The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-One - B Jul 19, 2020 by: John Herbert | Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Audio Study Notes PDF https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T025_20200719.mp3 Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son......... We will continue to look at Daniel's prophecy of the seventy sevens today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday July 19th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 21B The Remains of the Day 1). Tit 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal [age lasting] life. Redemption is God’s glorious theme throughout the Scriptures, and we have seen over the past weeks of study that the fulfillment of His redemptive purpose will encompass the material creation placed under a curse, and the 3 segments of the human race, Jews, Christians and Gentiles. a). And we see from the verses in Titus, that we have been saved by ‘His mercy’, with a view to attaining an inheritance through the hope of age lasting life - The realization of the salvation of our soul giving us a position of rulership with Christ in His Millennial Kingdom, thereby having life for the age to come. b). And we have seen from previous studies how rulership within the 7th Day is God’s end goal for faithful Jews, Christians and Gentiles. And not just those who God would call out of the Gentiles to make a people for His Name, the Church, because those called out in this way are no longer classified as Gentiles but as the new creation in Christ – Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. And it is our positional standing ‘in Christ’ that makes us Abraham’s seed Ga 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Being ‘in Christ’ makes us ‘Abraham’s seed’ and therefore ‘heirs according to the promise’ – Ro 4:3 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all……… And we had seen last time, that there is a direct connection between the promises that have come to us and the unbelief of national Israel – Ro 11:11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! We see then that because Israel has ‘stumbled’, because of Israel’s harlotry, salvation has come to the Gentiles – Acts 28:28 “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” And the salvation that has come to us because Israel ‘stumbled’, is the salvation of all 3 parts of our being, spirit, soul and body for the purpose of rulership in the 7th Day. The first we already possess as a free gift and the remaining two we are presently in the process of working towards – Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. But we also see from the verses from Romans Chapter 11 that God has not completely cast the Jewish people aside. His redemptive purpose for them still remains what it ever was, and that which He has purposed for the physical seed of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob will be brought to pass – Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. And in past weeks, as we have looked at the nature and consequences of Israel’s harlotry among the nations, we have seen that God had established a specific pattern by which He would bring His wayward people to repentance. We had seen that God used the very nations that Israel should have overthrown and ruled over to plunder, persecute and enslave the Jewish people to such a degree that they would have nowhere to turn except to the God of their fathers. c). However, every time repentance was forthcoming, as we had seen particularly during the days of the Judges, a slide into unbelief and disobedience was not far behind, which led ultimately, beyond the days of the Judges, to the captivity that began with the northern 10 tribes being taken by the Assyrians in 722BC and brought to completion through the captivity of the southern tribes of Benjamin and Judah by the Babylonians between 605BC and 586BC. A captivity brought about with a view to bringing national Israel to repentance. d). The Theocracy that had existed from the days of Moses at Sinai was brought to an end and the times of the Gentiles began. e). And it has been during the times of the Gentiles, within the last 2000 years, that God has been calling out of the Gentile nations a people for His name – Acts 15:14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. A people who are called out to be separate from the times of the Gentiles and the kingdom of Satan, as they focus their attention instead on the coming Theocracy of the Millennial Kingdom – Jn 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 2). Da 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. We will remember from last time that Daniel had seen, through the prophecy given to Jeremiah, that God ‘would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem’ and he had calculated that those 70 years were coming to completion. a). And having seen this he began to cry out to God, confessing his own sin and the sins of his people, anticipating that at the end of the allotted time of 70 years, God would restore Israel to the land from which she had been taken and would restore the Theocracy previously lost. b). And here we encounter a Scriptural paradox. The 70 years of the Babylonian captivity of itself denotes a complete period of time – 7 X 10 – and therefore with completeness in view a return to the land and a return to the Theocracy was absolutely possible. BUT, on the other hand, it was never possible because God had established a full 6000 years, 6 days to bring His redemptive purpose to completion. And at the time Daniel was reading Jeremiah, the 6 days were nowhere near complete. c). A similar paradox is also seen at the Lord’s first advent when He came to Israel with the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The offer to Israel was genuine and would absolutely have been fulfilled had the nation come to repentance as they were called upon to do. And yet, on the other hand, it could never have been fulfilled as there were still just over 2000 years to run on God’s redemptive time clock. d). And it was because of this paradox that Gabriel was dispatched to Daniel to reveal the full extent of the timing of God’s purpose for the Jewish people – Da 9:23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: 24 “Seventy sevens are determined For your people and for your holy city……… We had seen a seven times intensification of the Babylonian captivity in this, completely in line with that which God had set out in Leviticus Chapter 26 – Le 26:21 “Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. And we had seen that the word ‘sevens’ in this context, referred to a cycle of 7 years having to do with God’s command to allow the land to experience a Sabbath of solemn rest every 7th year. e). Seventy sevens then, would give us seventy, seven-year cycles- 70 X 7 = 490 years. f). The Babylonian captivity intensified by seven times, as seen in Leviticus, gives us 70 X 7 = 490 years. g). So, whichever way we come at this we arrive at 490 years as the specific time that God has allotted to complete His redemptive work in His chosen people. h). Now, although this was not the immediate restoration Daniel had hoped for, that which Gabriel revealed to him has provided 2 enormously encouraging details. Firstly, it provides a very specific time period in which God will work. And secondly, and perhaps more significantly is, that at the end of the full 490 years, Israel’s repentance and subsequent restoration is absolutely assured. There will be no further extension of time needed. This will bring all to conclusion with respect to God’s redemptive purpose for Israel – Da 9:24 “Seventy sevens are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. Not only did Gabriel reveal to Daniel the specific time period in which God would complete His purpose for the Jewish people, but he also gave Daniel the precise starting point from which the ‘seventy sevens’, the 490 years, are to be counted – Da 9:25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven sevens [49 years] and sixty-two sevens [434 years] [483 years in total] The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two sevens Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; It is quite clear from the Scripture that Israel’s Messiah would appear and be ‘cut off’, killed, within a very specific time, 483 years after the command ‘to restore and build Jerusalem’. i). Now, the detail of the command is precise for a reason, because there are a number of decrees found in Ezra of which this is the first – Ez 1:11 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. These decrees found in Ezra, that were issued by Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, all had to do with the temple, but the prophecy in Daniel specifically states, ‘to restore and build Jerusalem’, a command to do with the city itself. j). And there is only one command, found in Nehemiah, issued by Artaxerxes, that addresses the city as seen in Daniel’s prophecy – Ne 2:1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. 2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, 3 and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” 6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. This decree issued by Artaxerxes in response to Nehemiah’s request was issued in 444BC. If we take the date for Messiah being ‘cut off’, as 33AD, we would find 477 years. These though would be years of 365 days taken from secular history, whereas Scripture counts 360-day years. When we make the necessary adjustments based on years of 360 days, we arrive at 483 years. Exactly as prophesied in Daniel. k). And the intriguing thing to consider here is that if a Jewish person had wanted to know, that person could have counted the years from Artaxerxes decree to know exactly when Messiah would be present in Israel – Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And knowing when the feast of Passover would take place, they could have known exactly when Messiah would be ‘cut off’. m). The mathematics involved in this were not complicated, but the Jewish people generally had no clue about when Messiah would come and the religious leaders, who really should have known, had made no attempt to tell them or prepare the Jewish people for it. n). And the sad thing is, that Christendom finds itself in a parallel situation today. The mathematics of the 6000 years from Adam and the 2000 years of this dispensation are not rocket science, and yet so many have no idea we are on the cusp of the Lord’s return and the majority of the religious leaders have done precious little to prepare those given into their care for when it does happen. o). And even among those who have heard the Word of the Kingdom, I wonder just how real the imminence of the Lord’s return is and what that imminent return means for our appearance at His Judgment Seat? 1 Th 5:1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 3). Da 9:26 “And after the sixty-two sevens Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Messiah was cut off after the seven sevens and the sixty-two sevens, after 483 years, leaving 1 seven, 7 years, to be fulfilled to make up the full 490 years that God had determined was necessary to fulfill His purpose for His chosen people. a). And here in Daniel’s prophecy, in v26, the final 7 years, the 70th seven begins with ‘the people of the prince who is to come’ destroying the city and the sanctuary; an event that is seen immediately after the Lord’s crucifixion. b). The phrase, ‘the people of the prince’, is a Jewish idiom referring to the prince himself, rather than his people. c). But what we see here in v26 is that the final seven, the remaining 7 years of the 490, follows on immediately from the end of the 69th seven, the 483 years. And this, in terms of linear chronology, is impossible – Even to today Israel’s transgression is not finished, her sins are not ended, her iniquity has not been reconciled, everlasting righteousness has not yet been brought in, vision and prophecy are not yet sealed up and the Most Holy has not yet been anointed. d). In the midst of v26 then comes a time gap that covers 2 millenniums, and we have another example here of Scripture presenting a succession of significant events rather than linear history. e). With respect to the fulfillment of God’s redemptive purpose for His wayward son, the next significant event for them, having slain their Passover Lamb, is the action of the prince who is to come who ‘shall destroy the city and the sanctuary’. f). And interestingly, the prophecy given to Daniel of the seventy sevens comes at the close of the 70 years of the Babylonian captivity prophesied by Jeremiah. But the prophecy given to Daniel did not begin at the end of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Jeremiah’s prophecy of the seventy years ended about 535BC and Daniel’s prophecy of the 490 years, as we have seen, did not begin until about 444BC – Again we are not looking at linear history, but succeeding significant events. g). Following the conclusion of the 70 years God had allotted for the Babylonian captivity, the next significant event for the Jewish people was the beginning of the countdown to their final deliverance and total redemption in anticipation of their return to the land at the head of nations, so as to fulfill their calling as God’s firstborn son, in order to rule the earth within the Theocracy of the Millennial Kingdom. Ho 6:2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Jn 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Es 8:1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman. We will continue with this next time – If the Lord is willing. The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible - Part Twenty-One - B Jul 19, 2020 Speaker: John Herbert Series: The Word of God - A Survey of the Bible Category: Sunday Morning https://s3.amazonaws.com/cornerstonejax/sermonfiles/T025_20200719.mp3 Download Audio x
Refresh A Recap from the Sermon Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son......... We will continue to look at Daniel's prophecy of the seventy sevens today. The full text of this message can be found by clicking the PDF button. Sunday July 19th 2020 The Word of God A Survey of the Bible – Lesson 21B The Remains of the Day 1). Tit 3:3 For we ourselves were also once foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving various lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful and hating one another. 4 But when the kindness and the love of God our Savior toward man appeared, 5 not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to His mercy He saved us, through the washing of regeneration and renewing of the Holy Spirit, 6 whom He poured out on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our Savior, 7 that having been justified by His grace we should become heirs according to the hope of eternal [age lasting] life. Redemption is God’s glorious theme throughout the Scriptures, and we have seen over the past weeks of study that the fulfillment of His redemptive purpose will encompass the material creation placed under a curse, and the 3 segments of the human race, Jews, Christians and Gentiles. a). And we see from the verses in Titus, that we have been saved by ‘His mercy’, with a view to attaining an inheritance through the hope of age lasting life - The realization of the salvation of our soul giving us a position of rulership with Christ in His Millennial Kingdom, thereby having life for the age to come. b). And we have seen from previous studies how rulership within the 7th Day is God’s end goal for faithful Jews, Christians and Gentiles. And not just those who God would call out of the Gentiles to make a people for His Name, the Church, because those called out in this way are no longer classified as Gentiles but as the new creation in Christ – Ga 3:28 There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither slave nor free, there is neither male nor female; for you are all one in Christ Jesus. 29 And if you are Christ's, then you are Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise. And it is our positional standing ‘in Christ’ that makes us Abraham’s seed Ga 3:16 Now to Abraham and his Seed were the promises made. He does not say, “And to seeds,” as of many, but as of one, “And to your Seed,” who is Christ. 13 Christ has redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us (for it is written, “Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree”), 14 that the blessing of Abraham might come upon the Gentiles in Christ Jesus, that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Being ‘in Christ’ makes us ‘Abraham’s seed’ and therefore ‘heirs according to the promise’ – Ro 4:3 For the promise that he would be the heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. 14 For if those who are of the law are heirs, faith is made void and the promise made of no effect, 15 because the law brings about wrath; for where there is no law there is no transgression. 16 Therefore it is of faith that it might be according to grace, so that the promise might be sure to all the seed, not only to those who are of the law, but also to those who are of the faith of Abraham, who is the father of us all……… And we had seen last time, that there is a direct connection between the promises that have come to us and the unbelief of national Israel – Ro 11:11 I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not! But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. 12 Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness! We see then that because Israel has ‘stumbled’, because of Israel’s harlotry, salvation has come to the Gentiles – Acts 28:28 “Therefore let it be known to you that the salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles, and they will hear it!” And the salvation that has come to us because Israel ‘stumbled’, is the salvation of all 3 parts of our being, spirit, soul and body for the purpose of rulership in the 7th Day. The first we already possess as a free gift and the remaining two we are presently in the process of working towards – Php 2:12 Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling; 13 for it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure. But we also see from the verses from Romans Chapter 11 that God has not completely cast the Jewish people aside. His redemptive purpose for them still remains what it ever was, and that which He has purposed for the physical seed of Abraham through Isaac and Jacob will be brought to pass – Jer 29:11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. And in past weeks, as we have looked at the nature and consequences of Israel’s harlotry among the nations, we have seen that God had established a specific pattern by which He would bring His wayward people to repentance. We had seen that God used the very nations that Israel should have overthrown and ruled over to plunder, persecute and enslave the Jewish people to such a degree that they would have nowhere to turn except to the God of their fathers. c). However, every time repentance was forthcoming, as we had seen particularly during the days of the Judges, a slide into unbelief and disobedience was not far behind, which led ultimately, beyond the days of the Judges, to the captivity that began with the northern 10 tribes being taken by the Assyrians in 722BC and brought to completion through the captivity of the southern tribes of Benjamin and Judah by the Babylonians between 605BC and 586BC. A captivity brought about with a view to bringing national Israel to repentance. d). The Theocracy that had existed from the days of Moses at Sinai was brought to an end and the times of the Gentiles began. e). And it has been during the times of the Gentiles, within the last 2000 years, that God has been calling out of the Gentile nations a people for His name – Acts 15:14 Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. A people who are called out to be separate from the times of the Gentiles and the kingdom of Satan, as they focus their attention instead on the coming Theocracy of the Millennial Kingdom – Jn 17:16 They are not of the world, just as I am not of the world. 2). Da 9:1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans— 2 in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. We will remember from last time that Daniel had seen, through the prophecy given to Jeremiah, that God ‘would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem’ and he had calculated that those 70 years were coming to completion. a). And having seen this he began to cry out to God, confessing his own sin and the sins of his people, anticipating that at the end of the allotted time of 70 years, God would restore Israel to the land from which she had been taken and would restore the Theocracy previously lost. b). And here we encounter a Scriptural paradox. The 70 years of the Babylonian captivity of itself denotes a complete period of time – 7 X 10 – and therefore with completeness in view a return to the land and a return to the Theocracy was absolutely possible. BUT, on the other hand, it was never possible because God had established a full 6000 years, 6 days to bring His redemptive purpose to completion. And at the time Daniel was reading Jeremiah, the 6 days were nowhere near complete. c). A similar paradox is also seen at the Lord’s first advent when He came to Israel with the offer of the Kingdom of the heavens – Mt 4:17 From that time Jesus began to preach and to say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.” The offer to Israel was genuine and would absolutely have been fulfilled had the nation come to repentance as they were called upon to do. And yet, on the other hand, it could never have been fulfilled as there were still just over 2000 years to run on God’s redemptive time clock. d). And it was because of this paradox that Gabriel was dispatched to Daniel to reveal the full extent of the timing of God’s purpose for the Jewish people – Da 9:23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision: 24 “Seventy sevens are determined For your people and for your holy city……… We had seen a seven times intensification of the Babylonian captivity in this, completely in line with that which God had set out in Leviticus Chapter 26 – Le 26:21 “Then, if you walk contrary to Me, and are not willing to obey Me, I will bring on you seven times more plagues, according to your sins. And we had seen that the word ‘sevens’ in this context, referred to a cycle of 7 years having to do with God’s command to allow the land to experience a Sabbath of solemn rest every 7th year. e). Seventy sevens then, would give us seventy, seven-year cycles- 70 X 7 = 490 years. f). The Babylonian captivity intensified by seven times, as seen in Leviticus, gives us 70 X 7 = 490 years. g). So, whichever way we come at this we arrive at 490 years as the specific time that God has allotted to complete His redemptive work in His chosen people. h). Now, although this was not the immediate restoration Daniel had hoped for, that which Gabriel revealed to him has provided 2 enormously encouraging details. Firstly, it provides a very specific time period in which God will work. And secondly, and perhaps more significantly is, that at the end of the full 490 years, Israel’s repentance and subsequent restoration is absolutely assured. There will be no further extension of time needed. This will bring all to conclusion with respect to God’s redemptive purpose for Israel – Da 9:24 “Seventy sevens are determined For your people and for your holy city, To finish the transgression, To make an end of sins, To make reconciliation for iniquity, To bring in everlasting righteousness, To seal up vision and prophecy, And to anoint the Most Holy. Not only did Gabriel reveal to Daniel the specific time period in which God would complete His purpose for the Jewish people, but he also gave Daniel the precise starting point from which the ‘seventy sevens’, the 490 years, are to be counted – Da 9:25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven sevens [49 years] and sixty-two sevens [434 years] [483 years in total] The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times. 26 “And after the sixty-two sevens Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; It is quite clear from the Scripture that Israel’s Messiah would appear and be ‘cut off’, killed, within a very specific time, 483 years after the command ‘to restore and build Jerusalem’. i). Now, the detail of the command is precise for a reason, because there are a number of decrees found in Ezra of which this is the first – Ez 1:11 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 2 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. These decrees found in Ezra, that were issued by Cyrus, Darius and Artaxerxes, all had to do with the temple, but the prophecy in Daniel specifically states, ‘to restore and build Jerusalem’, a command to do with the city itself. j). And there is only one command, found in Nehemiah, issued by Artaxerxes, that addresses the city as seen in Daniel’s prophecy – Ne 2:1 And it came to pass in the month of Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, when wine was before him, that I took the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had never been sad in his presence before. 2 Therefore the king said to me, “Why is your face sad, since you are not sick? This is nothing but sorrow of heart.” So I became dreadfully afraid, 3 and said to the king, “May the king live forever! Why should my face not be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ tombs, lies waste, and its gates are burned with fire?” 4 Then the king said to me, “What do you request?” So I prayed to the God of heaven. 5 And I said to the king, “If it pleases the king, and if your servant has found favor in your sight, I ask that you send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers’ tombs, that I may rebuild it.” 6 Then the king said to me (the queen also sitting beside him), “How long will your journey be? And when will you return?” So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. This decree issued by Artaxerxes in response to Nehemiah’s request was issued in 444BC. If we take the date for Messiah being ‘cut off’, as 33AD, we would find 477 years. These though would be years of 365 days taken from secular history, whereas Scripture counts 360-day years. When we make the necessary adjustments based on years of 360 days, we arrive at 483 years. Exactly as prophesied in Daniel. k). And the intriguing thing to consider here is that if a Jewish person had wanted to know, that person could have counted the years from Artaxerxes decree to know exactly when Messiah would be present in Israel – Ga 4:4 But when the fullness of the time had come, God sent forth His Son, born of a woman, born under the law, 5 to redeem those who were under the law, that we might receive the adoption as sons. And knowing when the feast of Passover would take place, they could have known exactly when Messiah would be ‘cut off’. m). The mathematics involved in this were not complicated, but the Jewish people generally had no clue about when Messiah would come and the religious leaders, who really should have known, had made no attempt to tell them or prepare the Jewish people for it. n). And the sad thing is, that Christendom finds itself in a parallel situation today. The mathematics of the 6000 years from Adam and the 2000 years of this dispensation are not rocket science, and yet so many have no idea we are on the cusp of the Lord’s return and the majority of the religious leaders have done precious little to prepare those given into their care for when it does happen. o). And even among those who have heard the Word of the Kingdom, I wonder just how real the imminence of the Lord’s return is and what that imminent return means for our appearance at His Judgment Seat? 1 Th 5:1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you. 2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night. 3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape. 4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief. 5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness. 6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober. 7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night. 8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation. 3). Da 9:26 “And after the sixty-two sevens Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined. Messiah was cut off after the seven sevens and the sixty-two sevens, after 483 years, leaving 1 seven, 7 years, to be fulfilled to make up the full 490 years that God had determined was necessary to fulfill His purpose for His chosen people. a). And here in Daniel’s prophecy, in v26, the final 7 years, the 70th seven begins with ‘the people of the prince who is to come’ destroying the city and the sanctuary; an event that is seen immediately after the Lord’s crucifixion. b). The phrase, ‘the people of the prince’, is a Jewish idiom referring to the prince himself, rather than his people. c). But what we see here in v26 is that the final seven, the remaining 7 years of the 490, follows on immediately from the end of the 69th seven, the 483 years. And this, in terms of linear chronology, is impossible – Even to today Israel’s transgression is not finished, her sins are not ended, her iniquity has not been reconciled, everlasting righteousness has not yet been brought in, vision and prophecy are not yet sealed up and the Most Holy has not yet been anointed. d). In the midst of v26 then comes a time gap that covers 2 millenniums, and we have another example here of Scripture presenting a succession of significant events rather than linear history. e). With respect to the fulfillment of God’s redemptive purpose for His wayward son, the next significant event for them, having slain their Passover Lamb, is the action of the prince who is to come who ‘shall destroy the city and the sanctuary’. f). And interestingly, the prophecy given to Daniel of the seventy sevens comes at the close of the 70 years of the Babylonian captivity prophesied by Jeremiah. But the prophecy given to Daniel did not begin at the end of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Jeremiah’s prophecy of the seventy years ended about 535BC and Daniel’s prophecy of the 490 years, as we have seen, did not begin until about 444BC – Again we are not looking at linear history, but succeeding significant events. g). Following the conclusion of the 70 years God had allotted for the Babylonian captivity, the next significant event for the Jewish people was the beginning of the countdown to their final deliverance and total redemption in anticipation of their return to the land at the head of nations, so as to fulfill their calling as God’s firstborn son, in order to rule the earth within the Theocracy of the Millennial Kingdom. Ho 6:2 After two days He will revive us; On the third day He will raise us up, That we may live in His sight. Jn 2:1 On the third day there was a wedding in Cana of Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Es 8:1 On that day King Ahasuerus gave Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told how he was related to her. 2 So the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai; and Esther appointed Mordecai over the house of Haman. We will continue with this next time – If the Lord is willing.