"He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (seven years)."
(Daniel 9:27)

Seventieth Week

Dear Friends,

     If you are one of the multitudes of people who are following current events closely with an eye for the anticipated fulfillment of End Time events, the following articles and their ensuing results may be something to watch for.

     Following these articles we have included a portion of a study on Daniel 9 verse 27. The entire study on Daniel 9 can be found in the studies section of this web site.

     We are not saying these peace negotiations will lead to the long prophesied seven year covenant, but then again they could. With 2012 fast approaching and all the excitement concerning this date, plus the unprecedented threat to the global economy, wars, natural disasters, etc. more and more people in their hearts are realizing we are at a turning point in world history.

     There have never been times like these before.

     Make sure you know Jesus and have received Him as your Lord and Saviour! "God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble." (Psalms 46:1)

     Have a safe week in Him.

Almondtree Productions

Israel ready to cede parts of Jerusalem in peace deal, may divide Jerusalem, Internationalize Holy Basin

Sept 1, 2010

(Excerpt of post, byTerry Malone)

On the eve of direct talks, Israeli officials are signaling that they may be willing to compromise on core issues. One major compromise is rumored to be that they may even be wiling to cede parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians at some point in the framework of a peace deal. Defense Minister Ehud Barak, stated before news media that, "West Jerusalem and 12 Jewish neighborhoods that are home to 200,000 residents will be ours. The Arab neighborhoods in which close to a quarter million Palestinians live will be theirs."

He also said that the Netanyahu administration would be willing to turn over the section of Jerusalem where the Temple Mount is located to a special regime.

"There will be a special regime in place along with agreed upon arrangements in the Old City, the Mount of Olives and the City of David," he said.

According to leaked sources close to the talks, US President Obama plans to pressure both sides into signing a peace deal as soon as possible even though it will not be fully implemented until years down the road. ( Editors note: It's important to understand the terminology of what they're saying, "fully implemented" does not mean confirmed, which is the beginning or the enactment of a process that is ratified. Fully implemented means the full duration of the process to be completed; e.g. "a seven year agreement would not be fully implemented until the end of a seven year period". The immediate push will be for a framework deal to be signed now (At the start of these direct negotiations) that will "lead to the signing of a final status peace deal within one year". (Signed at the end of one year but not yet implemented, ratified or, confirmed)

As direct talks get set to start, the question on the minds of many is, are we looking at the beginning of the process toward the start of the tribulation period? Certainly, I believe these talks will set the stage for the framework of the coming tribulation period. Whether or not President Obama will ultimately be the leader who confirms and makes strong the coming seven-year peace plan is still unknown. (Editors note: I do not believe Obama is the AC, but he may be the "prince of the covenant", who guarantees Israel "peace and safety" during the enactment of this final seven year agreement.)

Are you ready to meet the Lord? If not, your time is running out!

Terry Malone (End of Excerpt)

***

Mahmoud Abbas, left, shakes hands with Benjamin Netanyahu on the first day of the Middle East peace talks in Washington, DC. Photo: Alex Wong/Getty Images

reuters.com

Obama to Mideast leaders: seize moment for peace

Sept 1, 2010

(Reuters) - President Barack Obama urged Israeli and Palestinian leaders on Wednesday not to let the chance for peace slip away as he opened a Washington summit shadowed by Middle East violence.

Wading into Middle East peacemaking on the eve of the relaunch of face-to-face Israeli-Palestinian negotiations after a 20-month hiatus, Obama said leaders from both sides shared Washington's conviction that a deal on Palestinian statehood could be reached within a year.

"As I told each of them today, this moment of opportunity may not soon come again. They cannot afford to let it slip away," Obama said after one-on-one talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Obama was hosting Middle East leaders at a White House dinner before the formal start of direct Israeli-Palestinian talks at the State Department on Thursday.

**

an end to the conflict and the end of all future demands

* comprehensive security arrangements

* a "solution to the Jerusalem problem."

As for the "Jerusalem problem," Barak told the newspaper that the western side of the city plus "12 Jewish neighborhoods that are home to 200,000 residents will be ours." The neighborhoods in which nearly 250,000 Arabs are living "will be theirs."

In addition, Barak envisions a "special regime" with "agreed-upon arrangements" to administer the Old City, the Mount of Olives and the City of David.

The concept is similar to one raised in the past by the administration of former U.S. President Bill Clinton, who recommended the area, which he referred to as the "Holy Basin," be internationalized under a "special regime."

***

haaretz.com

Barak: Israel ready to cede parts of Jerusalem in peace deal

Sept 1, 2010

Israel is ready to cede parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians in the framework of a peace deal, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said on Wednesday ahead of the start of talks in Washington.

Partition in Jerusalem - at the heart of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict -- would include a "special regime" for managing the city's holiest sites, Barak told Haaretz.

"There will be a special regime in place along with agreed upon arrangements in the Old City, the Mount of Olives and the City of David," he said.

***

wnd.com

Israel concedes Jerusalem before negotiations even begin

Sept 1, 2010

JERUSALEM - Ahead of the start of today's Mideast summit in Washington, the Israeli government publicly conceded sections of Jerusalem will become part of a Palestinian state while holy sites would be governed by a "special regime."

Barak told the newspaper what is needed "is courage to make historic, painful decisions. I'm not saying that there is certainty for success, but there is a chance. This chance must be exploited to the fullest."

***

Mubarak calls for int'l security force in West Bank

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=186720

Sept 1, 2010

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak suggested that an international peacekeeping force be stationed in the West Bank as a compromise between Israel's security concerns and the Palestinian's desire for a complete Israeli withdrawal from the territory. Mubarak's comments came in an op-ed piece published in Wednesday's New York Times. - - Mubarak also stated his belief that "settlements and peace are incompatible," saying that negotiations cannot succeed without a complete cessation of Israeli expansion into the West Bank and Jerusalem.

The Egyptian president added that Israel-Palestinian peace must come in the context of a larger peace agreement between Israel and the entire Arab world. Mubarak said that such a peace could be obtained by following the parameters of the Arab Peace Initiative, in which Israel would be offered peace and normalization with all of the Arab nations in exchange for a withdrawal from all Arab territory and a just solution to the Palestinian refugee problem.

***

The Seventieth Week of Daniel

The last of the 70 "weeks" of Daniel, the last 7 years (also known as the 70th week), is yet to be fulfilled, and will be soon

He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation [offering] to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate (Daniel 9:27 KJV).

The word "he" refers to "the prince who is to come" (verse 26), and since the Antichrist is also referred to as "the prince of the covenant" in Daniel 11:22, we know that the "he" in this verse is the Antichrist.

What is a "covenant"?--It's a pact, a solemn agreement. The signing of this covenant will mark the start of the Antichrist's seven-year reign and the last seven years before Jesus returns.

This covenant is mentioned several other times in the Scriptures. Because it is called a "holy covenant" in Daniel 11:28,30, it appears to be some sort of religious pact, at least in part--quite possibly one that tackles the thorny issue of religious coexistence between Jews, Muslims, and Christians, and by which Jerusalem will be declared an international city with free and equal access guaranteed to people of all faiths. It appears that this will also clear the way for the Jews to finally be able to rebuild their Temple on Jerusalem's Mount Moriah and reinstitute animal sacrifices on its altar.

But in the "midst of the week"--or three and a half years into the seven-year covenant period--the Antichrist will renege on the agreement:

And arms shall stand on his part, and they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate (Daniel 11:31 KJV).

This is a key Scripture because it tells us that at this point, three and a half years after confirming the seven-year covenant, the Antichrist will forcibly enter the Jewish Temple (the "sanctuary of strength"), which would have to have been built by then, as it does not exist now. He will put an end to the daily sacrifice and place in the Temple area something called the "abomination of desolation."

Over 500 years after Daniel gave this prophecy, Jesus referred to it in His dissertation on the signs of His second coming and of the end of the world as we know it:

When you see the "abomination of desolation," spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place [the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem] ... then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor ever shall be (Matthew 24:15,21).

So what exactly is this "abomination of desolation"?--Jesus said we would see it "standing" in the Jewish Temple. Daniel 11:31 says the Antichrist's forces will "place" it there. Daniel 12:11 says that it will be "set up." We find out in the book of Revelation that the abomination of desolation is an image of the Antichrist himself (Revelation 13:15), who the Bible also refers to as "the Beast" (Revelation 13:1-7).

The Antichrist's chief aide, the "false prophet," will be behind the making of this image, which will be able to "speak" and somehow have power to cause those who refuse to worship it to be killed (Revelation 13:11-15). This power will be through the electronic monetary system that the Antichrist government will enact. People will be forced to submit to and worship the Antichrist, because under this system no one will be able to buy or sell without a personal account number, the "mark of the Beast," in their right hands or foreheads (Revelation 13:16-18). But some will refuse to worship the Antichrist or receive his mark, and the Lord will take care of them (Revelation 12:6,14).

Back to Daniel 9:27: The Antichrist will rule "even until the consummation." The Hebrew word that is translated "consummation" here comes from the root kalah, which can mean either "complete" or "consume, destroy utterly." It is unclear which meaning is intended--whether it refers to the last aspect of the prophecy being fulfilled or the utter destruction of the Antichrist and his forces--but both fit because they happen at the same time. The prophecy will be completed and the Antichrist destroyed shortly after the second coming of Christ, in the wrath of God and the Battle of Armageddon. Verse 27 continues: "and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate." The wrath of God will be poured upon the Antichrist and his followers, but meanwhile God's saved children will be safely home in Heaven, enjoying the marriage feast of the Lamb, who is Jesus (Daniel 12:11-12; Revelation 14:9-10; chapters 15-16; 19).

* *

* *

Originally published in: Activated Magazine Online - www.activated.org