In this next
series of blogs I am going to give my understanding of what to expect in the
coming days, months, years. I truly
believe we are living in the times that will soon culminate in the rapture of
the church and the coming time in which the wrath of God will be poured out on
the unbelieving world and the 70th week of Daniel, also known as the
7-year tribulation, will begin. I will
not address the events of Psalm 83 or Ezekiel 38-39 at this time since they
were addressed at the beginning of the year. I know this is a long post, but I am only doing one a week at the current time.
I think that
the key to understanding the future according to biblical prophecy is found in
Daniel 9. Daniel is engaged in earnest
prayer for the people of Israel since he understood from the prophecies of
Jeremiah that Jerusalem would lie desolate for seventy years. At the time of his prayer, that time was
coming to a close. Daniel was
interceding and asking for God to show mercy and forgiveness to his people in
spite of their sin and rebellion. He
acknowledged God’s judgment to be righteous and just, but he sought God’s mercy
in consideration of the honor of His name.
Before Daniel
had finished praying, the angel Gabriel made his presence known to Daniel and let Daniel know that the moment he started to
pray, he was commanded to go and explain things to Daniel. Why?
Because he is “greatly beloved.” Oh to fulfill God’s pleasure in such a
great way. Many a time has my prayer
been to be known as the friend of God like Abraham, as a woman after God’s own
heart like David, and greatly beloved liked Daniel.
Gabriel now begins to explain to Daniel God’s plan for the
people of Israel and for Jerusalem.
These last four verses of Daniel 9 provide the basic outline and timing of events in relationship to the
people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.
Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are
determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression,
and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to
bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and
to anoint the most Holy.”
The timing of
events is identified according to a period of “seventy weeks” that God has
determined to accomplish His purposes for Israel and Jerusalem. I keep emphasizing that truth because so
many, even in the church today, have for some reason ignored the truth as
stated in God’s word and have decided that Israel is no longer relevant to
God’s plan and purposes. They have also
decided that the people of Israel have no valid claim to Jerusalem and the land
of Israel. It truly boggles my mind in
light of so much scripture that refutes their conclusions.
These seventy
weeks are actually seventy weeks of years that total 490 years. God is going to use this 490-year period to
accomplish six things with the Jewish people and to reestablish the temple in
Jerusalem as the spiritual center of the nation.
Purpose 1 is “to
finish the transgression.” After studying the Hebrew, it seems to mean to bring
an end to their rebellion to authority.
Since this is God’s decree, it would stand to reason that He is
referencing their rebellion and disobedience to Him.
Purpose 2 is “to
make an end of sins.” This is
referencing the time that all Israel will be saved and living under the new
covenant referenced in Jeremiah 31:33-34.
But this shall be the covenant that I will make
with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law
in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and
they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour,
and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me,
from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more.
Purpose 3 is “to
make reconciliation for iniquity.” This
is talking about atonement for sin, which was accomplished by the death, burial
and resurrection of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God.
Purpose 4 is “to
bring in everlasting righteousness.” Once the earthly kingdom of Messiah is
established, every Jewish person will follow the Lord in obedience. Every Jewish child born during that time will
be saved and recognize God as LORD. This
is the truth Paul was teaching in Romans 11:26.
And so all Israel shall
be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and
shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob….
Purpose 5 is “to
seal up vision and prophecy.” This is a
reference to the fact that there will no longer be a need for visions,
revelations, oracles, or prophecy through inspired men. Why?
Jesus will then be on the throne of David ruling as King of kings and
Lord of lords.
Purpose 6 is “to
anoint the most Holy.” This would seem
to allow for both the anointing/consecrating of Jesus as King and the anointing
of the new temple in Jerusalem that Ezekiel so specifically detailed in his
prophecy.
Daniel 9:25 “Know therefore and
understand, that from the going forth
of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the
Prince shall be seven weeks, and
threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even
in troublous times.”
Gabriel now gives Daniel some specific time references. From the time of the commandment to restore
and build Jerusalem and the coming of Messiah will be 69 weeks or 483
years—seven weeks (7 x 7 = 49 years) + 62 weeks (3 x 20 = 60 + 2 = 62 x 7 = 434
years) (49 + 434 = 483).
Nehemiah 2:1-8 describes the decree signed by Artaxerxes
authorizing the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem, including the walls;
;
the exact date is debated to be between 444-457 BC.
The first “seven weeks” of this prophecy mark
the 49 years that it took for the people to rebuild the temple and the walls of
Jerusalem after returning from the Babylonian captivity.
Sir Robert Anderson, in his book The Coming Prince,
goes into great detail regarding the timing of this 69 weeks. I have read other authors who have some
discrepancies with his calculations, but who basically agree—and the facts are
quite convincing to me. I am sure that
whatever discrepancies may exist will disappear when we are finally able to
look back from God’s viewpoint.
Based on these calculations, they declare that Jesus rode
into Jerusalem on the donkey presenting Himself publicly as their King on the
date exactly 483 years to the day after the decree referenced in this
verse. These calculations are based on
years of 360 days as recognized by the Jewish people of that time. Anderson’s book can be read online at: http://philologos.org/__eb-tcp/default.htm.
Daniel 9:26 “And
after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:
and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the
sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be
with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”
After this
483-year period, Messiah will be cut off (destroyed, consumed, perish). Why?
Not because of any wrongdoing on His part—because of my sin, our sin.
Still in the timeframe of “after”—the people of the prince
that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. We have to continue to remember that the 70
weeks are pertaining to the Jews and Jerusalem.
This is referencing a destruction of Jerusalem and the sanctuary, the
temple. History tells us that Titus and
his Roman legions destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD. The angel is speaking to Daniel of a “coming
prince” from the area of the Roman Empire of Jesus day.
“and the end thereof…are determined” – This phrasing
leaves room for a little more discussion.
Is it still descriptive of the destruction of 70 AD or is it a more
general reference to the intervening years before Jesus comes again. It was interesting to note that the word for desolations included the idea of “to
stun, devastate, stupefy, astonish, destroy, waste, wonder.” In Matthew 24 Jesus talks of wars and rumors
of wars, great tribulation, and wonders that would deceive the very elect if
that were possible before He returns as King.
I tend to think that this is a general reference to the condition of
things to be before the end of the 70th week.
Notice the reference to the end of “the war.” What war?
I believe it is the war of good vs. evil, Satan vs. God, the war for
governing authority abdicated by man to Satan that will be reestablished
through the return of the man Jesus Christ as King of kings. This war will culminate in the final battle of Armageddon described in Revelation 19.
Daniel 9:27 “And he shall confirm the
covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause
the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of
abominations he shall make it
desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon
the desolate.”
“he” = the
prince that shall come
“confirm” = to be strong; by implication, to
prevail…confirm…strengthen…..
Webster: to
establish…to render valid by formal assent
The coming
prince is evidently going to either confirm a new or strengthen an existing
covenant with “many” for one week, or seven years. Again, we have to remember that the 70 weeks
is referencing the Jews and Jerusalem.
In the middle of that week, or after 3.5 years, the prince will put an
end to sacrifice and oblation. This is a
direct reference to the sacrifices and offerings to God made at the temple in
Jerusalem. Therefore, “many” must include the leaders of the people of Israel. This also implies the
existence of a temple and the practice of sacrificial worship in Jerusalem
during the times being referenced.
The wording
again gets a bit harder. As he continues
to act, this ruler/prince will act in such a disgusting, filthy, and detestable
way that it will stun/stupefy/astonish the people of Israel. His disgusting ways will continue until his and
its destruction. This is as has been
decreed for the Jews, Daniel’s people, those who are stunned by the actions of
the prince of the covenant, the person more often referred to as the
Antichrist.
Obviously,
this is a broad outline based on a few significant events centered around the
Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem.
The Lord later informs Daniel that his book of prophecy is to be sealed
until the time of the end. In other
words, people will not be able to fully understand this prophecy until “the
time of the end” that precedes the establishment of the Messianic Kingdom that
brings about the fulfillment of the six purposes for which it was
determined.
(to be
continued…)
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