Zechariah describes for us the history of the nation of Israel subsequent to AD 70 as a history of refinement and testing which will culminate with them "calling on my name" -

Zechariah 13:9,

And I will bring the third part through the fire,
refine them as silver is refined,
and examine them as gold is examined.
They will call on My name and I will answer them;
I will say, They are my people,
and they will say, The Lord is my God.

In view of this scenario Daniel provides us with some very interesting details.
At Daniel 11:21-32, we have the prophesied history of Antiochus and the Maccabean revival which took place between 171-165 BC.

And then at Daniel 11:33, we jump to a time of revival just prior to the destruction and captivity of Jerusalem in AD 70.

Daniel 11:33

"And the wise ones among the people - -
(Messiah believers -the church- between AD 30-70)
will give understanding to the many (Israel);"

This is fulfilled by the ministry of the church which is summarized at Acts 1:8. "Giving understanding," is the proclamation of the gospel which results in a large group of Jewish converts during the years between 30 and 70 AD.

Now continuing at Daniel 11:33, we see a clear reference to the fall of the nation in 70 AD.

"and they (Israel) will fall by sword and by flame,
by captivity and by plunder, for days."

(Just as Jesus taught at Luke 21:24 - -

"And Jerusalem shall be trampled under foot by the Gentiles
until the times of the Gentiles is fulfilled").

An important point for proper interpretation here, is to determine whether the "destruction" language at verse 33 can properly refer to the condition of Israel during and/or after the Maccabean revival, or must look to a more complete destruction by the Romans in 70 AD.

And if, as is best, the language at verse 33 refers to 70 AD, then verses 34-35 must refer to events after 70 AD and which culminate in the purification of Israel at the time of the end, that is, during the great tribulation and just prior to the Day of the LORD.

So according to a very common practice in the OT prophets, the writer jumps the history after 70 AD and picks up at "the end time," after an unknown amount of time between 70 AD and the beginning of the 70th week.

Daniel 11:34-35

"And when they (Israel) fall (world-wide dispersion)
they will be given a little help,"

Israel remains "fallen" until the end of the great tribulation when the period of time known as the Day of the LORD arrives.
It is during this time that she shall look on Him whom she pierced (Zechariah 12:10), acknowledge her national guilt (Hosea 5:15) and proclaim, Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD (Matthew 23:39).

In her fallen condition, since the Roman dispersion, Israel has come under many and varied attacks without much reprieve. But there will come a time when she shall be given a little help.

This is best defined as the covenant that is made by the world ruler of the ten-nation confederacy which will give Israel the religious freedom she needs to build a temple (or at least, a functional sanctuary) and reinstitute its sacrificial system.

However, for Israel to enter into such a covenant will amount to serious compromise on her part and should be viewed as "hypocrisy" since it undermines their devotion to God and their ancient heritage.

It is called "a little help" because the Middle East Peace and Tolerance Accord (M.E.P.T.A.) is only a temporary covenant that provides only a temporary peace and security, since it will be broken just 3 1/2 years after its confirmation. The reason this can be identified with the "peace" covenant mentioned at Daniel 9:27 is because of the phrase, "and many will join with them in hypocrisy." In order for their to be religious toleration in the Middle East, all parties involved must compromise and share "the Holy Place" of Mount Moriah where presently rests the Moslem temple, the Mosque of Omar, and where the Jewish temple must reside. The compromise will consist of allowing the two structures to exist side by side and worship to be expressed without interference or censor.

But this joining of "many" (national Israel) in the hypocrisy of the covenant with the beast is a great national apostasy or falling away, for it is a covenant that compromises age old values and traditions in order to have what they think to be God's will for them.

Once the covenant is broken and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the severity of their compromise will be exposed. The beast will take his stand in the sanctuary and institute "beast worship." He will forbid the sacrifices permitted by M.E.P.T.A. and set himself up as God. This begins the GREAT TRIBULATION period and it is at this time that those of the nation who are faithful to "orthodox Judaism" will flee Jerusalem and be protected in the wilderness from the great oppression by the beast that takes place at this time (Revelation 12:14-16). But there will still be many Jews who will associate with the beast and perpetuate the national apostasy further by acknowledging him as God.

Returning to Daniel 11:35,

"And some of from among the wise ones (the Messiah worshipers of the church)
will be overthrown, (martyrdom) in order to refine, purge,
and make them pure, (evangelistic outreach to Israel)
until the time of the end; (Day of the LORD)
because {it is} still {to come} at the appointed time"

Seems exactly what Matthew 24:14 has in mind,

"And this gospel of the kingdom shall be proclaimed in the whole world
for a witness to all the nations, and then the end shall come."

It is the testimony of the true Messiah worshipers (the church), even in the midst of extreme persecution, (the 5th seal of Revelation 6:9-11) that will produce a purification so that when the Day of the LORD arrives, there will be a large group of Jews who trust in Jesus as the Messiah. (Revelation 7:1-8)

Furthermore, the "purification" will continue during the Day of the LORD judgments and culminate after Armageddon with "all Israel being saved (Romans 11:25-27)" and entering into Messiah's kingdom to reign with Him.

Questions and comments are always welcome

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İRon Wallace, http://www.biblefragrances.com. Anyone is free to reproduce this material and distribute it,
but it may not be sold under any circumstances whatsoever without the author's consent.

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