McCain Won’t Rule Out Another Senate Run

“The words in italics were added by the translators, verse 11 reads: ‘And from the time the daily is taken away’...”

What qualifies you to challenge a well-established translation from another language? You need to either have such expertise or to rely on someone else’s expertise.

Adding a word does not mean the translators were altering the meaning of the passage. Many times translation would not make sense if simply translating word by word. Linguistic rules are different for different languages. The order of subject and verb, etc.

We know from the context and other parts of the book of Daniel that the daily temple sacrifices are the subject. To substitute the topic of Romans 12:1 for the literal meaning violates pretty much every elementary principle of exegetical study.

And it absolutely contradicts what Paul said about the rapture of living believers. He called it a “mystery”, which had not been revealed before. (See 1 Corinthians 15:51.) Neither Daniel, nor any other writer of the Old Testament, ever hinted at a rapture. They spoke of the resurrection of the dead, but had no revelation regarding what would happen to the living saints at that time.

“So, if I am still here in October, 2017, it will be because I was not ‘found worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass.’ How about you?”

Let’s look at the context of the passage you cited:

Luke 21:34-36
But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly. For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.

What “Day” is being referred to here? Let’s look at what precedes it:

Luke 21:25-28
And there will be signs in the sun, in the moon, and in the stars; and on the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them from fear and the expectation of those things which are coming on the earth, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. Then they will see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. Now when these things begin to happen, look up and lift up your heads, because your redemption draws near.

The Day is the Day of the Lord, i.e. when Christ come back. Notice first that this takes place AFTER the Great Tribulation. Notice second that the end of the Great Tribulation is demarcated by cataclysmic signs in the sky, and Christ returns immediately after this. Notice thirdly that His return is described to His disciples as YOUR REDEMPTION. And this is not merely a redemption for the saints already in Heaven. He says, notice fourthly, to “look up.” This is for His followers still on the earth.

So the ESCAPE you are seeking and praying to be counted worthy of happens to those who go THROUGH the Great Tribulation and are rescued when it is cut short and Christ returns at the End. (It is literally called “The End” here and in other passages like 1 Corinthians 15.)

John 16:33
These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.

John 17:15, 20, 24
I do not pray that You should take them out of the world, but that You should keep them from the evil one...
I do not pray for these alone, but also for those who will believe in Me through their word...
Father, I desire that they also whom You gave Me may be with Me where I am, that they may behold My glory which You have given Me; for You loved Me before the foundation of the world.

See. Christ prayed for US. Not just His disciples then. For us, who believed later. And He did not pray to take us out of the world in order to escape tribulation. He prayed that His Father would keep us safeguarded during this evil age.

Incidentally, the Greek word for “keep” in John 17:15 is the same word used in Revelation when Christ addressed the churches representing the last generation of believers:

Revelation 3:10
Because you have kept My command to persevere, I also will keep you from the hour of trial which shall come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth.

We MUST persevere. That is a command. If we do so, He will keep us from being harmed spiritually by the real dangers of this horrific era - the ones against the soul.

I can prove this from scriptures.

Revelation 2:10
Do not fear any of those things which you are about to suffer. Indeed, the devil is about to throw some of you into prison, that you may be tested, and you will have tribulation ten days. Be faithful until death, and I will give you the crown of life.

He tells them not to fear. And then He says some of you will go to prison and some will be killed. Why not fear?

Luke 21:15-18
For I will give you a mouth and wisdom which all your adversaries will not be able to contradict or resist. You will be betrayed even by parents and brothers, relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death. And you will be hated by all for My name’s sake. But not a hair of your head shall be lost.

In the same breath Jesus told us that we would be betrayed and put to death, and yet not one hair on our head will perish. How’s that?

The escaping of all these things is not that we will not experience them, but that we will be preserved through them. Some believers will remain alive until Christ returns. Others will die. But all those who persevere and endure to the end will be saved.

Remember Daniel’s three friends. They knew God COULD rescue them from the fiery furnace, but they said three very important words in their reply to the king: “but if not”. Even if God did not rescue them, they still would not bow. And guess what, they went through the fire but were not burned. They did not even have the scent of smoke on them. This is the kind of escape and keeping that God will do for believers.

I am not trying to discourage you or insult you. I’m just trying to warn you. What you think is going to happen, is NOT going to happen. And it is important that you focus your resolve to NOT be discouraged at the hard times that MUST come.

The way out is the way through.

“If you want to believe that Daniel 12:1 is about the daily temple sacrifices then you will get to experience the Tribulation.”

If the Tribulation comes in the next several months, we will all go through it or perish in it. Jesus is coming after it but before the Day of the Lord, which follows the Great Tribulation. Those who are counting on escaping by a secret rapture beforehand are much more likely to be among those who “fall away,” “are offended” for Jesus’ sake, or apostatize, as the scriptures warn repeatedly will happen to professing Christians during that time period.

Daniel 8:10-14
And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.
Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”
And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”

Daniel 9:27
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.

Daniel 11:31
And forces shall be mustered by him, and they shall defile the sanctuary fortress; then they shall take away the daily sacrifices, and place there the abomination of desolation.

Daniel 12:11
And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days.

Mark 13:14
So when you see the “abomination of desolation,” spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

The term “daily” in relation to the temple in Daniel 8, 11, and 12 cited above MUST mean daily sacrifices. You can’t simply decide what you want it to mean in order to make it fit your paradigm. This is something daily done in connection with the temple - the sanctuary of the temple specifically. And the passage in chapter 9 above proves that the abomination of desolation brings about an end to sacrifices. Yes, “sacrifice” is in the original Hebrew. See zebah at http://biblehub.com/interlinear/daniel/9.htm which is ALWAYS translated as sacrifice for ALL 53 times it is used in the Bible.

Further, Jesus said in the above passage from Mark that the abomination will “stand.” It is a thing. And the passage from Daniel 11 above tells us where this thing will be placed: in the sanctuary. The sanctuary will be defiled, ending the daily sacrifice, and replacing it with this thing that will stand there. And how long will the daily sacrifice be taken away? Until the sanctuary is cleansed. See, the abomination in the temple is what takes away the daily sacrifice.

2 Thessalonians 2:3-4
Let no one deceive you by any means; for that Day will not come unless the falling away comes first, and the man of sin is revealed, the son of perdition, who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.

The anti-Christ will demand worship from the whole world and exalt himself above all other deities. He will put an end to the daily sacrifice and offerings in the temple.

And finally, we can examine the Hebrew word “daily” to see how it is used elsewhere in scripture. Daily (hattamid) is used 24 times: http://biblehub.com/hebrew/hattamid_8548.htm . How many times does the word refer to daily sacrifices? Take a guess. ALL OF THEM! Bread, grain, oil, drink, meat, showbread are all connected throughout Numbers and Nehemiah where the word is used in addition to Daniel.

The word “daily” in the Daniel passages, like all other places in the Bible, is ALWAYS used of the daily or continual sacrifice in the holy place. It is NEVER used to refer to something else.

It is foolish and dangerous to twist these prophetic scriptures to fit your own ideas. Doing so brings destruction:

2 Peter 3:13-16
Nevertheless we, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth in which righteousness dwells.
Therefore, beloved, looking forward to these things, be diligent to be found by Him in peace, without spot and blameless; and consider that the longsuffering of our Lord is salvation—as also our beloved brother Paul, according to the wisdom given to him, has written to you, as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things, in which are some things hard to understand, which untaught and unstable people twist to their own destruction, as they do also the rest of the Scriptures.

Your date setting is as flawed as your misinterpretation of the reference to “daily” in Daniel. And I strongly encourage you to avail yourself of this Biblical correction and humble yourself under God’s mighty hand NOW, rather than in October when it will be much more humiliating for you, those who have misled you, and those you have misled.

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