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Déjà vu In Bible Prophecy

Part XIX

 

Double Double recently analyzed the two incarnations of the Little Horn, with the first arrival before the cross of Christ, as the Syrian kingdom in the second century BC tempted the Jerusalem Jews to renounce their chosen people status.

Part XVII and XVIII also addressed the construction of the Citadel, a palatial construction which was attached to the Jerusalem temple; and it was situated so the Syrian troops could look down and monitor temple activities.

This building was actually an addition to the temple, as it was physically built upon the existing structure. The Citadel was erected during the period when the Jewish leaders formally renounced their relationship to God, and willingly submitted to the Syrian conqueror Antiochus.

The building was an abomination to Jews who sought to obey the laws of Moses, as Gentiles were never allowed to enter the temple in Jerusalem. Eventually, the devout Jews revolted behind the leadership of the family known as the Maccabees and, in a series of violent clashes, the Syrians and the reprobate Jewish faction was driven from Jerusalem.

In fact, a couple of centuries later in the Christian era, religious Jews had returned to the Mosaic laws, and they assaulted the Apostle Paul as they falsely perceived he had brought Gentiles into the temple.

“Crying out, Men of Israel, help: This is the man, that teacheth all men every where against the people, and the law, and this place: and further brought Greeks also into the temple, and hath polluted this holy place,”

“For they had seen him before with in the city Trophimus an Ephesian whom they supposed that Paul had brought into the temple” (Acts 21:28, 29).

Of course, Paul had done no such thing as the New Covenant established that the Earthly temple was no longer the temple of God at all, because the believers in JESUS CHRIST are now the temple in which the LORD dwells.

“For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them” (II Corinthians 6:16).

As just noted, previous installments of Double Double have indicated the Spiritual entity portrayed in Scripture as the Little Horn are doubled; yet few believers have grasped that every significant aspect of Scripture is supernaturally doubled, including the mysterious episode known as the Abomination of Desolation. Further, because the “Abomination “ is directly related to the Little Horn prophecies, we again turn to the predictions of the amazing prophet Daniel.

Daniel’s famous Seventy Weeks prophecy is a pivotal example, as the prophet not only predicted two arrivals of the Little Horn, he wrote about the Abomination of Desolation which had already occurred in the days of Jesus – and yet Christ told the disciples the event was yet future.

To put it another way, here is another important example of the prophetic process we refer to as doubling.

In the complex passage of Seventy Weeks, which forecasts astonishing details about the Saviour of Israel, we find the redeemer Jesus Christ is the one who decrees the “the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26) are desolate because of the Abomination.

“He shall confirm the covenant with many [and through his death] he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate” (Daniel 9:27).

Amazingly, even though the text plainly says “Messiah [shall] be cut off” and his murder will “cause the sacrifice” of the Old Covenant to “cease,” the Rapture Cult falsely claims this verse refers to the “Antichrist” (who is never mentioned in the entire chapter), and he will supposedly break a peace treaty (which is also never mentioned in the text) with the Jews!

Thus, the subterfuge of the Cult that Kidnapped Christianity clouds the crucial issue of the Abomination, which occurs concurrently with the arrival of “Messiah the Prince” (Daniel 9:25).

The present work has already addressed how the conspicuous falling away from the historic faith of Israel occurred when Jerusalem’s ruling faction of Jews issued a very public repudiation of the central doctrine of circumcision.

“And God gave [Abraham] the covenant of circumcision; and so Abraham begat Isaac, and circumcised him the eighth day; and Isaac begat Jacob; and Jacob begat the twelve patriarchs” (Acts 7:8).

In addition to this Abomination in which the Jews publicly repudiated the central doctrine of their covenant with God, the Syrian Antiochus sought to honor Gentile deities by pointedly conducting rituals that were sharply contrary to the historic Israelite faith. Moreover, we’ve already noted how the residue of the Northern Israelites, in fear of the torments Antiochus inflicted on the devout Jews in Jerusalem, voluntarily agreed that their temple would be re-dedicated to Jupiter, with sacrifices of swine (Daniel 8:10).

Antiochus banned the Hebrew Scriptures, erected idols in the Jerusalem temple, and sacrificed swine therein – and open rebellion was the result.

As the vile Syrian sought to retain control of Jerusalem during these tumultuous times, he built the fortress called the Citadel which was physically attached to the temple. As civil life in Jerusalem had become filled with violence, the Jewish faction which continued to support the Syrians moved into the barracks of the Citadel, to live with the Gentile soldiers, for their own preservation.

Since the Citadel was the headquarters of the Syrian occupation, as well as the source of Jewish indignation due to its proximity to the temple, it was repeatedly damaged and rebuilt because of armed conflict.

“This citadel, of which we have such frequent mention in the following history, both in the Maccabees and Josephus, seems to have been a castle built on a hill…which hill the enemies of the Jews now got possession of, and built on it this citadel, and fortified it, till a good while afterward the Jews regained it [and] demolished it” (Antiquities of the Jews, Book XII, Ch 4).

What is singularly amazing is how these events were a prophetic fulfillment of an important part of the Seventy Weeks prophecy. Even more astounding is the fact that 200 years ago, this fact was widely known by Christian teachers and laymen, but in our generation, the false prophets of the Rapture Cult have deceived so many believers about the subject that prophetic illiteracy is now dominant in Christianity.

“Many false prophets shall rise, and deceive many” (Matthew 24:11).

Daniel’s original prophecy said the coming Messiah would pronounce “the city and the sanctuary” (Daniel 9:26) had become “desolate.”  

“And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate” (Daniel 9:27).

This word “overspreading” is veiled, but it means because of the spreading out of abominations, the LORD pronounces Jerusalem desolate. The Hebrew word in the manuscripts refers to a “wing,” such as a room addition, which is attached to an existing structure.

A Hebrew and Greek concordance, such as Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, further tells us the Hebrew word “kanaph” means this additional construction can refer to a new wing (such as a new wing of a hospital, or the “West Wing” of the White House), which is “a quarter, (of a building)” as well a “a pinnacle” (Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance, word # 3671, Overspreading).

Flavius Josephus, the Roman historian who was present when the Jewish temple was destroyed in 70 AD, tells us the Citadel was also called a tower, because it overlooked the temple.

“This fortress, castle, citadel, or tower…which overlooked the temple, could be no other than what Hyrcanus I built, and Herod the Great rebuilt, and called the Tower of Antonia” (Antiquities, book XIII, Ch XVI).

What this amazing information tells us is the prophet Daniel was told the coming Messiah would pronounce Jerusalem to be desolate, because of the Abominations involved in the building and function of the Citadel, as the fortress became the symbol of Jerusalem’s turning away from the LORD.

The Hebrew and Greek Concordance actually said the “wing” described in the term “overspreading” referred to an addition which was “a quarter of a building” (Strong’s #3671), and incredibly, 2000 years ago Josephus told us the Citadel was a “quarter” of the size of the temple!

“The citadel [Herod] repaired at a vast expense; nor was it other than a royal palace…it lay on the North-west side of the temple, and it was a quarter as large” (Wars of the Jews, Flavius Josephus, Book I, Chapter XXI, emphasis mine).

Obviously, Christ’s denunciation of the Jerusalem of antiquity was directly related to the fact that Israel rejected Him, when He was dispatched from the Father to be the Saviour of Israel. Many of us miss the fact that the LORD’s pronouncement of the desolation of Jerusalem came as He was  leaving the temple for the last time.

“O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee…Behold, your house is left unto you desolate” (Matthew 23:37, 38). 

A final irony is embedded in these stunning prophecies, and it is found in the Hebrew language. The Hebrew Greek language concordance tells us the word used for “wing,” which Daniel used centuries before it was constructed, was to be “a quarter of a building.” Incredibly, the dictionary also said this addition could be referred to as “a pinnacle” (Overspreading, Strongs #3671).

The reader may remember at the very beginning of the ministry of Jesus, Satan took the LORD up to a pinnacle of the temple, in order to tempt him.

“And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said unto him, if thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down from hence” (Luke 4:9, 10).

This pinnacle of the temple was also known as the Citadel, and in the days of Jesus, King Herod had made his palace in that very building.

In our last installment of Double Double, we showed how the phenomenon of doubling -- wherein events seen in the New Testament, must have had an Old Testament corollary – even if the Scriptures did not elaborate on the event. This is because the New Testament tells us “all these things” (which happened to Physical Israel), occurred for Heavenly Israel’s benefit (I Corinthians 10:11).

We further showed how the “hour of temptation,” which Revelation 3:10 tells us will come upon all the world at the end of the age, must have also occurred before the Christian era to the Jews under the Old Covenant.

During the time of Antiochus, the Jews were indeed sorely tempted, as they fell away from their ancient covenant with God; but now we see that Christ himself was subject to the “hour of temptation,” and it occurred on the pinnacle of the temple, fulfilling Daniel’s prophecy of Seventy Weeks. 

It is self evident that Satan chose this place to emphasize the fact that Israel had already fallen during their “hour,” and the Citadel (the “pinnacle”) was evidence of the Devil’s supposed authority. However, the Lord JESUS CHRIST set the standard of righteousness for us in our time, as He overcame the Devil’s bargain.

Further, the very locale of this astonishing conflict points us to the prophecy of Daniel, and when we remember that Jesus told the disciples the Abomination spoken of by Daniel was yet to come, He validated the concept of Double Double. To rephrase that thought, the first manifestation of the Abomination of Desolation provides us with the actual pattern for the doubled prophecy which is recapitulated in the Christian era – and that Abomination is now upon us.

But the details of the next round of the Abomination of Desolation will have to wait for our next installment of Double Double: Deju vu In Bible Prophecy.

 

-- James Lloyd

To Be Continued