The Seventy Weeks of Daniel - The last third - Part 1

Undermined Christian lady asked if this was so accustomed to the clock and calendar.

It's hard to imagine there are people who measure time differently what Daniel for example, that I am Turning Point average or more explains how Daniel and other Old Testament prophets were more focused on future events and all future timelines is more from his message 70 weeks of Henry thank you for joining us here as we study the book of Daniel from the Old Testament, you know, this is the only message I think I have ever given that have six parts to it, but these versus just verse 20 through 27 of Daniel nine are so filled with the important truth. It's taken six messages to get our arms around it and to put it together so that you will understand how it sets the table for everything that happens from that moment on. Let's open our Bibles to Daniel chapter 9 and once again the 70 weeks of some things in the word of God are hard to understand. Not easy. Paul agreed to that. I was reading a story that even in our everyday encounters. There are things to understand and things that are hard to understand, and I don't think there's anything more difficult understand than the handwriting of a doctor, something that I read about a patient who went to a doctor for a checkup and the doctor had one of those kinds of handwritings it's very difficult understand. He wrote out a prescription in his usual ill legible writing. The patient put it in his pocket and forgot to have it filled every morning for two years. He showed it to the conductor as a railroad pass two times it got him into radio city music Hall used it wants to get into the baseball park. One time he shouted at the door and was allowed into the symphony. He got a raise from the cashier by showing it as a note from his boss.

One day he methylated it home and his daughter picked it up played on the piano and won a scholarship to the Conservatory.

Some of you probably think that prophecy of the 70 weeks of Daniel falls into the category of illegible handwriting.

How in the world can you make any sense out of it. How can you understand it and I want to encourage you that this prophecy was not written to confuse us. It was given to us by God in heaven that we might comprehend the end from the beginning and God's wonderful plan for his people to choose.

We've looked into the first part of this prophecy which spans the early part of God's dealing with his people and we have noticed that the prophecy of the 70 weeks began at a point in time when the command went forth to restore and rebuild the city of Jerusalem. You'll find that in the book of Nehemiah on the first and second chapters we can locate that in our time. In 445 BC when Artaxerxes commanded that the people would go back and rebuild the walls. Daniel the prophet was told by Gabriel that 483 years after that prophecy was consummated in Artaxerxes command 483 years would pass and at the end of that 483 year period of time.

Messiah the Prince would come forth. We discovered as we examine briefly the studies of Sir Robert Anderson and Harold homeowner that it is possible for us to compute from the moment that prophecy was given all the way up into 32 or 33 A.D. and discovered that that prophecy was fulfilled on the day when the Lord Jesus Christ rode into Jerusalem and presented himself as the Messiah to his people.

In fact, if owner is right and of Sir Robert Anderson is right.

It was to the very day just as Gabriel told Daniel it would be in the words of our Lord Jesus when that day came are most appropriate for. He said if you had only known this day, the day of your visitation but you didn't.

We learned that because his people did not know him. Jesus turned from his program for the Jews, and he inaugurated and initiated his program for the Gentiles.

It's all wrapped up in that familiar verse that you and I know so well. He came unto his own and his own received him not. But as many as did receive him.

The Gentiles the church, to them he gave the power to become the sons of God. You see, God's program for Israel. According to Daniel the prophet encompassed 490 years 483 of them are already past. There are seven years left in the 490 year prophecy that God has in store for the Jews. Those seven years are yet in the future, the end of the 69th week there is that which we call the great parentheses the great gap and if you're an inquisitive person you asked the right questions. Those questions are like this, where did you get the gap who told you you could put a gap in this prophecy said it was all right for you at the end of 483 years to say that before the last seven years can come to pass. There has to be an undated parentheses and I like to suggest to you that there are some good reasons for that. First of all, if you read the 24th verse of this prophecy, you discover that 70 weeks or 490 years are determined on the people of the Jews, in order for six things that happen in the 24th verse those six things are listed.

Those things are to finish the transgression, to make an end of sand to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision of the prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. The question is logical for us to ask at this point in time is have those things occurred. Have the Jews known the end of the transgression having on the end of their iniquity. Is there today everlasting peace in the land of Israel is the holy place anointed or is there even a holy place to anoint the course. Anybody who knows anything at all about the Jewish people understands that none of those things have been accomplished. The Jews have not finished their transgression. They are not living in everlasting peace.

In fact there about as far from that.

As you can get none of these prophecies have yet been fulfilled. They were not fulfilled in the first 69 weeks.

They are not being fulfilled now. There must certainly be yet a future time for God's people in that time as we understand from the word of God is that period of time that will start with the seven year tribulation. In the future. Yet there's something right here in the text that is even more demanding of us to examine this in terms of the gap. For if you will notice in verse 26, it says that after threescore and two weeks now. Notice the word after after threescore and two weeks after the 69 weeks of the 483 years or past. After that time. Messiah would be cut off. Now if that period of 69 weeks ended when Jesus presented himself in his triumphal entry, then certainly that was the end of the. When was Messiah cut off. It was days after that. What notice there is something that even extends further from the triumphal entry of Christ, and that is it says that after this 69 Weeks Takes Pl. there would not only be the killing of the Messiah, which is the crucifixion there would also be the destruction of the city of Jerusalem. If you know history, you know that Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 A.D., 40 years after at least this prophecy was fulfilled.

So I'm trying to say she was this all of these things which are in this 26 verse the crucifixion and the destruction of the city of Jerusalem demanded that there be a period of time between the end of the 69th week and the beginning of the 70th.

Jesus was not crucified in the 70th week for that yet in the next verse, the city of Jerusalem was not destroyed in the 70th week. That's yet to come. In other words, the two events which are given to us in this Scripture demand that there be a period of time that is not encompassed by the 490 years that are given to us in Daniel's prophecy. Some of you may wonder if it's legitimate to find gaps in the prophetic word and I suppose we could argue that question but I would just like to suggest to you that that is very much in concert with the way the Old Testament Scriptures are put together. Listen to me for just a moment and let me see if I can explain what I mean. In the Old Testament, the prophets, as they looked out into the future, did not see things as we see them today. Someone has described their view of the future is a man who looks at a mountain range and he sees it from a distance and from his vantage point. All of the mountain peaks are merged together and they seem to be as but one peek the Old Testament prophet looked out into the future and he saw the advent of the Messiah.

He didn't know there were two advents he saw only the first and the second Advent merged together. He did know anything about the rapture the rapture is not even mentioned in the Old Testament. It is not you get to the New Testament that you find out that Christ has a special plan for his own people, so the Old Testament prophet, the Daniel's, the Isaiah's the Jeremiah's.

They looked into the future and they saw all of the things that God was going to do through his son, the Messiah, what they saw them all together and of course looking at it from their vantage point, even the years that have intervened between the first and second Advent, would've seemed as very little time to them. In fact, if you go to the Old Testament you can see this illustrated not chosen just a few verses that illustrated within the very context of the verse itself. First of all, this very familiar prophecy which is in the book of Isaiah chapter 9 we read this and we learn this prophecy every year at Christmas time. I want you to notice how this prophecy illustrates what I'm talking about. For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given, that's what Isaiah the prophet said when did that happen. Why that happened when Jesus came into this world. The first time he was born in Bethlehem. Son was given. The child was born, but read the rest of the verse, and the government shall be upon his shoulder and his name shall be called wonderful Counselor, the mighty God, everlasting father, the Prince of peace, say when Jesus came the first time was the government on his shoulder know the government wasn't even a part of his first Advent. He went to the cross and the government nailed him there. When will the government be on the shoulder of the Lord Jesus. Not until he comes the second time so can you see it in one verse you have one phrase that deals with the first advance and right next to that you have another phrase that jumps 2000 years to the second Advent. Plus in the prophet Isaiah. Just saw it all in one view, go to the next passage in Zechariah rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion shout, O daughter of Jerusalem old biking, thunder, BD is just having salvation lowly and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt, the foal of an ass say when did that happen. That was the prophecy that was fulfilled when Jesus made his triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Now notice the rest of the verse and I will cut off the chariot from Ephraim and the horse from Jerusalem and the battle bowl shall be cut off, and he shall speak peace unto the heathen in his dominion shall be from sea even the sea and from the river, even to the ends of the earth that Jesus accomplished that when he was here the first time. Was there anything even close to that when Jesus walked on the earth in his first Advent absolutely not. So once again the prophet Zechariah in just a matter of a few phrases looks out into the future. He sees the first Advent of Christ, and he sees them coming in his triumphal entry and in the next phrase he jumped clear across the whole horizon of history to the second Advent, and he doesn't even think there's anything wrong with that. He just does it silver naturally.

Let me show you another illustration from Isaiah 61 wanted to the spirit of the Lord God is upon me, because the Lord has anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek. He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord.

Those words by Isaiah the prophet describe our Lord's earthly ministry. When he walked on this earth for 33 years but notice the rest of the verse and the day of vengeance of our God, to comfort all that mourn you want to very interesting things about that passage of Scripture is that one day Jesus decided to quote Isaiah the prophet, and in the book of Luke. He quoted the 61st chapter of the book of Isaiah and if you look on the next page you will see exactly what he said when he called that in the fourth chapter of Luke we read the spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He had sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, and to set at liberty them that are bruised, preach the acceptable year of the Lord. You say wait a minute. Lord, you forgot part of the verse you didn't quote Isaiah accurately the Lord would say no. I quoted the part of Isaiah's prophecy that pertains to what I'm doing now and I left off part that doesn't have anything to do with what I'm doing now that has to do with vengeance.

In morning. See, the Lord Jesus Christ is the best example of what a New Testament exegete ought to be. He uses the Scripture correctly even when he stops in the middle of a verse, it is for a purpose to demonstrate that in the prophetic view of the Old Testament. There is often a great period of time between events somewhat explained it to me one time this way that Old Testament prophets were an event oriented, not time oriented.

In other words, they looked out into the future and they did not see the days and the times the months and the weeks what they saw only the key events fact I remember when I first saw first Peter 111.

In this light. Speaking of the prophets. Peter wrote that the prophets searching what, or what manner of time. The spirit of Christ which was in them did signify when he had testified before him. The sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. Peter said, you know, the prophets of the Old Testament, they get all involved in trying to figure out the time they don't understand the time they search out the time and notice the time they're interested in is the time of the sufferings of Christ and the glory that shall follow the prophets in the Old Testament saw the sufferings and the glory, all in one picture and they couldn't figure out the time, but we have the time given to us, don't we.

When we come to the New Testament we have the New Testament perspective on these Old Testament prophecies and we know that there is a period between the first advent of Christ in his second we have seen the first Advent come and go, and it's documented for us in the Gospels and the prophecy of the book of Revelation reminds us, as does Thessalonians, and other great passages that the one who came the first time and walked among men for 33 years died and rose from the grave and ascended to the father. This same Jesus, which is taken from you shall so come in like manner, even as you have seen him go.

The first Advent is the guarantee of the second and there's a gap in the prophecy. So don't be surprised when you come to the end of the first 69 weeks and all of a sudden you discover that there's a great period of time that is not in the prophecy for the Jews.

Daniel's prophecy of the 70 weeks has total involvement with the Jewish people has nothing to do with the church at all. So you would not expect to see the church age and that prophecy so when you get to the end of the 483 years, it's time for the church to move in. Based on acts two and the coming of the Holy Spirit. Linda doesn't say anything about that the reason he didn't say anything about it as he didn't know anything about it because the church is a mystery. In the Old Testament.

It is not revealed to you come to the New Testament, so there's nothing out of the way to look at this prophecy and see that gap between week 69 and week 70 now we come then and there is other information that illustrates the gap what we come them. Lastly, to the 70th week and Daniel's prophecy in the prophecy that we have been studying. We come to this last section after the church age is finished there something that we need to put on there that's very important.

And that's the rapture what's going in the church age rapture Jesus Christ coming for his church.

When the Saints are ruptured out of here and when the rapture comes what's going to happen immediately after that the tribulation period will begin that seven year Holocaust upon this earth. Now notice the tribulation period is in the 27th verse of our text it says in verse 27 that he, the prince 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. Now in that verse you are introduced to someone who's going to make a covenant with the Jews in our text there are two princes you need to keep them straight. First of all there's Messiah the Prince, there's no doubt about his identity and then there's the prince that shall come in the prince that shall come is just another name for the Antichrist. It's the little horn of Daniel seven. It's the king of fierce countenance is the man of sin. It's the least it's all those other names that we have of the antichrist.

It's the same person and the Scripture says, verse 27 that the antichrist at the beginning of the tribulation period is going to confirm a covenant with the Jews for one week column is one week seven years.

The antichrist will have the Jewish people eating out of his hand. The one thing that the Jews long for more than anything else in all of the world is the restoration of their temple and the beginning again of Temple sacrifice.

When you go to Israel and you see the sorrow that is in the hearts and minds of the Jews because there is now another building that is been built according to them by the pagans on the property that belongs to the Jews where the temple is to be built. You can sense as you hear the Jews even the guy take you around talk about the morning and the longing for the day when their temple will be rebuilt. One day there's going to be a great, great leader who will come on the scene, he will sit down with the Jewish people at the table treating he will say to them.

My friends, it's my desire to help you restore your religious heritage.

I will help bring the money together and the facilities to rebuild your glorious temple. It's my desire to see your temple built and your sacrifices and your temple worship restored the Jewish people will be duped into believing that this is the one who will help them restore their sacrifices and he will make a treaty with them, he will make a covenant with them, and that treaty has to do with the reestablishment of the Jewish Temple system of sacrifice, but notice what the text says, and in the midst of the week. When would that be the week of seven years.

What is the middle of the week after 3 1/2 years in the midst of the week he will cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease after the seven-year treaty has run for only 3 1/2 years.

The antichrist, the Roman prince will tear up his agreement like it was a meaningless piece of paper and like all of the governments of the present and past. He will do away with what you said is involved in his agreement, he will demonstrate in the greatest measure of demonstration that our adversary the devil is the unfaithful one in the tree will be broken and the result of that treaty being broken will be that the great tribulation will be inaugurated that last 3 1/2 years of time when all of the world of that day will be saved in the blood of persecution and when, according to some of the reports of the Scriptures. Blood in some places will be so high as to be at the height of the bridles where the dead corpses will produce such a terrible smell that ships passing in the harbor will try to divert their travel so as to not pass by the awfulness of death.

That's not the last. We have to say about tomorrow. We will conclude our discussion of the 70 weeks of Daniel here on Turning Point and of the prophecies of Daniel are very very relevant today. Midst of all that's been happening to us in recent days here in our own nation and our culture. I'm getting many questions about all of this how does this fit into what the Bible says, I'm sure you can understand that the best thing you can do is read the Bible, read the book of Daniel will be back tomorrow for the final message on the 70 weeks of Daniel and David Jeremiah. Thanks for listening.

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