Participants: Stephen Bohr
Series Code: HWIS
Program Code: HWIS000016
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00:30 Shall we pray.
00:33 Oh mighty God, all powerful, all wise, all knowing, 00:41 we come before You this evening thanking You 00:45 for Your holy Word. 00:47 Father, it would be a terrible thing to be in this world 00:51 without Your holy book. 00:53 Because we wouldn't know what's happening 00:56 and where things are moving to. 00:58 But we thank You that You have given us a sure compass 01:03 that tells us where we came from, why we're here, 01:06 and where things are moving to. 01:08 We ask, Father, for the guidance of Your Holy Spirit 01:11 as we open Your Word. 01:13 And we thank You for hearing our prayer, for we ask it 01:15 in Jesus' name, amen. 01:19 The first thing that we want to do today in our study 01:23 is to review what we studied in our last lecture. 01:27 And I'm going to go through this quickly. 01:29 So hopefully you were here last time and the review 01:33 will be sufficient in order to understand where we're 01:36 going in Scripture in our study tonight. 01:40 You remember that last time studied the first part 01:43 of the 70 weeks. 01:45 And basically, we noticed that the prophecy of the 70 weeks 01:49 begins from the going forth of the command to restore 01:56 and to build Jerusalem. 01:59 We noticed that there were four decrees given 02:02 with regards to Jerusalem. 02:04 The first decree was given in 536 by Cyrus, Cyrus the Great. 02:10 The second decree was given by Darius in the year 520. 02:15 Neither one of these decrees authorized the restoration 02:19 and building of Jerusalem. 02:21 They only authorized the building of the temple. 02:24 And then we noticed the third decree, which was the decree 02:28 of Artaxerxes the First. 02:29 It was given in the year 457 BC. 02:33 And we noticed that this is the decree that fits 02:37 the biblical criteria for the beginning of the 70 weeks. 02:40 And that's for three reasons. 02:42 First of all, Artaxerxes uses the same word, "dabar," 02:46 "command," as is used in Daniel chapter 9. 02:50 Secondly, the other dates, 536 and 520, are far too early 02:57 for this to be a Messianic prophecy. 02:59 And the last decree, which was given in 445, which was really 03:04 a re-affirmation of the decree that Artaxerxes had given 03:08 in the year 457, is too late. 03:11 And so none of the other three decrees fit the criteria 03:15 as to time or the use of the specific word, "dabar," 03:19 which means, command or decree. 03:21 A third reason is that we noticed in our study 03:25 that the decree of Artaxerxes is the only one that authorized 03:30 the Jews to re-establish their political and social order. 03:34 None of the other decrees authorized them to really 03:38 begin once again the functioning of the Hebrew theocracy. 03:43 So we noticed that the decree to restore and build Jerusalem 03:48 began in the year 457 BC. 03:52 Actually, it was in the fall of 457 BC. 03:56 And then we noticed that during the first seven weeks, 03:59 the first 49 years, seven times seven is 49, 04:03 was this period of the restoring and building of Jerusalem. 04:07 And it was done in troublesome times. 04:09 You can read, for example, the book of Ezra. 04:11 All sorts of troubles and opposition in the restoration 04:15 of the city and the religion of the Jewish nation. 04:20 So the first seven weeks have to do with the restoration 04:24 and building of Jerusalem. 04:26 And then it says, after sixty-two additional weeks 04:29 the Messiah would come. 04:32 And the word, "Messiah," means what? 04:34 The word, "Messiah," means, the anointed One. 04:38 And we noticed that Jesus was anointed 04:41 at what event of His life? 04:43 He was anointed at the moment of His baptism 04:46 with the Holy Spirit. 04:48 That is when the Messiah comes. 04:50 And that takes place in the year 27 AD. 04:54 In fact, in the fall of the year 27. 04:58 It would have to be in the fall of the year 27 05:00 because the decree of Artaxerxes was given in the fall of 457. 05:05 So you go forward 483 years when the Messiah is anointed. 05:09 He would have to be anointed in the fall for that to be 05:12 exactly 69 weeks. 05:14 Are you following me or not? 05:16 Now, another reason why we know it was in the fall 05:20 is because Jesus was killed in the spring. 05:24 So in order to know when He was anointed 05:26 three and a half years earlier, you would have to go back 05:30 three and a half years from the spring of the year 31 05:33 when He was crucified. 05:34 So you go back to the spring of the year 30, 05:38 to the spring of the year 29, to the spring of the year 28, 05:43 and then another half a year to the fall of the year 27. 05:48 So in other words, the Messiah was anointed 05:51 in the year 27 AD. 05:55 And then we noticed that sometime during this last week, 05:59 it's not specified in verse 26, sometime during this last week 06:03 the Messiah would be cut off. 06:05 Which means that He would be killed. 06:08 But it would not be for Himself, it would be for others. 06:12 And then we noticed that as a result of the cutting off 06:15 of the Messiah, Jerusalem would be destroyed. 06:19 And in our study, we noticed that Jerusalem would be 06:22 destroyed by the people of the Prince. 06:25 And we saw three possibilities as to who is the one, 06:29 who are the ones, or is the one who brought about the 06:32 destruction of Jerusalem. 06:34 The first idea is that it was Titus. 06:36 We noticed that it cannot be Titus. 06:39 Because Titus could not confirm the covenant for one week. 06:42 And Titus did not bring the sacrifice and offering to an end 06:45 in the middle of the last week. 06:47 So Titus cannot fulfill this. 06:49 It also is not referring to some future antichrist 06:53 after the rapture of the church. 06:54 Because we are studying this prophecy in detail, 06:57 and we noticed that this prophecy does not 07:00 deal with antichrist. 07:01 This prophecy deals with whom? 07:03 It deals with Christ. 07:05 It's a serious thing to take a prophecy that applies to Christ 07:08 and apply it to the antichrist. 07:10 The devil does not want people to know about this prophecy 07:13 because it is so exact and specific 07:16 as to when the Messiah was going to come. 07:18 The devil knows that if people understand it, 07:20 they'll say, "God knows the end from the beginning. 07:23 And Jesus came exactly at the right time. 07:26 So we noticed in our study that the Prince is actually Jesus. 07:30 He's already been identified as Messiah the Prince. 07:34 And so, the Prince is the Messiah. 07:37 And the people of the Prince are whom? 07:39 The people of the Prince are the Jewish nation. 07:43 And you say, "Pastor, did the Jewish nation 07:46 destroy Jerusalem?" 07:48 What is the answer to that question? 07:50 Yes, they did. 07:51 They did by rejecting the Messiah; 07:55 by rejecting Jesus Christ. 07:57 Now we're at the point where we can begin some new material, 08:01 studying the rest of the prophecy of the 70 weeks. 08:05 And I invite you to go with me to Daniel chapter 9 and verse 27 08:10 where we will continue our study. 08:13 Now you notice that in verse 26, it tells us that sometime 08:18 during the last week, Messiah would be cut off. 08:21 But it doesn't tell us precisely when during that last week 08:25 Messiah would be cut off. 08:27 But verse 27 tells us specifically when 08:32 He would be cut off. 08:34 And it also tells us that He would confirm the covenant 08:38 for one week. 08:39 Now let's talk about, first of all, the confirming of the 08:43 covenant for this last week, week number 70. 08:47 Daniel 9 verse 27 says... 08:55 I'm reading from the New King James. 08:57 Actually, many modern versions do not translate, 09:01 "He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week," 09:04 but actually, "He shall make strong the covenant," 09:08 or a covenant, "for one week." 09:10 For example, the English Standard Version says, 09:14 "And He shall make a strong covenant with many 09:19 for one week." 09:20 The New American Standard Bible says, "He shall make a 09:23 firm covenant." 09:25 The RSV says, "He shall make a strong covenant." 09:29 And Young's Literal Translation says, 09:31 "And He hath strengthened a covenant with many." 09:37 So this was not just a covenant. 09:39 This was a strong covenant that Messiah the Prince 09:42 was going to confirm. 09:44 Now let me ask you, what is the antonym of "strong?" 09:49 You know what antonym means? 09:51 It means, the opposite. 09:52 The antonym of "strong" is what? 09:55 Weak. 09:56 Now why is this covenant that is confirmed for one week 10:00 by Messiah the Prince strong? 10:04 We have to go to the book of Hebrews to understand 10:06 the reason why. 10:08 Go with me to Hebrews chapter 7 and we'll read verses 18 and 19, 10:12 and then we'll jump down to verse 28. 10:15 Hebrews 7:18-19 and 28. 10:18 This is talking about the Old Testament system of sacrifices, 10:22 the ceremonial system of the Old Testament. 10:25 Question, did the ceremonial system of the Old Testament, 10:28 the blood of bulls and goats, take away sin? 10:31 We noticed that it didn't. 10:33 So was it a weak covenant compared to the blood 10:36 that Jesus shed on the cross? 10:38 Absolutely. 10:39 Now notice the words that are used in Hebrews chapter 7:18-19. 10:43 "For on the one hand there is an annulling of the 10:47 former commandment..." 10:48 This is not talking about the Ten Commandments. 10:49 The former commandment has to do here with the priesthood, 10:52 with the ceremonies, if you read the context. 10:54 "For on the one hand there is an annulling of the 10:57 former commandment because of its..." What? 11:00 "...its weakness and unprofitableness, 11:04 for the law..." 11:05 And it's talking about the law of sacrifices, 11:07 the ceremonial law. 11:08 You can read the context. 11:10 "...for the law made nothing perfect." 11:13 In other words, it did not deal once and for all with sin. 11:17 "On the other hand, there is the bringing in of a..." What? 11:21 "...a better hope..." 11:23 Jesus brings in a better hope. 11:24 "...through which we draw near to God." 11:28 And then we go to verse 28. 11:29 It says, "For the law..." 11:31 Once again, it's the law of sacrifices. 11:33 "For the law appoints as high priests men who have..." What? 11:39 There's the word again. 11:40 "...weakness, but the word of the oath, which came after 11:44 the law, appoints the Son who has been..." What? 11:48 "...who has been perfected forever." 11:51 So what was the Old Testament system? 11:53 It was what? 11:55 It was weak. 11:57 Because it did not deal legally and once for all with sin. 12:02 Notice Matthew 26 and verses 27 and 28. 12:06 Matthew 26:27-28. 12:09 Here, Jesus is instituting the Lord's Supper 12:13 in place of the Passover. 12:15 And notice what we find here in Matthew 26 verses 27 and 28. 12:33 Was the blood of Jesus better blood than the blood that was 12:35 used in the Old Testament system? 12:37 Absolutely, because it dealt once and for all with sin. 12:41 And so it says, "For this is My blood of the..." What? 12:46 Is the new covenant a covenant that has better blood? 12:49 Is it a strong covenant? 12:51 Yes. 12:52 And so it says here, "For this is My blood 12:55 of the new covenant, which is shed for many 13:02 for the remission of sins." 13:04 Did you notice that word, "many?" 13:06 In Daniel chapter 9, it says, "He will confirm 13:09 a strong covenant with..." What? 13:11 "...with many for one week." 13:13 Here, you have Jesus using the word, "many," 13:17 in conjunction with, "new covenant," 13:19 because it has better blood. 13:22 Notice Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 6. 13:25 Why this new covenant is better than the old covenant 13:28 of sacrifices and ceremonies. 13:30 Hebrews chapter 8 and verse 6 says... 13:33 "But now," speaking about Jesus, "He has obtained a more 13:39 excellent ministry..." 13:42 Why has Jesus represented now a more excellent ministry? 13:47 Notice, "...inasmuch as He is also Mediator of a..." What? 13:53 "...of a better covenant, which was established on..." What? 13:57 "...on better promises." 13:59 What are those better promises? 14:01 The fact that when Jesus shed His blood, He took care of sin 14:05 once and for all. 14:07 Did we study one topic here where we dealt with the 14:10 moral law and the ceremonial law? 14:12 Remember, we talked about the law of ceremonies; 14:15 the blood of bulls and goats does not take away sin. 14:18 This old covenant blood, it was good because as people 14:21 looked at the sacrifice of the animal, they could see forward 14:25 by faith that Jesus was going to come and He was going to 14:28 shed His blood to die. 14:29 But this blood from the Old Testament system did not save. 14:32 It's the blood of Jesus that saves. 14:35 So this is the reason why He would confirm a strong covenant. 14:39 Not a weak covenant like we read in Hebrews chapter 7. 14:42 Notice also Mark chapter 10 and verse 45. 14:45 Once again the word, "many," is used. 14:48 Mark 10 and verse 45. 15:00 There it is again. 15:02 He will confirm a strong covenant with many. 15:05 Here it says that Jesus came to give His life 15:09 a ransom for many. 15:11 Notice also Isaiah 53 and verse 11. 15:15 Isaiah 53 and verse 11. 15:17 This is a Messianic prophecy. 15:20 It's about Jesus. 15:21 The whole chapter speaks about the Messiah. 15:23 And it says there, speaking about the Messiah... 15:38 There it is again. 15:47 Now let me ask you this. 15:49 When Jesus confirmed the covenant for one whole week, 15:54 does that mean that the door of probation had not closed 15:57 for the Jewish nation during that entire week? 16:00 Absolutely. 16:01 Did probation close for the Jews when Jesus was crucified? 16:05 Absolutely not. 16:06 Because that takes us only to the middle of the last week. 16:09 And after that, there are still three and a half years. 16:13 Did Jesus send additional messengers to the Jewish nation 16:17 after His death and His ascension to heaven? 16:20 Absolutely. 16:21 Go with me to Matthew chapter 23 and verse 34. 16:26 Matthew 23 and verse 34. 16:29 And we're going to read several verses that come after verse 34. 16:34 It says, and here Jesus is speaking. 16:36 These are the woes on the scribes and the Pharisees. 16:39 "Therefore, indeed, I send you..." 16:42 This is two or three days before Jesus dies. 16:49 Was the gift of prophecy still available for the Jewish nation? 16:53 Yes. That's very important. 17:00 What were they going to do to them when Jesus sent them? 17:04 Notice this is future. 17:05 This is future from the time that Jesus dies. 17:22 Were they going to do the same thing with the apostles 17:25 as they did with Jesus? 17:26 For three and a half more years. 17:28 And then notice that the sentence would be pronounced. 17:31 After He sends these additional messengers, 17:34 it says, "...that on you may come all the righteous blood 17:39 shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel 17:42 to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, 17:46 whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 17:49 Assuredly I say to you, all these things will come 17:53 upon this generation." 17:56 Are you understanding the sequence here? 17:59 Jesus says, "I'm going to send you additional messengers. 18:02 And you're going to scourge some, you're going to 18:04 persecute them from city to city, you're going to crucify 18:07 and you're going to kill some of them. 18:09 And in this way, all of the blood shed from Abel 18:12 to the last martyr of the Old Testament will fall 18:15 upon this generation. 18:17 Now let's talk about the second phrase that we 18:19 find here in verse 27. 18:21 It not only says that Jesus would confirm 18:24 a strong covenant with many for one week, 18:27 but now it tells us when the Messiah would be cut off. 18:31 See, in verse 26 it only said, sometime during the last week 18:36 Messiah would be cut off. 18:37 But now verse 27 is going to tell us when 18:40 during that last week. 18:42 Verse 27 says, "But in the middle of the week..." 18:46 That is between 27 and 31 AD. 18:50 What would He do? 19:00 Now something very interesting here is that the word, 19:03 "sacrifice," is singular. 19:06 And the word, "offering," is singular. 19:10 It doesn't say, "Bring an end to sacrifices and offerings." 19:15 It says, "He will bring an end to sacrifice and offering." 19:20 Now why is the singular used? 19:22 I'm going to tell you the reason why I believe that the 19:24 singular is used and not the plural. 19:28 Do you know that Jesus died at the precise hour, 19:32 day, and month, in which it had been prophesied 19:36 in the Old Testament? 19:38 The Bible says He died at the ninth hour. 19:41 That's the hour when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. 19:44 He died on the 14th day. 19:47 That's when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. 19:49 And He died in the month of Nisan, 19:53 which is the month when the Passover lamb was sacrificed. 19:56 Jesus died at the precise month, day, and hour 20:02 in which the Passover lamb was sacrificed. 20:06 Now I want you to notice what happened when Jesus died. 20:08 Matthew 27 and verse 51. 20:11 Matthew 27 and verse 51. 20:22 What was God saying? 20:23 He was saying, this whole system has what? 20:26 Has come to an end. 20:34 If you're going to tear a curtain, you would tear it 20:36 from bottom to top. 20:37 You don't climb on a chair and then tear it from top to bottom. 20:40 God did this. 20:46 Ellen White adds some enlightening information 20:49 on what happened the very moment that Jesus died. 20:54 Desire Of Ages, page 757, she says this... 21:15 Did the sacrifice come to an end? 21:18 Did the offering come to an end at that very moment? 21:22 Yes. 21:23 And so it says... 21:24 She says the lamb escapes. 21:26 And then she explains why. 21:31 That is, promise has met fulfillment. 21:38 Do you think that it was the intention of Jesus 21:40 that the Jews understand that really the escape of the lamb, 21:45 the fact that no lamb was sacrificed that day, 21:48 was suppose to teach them that the sacrificial system 21:51 had come to an end? 21:52 That was God's intention. 21:54 Now they continued their sacrifices after this. 21:57 But after the sacrifice of Jesus, these sacrifices 22:00 were totally what? 22:02 Totally meaningless. 22:03 Because the blood of bulls and goats and lambs 22:06 cannot take away sin. 22:08 So the sacrifice and offering, singular, 22:12 came to an end that day. 22:14 Because when Jesus died, the sacrifice was not made, 22:18 the offering was not made, because the lamb escaped 22:22 from the hands of the priest. 22:24 Are you following me? 22:26 Now let's talk about the destruction of Jerusalem. 22:28 Because immediately after saying that He would confirm 22:31 a strong covenant with many for one week, 22:33 and then it says in the middle of the week 22:35 He would cause the sacrifice and the oblation, or the offering, 22:40 to cease, immediately it speaks about the 22:43 destruction of Jerusalem. 22:44 Does the destruction of Jerusalem have anything 22:46 to do with the rejection of the Messiah? 22:49 Both times, Messiah is cut off in verse 26, 22:54 and then it speaks about the destruction of Jerusalem. 22:56 In verse 27, it speaks about Messiah bringing the sacrifice 23:00 and offering to an end, and then it speaks about the 23:04 destruction of Jerusalem. 23:05 And the gospels confirm this. 23:07 Daniel 9 verse 27, the last part of the verse, describes the 23:11 destruction of Jerusalem. 23:12 It says, "And on the wing of abominations..." 23:15 Is that a key word? 23:16 It most certainly is. 23:21 Is that a key word also, "desolate?" 23:24 Most certainly. 23:37 And who is the desolate? 23:38 It is Jerusalem. 23:41 Do you remember when Jesus left the Jerusalem temple? 23:44 He said, "Your house is left unto you..." What? 23:49 Desolate. 23:50 Because Jesus left. 23:52 In other words, this verse of Daniel chapter 9 and verse 27, 23:57 when it uses the word, "desolate," to refer 24:01 to Jerusalem, it's using the same word that Jesus used 24:05 in Matthew chapter 23 and verse 38, 24:08 when He left the temple, the Shekinah left, and He said, 24:11 "Your house is left unto you desolate." 24:14 By the way, they are the same two words, 24:17 abomination and desolation, that are used in 24:19 Matthew 24 verses 15 and 16 24:22 to describe the destruction of Jerusalem. 24:24 Notice what it says there in Matthew 24:15-16. 24:31 There are the two keys words that we found in verse 27. 24:35 Now who spoke about the abomination of desolation? 24:51 Did God's faithful people see the sign and flee? 24:53 Were they saved from the destruction? 24:56 Yes, just like when the Old Testament temple was destroyed. 24:59 There was a group that was spared and they were saved. 25:02 Now what does that mean, "When you see the 25:04 abomination of desolation?" 25:05 It's really speaking about the Roman armies coming 25:08 and destroying Jerusalem because of its abominations. 25:10 Notice Luke 21 and verse 20. 25:13 Luke 21 and verse 20. 25:15 Here it says, and Jesus is speaking, "But when you see..." 25:19 This is a parallel passage to Matthew 24. 25:26 Which armies? 25:28 The Roman armies. 25:32 There's the key word. 25:38 So does the destruction of Jerusalem have anything 25:41 to do with the death of the Messiah? 25:44 The gospels make it absolutely clear 25:48 that because the Jewish nation cut off the Messiah, 25:52 and because they caused, to a certain extent, 25:56 the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, 25:59 not in the sense that they didn't continue their sacrifices 26:02 but in the sense that Jesus died on the cross, 26:06 they brought destruction upon themselves, 26:09 as we studied last time. 26:12 Now let's talk about the ending date of the 70 weeks. 26:16 Jesus was baptized in the fall of the year 27. 26:20 He was crucified in the spring of the year 31, 26:24 three and a half years later. 26:26 How many more years would you have to have 26:28 in order for the last week of the 70 weeks to come to an end? 26:32 You would have to have three and a half more years. 26:36 Now I want you to notice Matthew chapter 10 and verses 5 and 6. 26:40 Here, Jesus is speaking. 26:43 And notice what Jesus told to His disciples. 26:46 Matthew 10:5-6. 27:06 Were the Jews going to have exactly 70 weeks of probation? 27:10 Yes or no? Yes. 27:11 So their probation cannot end in the year 31. 27:15 Their probation has to end three and a half years later. 27:20 Now there's something very interesting here. 27:23 And that is that the first nine chapters of the book of Acts, 27:29 which describe the early history of the Christian church 27:32 during those three and a half years, 27:35 the gospel went only to the Jews. 27:38 It's not until you get to Acts chapter 10 27:42 that now, not Paul, the messenger to the Gentiles, 27:47 but Peter actually has the experience with this Gentile 27:52 called Cornelius. 27:54 So in other words, during the first nine chapters of Acts, 27:59 the apostles are preaching to who? 28:02 They're preaching in Jerusalem and in Judea. 28:06 Why? Because probation has not what? 28:09 Probation has not closed for the Jewish nation. 28:13 Allow me to read you once again Matthew 23 and verse 34 28:17 where Jesus predicted this. 28:18 Jesus says... 28:35 Who is it that persecuted from city to city? 28:37 Saul of Tarsus. 28:39 Now let me read you a statement from Great Controversy, page 28, 28:43 where Ellen White describes this period after 28:47 the crucifixion of Christ. 28:48 She says... 28:57 Shine upon the children of those who had betrayed Jesus. 29:00 She continues saying... 29:34 How did the Jews react during those three and a half years 29:38 of additional probation? 29:41 Did they say, "Oh, we receive the Messiah. 29:43 We receive Jesus Christ." 29:45 All you have to do is read the first several chapters 29:48 of the book of Acts. 29:49 They did to the apostles the same thing that they 29:53 did to Jesus Christ. 29:55 You can read, for example, about Peter and John. 29:57 How they were taken before the Jewish Sanhedrin. 30:00 And they were forbidden to speak in the name of Jesus Christ. 30:05 In fact, notice that in Acts chapter 4 verses 17 and 18. 30:08 Acts chapter 4 verses 17 and 18. 30:10 It says, "But so that it spreads no further..." 30:13 They're speaking in the Sanhedrin and in the 30:16 Jewish council because Peter and John are preaching 30:18 and people are being converted. 30:20 "But so that it spreads no further among the people..." 30:23 That is, their message. 30:24 "'...let us severely threaten them, that from now on 30:28 they speak to no man in this name.' 30:31 So they called them and commanded them 30:33 not to speak at all nor teach in the..." What? 30:37 "...in the name of Jesus." 30:41 Did they accept Jesus Christ in these three and a half years 30:45 of additional probation? 30:46 Absolutely not. 30:48 They opposed just like they had while Jesus was on this earth. 30:53 Now Daniel chapter 9 and verse 24, 30:56 you remember that Daniel 9 verse 24 said 30:59 that one of the things that would be accomplished 31:01 during the 70 weeks is that vision and prophecy 31:05 would be brought to what? 31:09 Actually, it would be sealed up. 31:11 But you know, that expression, "sealed up," 31:13 is the identical expression that is used earlier in the verse 31:16 where it says He shall bring an end to sins. 31:19 In other words, really the Hebrew word, "chatham," 31:22 really means, seal up or bring to an end. 31:26 In other words, Daniel chapter 9 verse 24 is saying that 31:29 vision and prophecy would be coming to an end. 31:32 Let's read that verse, Daniel 9 verse 24. 31:41 "...to make an end of sins..." 31:43 That's the very word that is used later in the verse; 31:45 to seal up. 31:54 "...to seal up..." 31:56 That's the identical Hebrew word that is translated, 31:58 "bring an end to sins." 31:59 So here it should be translated what? 32:01 Bring an end to what? 32:04 To vision and prophecy. 32:09 So what was going to happen at the end of this period? 32:12 Vision and prophecy would come to what? 32:15 Would come to an end. 32:16 Is that exactly what happened? 32:18 Absolutely. 32:20 Now let me tell you something about the role of the prophet 32:22 in the Old Testament. 32:24 The role of the prophet in the Old Testament 32:26 is that when Israel was very, very unfaithful, 32:29 constantly all the time, God would send them prophets. 32:33 They were actually God's lawyers in divorce court. 32:37 God would say, you know, "I'm going to divorce you 32:40 because you've fallen in love with the practice 32:43 of the other nations. 32:45 And, you know, you've had other lovers. 32:46 You've played the harlot." 32:48 And so He would send prophets and He would say, 32:50 "I want a divorce." 32:52 But then there was always hope. 32:53 He would say, "But if you repent and you turn from 32:56 your wicked ways, then I will relent from the idea 33:00 of divorcing you." 33:03 And whenever you find these prophets in the Old Testament 33:06 giving this message to Israel, you find that they always 33:10 told the story of the benevolent acts of God upon His people. 33:15 They would go through a long description of the history 33:18 of Israel and how God had been good to Israel 33:20 to try and woo Israel back to the Lord. 33:25 In other words, when prophets were raised up to rebuke Israel, 33:29 they called Israel to repentance, 33:31 and they expressed that there was still 33:33 an opportunity for mercy. 33:36 But now we go to the stoning of Stephen 33:38 and we find no message of mercy in the message 33:41 that Stephen presents. 33:43 Stephen, like the prophets of the Old Testament, 33:45 takes almost all of chapter 7 of the book of Acts 33:49 to tell the history of Israel and how God guided in the 33:52 history of Israel to bring the Messiah into the world. 33:56 Let's read several verses from Acts chapter 7, 33:59 and we'll read verse 11 and then I'll tell you 34:01 the verses that we're going to read. 34:04 And I want you to notice that Stephen refers to the 34:07 history of Israel with the expression, 34:09 "our fathers," "our fathers," "our fathers," 34:12 until he gets to the end. 34:13 And then he changes his tone. 34:16 Notice verse 11. 34:22 This is during the times of Joseph. 34:28 Let's go to verse 19. 34:30 "This man," that is Pharaoh... 34:41 Then it says in verse 38, "This is he," Moses... 34:55 Notice, "our fathers," again. 35:10 Verse 45... 35:23 Do you notice that all during the history of Israel, 35:25 he's talking about what? 35:27 He's including himself in the history of Israel. 35:30 He's saying, "our fathers," "our fathers." 35:33 But when he gets to the end of his speech, 35:35 I want you to notice chapter 7 and verse 52, 35:39 there is a change of tone and a change of expression. 35:43 He says to them... 35:44 Now he's bringing the indictment like the 35:46 prophets did in the Old Testament. 35:47 They would describe the benevolent acts of God 35:50 and then they would present the indictment. 35:52 And then the prophet would say, "Come back to the Lord 35:55 because He doesn't want to divorce you." 35:56 Stephen does not say, "Come back to the Lord. 35:59 He only indicts them. 36:01 Notice what it says there in Acts 7 verse 52. 36:10 You see, he's disconnecting himself from the patrimony 36:13 of those who did these things in the Old Testament. 36:28 You know this reminds us of the speech that Jesus gave 36:31 in the temple to the scribes and the Pharisees, 36:34 the woes upon the scribes and the Pharisees. 36:36 Jesus also did not say, "our fathers," 36:39 but He said, "your fathers." 36:42 Notice what we find in Matthew chapter 23 and verse 32. 36:46 Jesus says... 36:54 In other words, Stephen is disassociating himself 36:58 from these individuals who were "our fathers" 37:02 until he presents his indictment. 37:04 And then he says, "Your fathers did this." 37:07 Notice Matthew chapter 23 and verse 34. 37:11 Matthew 23 verse 34. 37:13 We already read this, but let's read it again. 37:16 Jesus is speaking, a couple of days before His death, 37:19 and He says... 37:32 And then notice, after He sends additional messengers, 37:35 He says... 37:55 Is the stoning of Stephen an extremely significant event? 37:59 It most certainly is. 38:00 In fact, allow me to share with you some very interesting 38:03 details about the crucifixion of Christ 38:06 and the stoning of Stephen. 38:07 It's like history is being repeated in the 38:09 stoning of Stephen, the history of Christ. 38:12 I'm just going to go through this list. 38:14 You have the texts in your handout. 38:17 Both Jesus and Stephen were taken before the 38:20 Jewish Sanhedrin for their trial. 38:23 Both Stephen and Jesus were accused by false witnesses. 38:27 You can read this in Acts chapter 6 and 7. 38:30 Both Jesus and Stephen reviewed the history of Israel. 38:34 Remember the parable of the vineyard that we studied 38:36 yesterday morning? 38:38 Both of them reviewed the history of Israel 38:40 and talked about God sending messengers to Israel, 38:43 and ended their speeches by speaking about the 38:46 arrival of the Son. 38:48 Both of them were betrayed by money that was paid as a bribe. 38:54 Both of them were accused of speaking against Moses 38:57 and the temple. 38:59 Both of them, the Bible tells us, were accused by the 39:03 Jewish leaders of shutting their ears to logic and reason. 39:10 Both of them prayed that God would forgive the sin 39:13 of their oppressors. 39:15 Both of them were taken and killed outside the city. 39:19 The Bible says that both of them were innocent. 39:22 The Bible says that Stephen's face with like the 39:24 face of an angel. 39:25 Pilate said, "This Man, I find no guilt in this Man." 39:28 And both of them were afflicted by a mob mentality 39:32 by those who killed them. 39:34 Is there an interesting parallel between the death of 39:36 Jesus Christ and the death of Stephen? 39:38 Absolutely. 39:39 In fact, Stephen is repeating the history of Jesus. 39:45 Had there been any change in the spirit and in the heart 39:49 of the Jewish leaders, the Jewish Sanhedrin, 39:52 when Stephen was stoned? 39:54 Absolutely not. 39:56 Even though this is three and a half years after 39:59 the crucifixion of Christ, there has been absolutely 40:02 no change of heart. 40:04 Now you remember that we read in Daniel chapter 9 verse 24 40:09 that there would be an event that would bring 40:11 vision and prophecy to an end. 40:14 Now that's a significant statement. 40:16 Go with me to Acts chapter 7 and verses 55 and 56. 40:21 What was the last vision that was given to a prophet 40:25 for literal Israel? 40:27 Who was that prophet? 40:29 It was Stephen. 40:31 Because just like the prophets of the Old Testament, 40:33 he told the history of Israel and he indicted them 40:36 for their wickedness. 40:38 The same way that the Old Testament prophets did. 40:41 There's no difference. 40:43 Did Stephen catch a vision of heaven, 40:48 and Jesus at the right hand of God? 40:51 Absolutely. 40:53 Acts 7:55-56. 40:55 "But he, being full of the Holy Spirit..." 41:13 Was Stephen seeing a vision? 41:16 He most certainly was. 41:17 Was he a prophet? 41:19 Yes, in good style he was a prophet. 41:22 Was he the last prophet who got the last vision 41:26 that was ever given for literal Israel? 41:28 Absolutely. 41:30 He would bring prophecy and vision to an end. 41:35 And when Stephen said that, his oppressors became ballistic. 41:40 Notice Acts chapter 7 and verse 54, and then we'll 41:43 jump down to verses 57 and 58. 41:46 It says, "When they heard these things 41:48 they were cut to the heart..." 41:54 Can you just imagine gnashing at this follower 41:58 of Jesus with their teeth? 42:00 And then verse 57 says... 42:12 Like it happened with Jesus. 42:15 And now notice a very important detail. 42:27 Did the Jewish theocracy come to an end 42:30 with the stoning of Stephen? 42:32 Absolutely. 42:34 They showed that their case was absolutely irreversible. 42:39 But I want you to notice something very interesting. 42:42 As the Jewish theocracy came to an end... 42:45 Because the whole reason why God... 42:47 Why did God choose Israel? 42:49 He chose them to prepare the way for what? 42:51 For the coming of the Messiah. 42:53 So the world would be ready for the Messiah. 42:56 Did they fulfill that plan. No. 42:59 Did the message have to go to the world? 43:01 It sure did. 43:02 Was the Jewish nation going to take it to the world? 43:04 Absolutely not. 43:05 So God says, "This is it. 43:07 I gave you 70 weeks. 43:08 Last of all, I sent you My Son. 43:11 You didn't fulfill the commission, so now 43:14 the message is going to be taken to the world 43:17 of the Gentiles." 43:19 And it's interesting that when the Jewish theocracy 43:22 came to an end, God already had the champion for the Gentiles. 43:27 What was his name? 43:29 Saul of Tarsus. Exactly. 43:32 Do you remember in the parable that Jesus told 43:35 of the vineyard workers? 43:38 He told about the three stages of Israel. 43:40 God sent out messengers and they killed those messengers 43:44 and rejected their message. 43:45 Then He sent further messengers after that. 43:47 That's during the 70 weeks. 43:48 And last of all, He sends whom? 43:50 He sends His Son, "They're going to respect my son." 43:53 But what did they say? 43:54 "Oh, this is the heir. 43:55 Let's take him and kill him." 43:58 And they cast him out of the vineyard, 44:00 which represents Jerusalem. 44:01 And they killed him. 44:03 And Jesus said, "What do you suppose God is 44:05 going to do with them?" 44:07 What did Jesus say? 44:09 He said, "Because they rejected the son, 44:12 the kingdom will be taken from them 44:15 and will be given to a nation..." 44:18 The word, "ethne." 44:20 Which refers to the Gentiles in the New Testament. 44:24 "...and will be given to a nation that produces..." What? 44:28 "...that produces the fruits thereof." 44:31 Did Jesus predict that after His death 44:34 the message would go to the Gentiles because the Jews had 44:37 rejected the message? 44:39 Absolutely. 44:40 So Saul of Tarsus is present when Stephen is stoned. 44:45 And the last vision and the last prophet is given to Israel. 44:50 But he is going to be the champion that God will choose 44:53 to fulfill what Jesus said. 44:55 The message now going to where? 44:58 Going to the Gentiles. 45:00 In other words, the kingdom now given to the Gentiles. 45:04 In fact, notice Acts chapter 22 and verses 20 and 21. 45:09 Here, Saul of Tarsus is describing his experience. 45:14 And notice what it says in Acts 22 verses 20 and 21. 45:33 So notice, he was present there and he was encouraging them 45:40 to stone Stephen. 45:41 But now notice what we find in verse 21. 45:53 Are you seeing the connection? 45:55 Now, when Saul of Tarsus was on the way to Damascus 46:00 to persecute the church, he heard a voice from heaven 46:03 that said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute My people?" 46:09 That's not what He said. 46:11 He said, "Saul, Saul, why do you persecute.." What? 46:14 "...Me." 46:15 Were they persecuting Jesus? 46:17 Yes, they were persecuting Jesus in the person of His church. 46:22 Because the church is the body of Jesus Christ. 46:25 Were they doing the same thing to the body of Christ 46:27 as they had done to Jesus Christ? 46:29 Absolutely. 46:31 And Saul was there when the Jewish theocracy ended. 46:34 And God said, "You're Mine, buddy. 46:38 You're going to be the messenger to the Gentiles." 46:41 And as I was mentioning, it's very interesting, 46:44 listen to this, in the book of Acts 46:47 chapters 1 through chapter 12 the central figure is Peter. 46:56 And the message is going to whom, primarily? 46:59 It is going to the Jews. 47:04 Do you remember that Jesus said in Acts chapter 1 verse 8... 47:12 Where first? 47:14 In Jerusalem. 47:16 Who lived in Jerusalem? 47:18 Jews. 47:19 "...and in all Judea.." 47:22 Who lived in Judea? 47:24 Jews. 47:25 And then a little bit wider, where? 47:28 Samaria. 47:29 And then where? 47:31 To the uttermost parts of the earth. 47:34 Or to the end of the earth, as some versions say. 47:37 Listen up now. 47:39 Acts 1 through 6, the work of the apostles 47:44 is focused only on Jerusalem and Judea. 47:48 In Acts chapter 7, Stephen is stoned. 47:53 And after Stephen is stoned in Acts chapter 7, 47:57 in Acts 8 you have, of course, the gospel going to Samaria, 48:00 which were half brothers of the Jews. 48:03 And then you have in chapter 9 the conversion 48:07 of Saul of Tarsus. 48:09 And then in chapter 10, all the way through the rest 48:12 of the book of Acts, the gospel is going where? 48:15 The gospel is going to the Gentiles. 48:18 Is the book of Acts showing us that for three and a half years 48:24 after Jesus was crucified, the gospel went to 48:28 Jerusalem and Judea? 48:30 And only after the stoning of Stephen 48:33 does the gospel go, first of all, to Cornelius 48:37 through the work of Peter, and then to the uttermost 48:40 parts of the earth; to the Gentiles? 48:42 Are you following me or not? 48:43 Is the stoning of Stephen a watershed event? 48:47 It most certainly is. 48:49 In fact, do you know that in Acts chapter 13 48:53 Saul and Barnabas are ordained to go to the Gentiles? 48:56 Go with me there to Acts 13 verses 1 to 3. 49:15 That is Saul of Tarsus. 49:17 "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, 49:20 the Holy Spirit said..." 49:22 Listen now to what the Holy Spirit said. 49:24 "'...Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul 49:28 for the work to which I have called them.' 49:31 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, 49:36 they sent them away." 49:38 Was this the official beginning of the ministry of 49:41 Saul of Tarsus? 49:42 Absolutely. 49:43 It's when Saul of Tarsus was what? 49:45 Was ordained. 49:46 Now listen to what happens in the rest of chapter 13. 49:51 Paul and Barnabas, after they're ordained, 49:54 they go to Antioch of Pisidia. 49:58 And Paul preached a long sermon there to the Jews 50:01 in the synagogue. 50:02 You can read this in chapter 13 at your leisure. 50:06 So Paul preaches a long sermon like it was customary for him. 50:09 And some people say, "Well, Pastor Bohr, 50:10 this stuff that you present is so complicated." 50:13 You think I'm complicated, you should be the apostle Paul. 50:18 There's complicated. 50:19 Peter said he wrote some things difficult to be understood. 50:23 But he doesn't blame Paul. 50:24 He doesn't say, "Paul, you should have been clearer." 50:26 He says, "No, the unlearned twist to their own destruction." 50:30 So the fault does not lay with Saul, or with Paul. 50:34 The fault lies with those who don't study carefully 50:36 what Paul wrote. 50:37 You know, one person once said to me, 50:40 "Why can't we just be happy? 50:42 Jesus loves me, this I know. for the Bible tells me so." 50:47 And I looked at that person and I said, 50:49 "You know, that's a good suggestion. 50:50 The last time that I sang that was when I was 50:53 in the primary division." 50:56 That's good for primary kids. 50:58 But God has given us Scripture to challenge our intellect. 51:01 Hasn't He done that? 51:03 It's like detective work. 51:05 It's marvelous seeing the unity and harmony of Scripture 51:08 as we study it carefully, and with prayer, 51:11 and with God's wisdom. 51:13 And so Paul preaches a long sermon in Antioch of Pisidia 51:16 to the Jews in the synagogue. 51:18 And the Gentiles, when they heard, because they were 51:21 present there, they heard the sermon that Paul preached, 51:24 they said, "Could you come and preach to us next Sabbath?" 51:28 Not next Sunday. 51:29 "Next Sabbath, will you come and preach to us?" 51:32 And the apostle Paul said, "Sure, we'll come and 51:36 preach to you next Sabbath." 51:37 And the Bible says that the next Sabbath, 51:39 almost the whole city came together. 51:42 And the Gentiles, bunches of Gentiles, 51:45 gave their lives to the Lord. 51:48 And when the Jews saw that, they were filled with anger. 51:52 They were filled with jealousy. 51:55 They said, "Oh those Gentiles, multitudes of Gentiles, 51:58 accepting the message. 52:00 If this grows, we're going to be... 52:06 ...a small group, a small insignificant group." 52:09 And so they were jealous. 52:11 And they started blaspheming. 52:14 Let's read about it in Acts chapter 13 verses 46 and 47. 52:18 Remember, this is the first trip that Saul, or that Paul, takes 52:22 after his ordination. 52:23 He still wants to preach to whom? 52:26 To the Jews. 52:27 But because the Jews blaspheme, notice what he says. 52:40 Why did the word of God have to be spoken to the Jews first? 52:43 Because they had 70 weeks. Exactly. 52:56 Is the kingdom that Jesus spoke about, 52:58 "The kingdom will be taken from you and given to a nation 53:01 that produces the fruits thereof? 53:02 Absolutely. 53:04 "...we turn to the Gentiles..." 53:05 And then now notice. 53:19 Is this a clear prophecy, the prophecy of the 70 weeks? 53:23 I mean, it is amazing how God predicted all these things 53:27 centuries before they happened. 53:30 Precisely and exactly. 53:31 Forget Nostradamus. 53:33 You have to stretch your imagination to find 53:38 anything there that's being fulfilled today. 53:40 This tells you exactly when, what, and where 53:44 was going to happen. 53:45 And you know what's sad? 53:47 Almost all of the Protestant world has taken the last week 53:50 of this prophecy, and instead of applying it to the Christ 53:54 it has applied it to the antichrist, who supposedly 53:57 will arise after the rapture of the church. 54:00 It is a serious matter to take a prophecy 54:03 that applies to Christ and apply it to the antichrist. 54:06 And listen carefully to what I'm going to say. 54:08 What Protestants have done, and also the Roman Catholic Church 54:11 by doing this, it that they have exonerated the Jewish nation 54:16 from the terrible crime of crucifying the Messiah. 54:19 By saying that this prophecy applies in the future, 54:24 after the rapture of the church, they're saying that the Jews 54:27 were not guilty of anything back then. 54:29 But you know what else? 54:31 Because Protestantism and Roman Catholicism 54:34 has said that the little horn of Daniel 7 54:38 applies to a future antichrist, they are also exonerating 54:42 the Roman Catholic Church from destroying the body of Christ 54:46 during the 1260 years. 54:48 In other words, what the devil has done 54:50 in shifting the view to the future, he has exonerated 54:55 the Jewish nation as a nation... 54:57 I'm not talking about any individuals. 54:58 ...from the terrible crime of crucifying the Messiah. 55:01 And they have also exonerated the Roman Catholic Church 55:04 from persecuting the body of Jesus Christ 55:07 during the period that is known as the dark ages. 55:09 Are you understanding what I'm saying? 55:12 Everybody today is looking to the Middle East. 55:15 "Oh, look at the Muslims. They're the enemy." 55:18 "Oh yeah, look at Jerusalem. 55:19 You know, the Arabs are going to come and they're going to 55:21 attack Jerusalem." 55:22 And while everybody is looking east, 55:25 prophecy is being fulfilled in Rome and in the United States. 55:29 And no one can see it because they're looking 55:32 in the wrong place. 55:35 The devil is an expert at directing your attention 55:38 to where the controversy isn't. 55:41 Now allow me to summarize this. 55:44 The 2300 years begin in the year 457 BC. 55:48 Right? 55:50 You go forward 69 weeks, that's 483 years. 55:55 That takes you to the year, what? 56:00 27 AD. 56:01 But there's one more week. 56:03 That takes you from 27 to the year, what? 56:06 34 AD. 56:08 So those are the first 490 years. 56:10 And those 490 years are cut off from what? 56:14 From the 2300 days. 56:16 Now, so from 457 to 34, you have the first 490 years 56:21 of the 2300 days. 56:23 So what do you have to do in order to know when the 56:25 Sanctuary is going to be cleansed? 56:27 You don't have to have the wisdom of Solomon 56:30 in order to figure it out. 56:32 All you have to do is subtract 490 from 2300. 56:38 Because the 490 were fulfilled. 56:40 What does that give you? 1810 years. 56:46 So basically, what you have to do is go from the year 34 56:50 1810 years, which is the remaining portion 56:53 after you subtracted the 490 years. 56:56 And that will take you to the precise moment 56:58 when the Sanctuary will be cleansed. 57:01 And if you do that operation, you will find that the 57:05 prophecy of the 2300 days ends precisely in the year 1844. 57:14 Folks, there's no way around it. 57:16 Prophecy is clear. 57:19 The reason why the Christian world does not like this 57:22 is because if they accepted it they would have to be 57:25 Seventh-day Adventists. |
Revised 2014-12-17