From the Book of Daniel    85 

verses which follow.   `In the whole land, says the L

ORD

, two thirds shall be 

cut off and perish, and one third shall be left alive.'   (Zech 13:8). Compare 

this to Revelation chapters 8 and 9, which describes a large percentage of 

mankind being killed (Rev 8:7.11; 9:18). 

     The Shepherd who is struck is the Pope (Zech 13:7). Do not be surprised 

when I say that the Church will, for a time, be without a Pope. Before the 

reign of Saul, David, and Solomon, Israel was without a king (Judges 18:1). 

In those years, God gave Israel prophets and judges to help guide them. God 

did not forsake His people. God was their King. 

The People of the Antichrist 

     And the people, when their leader arrives, will destroy the city and the 

sanctuary.  (Dan 9:26). These people are evildoers, including some claiming 

to be Christians, who will become followers of Antichrist. They, in a sense, 

prepare for his coming to power by fighting against the Church. Notice that 

there are many persons who are fighting against the Church even before 

Antichrist makes a concentrated effort to destroy the Church and the Faith. 

These persons prepare the way for Antichrist. Some of these call themselves 

Christians, but they do not obey the teachings of Christ and His Church. If 

not for Christians who commit grave sins and who oppose or abandon the 

Church's teachings, there would be no Antichrist. It is because of the grave 

and continual sins of Christians that God allows such extreme evils to come 

upon the world. 

The Nearly Seven Years of the Church's Passion (Dan 9:27) 

      `But he will confirm a covenant with many for one week of years; and 

for half of the week of years, victim and sacrifice will nearly cease; but there 

will be in the temple the abomination of desolation. And the desolation will 

continue even to the consummation and the end.'   (Dan 9:27). 

    Antichrist will make a strong pact (religious in nature, as indicated by the 

word  covenant ) with many people for one week of years (about seven 

years). Those who make this pact with Antichrist will be giving up their faith 

in God and in Jesus to hail Antichrist as savior. This period of nearly seven 

years is the time of the Church's great suffering, the Church's Passion and 

Crucifixion. Therefore, the covenant probably includes an agreement to 

oppose or fight against the true Church and faithful Christians, or perhaps to 

deny the existence of any God but the Antichrist. 

    This week of years is the last of the seventy weeks of years described by 

Daniel. These last seven years occur  from  A.D. 2431 to 2437. I think that 

the Christian calendar will undergo some changes between now and then, so