Of “Gaps”

For some, the idea of huge gaps in Biblical prophecy is difficult. It can be hard to explain at times, but there is no question that major breaks in the story occur in some prophecies of the Old Testament. Please open your Bible and check out the following passages for yourself!

Isaiah 9:6. For unto us a child is born… and the government shall be upon His shoulder… Clearly the first and second coming of Christ are in view, but the casual reader will assume this happens all at one time.

So it is in Zechariah 9:9-10. Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you, lowly and riding on a donkey...He shall speak peace to the nations. Peace is coming to the earth one day. And Jesus did ride into Jerusalem on a donkey one day. These two days are, so far, 1980 some years apart.

In Daniel 7: 21-24, the male goat is the kingdom of Greece. The large horn that is between its eyes is the first king (aka Alexander the Great). As for the broken horn and the four that stood up in its place, four kingdoms shall arise out of that nation...And in the lat- ter time of their Kingdom...a King shall arise (aka the “antichrist”). Another huge gap of time.

In Daniel 11, there are actually several “gaps” upon close inspection. Let’s look at the various parts of the prophecy:

Part I is Persia, 11:2. This takes place from 530-466 BC. Then, there is a GAP of 110 years!

Part II is Alexander and the successors to the death of Seleucus, 11:3-5 from 356-280