Pre-Tribulation Rapture Rebuttal

Pre-Trib Rapture Rebuttal to DeMar

I am not the final expert on any doctrinal discussion. And I do not claim to be even the best apologist for a doctrine, particularly the pre-tribulation rapture. But I have just read an article that made some obviously erroneous statements and I can answer them.

(Link to the actual article. Gary DeMar) A quick overview of his point is that in Daniel 9:24-27 there is no gap between the 69th and the 70th week. And here is his exact statement. I’m surprised that an entire chapter is not devoted to the key factor that makes any of the rapture positions work. If the 70th week (7 years) of Daniel follows the other 69 weeks (483) without a gap in time that has now stretched to nearly 2000 years, then there is no reason to believe their understanding of the ‘rapture’ is biblical.

They also must demonstrate from Scripture that “the antichrist enters into a seven-year treaty or covenant with Israel” and so much more. You don’t need to be a biblical scholar to see that there is no mention of a gap in the prophecy (Dan. 9:24-27) or an antichrist who makes a covenant with the Jews. Read the passage for yourself.

Before we look at his specific statement, consider his first statement. There was no “chapter” devoted to proving the gap between 69 and 70. I am surprised that he did not devote a chapter to his claim of no gap. He just assumed it. So let’s take his advice and look at the actual text.
Daniel 9:24-27
24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25 So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 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. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”

For sake of brevity, we will jump to the 69th year. Verse 26 says the Messiah will be cut off. Notice the timing: “...after the 62 weeks.” (Explanation, there was a 7 year period added in v. 25). So Messiah is cut off BEFORE the 70th week starts. This will be evident in a minute.

Back to the narrative: Messiah is cut off. Then “the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.” Question, who destroyed the city and the sanctuary? Titus the Roman did it in AD 70. This was what Jesus predicted in Matthew 24:2, Mark 13:2, Luke 19:44, and Luke 21:6. So the cutting off is followed by the destruction of the city–in AD 70. This seems to indicate a gap.

Then verse 27 begins the final seven year period. It has a seven year treaty being made with Israel, which is broken at the three and one half year mark. Notice first who breaks the treaty and  that this occurs AFTER the Messiah is cut off. His time line shows Jesus being “cut off” and crucified at the 3.5 year mark.

I would suggest that he needs a chapter to explain that discrepancy. DeMar extends the time line by saying that it concluded with Peter taking the Gospel to the Gentiles at Cornelius’ house. (Acts 10) This is dated about AD 40 or 41, which is seven or eight years past the beginning of the church, and past the final 3.5 year extension of the 70th week according to his evaluation.

Now re-examine v. 27. This “cutting off” seems to be effected by the treaty maker.
... in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.

Granted, Jesus did “stop,” by satisfying the need for, the sacrifice and offering. But the literal  sacrifices continued until AD 70 as noted above. And Jesus certainly did not usher in the “one who makes desolate.”

The chronology proposed by DeMar fails to match Daniel, does not portray events as they happened, and puts Jesus into the role of facilitating the coming of the anti-Christ, who, by the way has not yet appeared historically, as far as we can tell.* Finally, we skipped the first verse which outlined the purpose of the 490 year time line. There are six or seven (depending on how you count) specific results. The end of the 70 weeks does not fulfill any of those if we use DeMar’s evaluation.

(*Disclaimer: some do equate Nero with the anti-Christ. Easily disproved. Nero died in AD 68 and the destruction of the city was two years later. After the destruction, the events in v. 27 occur. Nero is dead, or “tot” in German. He was not AC.)

DeMar might need more than a chapter to reconcile all of the problems with his interpretation. (His final explanation is appended now.) His contention of "no gap" seems to have some pretty big gaps in it.

Jesus’ ministry begins at the beginning of the 70th week (7 years) that follows directly after the 69th week (483 years). Jesus is “cut off” in the middle of the week by crucifixion but not before He (not the Antichrist) “makes a covenant” with “the many” (Dan. 9:27; Matt. 26:26-28). The following 3.5 years of the 70th week when the gospel is embraced by Jews “from every nation under heaven” (Acts 2:5-11; also see 2:14, 22, 39, 47; 4:4; 5:11, 14). The 70th week ends when Peter receives instructions by God to take the gospel to the Gentiles (nations) who are grafted into an already growing body of  Jewish believers. There is no mention of a gap in time or a need for one. (END QUOTE)