God's Prophetic Blueprint

Chapter 7

WHEN BLIND EYES SEE

It was discovered in an earlier chapter that the seventieth week of Daniel will begin when Antichrist confirms a covenant with the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:27). This promise of peace, from the one they believe to be their long-awaited Messiah (actually the Antichrist), will cause the Jews to relax. The covenant will allow them to carry on their Old Testament order of worship, including its animal sacrifices. They will be certain that the Kingdom Age has begun.

It will be obvious, however, that they have been tricked by "the man of sin," because soon after they let down their guard and become the "land of unwalled villages ... at rest ... dwelling safely" (Ezekiel 38:11), the northern confederacy, led by Russia, will "ascend ... like a storm" in an attempt to destroy the nation of Israel. It will become clear to truth-seeking Jews that the rider of the white horse of Revelation 6 is the Antichrist (verse 2). The next rider comes on a red horse "to take peace from the earth" (Revelation 6:4). They will reason, "How could the first rider be our Christ when the second rider brings war, for when the true Messiah comes, He will bring peace?"

It should also be noted that during those days, 144,000 "servants of God" will be proclaiming the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ (Revelation 7:3). In addition, the faithful ministry of the "two witnesses" will be felt (Revelation 11:3). Scales will fall from Jewish eyes as they admit that their real Messiah came "unto his own, and his own received him not" (John 1:11). They will remember how they cried for His blood and finally found satisfaction when He was nailed to a cross. Isaiah 53 will be understood: "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of sorrows, and acquainted with grief: and we hid as it were our faces from him; he was despised, and we esteemed him not. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all" (verses 3-6). At last they will understand God's timetable. The first coming of Messiah was to give His blood on the cross as the only atonement for the sin of the world (Psalm 22). The second coming of Messiah (the Revelation of Christ - see chart) will be to set up His kingdom here on earth (Psalm 24).

God's Word does not reveal how many Jews will turn to Christ as Saviour, but one word of clarification should be made. When we read in Romans 11:26 that "all Israel shall be saved," we are not to understand that every Jew will come to Christ. It is true that Israel as a nation is to be saved, but not every Jew will respond to the truth of the Gospel. As we shall discover in a later chapter, when Christ returns to the earth in His Revelation, He will not only find believing Jews (called "wise virgins" in Matthew 25), He will also find unbelieving Jews (called "foolish virgins"). We know that the virgins without oil in their lamps (Matthew 25:3) are unbelievers because Christ will say to them, "I know you not" (Matthew 25:12). Though many Jews will refuse to receive Christ as Saviour, there will, no doubt, be millions who will be saved.

In addition to Jewish Tribulation saints, there will be millions of Gentiles who will open their hearts by faith to the Lord Jesus (Revelation 7:9). It is safe to say that more people will turn to Christ during the seventieth week of Daniel than during any comparable period of time in all of human history. It should also be noted that a great percentage of Tribulation saints will be beheaded "for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God" who had not "worshipped the beast, neither his image" nor would they receive "his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands" (Revelation 20:4). There will be a great turning to Christ as penitent sinners, Jews and Gentiles alike, open their hearts to the crucified, resurrected, and soon-coming Son of God.