It almost feels a bit surreal. I have been aware of the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy at least since my seminary days in the late 1970’s. As a young pastor, I spent a many Sunday evenings teaching through the book of Daniel highlighting it prophecies. During the past ten years, I have often written about the peace covenant that antichrist will make with Israel (Daniel 9:27).
Now as I watch the world clamoring to bring peace to the Mideast by seeking to impose a peace accord upon Israel, I wonder, “How much close can we get to the Tribulation without the Rapture happening?”
Just this past July 28-29, the nations met at the UN to agree upon a resolution aimed at bringing peace to the Middle East. The US and Israel didn’t send representatives to the meetings, but almost every other country attended. The result of this assembly was a document entitled, “New York Declaration on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State solution." The formal UN vote on the document is set for this September at its annual gathering.
The Prophetic Implications
The July 28-29 gathering of nations and the resulting declaration is exactly what we would expect during the period of time leading up to the start of Daniel’s seventieth week.
First, the document uses the phrase "peace and security" five times. The words “peace” or “peaceful” occur twenty-eight times while “security” appears twenty-four times. We are living at a time when the words of 1 Thessalonians 5:3 are coming to life:
While people are saying, “There is peace and security,” then sudden destruction will come upon them as labor pains come upon a pregnant woman, and they will not escape.
In the context of 1 Thessalonians 5:1-11, the apostle refers the devastation that will come upon the world at the beginning of the “Day of the Lord,” which happens after the Rapture. The world’s cries for “peace and security” tell us that our remaining time on earth is rapidly ending. Jesus is coming soon.
Second, the late July get-together of nations signals the future fulfillment of Zechariah 12:2-3:
Behold, I am about to make Jerusalem a cup of staggering to all the surrounding peoples. The siege of Jerusalem will also be against Judah. On that day I will make Jerusalem a heavy stone for all the peoples. All who lift it will surely hurt themselves. And all the nations of the earth will gather against it.
I believe the “siege of Jerusalem” is a reference to Armageddon, which happens at the end of the Tribulation. However, the recent conclave in New York appears to be a warmup to what’s ahead as the nations gathered to impose their will upon Israel. Do they really believe that taking land away from Israel will bring security to the nation? It didn’t work so well with Gaza.
Third, the text of Daniel 9:27 implies that antichrist will take an existing covenant and make it stronger. It’s highly unlikely that statement recently approved in New York will be the text that kicks off this last week of years, or what we know as the seven-year Tribulation. However, the fact that there’s such a declaration of peace already in place is a momentous step toward the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy.
Fourth, it’s also more than a little curious that over a hundred nations have agreed to impose a two-state solution upon Israel. the text of Daniel 9;27 says that antichrist will “make a strong covenant with many.” Who but the Lord could have revealed that antichrist’s peace agreement with Israel would involve “many” nations? But that’s exactly what’s taking shape before our eyes!
Roadblocks
Although the July 28-29 UN agreement is noteworthy, it faces at least a couple roadblocks that at least for the moment, keep it from resulting in the covenant of Daniel 9:27.
First, Israel will never agree to its terms. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has often stated at a return to the pre-1967 borders, which the New York declaration demands, would be suicidal for Israel.
In Isaiah 28:14-18, the Lord referred to Israel’s future peace accord with antichrist as “a covenant of death” and chastised its future leaders for agreeing to it. By the time Israel comes to terms with the antichrist, its leaders will accept the terms of the covenant. That won’t happen with current UN plan, but it will when antichrist comes to power.
Second, Israel can stand firm in its resistance to the UN accord because it has the strong backing of the US and President Donal Trump. We saw this in response to French President Immanuel Macron’s statement that he would recognize a Palestinian State in September. The Trump administration quickly voiced its disapproval of Macron’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state.
Reuters quoted Secretary of State Marco Rubio as saying that said the United States "strongly rejects (Macron's) plan to recognize a Palestinian state at the UN general assembly." In a post on X, he said about Macron’s statement, "This reckless decision only serves Hamas propaganda and sets back peace. It is a slap in the face to the victims of October 7th."
President Trump has repeatedly voiced strong disapproval of the willingness of France, Canada, and other nations to formerly recognize a Palestinian State. With His staunch support, Israel can emphatically say no to any UN imposition of terms that claim to “guarantee” its peace.
The Missing Piece
The covenant of Daniel 9:27 cannot happen until antichrist appears on the world scene and is capable of assuring Israel that he can guarantee its future peace, at least for seven years. So, what needs to happen to take us from the calls to recognize a Palestinian State to the start of the Tribulation?
The Rapture is the missing piece to the puzzle. According to 2 Thessalonians 2:3-8, the man of lawlessness can’t make himself known until the Lord removes the Restrainer, which happens when He takes us up to Heaven. We won’t be here when antichrist inks his deal with Israel.
Once the Rapture happens, the other events leading to the Daniel 9:27 peace covenant will rapidly take place. A greatly weakened America will create a void leaving Israel without the protection of a powerful ally. The Bible doesn’t provide us with the details of how the Gog/Magog invasion of Israel might lead to Daniel 9:27 peace accord or even if it will, but I believe that after the Rapture, prophetic events will accelerate even faster than their current rapid pace.
As you know, a powerful 8.8 earthquake struck off the coast of Russia on July 28, the last day of the New York meeting and its formalization of its intent to divide the Land God gave to Israel. Perhaps the timing of one of the most powerful earthquakes ever recorded was a coincidence, but I think it displayed God’s displeasure of what happened at the UN that same day.
We live at a time like no other. So many signs herald the rapidly approaching start of the seven-year Tribulation and before that, our departure. Regardless of what happens at the UN this coming September, the New York declaration tells us that Jesus appearing is not only imminent, but could possibly happen very, very soon.
Maranatha!!
My book, Invitation to a Lavish Feast – Wisdom’s Path to the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, is now available on Amazon. In it, I take the reader on a journey showing how the words of Scripture verify our beliefs in not only the restoration of Israel, but also our hope in Jesus’ soon appearing to take us home to glory. The book also includes a chapter explaining how the doctrine of justification by faith validates our belief that God will someday restore a kingdom to Israel.