly?

The Modern KJV reads like this: “House of Jacob, it is said, The Spirit of Jehovah is limited if these are His doings. Do not My words do good to him who walks uprightly?”

Clearer, but I still don't get it. Well, what is the prophet trying to say?

• First, Micah is addressing God's people. However, I also have to take into consideration the fact that Micah is speaking under the influence of the Holy Spirit, and therefore this is God talking. Whoever the speaker is, he is addressing the House of Jacob – Since all Israel has descended from Jacob, then the speaker is talking about Israel/God's people. Keep in mind that the nation has split into two kingdoms; Israel in the North, and Judah in the South.
• What do the people say? “it is said, The Spirit of Jehovah is limited if these are His doings.” What are his doings? As stated in Micah 2:3,4 I am planning to send trouble on you. You will not be able to save yourselves from it. You will not live so proudly anymore. It will be a time of trouble.  4)  At that time people will make fun of you. They will tease you by singing a song of sadness. They will pretend to be you and say, "We are totally destroyed. Our enemies have divided up our land. The LORD has taken it away from us! He has given our fields to those who turned against us.'"

Perhaps another translation may help us.
Micah 2:7 CEV  Descendants of Jacob, is it right for you to claim that the LORD did what he did because he was angry? Doesn't he always bless those who do right?

Do you really think that God cannot be angry? He warned Israel repeatedly that they should turn from their evil ways, but they did not, nor would they turn back to God. Do we think that these great countries we live in will be excluded from God's wrath? Haven't we too turned our backs on God?


God has always been relatively straightforward, spelling out the good and the bad and then giving the hearer a choice. Note what Micah/God says, “Do not My words do good to him who walks uprightly?” And they will; God's word will do good to those who follow it.

Daniel chapter 9, the seventy weeks of years.

In everything I do, I feel I am learning a new lesson. Because one of the groups of men I sit with, subjects ourselves to a false teacher each week (not everyone that sits through the Monday morning Bible Study feels this way,) several of us recognize the painful tedium we subject ourselves to. We all find ourselves asking why we attend and the answer is universally the same for all who see what is going on there. We need fellowship with other faithful men. From my point of view, there are four or five men who have a solid understanding of God's Word, His nature, and His character (These aspects have become utmost in my thinking lately.)

One of the brothers avidly follows another of our false teachers as he carries his twisted gospel to the hamburger stand I used to frequent. I have challenged his reasons and he always leans upon the same thing, that brother is a good friend of mine and we have been through much together.

I get it. There is no denying the value of someone, no matter the twistedness of their theology, who will always have your back in prayer. That aspect is one thing these men have in common, they know how to pray.

While it may seem that the lesson I need to learn is how to separate myself from false teachers, it is really more focused on trusting the Holy Spirit's leading and not asking the opinions of the others. In doing just that I bypassed some essential, reinforcing, and critical aspects of end times prophecy by choosing to jump from Daniel chapter 2 to Daniel chapter 9. In my defense, I only thought I would have a couple of weeks at best, and, I really thought for a moment I could fly through the depth of what is contained in Daniel 2 and 9. I could not, nor does it do the information there any justice.

One more thing. I have come to realize that there is nothing of insignificance in scripture and to fly rapidly past a simple word like strongholds, is to do yourself and your audience an injustice.

All passages are from the NASB unless otherwise specified.

Daniel Chapter 9 – Daniel's third vision:

The seventy weeks of years.

Daniel 9:1

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of Median descent, who was made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans--

[ Timeline from Nebuchadnezzar to Darius

Make this clear in your thinking: Daniel, having not only survived but excelled under five Kings/rulers/Emporers, is now facing his sixth ruling authority while still in Babylonian captivity.

If we followed this timeline closely what do we see? Daniel dead before Darius shows up. Is that what scripture tells us? No. But we can also see something else, two other names not spelled out in Daniel. Amel-Marduk who reigned from 556- 539BC; that Belshazzar had an alternative name of Nabonidus; that Cambyses reigned briefly after Cyrus from 530 – 522BC, ending with, for the purposes of our story, Darius 1 who reigned from 522 – 486BC.

Daniel 9:2

"in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years"

What can we ascertain from this?

• • That Daniel was, either, able to carry the scroll of Jeremiah into captivity with him,
  • Or, Daniel was able to attain a copy.
  • Daniel has perceived according to prophecy that the desolations of Jerusalem are over.
    What does the Hebrew give us as the definition of desolations?
    
    

    The Word Study Dictionary, ḥorbāh or cḥorbāh: A feminine noun meaning ruin. The word almost always refers to an area ruined by the judgment of God.

    
    Strong's tells us: properly drought, that is, (by implication) a desolation: - decayed place, desolate (place, -tion), destruction, (laid) waste (place).

While desolations may have been declared upon Jerusalem, this judgment was upon God's people as well. Daniel, reading from the Prophet Jeremiah, realized that the time of their captivity had, because of timing, come to an end. Someone needed to let the authorities know.

Jeremiah 25:11-13 'This whole land will be a desolation and a horror, and these nations will serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12- 'Then it will be when seventy years are completed I will punish the king of Babylon and that nation,' declares the LORD, 'for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it an everlasting desolation. 13- 'I will bring upon that land all My words which I have pronounced against it, all that is written in this book which Jeremiah has prophesied against all the nations.

Jeremiah 29:10 "For thus says the LORD, 'When seventy years have been completed for Babylon, I will visit you and fulfill My good word to you, to bring you back to this place.

What can I ascertain from verse two, or another way of asking this question would be to say, “what has Daniel come to understand?”

• • • That Daniel was not completely aware of the timing.
    • That the 70 years of captivity have been completed.
    • That the whole land of Israel is in desolation.
    • While Israel's desolation may be temporary, Babylon, that nation, and the land of the Chaldeans will have an everlasting desolation.

Daniel 9:3-19

The NASB entitles this section: Daniel's Prayer for His People; and yet that is not all Daniel prays for.

Daniel opens his time of prayer with a preparation.

3) “So I gave my attention to the Lord God to seek Him by prayer and supplications, with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes.”

Are we required by the law to take an appropriate attitude before God? Why then “pay attention?” Because we are not in control, He is.

I once heard someone say, always open your prayer with praise.

4) “I prayed to the LORD my God and confessed and said, "Alas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments,”

Daniel acknowledges God for who He is. He is great, awesome, and most important of all: He is the one ho keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandments

Verse 5 shows Daniel confessing for the nation.

“we have sinned, committed iniquity, acted wickedly and rebelled, even turning aside from Your commandments and ordinances.”

In verse 6 he admits:

“we have not listened to Your servants the prophets, who spoke in Your name to our kings, our princes, our fathers and all the people of the land.”

Since apostasy, the act of turning our backs on God is a significant marker of the end times, what does this idea of “we have not listened” have to say to us?

As a side note: I sit with religious men who make bold statements contrary to the Word of God and will not listen when corrected by that same Word.

Verses 7,8 demonstrate that it is more than just the land, the temple and the city that is punished; it is people as well.

7) ".. the men of Judah, the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, those who are nearby and those who are far away in all the countries to which You have driven them, ..”8) "Open shame belongs to us, O Lord, to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, because we have sinned against You."

This judgment is directly applicable to Jewish people of that day, everywhere. But who wants to carry around open shame?

Here we sit some two thousand five hundred years later and yet once again there is a wrath/judgment coming upon God's people. Why? Because, still, they will not listen.

Daniel 9:9-10

"To the Lord, our God belongs compassion and forgiveness, for we have rebelled against Him; 10) nor have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in His teachings which He set before us through His servants the prophets."

Isaiah 43:25-26 "I, even I, am the one who wipes out your transgressions for My own sake, And I will not remember your sins. 26) "Put Me in remembrance, let us argue our case together; State your cause, that you may be proved right."

In remembrance of what? Who God is and what He has done.

Why? Not because he forgets, but because we do.

Consider what this says: “To the Lord, our God belong compassion and forgiveness,” while He may show compassion and forgiveness, there is a debt to pay. In our case, Jesus paid the price for our debts. Did this exclude Israel? Not at all, but it is clear, even today, that ma many choose to reject Jesus as the Messiah.

Daniel 9:11-14

What does Daniel say here, in his prayer to God?

•  "Indeed all Israel has transgressed Your law and turned aside, not obeying Your voice;
•  so the curse has been poured out on us,
•  along with the oath which is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, 

Spend some time in the book of Deuteronomy and there you will find the Blessings and the Curses. Chapter 28 is where it says, "if you will do these things then all these blessings will come upon you." But, like any two-edged sword, there are curses for not following God's commands.

In finding the character of God, you will find that He is rather straightforward; this is affirmed in chapter 30.

Deuteronomy 30:19 "I call heaven and earth to witness against you today, that I have set before you life and death, the blessing and the curse. So choose life in order that you may live, you and your descendants,

In general, is that what Israel did, choose life? No, therefore Daniel had this to say, “As it is written in the law of Moses, all this calamity has come on us;”

Did knowledge of Deuteronomy's blessings and curses change the heart of Israel?

I doubt it, but we know that there were four men who stood on God's side.

•  Sadly we have this evidence: “yet we have not sought the favor of the LORD our God by turning from our iniquity and giving attention to Your truth.”

Does, or has, God, relented from his wrath and anger?

The answer is yes, and Nineveh is one of those examples. Jeremiah 42:10, an example of God relenting from His wrath, was spoken concerning Israel and their pending captivity.

Jeremiah 42:10 'If you will indeed stay in this land, then I will build you up and not tear you down, and I will plant you and not uproot you; for I will relent concerning the calamity that I have inflicted on you."

What land is God referring to? Babylon.

At the same time, we have examples where God is done overlooking transgressions.

Ezekiel 24:14 "I, the LORD, have spoken; it is coming and I will act. I will not relent, and I will not pity and I will not be sorry; according to your ways and according to your deeds I will judge you," declares the Lord GOD.'"

Daniel 9:15

"And now, O Lord our God, who have brought Your people out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and have made a name for Yourself, as it is this day--we have sinned, we have been wicked.”

This is not so dissimilar from one of Moses' prayers.

Daniel 9:16

If I were to foolishly ask, when does Daniel begin to pray, It would be about verse 15. However, the entire interaction is a prayer.

• • “ Lord, in accordance with all Your righteous acts”
  • “let now Your anger and Your wrath turn away from Your city Jerusalem, Your holy mountain.”
• 
  
  What kind of knowledge is Daniel sitting on?
  
  

  The knowledge that the 70 years is completed, and that God has little reason to keep Israel in captivity.

  
  

  With that understanding, Daniel still remains submissive to the God of Israel.

• 
  
• “for because of our sins and the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem, and Your people have become a reproach to all those around us.”
  
  

  Daniel gets it; the reasons why Israel is captive in Babylon. Did he get it as a young man, probably about to get married? Maybe not, but he literally kept his head by being submissive to his Babylonian captors, as the prophet Jeremiah had told them.

Daniel 9:17-19

What direction did this portion of his prayer take?

• • • “So now, our God, listen to the prayer of Your servant “
    • “incline Your ear and hear! Open Your eyes and see our desolations and the city which is called by Your name”
      
      

      Again, Moses implored the Lord to have mercy upon His people, called by your name, and asked, what will the nations think, that God could not save them.

    • “O Lord, hear! O Lord, forgive!”
      
      

      Forgiving is a part of God's nature and character.

    • “do not delay, because Your city and Your people are called by Your name."
      
      

      Perhaps this is a human emotion that we are attaching to God, but everyone has pride.

For the moment we will end this, keeping this study in brief sections.  The next section/chapter will be:

Gabriel Brings an Answer, but to what? 

Will the old and new Jerusalem exist at the same time? And, If so, where?

One of the questions that came up recently; an offshoot of Dake's commentary on the Millennium, was, "Will the old and new Jerusalem exist at the same time? And, If so, where?"

The short answer is No; the where is in proximity to where the old Jerusalem is currently. (Keep in mind the overall dimensions, which are 1500 miles square; significantly surpassing the current day Jerusalem.)

Because the simple answer is rarely enough and leaves so many questions unanswered, let's try an in depth response.

To answer the first part of the question let's start with old Jerusalem.

• At some point, the last temple, constructed by man, must be built.

This cannot be called the last Jerusalem because it is not. The new Jerusalem, not made with hands will come down, but there is a rather accurate timing for that – sometime after the time of wrath, we love to refer to as the “The Tribulation.”

Has that happened yet? The short answer is no.

The discussions about where to put the new temple range from the temple mount to the city of David, a short distance away. Oh, make no mistake about it, the temple will be built. All the plans are in place, and the preparations have been made. But, there is a huge problem. If the Jews decide that it must be built on the temple mount, the Muslims have their Mosque there and have claimed possession. What does that mean? It means that God is going to have to do something drastic.

Ezekiel 39 shows us an extreme possibility.

Ezekiel 39:1-6 NASB "And you, son of man, prophesy against Gog and say, 'Thus says the Lord GOD, "Behold, I am against you, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal; 2) and I will turn you around, drive you on, take you up from the remotest parts of the north and bring you against the mountains of Israel. 3) "I will strike your bow from your left hand and dash down your arrows from your right hand. 4) "You will fall on the mountains of Israel, you and all your troops and the peoples who are with you; I will give you as food to every kind of predatory bird and beast of the field. 5) "You will fall on the open field; for it is I who have spoken," declares the Lord GOD. 6) "And I will send fire upon Magog and those who inhabit the coastlands in safety, and they will know that I am the LORD.

Let's assume that Gog is Vladimir Putin of Russia (There are enough commentary and evidence to motivate some logical thought in that direction.) God, it seems, will turn Gog around, and drive him, and his forces, against the mountains of Israel. As you can see in verse 3, God will strike the bow from his hand and “you will fall on the mountains of Israel, along with all your troops.”

How might that happen, seeing as Israel is outgunned?

The answer is found in verse 6, where it says, “I will send fire upon Magog ..”

The Hebrew word for send is to shoot out, but a fire is a fire. How many many ways has God sent fire upon the earth? Several when you think about it. Sodom and Gomorrah come to mind. Archaeologists have found burnt, encapsulated sulfur.

 The photos and information below come from http://www.arkdiscovery.com/sodom_&_gomorrah.htm

“Above at left is brimstone with a burned, hardened shell that has the unburned sulfur inside, and next to it is brimstone without a burned shell. The photo at right is a shell or capsule with unburned sulfur inside. Tiny crystals are on its surface which was formed when the sulfur was burning and was in a liquid state, then it burned out.”

During the days of Samuel, God sent lightning upon the Philistines. Considering the heat, voltage and God's ability to direct a lightning strike, this would be deadly. So, the first thing we should be looking for is some change that allows for the temple to be built.

Back to the original question: “Will the old and new Jerusalem exist at the same time? If so, where?

The obvious point to make here is that during the time of this modern day temple's existence, Jerusalem will exist. However, the destruction of Jerusalem is spelled out plainly in scripture.

Daniel 9:26 NASB "Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.

One of the men from Bible study pointed out how he had read the Bible and found that instances of destruction were specifically for the moment and the nation in question. He told how this makes understanding the Bible and particularly prophecy very confusing for him.

The book/prophecy of Daniel is one of those instances where the destruction is both eminent and yet for the future. In this case, Israel was destroyed, and yet, it also speaks of time yet to come.

I thought, much like the man at Bible study, how do you know the difference?

Again, the short answer is:

You must look at the context; see if there are other, more modern applications, and, in the case of Daniel, there are. You need to look at an interlinear concordance and find out if there are multiple applications of a particular word; in so doing you may find that the translation you enjoy does a frail job of painting an appropriate picture. I would consider looking at a variety of translations, simply because one while being a step down intellectually, may convey the heart of God more clearly. (Keep in mind that the Apostle John told us God is love and that there is no darkness in Him. In short, His nature is mercy and Jesus lived that out in front of many.)

The The Ultimate Cross-Reference Treasury tells us that the words “Then after, or, And after” indicate:

“that two events are stated to take place after the sixty-nine weeks have concluded: (1) the death of Messiah; (2) the destruction of Jerusalem. These cannot be understood to take place during the Seventieth Week, for the Crucifixion would cut the time too short, and the destruction of Jerusalem would stretch the time too long to be accommodated within the seven-year time frame of the Seventieth Week were it to be considered contiguous with the Sixty-ninth Week. This absolutely proves, therefore, that there is a gap of unannounced duration between the Sixty-ninth and the Seventieth Week specifically stated right here in Scripture. Further proof is that Jesus himself placed events of Daniel’s Seventieth Week to a time just prior to his Second Advent (Mat_24:5; Mat_24:15; Luk_2:10; Joh_5:39; Rom_1:4.”)

Unfortunately, few would know this.

What else do we have from scripture that foretells the destruction of Jerusalem?

Ezekiel 32:12 (Darby) By the swords of the mighty will I cause thy multitude to fall: the terrible of the nations are they all: and they shall spoil the pride of Egypt, and all the multitude thereof shall be destroyed.

A point of possible confusion would be the aspect where it says, “they shall spoil the pride of Egypt,” What then, would be the pride of Egypt? The answer to the question lies in Joseph, the son of Jacob, the Father of the nation of Israel. In Egypt, Israel became a mighty nation, in terms of numbers.

A clear example comes from Daniel 11.

Daniel 11:16 CEV The king who invaded from the north will do as he pleases, and he will even capture and destroy the holy land.

Daniel 9:2 also speaks of the desolations of Jerusalem.

Daniel 9:2 NASB in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, observed in the books the number of the years which was revealed as the word of the LORD to Jeremiah the prophet for the completion of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely, seventy years.

This is another of those passages that require that you do your homework; for we have only accomplished 69 weeks. The emergence of the seventieth week has been on hold for over two thousand years. I can prove this out, but it is time consuming and lengthy, so I won't, but I will give you a clue. Daniel, in chapter 9, verse 24 began to receive the explanation of all this.

Take the time to look at these verses, as they too reflect the destruction of Israel. This has everything to do Israel's rebellion against the Lord.

Jeremiah 11:11 NASB Therefore thus says the LORD, "Behold I am bringing disaster on them which they will not be able to escape; though they will cry to Me, yet I will not listen to them.

Jeremiah 50:29 NASB "Summon many against Babylon, All those who bend the bow: Encamp against her on every side, Let there be no escape. Repay her according to her work; According to all that she has done, so do to her; For she has become arrogant against the LORD, Against the Holy One of Israel.

Ezekiel 6:3-10 NASB and say, 'Mountains of Israel, listen to the word of the Lord GOD! Thus says the Lord GOD to the mountains, the hills, the ravines and the valleys: "Behold, I Myself am going to bring a sword on you, and I will destroy your high places. 4) "So your altars will become desolate and your incense altars will be smashed; and I will make your slain fall in front of your idols. 5) "I will also lay the dead bodies of the sons of Israel in front of their idols; and I will scatter your bones around your altars. 6) "In all your dwellings, cities will become waste and the high places will be desolate, that your altars may become waste and desolate, your idols may be broken and brought to an end, your incense altars may be cut down, and your works may be blotted out. 7) "The slain will fall among you, and you will know that I am the LORD. 8) "However, I will leave a remnant, for you will have those who escaped the sword among the nations when you are scattered among the countries. 9) "Then those of you who escape will remember Me among the nations to which they will be carried captive, how I have been hurt by their adulterous hearts which turned away from Me, and by their eyes which played the harlot after their idols; and they will loathe themselves in their own sight for the evils which they have committed, for all their abominations. 10) "Then they will know that I am the LORD; I have not said in vain that I would inflict this disaster on them."'

We can be fairly confident that Israel will succumb to oppressors. But, God will leave a remnant bring down a New Jerusalem, not built with hands. Considering the size of the new Jerusalem – 1500 square miles, it is hard to imagine where something of this size would go, as there not enough level land on which to place such a structure. Well, there are passages that answer how that will happen.

Isaiah 40:4-5 NASB "Let every valley be lifted up, And every mountain and hill be made low; And let the rough ground become a plain, And the rugged terrain a broad valley; 5) Then the glory of the LORD will be revealed, And all flesh will see it together; For the mouth of the LORD has spoken."

Zechariah 4:7 NASB 'What are you, O great mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become a plain; and he will bring forth the top stone with shouts of "Grace, grace to it!"'"

While many will argue the context of the previous verses, the context of the next is beyond debate as it speaks about the time when Jesus touches his feet upon the mount of Olives once again. Then the new city comes down, upon level ground.

Zechariah 14:10 NASB All the land will be changed into a plain from Geba to Rimmon south of Jerusalem; but Jerusalem will rise and remain on its site from Benjamin's Gate as far as the place of the First Gate to the Corner Gate, and from the Tower of Hananel to the king's wine presses.

This entire scenario is not typically one that draws, as scripture says, all men unto Christ. It is more educational, or perhaps even correctional. Most of these topics come out of conversations, most of which are where some leader; a self-appointed group pastor, makes incorrect and false statements. They attempt to back up their claims by taking scripture out of context and mixing timings and scenarios to create an environment that you won't find in scripture. In an ideal environment, this could easily be conveyed to many at one time, or directly to the individual who is espousing improper teachings.

Scripturally, the appropriate way of dealing with “abusers” within the church, is to first go to the person. I sit with these men two days a week. I have challenged their teachings to the point that I stormed out of the room and stayed away for six months. Nothing changed. At one venue, which still meets at a large church, I asked the pastor to come sit in on the meetings, because they are seriously out of control. If the next and appropriate step is to bring in the elders of the church to address the problem child; in this case, I do not see the elders having an interest in knowing there is a problem or fixing it.

So, that is why I write, because I think there are others who believe inappropriate teachings or are seriously confused. My hope is that we, as a church body, can come into an agreement; not with me, although that would be nice, however, it is vital that we agree with the Word of God; the Holy Spirit.