Ted’s Response:

Before I address your concern, I want to say that many people felt the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), spanning the 7-year period January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2013, might have been the 7-year agreement of Daniel 9:27a, especially since Israel was the first non-European nation to sign on to the agreement. However, that 7-year period went by and nothing prophetic happened.

In the Fall of 2013, that agreement was renewed, confirmed and strengthened as the European Neighbourhood Instrument (ENI), to span the 7-year period January 1, 2014, to December 31, 2020. We are near the end of that period, but the Great Tribulation (GT) period has not begun. I feel it is conceivable that the frightful GT period could begin during the upcoming Passover week (April 9-16, 2020), although I have my doubts.

Jesus warned of at least two things occurring in Jerusalem at the beginning of the Great Tribulation. He said that the abomination that causes desolation, indicated by the prophet Daniel, would take place and that people in Judea should flee to the mountains when they saw it happen (Matthew 24:15,16). Also, Jesus said that when Jerusalem is surround by armies, its desolation is near and people in that area need to flee away (Luke 21:20,21). The woman (a remnant of Israel) will flee to a place prepared for her by God, where He will take care of her for 1,260 days = 3½ years on the Jewish calendar.

When I hear that either of these things have taken place and that many people have fled from the area in and around Jerusalem, then I will feel very strongly that the GT period has begun. If Passover week 2020 goes by without anything prophetic happening, I will conclude that the GT will begin in a future year. Perhaps the ENP and ENI agreements will be extended for another 7-year period, or else there will be an unrelated 7-year agreement at some point that will be the prophetic fulfillment of Daniel 9:27a.

Many Christians feel that the global COVID-19 coronavirus outbreak is a very strong warning from God that major end-time events are near. However, God's thoughts and ways are infinitely higher than ours (Isaiah 55:8,9). The 2019–20 coronavirus pandemic very well may be an alert for the people of the world to stop drifting away from God, to repent and to turn toward Him. Yet, even if that were to happen, it would be for only a relatively short time, since people are innately sinful and self-centered. Eventually, God's severe judgment and punishment will begin to come upon the earth, but right now we cannot be absolutely certain yet when that will happen.

In case you have the interest and time, you can read my very lengthy and perplexing commentary that I have been updating, little by little, since 2016:

However, right now I am as unclear as anyone else about where we are on God's prophetic timeline. I simply advise for people to get as close to God as they possibly can, pray that He will protect them from COVID-19 and other unpleasant things, and earnestly express to God how much they long for Jesus, the Messiah, to return and to rule and reign over the world in perfect righteousness, justice, lawfulness, peace and love. Until then, I recommend reading God's Holy Bible often, even all the way from Genesis to Revelation.