If you believe that the 70 weeks has not yet been completely fulfilled then you are a dispensationalist. Gap theology literally defines dispensationalism. It teaches that the Church Age is a "parenthesis" between the 69th and 70th weeks (see Daniel 9:24-27), and calls this parenthesis "the mystery" that Paul speaks of in Ephesians.

The truth is, the "mystery" was simply that the Gentiles would be grafted in. This did not necessitate a parenthesis, or gap, in the 70 weeks prophecy. Modern dispensationalists twist the meaning of "the mystery" to support their false doctrine of a Church Age gap.

No such thing as "the end of the Church Age" is taught in scripture. Yet, dispensationalists boldly teach that "the end of the age" refers to the end of the Church Age. The New Testament tells us that the end of the age had come upon that first century Church, and that the very end itself was imminent at that time -- read 1 Corinthians 10:11, Hebrews 9:26 and 1 Peter 4:7. Thus, the end of the age could not have referred to the end of the Church Age because the Church Age had just begun in the first century!

So what age WAS coming to an end in the first century? It was none other than the age marked by "the ministration of death", the Old Covenant. Hebrews 8:13 says that the Old Covenant was "waxing old and ready to vanish" at that time. So when did it vanish? A no brainer indeed! -- 70 A.D. The Old Covenant required a Temple! No temple sacrifices meant no Old Covenant.

We all agree that Jesus returns at the end of the age. The Temple literally represented the age that was coming to an end in the first century, and the disciples knew, from their history, what the it's destruction meant, namely, the end of an age, the day of the Lord, the wrath of God, and a coming down of God in the execution of that wrath.

That is why they clearly associated the Temple's destruction with the coming of the Lord and the end of the age -- read Matthew 24:3 -- and that is why Jesus could answer their question by putting all 3 elements under one and the same time-frame indicator -- read Matthew 24:34. In other words, we cannot exegetically separate by thousands of years the Lord's coming and the end of the age from Jerusalem's desolation. This is basic and foundational to the understanding of Bible prophecy and New Testament theology.

Daniel 12:7 says that the defining characteristic of "the time of the end" is "the scattering of the power of the holy people". The only "power" the holy people had was their special covenantal relationship with God via their Temple. This power was truly broken in 70 A.D., and nowhere in the New Testament is the idea of a "rebuilt Temple" taught. Think about that.

Jesus referred to the cataclysmic, age-ending events of 70 A.D. as "the tribulation of those days" (Matthew 24:29), and said that he would return "immediately after" that particular tribulation. He did NOT say he would return to sit on a big chair in Jerusalem for all the earthly realm to see. Rather, he said that he would sit on "the throne of his glory" (Matthew 19:28). 1 Timothy 3:16 says that Jesus was "recieved up into glory". Folks, "the throne of his glory" is NOT on earth!

Atheists have a field day with the gap doctrine -- they KNOW what Jesus and the inspired Apostles taught about the end of the age! The problem with futuristic eschatology is that you can't say imminence was taught to a first century original audience and then say we are still waiting 2000 years later -- that is, if teaching scripture with integrity means anything at all.

So why not take Jesus and the inspired Apostles at their word? Isn't that a better approach than blatantly changing the meaning of key terms and adding a "Church Age parenthesis" inbetween the lines? The events of 70 A.D. were perfectly consistent with the disciples' own understanding of past days of the Lord, when God sent a destroying army to desolate a nation (read Matthew 22:7). The end of the age was imminent in the first century. That end came in 70 A.D. with the Temple's destruction -- no gaps, parenthesis, delays, postponements, or denials required!