Copyright
© 2024 Michael A. Brown
The Dome of the Rock on
Temple Mount as a Historical Type during the Times of the Gentiles of the
End-times ‘Abomination of Desolation’[1]
1.
Judgement on Israel for seven ‘times’
· God
told the ancient Israelites that, if they lived in wilful disobedience to his
covenant, then they would undergo judgement for a period of ‘seven times’ (Lev.
26:18-45, esp. vv.18,21,24,28). A ‘time’
refers to a 360-day year and it is based on the ancient Babylonian
administrative calendar. This calendar
had 12 months of 30 days each in a year, so a year consisted of 360 days and
therefore ‘a time’ was 360 days. God
uses this way of measuring time for periods of judgement (cf. compare
Gen. 7:11 and 8:3-4). Furthermore, when
it comes to such periods of judgement, God also uses the well-known ‘day-year’
principle (cf. Num. 14:34, Ezek. 4:4-6).
So ‘a time’ of judgement on Israel would last for 360 years, and
therefore ‘seven times’ would last for 7 x 360 years, i.e. 2,520 years.
· This
historical period of judgement, which came upon the Israelites and lasted for
2,520 years, began in 588 BC (when the Babylonians besieged Jerusalem with the
intention of destroying both the city and the temple), and it is known as ‘the
times of the Gentiles.’ However, because
this siege was preceded by an initial siege which began in 607 BC, it is useful
for the sake of this study to link these two sieges together because they are
intrinsically related, and to say that the ‘times of the Gentiles’ started with
the period 607/588 BC. See the summary diagram in Figure A.1 below.
2.
Outline of the history
· So
the ‘times of the Gentiles’ refers to the period of time when various Gentile
empires were given dominion as beasts over Israel, because of the wilful sin of
the Israelites. This period lasted from
607/588 BC (when Jerusalem was first besieged by the Babylonians and then
finally destroyed by them) until 1948/1967 AD (when Israel became a modern
state again in May 1948, firstly regaining sovereignty over the land, and then
also regaining full control of Jerusalem during the six-day war in June
1967). This fulfilled Jesus’ words that
Jerusalem would be trampled on by the Gentiles ‘until the times of the Gentiles
are fulfilled’ (Luke 21:24). These
‘times of the Gentiles’ lasted for 2,520 years (7 x 360 years, which is also
the same as 2 x 1,260 years).
· This
period of corporate judgement upon the Israelites was typified by the ‘seven
times’ (so seven years of 360 days each) which passed in personal judgement
over king Nebuchadnezzar (cf. Dan. 4:16,23,32).
Furthermore, because Nebuchadnezzar represents Gentile rule as a
beast (cf. Dan. ch.2), and was also a historical type of the end-times
Antichrist, ‘seven times’ is also a prophetic type of the seven-year end-times
tribulation. See part 2 of this Appendix.
· However,
chronologically this period of judgement became a total of 2,553½ years. The life of Christ (which lasted for 33½
years and took place within this span of 2,520 years) is not reckoned as part
of the ‘times of the Gentiles,’ because, even though in Christ’s lifetime Judea
was indeed subject to the rule of Rome, yet, because Christ is the Son of God
and the King of Israel and brought the ministry of the kingdom of God to
Israel, he cannot be considered to be a subject of judgement under the sinful human
rule of the Gentile beast. So this
period of 33½ years is not reckoned as part of the ‘times of the Gentiles,’ and
in our calculations this figure therefore needs to be added on to the 2,520
years, so making a total of 2,553½ years.
See Figure A.1 below. This period of 33½ years also has
significance as 33½ days in Part 2 where I give a timeline overview of the
seven-year period of the end-times tribulation.
· These
‘times of the Gentiles’ encompassed several different Gentile empires which
ruled over the land of Israel and its people: Babylonian, Persian, Seleucid
Greek, Roman, Persian Sassanid (briefly), Islamic (within whose span there also
existed briefly the Crusader kingdom of Jerusalem), and finally the British
Mandate. Within this total span of
2,553½ years, the Jews had independent control over some of their land for some
time during the Seleucid Greek Empire until the Roman conquest, and the temple
was re-built after the Babylonian exile until its destruction again by the
Romans in 70 AD (the so-called ‘Second Temple period’).
· The
forces of Islam took Jerusalem in 639 AD, and they built the Dome of the Rock
(beginning in 688 AD) and the Al-Aqsa mosque (beginning in 707 AD) on the
Temple Mount site. The Islamic community
named this site as ‘Haram Al-Sharif’ (meaning ‘Noble Sanctuary’).[2]
· The
original ‘abomination of desolation’ was that which was enacted by Antiochus IV
Epiphanes when he set up a statue to the pagan god Zeus within the temple
precincts in Jerusalem, and also sacrificed a sow pig on the altar (cf. Dan.
8:9-14,23-25; 11:31). This was prophetic
of the end-times ‘abomination of desolation’ which will be erected by
Antichrist in the holy place (Dan. 9:27, 12:11; Matt. 24:15). Furthermore, the Romans similarly erected a
temple to Zeus/Jupiter on Temple Mount after 135 AD. However, our interest lies in the Dome of the
Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque which were built on the same site during the time of
the domination of Islam to replace this pagan Roman temple. The significance of the timing of their
building during the ‘times of the Gentiles’ suggests that they can be viewed as
a historical type of the end-times ‘abomination of desolation,’ and therefore
that they represent in themselves the summing up of the relentless satanic
desire working through Gentiles to blaspheme and defile this sacred site during
the ‘times of the Gentiles.’
· Note
the repeated pattern of 19-year periods on the summary diagram in Figure A.1
below, occurring at the beginning, middle, and end of the ‘times of the
Gentiles.’ The bringing of ancient
Israel into subjection to the Babylonians took place over a period of 19 years;
the building on Temple Mount of the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque
likewise took place over a 19-year period; and, the restoration to Israel of
sovereignty over the land and over the city of Jerusalem also took place over
19 years. A period of 19 years
represents one complete cycle of the Hebrew luni-solar calendar.
3.
Some of the antichrist
characteristics of the nature of Islam
· From a theological standpoint, Islam represents the antithesis of biblical theology. It denies the crucial teachings of the Bible when it comes to the person and work of Christ and the salvation of humankind. It is therefore antichrist in nature.
· The
theological antithesis between Islam and the word of God is clearly stated in
the Arabic inscriptions from Sura 19:33-35 of the Qur’an on the walls inside
the Dome of the Rock, denying the divine Sonship of Christ by saying ‘It is not
befitting to Allah that he should beget a son’.
It is of profound significance that this statement of such a
theologically anti-Christian and anti-Judaistic religion, is openly stated on
the very ground that God used as a place for his own habitation in Old
Testament times in ‘the city of the great king’. The building of the Islamic Dome of the Rock
and the Al Aqsa Mosque on the site of Temple Mount is highly significant, as
they are among the main hub centres of the Gentile worship of a false god. They have taken the place of the Jewish
temple. It should be clear from ongoing
media coverage that this temple site in Jerusalem is the most holy and
important site to the Jews, and it is also third in importance for followers of
Islam, after Mecca and Medina. So it has
become the most fiercely contested piece of real estate on planet earth, and
the centre of significant and ongoing spiritual warfare.
4.
The significance of the timing of the building of the
Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque
· It
is significant that the Dome of the Rock and the Al Aqsa Mosque were built on
Temple Mount during the period 688 – 707 AD.
This 19-year period was precisely in the middle of the 2,520-year
period of the ‘times of the Gentiles’ (not taking into account the lifetime of
Christ). See Figure A.1 below.
· This
timing of their building splits the ‘times of the Gentiles’ into two parts of
equal duration (each of 1,260 years), and this clearly indicates that together
they are a historical type of the end-times ‘abomination of desolation’ which
will be set up in the middle of the seven-year tribulation period (after the
first period of 1,260 days), desecrating the newly built third temple (Dan.
9:27, Matt. 24:15, Rev. 11:1-3). See Figure A.1 below.
· The
ground of Temple Mount has been desecrated by this historical ‘abomination of
desolation’ ever since 688 / 707 AD by being dedicated to the worship of a
false god.
· This
significance of the timing of their building confirms that the historical
‘times of the Gentiles’ are a prophetic type of the end-times tribulation, and
it gives strong affirmation of the scriptural fact that the end-times
‘abomination of desolation’ will be set up in the middle of the seven-year
tribulation period (cf. Dan. 9:27, Matt. 24:15).
5.
Notes on the summary diagram in
Figure A.1
· The
inclusion of the 33½ years of Christ’s life into the summary diagram in Figure
A.1 on the following page, but not viewing them as part of the ‘times of the
Gentiles,’ has the effect of increasing the year dates by 34 years on the
timeline of the first 1,260 years. This
takes the years 607 / 588 BC to 688 AD and 707 AD respectively. And then going on forward by another 1,260
years from 688 /707 AD brings us to 1948 and 1967 respectively. The diagram is not to scale.
· Adding
on 34 years rather than 33½ years simply implies that we need to do a more
detailed and exact study involving the particular months in the years when
these various events took place, rather than simply dealing with year numbers.
· Note that there is no ‘year zero,’ so as we cross from BC to AD, we need to subtract one as we calculate the number of years. So the number of years from X BC to Y AD is (X + Y) – 1.
Figure A.1 Summary diagram: the Dome of the Rock and the two historical halves of the ‘times of the Gentiles’
6. Various facts that we can deduce from the above summary diagram and their significance for Jerusalem, the land and the people
Jerusalem first besieged 607
BC
607 BC + 2,520 years 1914 AD
· beginning of WW1 – this war
liberated the land from the Islamic Ottoman Empire (cf. Matt. 24:6 ‘such things
must happen’)
Jerusalem subjected 604 BC
604 BC + 2,520 years
1917 AD
· General Allenby liberates
Jerusalem from the Islamic yoke on 11th December 1917.
·
Balfour Declaration regarding a
homeland for the Jewish people
Jerusalem besieged again and conquered 598-597 BC
598 BC + 2,520 years 1923 AD
·
British Mandate over Palestine
came into force
Jerusalem besieged yet again – city and temple finally destroyed 588 BC
588 BC + 2,520 years 1933 AD
·
World Monetary and Economic
Conference opens in London, June 12th
·
66 nations gather to try to
solve world’s economic problems
·
another step towards the
creation of a united one-world system, without God
·
rise of Hitler to power in 1933
(a type of Antichrist), leading to WW2 lasting seven years
·
WW2 Holocaust leads to re-birth
of Israel
It is clear from these
calculations that they all result in year dates which historically have been
undeniably significant for the Jewish people and the land of Israel towards the
end of the ‘times of the Gentiles.’
Furthermore, if we take
account of Christ’s lifetime in these calculations (as
in Figure A.1 above, and which therefore has the effect of adding 34
years to these dates), we then get the following:
Jerusalem first besieged 607
BC
607 BC + 2,520 years [+ 34 years] 1948 AD
·
the year of Israel’s rebirth as
a nation
Jerusalem besieged again – city and temple destroyed 588 BC
588 BC + 2,520 years [+ 34 years] 1967 AD
·
re-taking of Jerusalem by the
Israelis
7.
Final thoughts
· Since
1948/1967, we have entered into a new phase in God’s timetable and his purposes
(cf. Ps. 102:13 ‘the set time has come’).
Prior to 1948/1967, Gentiles had rule over the land, people and city,
but now God’s plan is that the Jews (although generally still in unbelief) have
returned and are still returning to the land, and they are in sovereign control
of both the land and the city of Jerusalem.
So Israel has taken its place at the centre of the world stage in
preparation for the end-times tribulation period and the millennial reign of Christ
which will follow.
· The
land belongs to God himself, and it is the ground of his redemptive
purposes. It is his land, in which he
will display his glory (which is why Satan hates it and wants to possess it for
himself in order to thwart the purposes of God). Attempts to bring about a lasting political
solution to the Middle East conundrum are simply pragmatic attempts to impose a
humanistic ‘peace’ in a place where there can be no real lasting peace until
the messianic millennial kingdom of Christ.
Any and all attempts by Gentile powers from 1948/1967 onwards to re-take
the land or to divide it further, will simply result in failure and judgement
for such Gentile nations (cf. Zech. 12:2-3; Joel 3:1-2). As the prophet Zechariah put it, Jerusalem
will become a burdensome stone, and any attempts by the nations to ‘move it,’
will only result in them injuring themselves.
· So
we can now expect that forthcoming events in God’s end-times eschatological
timetable will soon be fulfilled.
Satan’s final attempt to re-take the land and city and to destroy the
Jewish people will be during the time of the tribulation (cf. Dan. 9:27; Zech.
12:2-3,14:2; Rev. ch.12).
Bibliography
Walker,
D. The Seven Times of the Gentiles, 2008, available from https://www.oxfordbiblechurch.co.uk.
https://www.bethlehem.edu/2020/03/02/the-dome-of-the-rock/,
accessed 03.09.2024.
No comments:
Post a Comment