Participants:
Series Code: TPP
Program Code: TPP000013A
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00:11 Let us pray.
00:14 Father in heaven, as we open Your Word, 00:16 we ask for the presence of Your Spirit. 00:19 This is a very complex subject, 70 weeks. 00:23 But I ask that You will make things clear, 00:27 so that we can understand all of the details 00:29 that we are gonna study. 00:31 We claim Your promise of Your presence 00:33 in the precious name of Jesus. 00:35 Amen. 00:39 We have found more material to cover 00:43 than I can actually do 00:46 in the two presentations on the 70 weeks. 00:50 If you would like a full study, 00:53 you can go to our website secretsunsealed.org 00:58 and go to our archives 01:00 and there is a 26 page document 01:03 on Daniel 9. 01:06 And so I would encourage you to go there 01:08 for all of the details. 01:11 Daniel 9 is the greatest messianic prophecy 01:16 of the Old Testament 01:19 for two reasons. 01:21 Number one, 01:23 because it not only predicts the events 01:28 of Messiah's mission on earth, 01:31 but it predicts the specific dates 01:35 for those events. 01:37 You see, there are many prophecies 01:38 in the Old Testament that tell us 01:40 what the Messiah was gonna do. 01:43 But this passage not only tells us 01:45 what He was gonna do, 01:47 but also when He was going to do it. 01:53 Now I wanna review as we began 01:55 the four stages of Israel's history. 01:58 And I'll do this briefly and quickly. 02:00 The first stage is Sinai to Babylon, 02:03 a period of 800 years, 02:06 then Babylon to John 02:09 483 years, 02:13 then the ministry of Christ that last 3.5 years. 02:17 And after Christ's ascension till end of the 70 weeks 02:22 you have 3.5 years. 02:26 Now I want to begin by reading Daniel 1:1,2 02:31 where we find the beginning of the Babylonian captivity. 02:36 Daniel 1: 1, 2, 02:39 and what I want you notice here, 02:40 this is happening in the year 605, 02:43 is that before the city was destroyed, 02:48 the city also lost its governance 02:52 because the nobility were taken to Babylon. 02:55 So it lost its civil power to rule 02:59 before the city was physically destroyed. 03:03 And so it says in Daniel 1:1, 2, 03:04 "In the third year, this is 605 BC, 03:07 of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah 03:09 came Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, 03:12 and besieged it. 03:14 And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand." 03:19 So now Jerusalem is left without a ruler. 03:24 So governance is removed first. 03:28 So it says, 03:29 "And the Lord gave Jehoiakim king of Judah into his hand, 03:32 with part of the vessels of the house of God, 03:34 which he carried into the land of Shinar 03:37 to the house of his god, 03:38 and he brought the vessels 03:39 into the treasure house of his god." 03:42 And by the way he also took away the nobility. 03:45 Daniel and his friends were of the noble house, 03:49 so that they would be no ruler. 03:51 So before the city is destroyed, 03:53 governance is removed but then, of course, 03:56 the city, the temple and the walls are destroyed 03:59 in the year 586. 04:01 Let's read about 04:03 the destruction of Jerusalem in 2 Chronicles, 04:05 36:15-20, 04:09 "And the Lord God of their fathers 04:11 sent warnings to them 04:12 by His messengers, 04:13 rising up early and sending them, 04:15 because He had compassion on His people 04:18 and on His dwelling place. 04:21 But they mocked the messengers of God, 04:23 despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, 04:28 until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, 04:31 until there was no remedy. 04:35 Therefore He brought against them 04:36 the king of the Chaldeans, 04:37 who killed their young men with the sword 04:39 in the house of their sanctuary, 04:41 had no compassion on young man 04:43 or virgin, on the aged or the weak, 04:46 He gave them all into his hand. 04:49 And all the articles from the house of God, 04:51 great and small, 04:52 the treasures of the house of the Lord, 04:54 and the treasures of the king and of his leaders, 04:56 all these he took to Babylon. 04:59 Then they burned the house of God, 05:01 broke down the wall of Jerusalem, 05:03 and burned all its palaces with fire, 05:06 and destroyed all its precious possessions. 05:09 And those who escaped from the sword 05:10 he carried away to Babylon, 05:12 where they became servants to him and his sons 05:16 until the rule of the kingdom of Persia, 05:19 to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, 05:22 until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. 05:25 As long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, 05:29 to fulfill seventy years." 05:32 So two points I want us to notice. 05:34 Number one, the city loses its governance 05:39 before the city is physically destroyed. 05:43 And so if Israel's gonna be restored, 05:46 governance has to be restored 05:49 and the city has to be rebuild. 05:53 Now, Daniel just two years 05:56 before the 70 year captivity ended 06:00 fears that perhaps the sinfulness 06:02 of Israel is so great 06:05 that God is going to extent the period of 70 years. 06:09 So in Daniel 9:1, 2, we find Daniel studying 06:14 the prophecy of the 70 years that Jeremiah wrote about. 06:18 It says in Daniel 9:1, 2, "In the first year of Darius 06:22 the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, 06:25 who was made king 06:27 over the realm of the Chaldeans. 06:28 In the first year of his reign 06:31 I, Daniel, understood by the books 06:35 the number of the years specified 06:37 by the word of the Lord 06:38 through Jeremiah the prophet, 06:40 that He would accomplish seventy years 06:42 in the desolations of Jerusalem." 06:44 So Daniel is saying, it's 938, 06:47 I know that we were taken captive in 605, 06:50 so the captivity should end in the year 536, 06:53 two years from now. 06:54 But then Daniel starts thinking he says, "Now wait a minute, 06:57 may be the sinfulness of Israel was so great 07:00 that God is not gonna fulfill His promise 07:02 and it's gonna be a longer period of captivity." 07:05 And so Daniel now raises a prayer to God, 07:09 and he confesses the sinfulness of Israel. 07:12 And he begs the Lord not to delay 07:15 in fulfilling His promise of letting his people go 07:18 after 70 years. 07:20 I only wanna read the last part of Daniel's prayer, 07:24 it goes all way from verse 3-19, 07:28 but I wanna read only verses 18 and 19. 07:32 "O my God, incline your ear and hear, 07:37 open your eyes and see our desolations, 07:40 and the city which is called by Your name, 07:43 for we do not present our supplications before You 07:47 because of our righteous deeds, 07:49 but because of Your great mercies. 07:52 O Lord, hear! 07:54 O Lord, forgive! 07:57 O Lord, listen and act!" 08:00 And then notice. 08:01 "Do not," what? 08:04 "Do not delay for Your own sake, 08:07 my God, for Your city 08:09 and Your people are called by Your name." 08:12 Don't delay to fulfill that after 70 years 08:16 You're gonna let Your people go. 08:19 So then 08:21 Gabriel comes to Daniel 08:26 and he tells Daniel, 08:28 "Daniel, the 70 years will end 08:32 and your people will return to the land 08:36 and God is going to give them 08:39 a 70 week probation." 08:43 Notice Daniel 9:24, what it says about 08:48 this period of 70 weeks. 08:53 Seventy weeks are determined for your people 08:57 and for your holy city, and then six things 09:00 are gonna happen 09:01 during the period of the 70 weeks 09:03 particularly at the end, 09:05 during the last week, to finish the transgression, 09:08 to make an end of sins, 09:10 to make reconciliation for iniquity, 09:13 to bring in everlasting righteousness, 09:15 to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy. 09:21 So Gabriel tells him, "Daniel, God will fulfill His promise, 09:26 your people will return to their land, 09:28 will return to their city, 09:30 governance will be reestablished, 09:32 the city and the walls will be rebuild, 09:35 the sanctuary, the religious system will begin 09:37 to function again, 09:39 and 70 weeks are given 09:41 as a grace period for your nation. 09:45 Now, of course, the big question is 09:47 when do the 70 weeks begin? 09:50 Well, in Daniel 9:25, 09:55 we have the secret of 09:57 when the 70 weeks we're going to begin. 10:01 It says there in Daniel 9:25, 10:03 "Know therefore and understand 10:06 that from the going forth of the command 10:10 to restore and build Jerusalem." 10:12 By the way those two words, 10:13 I don't have the time to get into it, 10:15 but restore is not the same as build. 10:18 Restore means to establish governance again 10:21 and the religious system. 10:24 Build means to build the physical city. 10:27 See both things were removed, 10:29 both things need to be restored. 10:31 So it says, "Know therefore and understand 10:33 that from the going forth of the command 10:36 to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah," 10:40 which means the anointed one, "The prince, 10:42 there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks." 10:45 In other words there's gonna be 69 weeks 10:48 between the decree and the appearance 10:50 of the anointed one or the Messiah. 10:54 Now once again I want to underline 10:56 that there are two things that need to be reestablished, 11:00 governance, and the physical city. 11:04 Now there are four possible dates 11:06 for the beginning of the command to restore 11:11 and build Jerusalem. 11:13 One of them was given by Cyrus in the year 536, 11:17 the year when they were released from captivity. 11:20 That cannot be the decree to restore and build Jerusalem, 11:24 because the decree of Cyrus only gave them permission 11:27 to rebuild the temple. 11:29 You can find that in the Book of Ezra. 11:33 Then in the year 520, 16 years later, 11:36 Darius the Persian gave a decree, 11:40 restoring the decree that was given in 536, 11:43 because it had been suspended. 11:45 Once again the decree by Darius the Persian 11:49 was only to rebuild the temple, 11:51 that was in the year 520. 11:53 Then you have a decree 11:55 by Artaxerxes in 457 BC, 11:59 that is the decree 12:02 that restores and builds Jerusalem. 12:07 By the way, there was one more decree 12:09 by Artaxerxes in the year 444 BC, 12:13 that one won't work either 12:15 because that was only permission to go 12:17 and rebuild the wall. 12:19 So there's only one decree that fits. 12:22 The first two had to do 12:24 with the building of the temple, 12:25 the last one had to do with building of the walls. 12:27 There's only one in Ezra 7 that fulfills the command 12:32 to restore and to build Jerusalem. 12:36 Ezra 7:13 refers to that decree, 12:41 here king Artaxerxes states, 12:44 "I issue a decree 12:47 that all those of the people of Israel 12:50 and the priests and the Levities in my realm, 12:54 who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, 12:57 may go with you." 12:59 And then it speaks about the rebuilding of the temple 13:04 and the city and restoring their civil order, 13:07 you can read in the following verses. 13:09 Now the question is, 13:11 when did Artaxerxes gave this decree 13:15 to restore and build Jerusalem? 13:18 To restore that civil and religious order 13:21 and to rebuild the city and the walls. 13:25 Ezra 7:7 gives us the date. 13:29 it says, "Some of the children of Israel, 13:31 the priests, the Levites, the singers, the gatekeepers, 13:34 and the Nethinim came up to Jerusalem 13:38 in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes." 13:43 So we know, when the decree is given, 13:45 it is given the seventh year of Artaxerxes. 13:48 And you ask the question, 13:49 what was the seventh year of King Artaxerxes? 13:53 Well, two great scholars 13:58 several years ago 13:59 wrote a book called "The Chronology of Ezra 7," 14:03 their names Siegfried Horn, 14:05 who was is the dean 14:07 of Seventh-day Adventist Archaeologist. 14:08 He passed away a few years ago. 14:10 And Kenneth Wood who was editor of the Review 14:13 and Herald for quite a long period of time. 14:17 They showed in their book by examining archeology, 14:22 history, and astronomy that there's no doubt 14:25 that the decree of Artaxerxes was given 14:28 in the fall of the year 457 BC. 14:34 So in other words, 14:35 the 70 weeks began in 457 BC, 14:41 we know what the starting date is. 14:44 Now we need to understand 14:46 that the 70 weeks are not weeks of days, 14:49 they are weeks of years. 14:52 In prophecy days are equivalent to years. 14:57 So 70 weeks times 7 days, 14:59 each week comes out to 490 years. 15:04 In other words, from 457 BC forward, 15:09 the 70 weeks were going to last 490 years. 15:14 Are we on the same page? 15:17 Now, the 70 weeks 15:19 are divided into three segments. 15:23 They're divided into 7 weeks, 15:28 after the 7 weeks, 62 weeks, 15:32 and then the final week. 15:36 Let's read Daniel 9:25, and then we'll go to verse 27. 15:40 It says, "Know therefore and understand, 15:43 that from the going forth of the command to restore 15:46 and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, 15:50 there shall be," what? 15:53 "Seven weeks," 15:56 that's the first segment and then what? 15:59 "And sixty-two weeks." 16:04 So the first two segments are 7 weeks, and then 62 weeks. 16:09 And then in verse 27, it says, 16:12 "Then he shall confirm a covenant with many," 16:14 for what? 16:16 "For one week." 16:17 That's the last week. 16:19 "For one week, but in the middle of the week 16:20 He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering." 16:23 So there's three segments to the 70 weeks, 16:26 three divisions. 16:27 7 weeks, 62 weeks 16:31 and one final week. 16:36 Now why do you have 7 weeks, 7 weeks is equal to 49 years. 16:41 At least I knew 7 times 7 is 49. 16:44 So the first 7 weeks have to do with the rebuilding 16:50 and restoring of Jerusalem. 16:53 You can read this in Daniel 9:25. 16:56 It speaks about these 7 weeks, 16:58 these 49 years after the decree is given. 17:03 It says, "The street shall be rebuild again 17:07 and the wall even in troublous times." 17:10 So the 7 years, 49 years, 17:13 after 457 deals with a rebuilding of the city, 17:18 and the reestablishment of their civil 17:20 and religious order. 17:22 But then you have 62 weeks that go beyond that. 17:27 The 7 plus the 62, take us to the Messiah 17:32 to the anointed one. 17:34 In other words, 69 weeks from 457 BC 17:39 will take you to the moment when the Messiah is anointed, 17:43 when the Messiah appears. 17:45 How many years is that? 17:46 Seven weeks plus 62 weeks is 69 weeks 17:51 times 7 days each week 17:53 is 483 years. 17:59 This is simple math. 18:02 It's not geometry, or algebra, 18:06 or trigonometry, or calculus. 18:09 We should be able to grasp this quiet easily. 18:13 Now let's go once again to Daniel 9:25, 18:18 "Know therefore and understand, 18:20 that from the going forth of the command 18:22 to restore and to build Jerusalem 18:24 until Messiah the Prince, 18:26 there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks." 18:32 I want to repeat once again that the word Messiah, 18:35 the word Messiah means the anointed one. 18:41 The equivalent Greek word is Christ, 18:44 the word Christ means anointed. 18:47 By the way, that's where we get the word christened from. 18:50 A christening is an anointing, right? 18:53 And the first part of christening is Christ. 18:57 So the word Messiah 18:58 or Christ means the anointed one. 19:01 So from the time that the decree is given 19:04 until the anointed one there would be 69 weeks. 19:08 Now the question is, when did Messiah appear 19:11 and when was the Messiah anointed? 19:15 Let's go to Luke 3:1-3. 19:18 Luke 3:1-3, 19:21 this passage gives us 19:24 several historical events to let us know 19:27 when the Messiah was anointed. 19:31 It says, "Now in the fifteenth year 19:33 of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, 19:36 Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, 19:40 Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, 19:43 his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea 19:47 and the region of Traconitis, 19:49 and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene, 19:52 while Annas and Caiaphas were high priests." 19:56 I would say that 19:58 we have a lot of historical markers 19:59 here, wouldn't you? 20:01 Now the question is, what is the date? 20:03 We'll come back to that. 20:04 It says here, "The word of God 20:07 came to John the son of Zechariah," 20:09 that John the Baptist, "in the wilderness. 20:11 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, 20:14 preaching a baptism of repentance 20:17 for the remission of sins." 20:20 Now the question is, when did this take place? 20:24 Well, we know that Tiberius Caesar 20:29 began his reign in the year 12 AD, 20:34 12 AD, 20:35 but this happened in the 15th year of his reign. 20:40 So you add 12 plus 15 20:43 and it takes us to what date? 20:45 It takes us to the year 27 AD. 20:49 In other words, the year 27 AD was going to be 20:53 the year in which Messiah would appear, 20:57 the anointed one 20:59 or the Christ was going to appear. 21:03 Now let's go to Mark 1:9-11. 21:07 Mark 1:9-11. 21:12 We just noticed that John 21:14 is going out preaching 21:18 in the year 27, 21:20 and while he's preaching somebody shows up 21:24 to where he is preaching, Jesus. 21:28 It says here in Mark 1:9-11, 21:32 "It came to pass in those days 21:34 that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, 21:38 and was baptized by John in the Jordan. 21:43 And immediately, coming up from the water, 21:45 He saw the seven heavens parting 21:47 and the Spirit descending upon Him 21:50 like a dove. 21:51 Then a voice came from heaven, 21:53 'You are My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.' 21:56 " What date was Jesus baptized? 21:59 He was baptized by John 22:01 the Baptist in the year 27 AD. 22:06 Now let's go to Luke 4:18, 19, 22:10 this is right after the baptism of Jesus. 22:14 Luke 4:18, 19, Jesus goes to the synagogue in Nazareth 22:19 and He opens the book, He's asked to give 22:23 the scripture reading for the worship service. 22:26 And He opens up the scriptures 22:28 to a passage in Isaiah 61. 22:32 It says there in verses 18 and 19, Jesus is speaking, 22:36 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me..." 22:39 When did the Spirit come upon Jesus? 22:42 When He was baptized, right? 22:44 "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, 22:47 because He has anointed," what, He's what? 22:50 Oh, so when was Jesus anointed? 22:53 When He was baptized in the year 27. 22:56 "And because He has anointed Me 22:58 to preach the gospel to the poor, 23:00 He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, 23:02 to proclaim liberty to the captives 23:04 and recovery of sight to the blind, 23:06 to set at liberty those who are oppressed, 23:08 to proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord." 23:12 So when Jesus was baptized, 23:14 He was anointed for His mission. 23:18 Now lest you doubt, 23:20 let's go to over Acts 10:36-38. 23:24 Acts 10:36-38, 23:27 scripture interpret scripture. 23:31 The Bible explains itself everything that 23:34 we need to understand the Bible, 23:35 is in the Bible. 23:37 Acts 10:36, 23:40 "The word which God 23:42 sent to the children of Israel, 23:43 preaching peace through Jesus Christ, 23:45 He is Lord of all that word you know, 23:49 which was proclaimed throughout all Judea, 23:51 and began from Galilee after the baptism 23:54 which John preached." 23:56 Now notice, here comes the key portion, 23:58 "How God anointed 24:02 Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit." 24:06 When did Jesus received the Holy Spirit? 24:09 At His baptism. 24:10 And this speaks of His baptism 24:12 as His anointing. 24:16 So to Messiah to the time of the anointed one, 69 weeks. 24:22 And Jesus was anointed in the year 27 AD. 24:27 By the way, shortly after His baptism, 24:29 Jesus spoke some very interesting words. 24:32 Mark 1:13, 14. 24:35 Mark 1:13, 14, 24:38 this is right after His baptism, 24:39 now He's beginning His ministry. 24:42 "Now after John was put in prison, 24:45 Jesus came to Galilee, 24:47 preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, 24:49 and saying, 24:51 'The time is fulfilled.' 24:55 " What did Jesus mean when He said, 24:57 "He begins His ministry says, the time is fulfilled." 25:00 What time is He referring to? 25:03 The time of the prophecy of the 70 weeks, 25:06 He has just been baptized. 25:08 "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God 25:11 is at hand. 25:12 Repent and believe the gospel." 25:16 Now let's go one last text 25:17 about the anointing of the Messiah. 25:19 John 1, we'll read verse 32 25:23 and then we'll go down to verse 41. 25:26 Jesus is baptized and then something 25:30 very interesting happens. 25:31 It says that in verse 32, "And John bore witness, saying, 25:36 'I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, 25:40 and He remained upon Him."' 25:43 Then immediately after His baptism in verse 41, 25:47 Andrew finds his brother Simon 25:51 and he says something very interesting to Simon, 25:54 right after the baptism of Jesus. 25:57 He says, 25:58 "We have found the Messiah." 26:03 Are you catching all these texts? 26:05 The significance. 26:06 We have found the anointed one, right after His baptism, 26:11 which is translated into Greek, 26:13 "The Christ." 26:17 So when was Jesus anointed? 26:19 At His baptism. 26:21 In what year? 26:23 27 AD, 483 years after the command was given 26:29 to restore and build Jerusalem. 26:31 Now what season of the year was Jesus baptized? 26:36 He was baptized in the fall of the year 27. 26:40 You say, how do you know that? 26:43 It's very simple. 26:45 What season of the year, was Jesus crucified? 26:51 In the spring. 26:54 Because He was crucified at Passover, 26:57 and Passover was in March-April, in the spring. 27:01 How long did the ministry of Jesus last? 27:05 Three and half years. 27:07 So you go from the fall of 27, to the fall of 28, 27:11 to the fall of 29, to the fall of 30, 27:16 to the spring of 31. 27:19 How many years? 27:20 Three and half years. 27:23 He was baptized in the fall of the year 27 27:27 and He was crucified in the spring of the year 31. 27:33 Now something was gonna happen in the middle of the last week. 27:36 Well, you notice that, Messiah would come 27:38 at the beginning of the last week. 27:40 Now let's notice what was gonna happen 27:41 in the middle of the last week. 27:43 Daniel 9:26 and I don't have time to deal 27:46 with structural matters of Daniel 9. 27:49 In the material if you go to our website, 27:51 there's a whole structural study 27:52 because things seems to go back and forth 27:55 here in the prophecy of the 70 weeks. 27:57 It appears to not be in order, but it is in order, 28:00 if you know how it's structured. 28:02 But anyway, Daniel 9:26, says, 28:05 "And after the sixty-two weeks." 28:08 Sometime after the 62 weeks and the 7 weeks, 28:12 because the 7 weeks are the first part, 28:14 the 62 weeks are the next part. 28:16 So at some point during the last 62 weeks, 28:20 "Messiah will be cut off," 28:23 the anointed one be cut, 28:25 "but nor for Himself." 28:27 You know, what does that mean? 28:29 Messiah would be cut off, not for Himself. 28:32 Well, we have to go to other places in the Bible 28:34 to find out what it means. 28:35 Isaiah 53:5. 28:37 Isaiah 53:5. 28:40 Who did Jesus die for? Did He die for Himself? 28:43 No. 28:45 Isaiah 53:5 says, 28:46 "But He was wounded for our transgressions, 28:49 He was bruised for our iniquities, 28:51 the chastisement of our peace was upon him, 28:54 and with His stripes we are healed." 28:59 So He was cut off not for Himself. 29:03 What does cut off mean? 29:05 Isaiah 53:8, it says, 29:08 "He was taken," 29:09 speaking about Jesus the Messiah. 29:11 "He was taken from prison and from judgment, 29:13 and who shall declare His generation? 29:15 For he was cut off out of the land of the living, 29:20 for the transgression of my people was he stricken." 29:24 What does the cutting off, of Messiah mean? 29:27 It means that He was going to be killed. 29:31 But He would die not for Himself. 29:33 Is that true of Jesus? 29:36 Absolutely. 29:38 Now there's something very interesting. 29:41 There is a link 29:42 between the death of the Messiah 29:46 and another destruction of Jerusalem. 29:49 You see, this prophecy tells us 29:51 that at end of the 70 weeks, Jerusalem is gonna be 29:55 destroyed again like it was destroyed 29:57 by Nebuchadnezzar, 29:59 and it will be destroyed 30:00 because they rejected the Messiah. 30:03 You say, is there in the prophecy 30:04 of the 70 weeks? 30:06 Yes it is. 30:07 Let's go back to Daniel 9:26 30:10 and we'll read the last part of the verse. 30:13 After saying we just read, 30:15 "That Messiah would be cut off, but nor himself." 30:19 Then it speaks about the destruction 30:21 of the Jerusalem. 30:22 It says, "And the people of the prince 30:24 that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary." 30:28 Was Jerusalem gonna be destroyed again? 30:30 And the sanctuary gonna be destroyed again? 30:32 Yes. 30:34 Does it have anything to do 30:35 with the cutting off of the Messiah? 30:37 Yes. 30:38 So it says, "And the people of the prince 30:39 that shall come shall destroy the city 30:42 and the sanctuary, 30:43 and the end thereof shall be with a flood, 30:46 and unto the end of the war desolations are determined." 30:51 Matthew 24 speaks about, 30:52 "When you see the abomination of desolation..." 30:58 We'll come back to that. 30:59 Now there were further events during the last week, 31:03 not only was the Messiah gonna be cut off, 31:05 but Daniel Chapter 9 gives us the specific point 31:09 in the last week when He was gonna be cut off. 31:12 Daniel 9:27 says, 31:18 "And He," 31:19 that is the prince who shall come, 31:20 that we read about in the previous verse, 31:22 we'll come back to that, "shall confirm the covenant 31:25 with many for one week." 31:28 Which week is that? 31:30 It's a last week, right? 31:31 We're dealing with the last week. 31:32 So what is the prince that who is to come, going to do? 31:36 He is going to confirm the covenant, during what? 31:40 During the last week. 31:41 And He's gonna confirm it with what? 31:44 Many for the last week. 31:47 Now there's something very interesting 31:50 and that is in the Book of Daniel, 31:51 when the word Prince is used. 31:55 It always refers to Jesus, 31:57 unless it's dealing with a secular prince. 32:01 The word Prince refers here to Jesus, 32:04 He will confirm the covenant with many. 32:07 Now let's notice in the New Testament, 32:10 the fulfillment of this, 32:12 Daniel or Matthew 26:27, 28. 32:16 Matthew 26:27, 28 32:20 this is when Jesus instituted the Lord Supper. 32:23 Remember the key words are covenant and many. 32:26 Right? Those are the key words. 32:28 The last week He will confirm the covenant with many. 32:33 In Matthew 26:27, 28, it says, "He took the cup, 32:37 and He gave thanks, and gave it to them, 32:40 saying, 'Drink from it, all of you. 32:43 For this is My blood of the new covenant, 32:47 which is shed for many for the remission of sins," 32:52 the two key words. 32:54 Notice, Mark 10:45. 32:56 Mark 10:45, 32:59 "For even the Son of Man did not come not to be served, 33:01 but to serve, and to give His life 33:03 a ransom for many." 33:06 Once again, Isaiah 53:1, you know, 33:10 you would have to be awful fast 33:11 with your fingers to find these texts 33:13 but you know, 33:15 I just want you to catch the picture. 33:17 If you're writing down the text, 33:18 you'll be able to look at them later. 33:20 Isaiah 53:11, 33:22 this remarkable Messianic prophecy says, 33:24 "Therefore I will divide Him a portion with the great, 33:30 and He shall divide the spoil with the strong, 33:32 because He poured out His soul." 33:34 The word soul means life. 33:36 "He poured out His soul unto death, 33:38 and He was numbered with the transgressors, 33:40 and He bore the sin of many, 33:44 and made intercession for the transgressors." 33:47 Now here's something interesting. 33:49 The word covenant 33:51 when it is used in the Book of Daniel, 33:54 it always refers to God's covenant, 33:56 it never refers to a secular covenant. 34:01 And the reason I say this is important 34:03 is because futurists believe 34:05 that the prince that who is to come 34:07 is a roman prince 34:09 that will establish a 10 nation generation, 34:12 10 nation federation at the end of time. 34:17 And he will be the prince that will come 34:19 and he will fulfill this prophecy. 34:22 But I'm gonna show you that the prince who is to come, 34:25 is not some prince who will arise 34:28 after the rapture of the church 34:29 and then reestablish a 10 nation Roman federation 34:33 and persecute the Jews. 34:35 The prince who is to come here is none other than Jesus Christ 34:39 and the covenant is not some secular covenant 34:42 of this individual in the future 34:44 with a literal Jewish nation. 34:46 The covenant here is God's covenant 34:49 that He ratifies with His people 34:51 when He comes to this earth the first time. 34:54 Now there's another thing that's gonna happen 34:56 during the last week. 34:59 Now we're gonna see when the Messiah is cut off. 35:02 Daniel 9:27, 35:07 "Then he shall confirm a covenant 35:09 with many for one week." 35:12 That's the last week, week number seven. 35:14 By the way would He confirm the covenant 35:16 with literal Israel during that week? 35:19 Of course, He would have to, 35:21 because the 70 weeks were determined for whom? 35:24 The 70 weeks were for Israel. 35:27 So that last week, what He's doing, 35:29 He's doing specifically in Israel, 35:32 He's doing for Israel. 35:33 He sent to the lost sheep of the house of Israel 35:36 until the year 34 35:38 when the 70 weeks come to an end. 35:39 So it says, 35:41 "Then he shall confirm a covenant 35:42 with many for one week, but in the middle of the week," 35:46 the middle of the last week, 35:48 "He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering." 35:54 So when was Messiah gonna be cut off? 35:57 In the middle of the last week. 35:59 Now here's something very interesting, 36:01 Notice Mark 15:38, 39. 36:04 Mark 15:38, 39, 36:07 Jesus is on the cross and He's about to die. 36:11 In fact, He's gonna breathe His last. 36:12 And when He breathed His last, something happens. 36:15 "And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, 36:17 and breathed His last. 36:18 Then the veil of the temple was torn in two 36:21 from top to bottom." 36:22 It was a massive veil in the temple. 36:26 And something very interesting happened 36:29 at that very moment. 36:31 Ellen White wrote in Desire of Ages, 36:34 page 757, a very remarkable statement. 36:38 You see, the prophecy says, 36:40 "That in the middle of the week, 36:41 he would cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease." 36:46 The sacrifice and offering would cease at that moment. 36:50 That was literally fulfilled. 36:53 Desire of Ages, 757, 36:55 listen to this remarkable statement. 36:57 This is when the veil is ripped from top to bottom. 37:01 "All is terror and confusion. 37:05 The priest is about to slay the victim," 37:08 because at 3 o'clock in the afternoon, 37:10 the hour of the evening sacrifice, 37:12 "but the knife drops from his nerveless hand, 37:16 and the lamb escapes." 37:20 No lamb died that day, 37:24 the lamb escapes. 37:26 "Type has met antitype." 37:29 In other words, the fulfillment is here, 37:32 that day the lamb did not die 37:34 because the love of God who takes the sin 37:37 away from the world is the one who died. 37:40 Literally the sacrifice and oblation ceased. 37:43 She continues writing, 37:44 "The great sacrifice had been made. 37:47 The way into the holiest is laid open. 37:50 A new and living way is prepared for all... 37:52 No longer need sinful, sorrowing humanity await 37:56 for the coming of the high priest. 37:57 Henceforth the Savior was to officiate as a priest 38:01 and advocate in the heaven of heavens." 38:04 It was, now notice our terminology. 38:07 "It was as if a living voice had spoken to the worshipers, 38:11 There is now an end to all scarifies 38:15 and offerings." 38:17 Wow! 38:19 Literally fulfilled, 38:21 the sacrifice and the offering ceased. 38:23 Of course, the very next day they started all over again, 38:27 but with no significance whatsoever. 38:31 Hebrews 7:26, 27 tells us, 38:35 "For such a High Priest was fitting for us, 38:39 who is holy, harmless, 38:40 undefiled, separate from sinners, 38:42 and has become higher than the heavens, 38:44 who does not need daily, as those high priests, 38:48 to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins 38:51 and then for the people's, for this He did once for all 38:55 when He offered up Himself." 38:59 Are you understanding this prophecy? 39:01 It's a remarkable prophecy. 39:04 Not only does it describe the events, 39:07 but it describes the specific timing 39:10 for those events. 39:12 Now you say, no, wait a minute, Pastor, 39:14 you said, 39:15 "That the people of the prince shall come 39:17 and shall destroy the city 39:20 and the sanctuary." 39:24 Who is the prince? 39:26 Who are the people of the prince? 39:28 Well, I'll tell you upfront, 39:29 the people of the prince are the Jews. 39:32 And the prince is Jesus. 39:35 You say, now wait a minute, that can't be true 39:40 because the Jews did not destroy Jerusalem. 39:44 It says the people of the prince 39:45 that shall come shall destroy the city. 39:47 It says here that people are gonna destroy the city. 39:49 The people of the prince are gonna destroy the city, 39:53 and the sanctuary. 39:56 So the question is, did the Jews destroy the city? 40:01 Well, let me first of all deal with the word prince. 40:06 As I mentioned before the word prince in Daniel, 40:10 when it's used in the religious context, 40:12 always means Jesus. 40:16 He's called in Daniel 9:25, Messiah the Prince. 40:20 In Daniel 8:11, 12, 40:21 He's called the Prince of the host. 40:25 In Daniel 11:22, 40:26 He's called the Prince of the covenant. 40:29 And in Daniel 12:1, 40:31 He's called Michael the Great Prince. 40:34 The word prince always applies to Jesus, 40:36 so it must apply to Jesus in this verse as well. 40:41 I want to read 40:42 from Joshua 5:13-15. 40:48 This is right when Jericho is gonna be destroyed, 40:52 and Joshua is on the outskirts of the city 40:55 and a majestic beam appears to him. 40:59 And Joshua sees this warrior 41:02 with his sword in his hand 41:04 and asks him who he is? 41:06 Let's read Joshua 5:13-15, "And it came to pass, 41:10 when Joshua was by Jericho, 41:12 that he lifted his eyes and looked, and behold, 41:14 a Man stood opposite him 41:16 with His sword drawn in His hand 41:17 and Joshua went to Him and said to Him, 41:19 'Are You for us or for our adversaries?' 41:24 So He said, 'No, but as Commander..." 41:27 And actually the King James says Prince. 41:31 Same word as in Daniel. 41:32 "The Prince of the army of the Lord, I have now come." 41:37 Who was this Prince of the army of the Lord? 41:40 Oh, there's no doubt who it is because it says here. 41:44 "And Joshua fell on his face 41:46 to the earth and worshiped, 41:50 and said to Him, 41:51 'What does my Lord say to His servant?' 41:53 Then the Commander of the Lord's army 41:55 or the Lord's host said to Joshua, 41:57 'Take your sandal off your foot, 42:00 for the place where you are stand is holy.' 42:03 And Joshua did so.' 42:05 " Who is the Prince of the host? 42:07 He is God. 42:10 Because Joshua calls Him Lord, 42:14 because Joshua bows and worships 42:17 and because this Prince of the host commands him 42:21 to take his shoes off his feet 42:24 because where he stands is holy. 42:28 So who is this prince that is going to come? 42:32 It's Jesus. 42:34 The people are the Jews. 42:35 Now let's look at the expression, 42:38 the Prince who is to come. 42:40 That expression 42:41 who is to come is very important. 42:43 Let's go to Psalm 118, 42:46 we'll read verse 22 and 23 and then we'll go to verse 26. 42:50 Psalm 118:22 and then verse 26, 42:56 Jesus here is prophetically speaking about Himself. 43:01 "The stone which the builders rejected 43:06 has become the chief cornerstone." 43:08 He's speaking about Himself, isn't He? 43:10 He's the stone. 43:12 "This was the Lord's doing, it is marvelous in our eyes. 43:17 Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!" 43:22 Daniel says, "The Prince who is to come." 43:25 Here it says, 43:27 "That Jesus was the stone that the builders rejected." 43:29 He said, "Blessed is he who comes 43:32 in the name of the Lord!" 43:35 Jesus quoted this verse. 43:37 In Matthew 21:42, at the conclusion 43:42 of the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. 43:46 Matthew 21:42 says, "Jesus said to them, 43:50 "Have you never read in the Scriptures, 43:51 'The stone which the builders rejected 43:53 has become the chief cornerstone. 43:55 This was the Lord's doing, 43:57 and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" 44:00 He's quoting this verse from the Psalms. 44:03 And when Jesus was 44:05 entering triumphantly into Jerusalem 44:07 on what Christians call Palm Sunday, 44:11 I want you to notice what the people sang, 44:13 they sang Psalm 118. 44:16 Matthew 21:9 says, 44:19 "Then the multitudes who went before 44:21 and those who followed cried out, saying, 44:23 'Hosanna to the Son of David! 44:26 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' 44:30 Hosanna in the highest!" 44:32 ' Who is the Prince who is to come? 44:35 Jesus is the Prince who is to come, 44:37 when you look at the phrases. 44:40 And then Jesus goes on to say 44:44 that the kingdom will be taken from the Jews 44:48 and given to a nation 44:49 that produces the fruits thereof. 44:52 In Matthew 21:43 he says, "Therefore I say to you, 44:57 the kingdom of God will be taken from you 44:59 and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it." 45:02 And in Luke 19, 45:03 in the parallel passage after the people sing, 45:06 "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!" 45:09 And after Jesus says, 45:11 "I'm the stone that the builders rejected." 45:13 Then Jesus goes on to speak about the kingdom 45:17 being given to the Gentiles 45:18 and He refers to the destruction 45:19 of Jerusalem. 45:21 Notice Luke 19:37-44. 45:23 Does the killing of the Messiah have anything to do 45:26 with the destruction of Jerusalem? 45:28 It does. 45:29 Twice we find in this prophecy that there is a link 45:32 between the Jewish nation slaying the Messiah 45:36 and the result of destruction of Jerusalem. 45:38 Notice Luke 19, 45:40 "Then, as He was now drawing near 45:42 the descent of the Mount of Olives, 45:44 the whole multitude of the disciples 45:46 began to rejoice and praise God 45:48 with a loud voice for all the mighty works 45:51 they had seen, saying, 45:52 'Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!' 45:55 Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!' 45:58 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, 46:01 'Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.' 46:03 But He answered and said to them, 46:05 'I tell you that if these should keep silent, 46:08 the stones would immediately cry out.' 46:10 Now as He drew near, 46:12 He saw the city and wept over it, 46:13 saying, 'If you had known even you, 46:15 especially in this your day, 46:17 the things that make for your peace! 46:19 But now they are hidden from your eyes. 46:21 For the days will come," 46:22 notice He's speaking about His rejection, 46:24 the stone that the builders rejected, 46:26 they sing blessed is He 46:28 who comes in the name of the Lord! 46:30 Jesus says the kingdom is gonna be taken from you 46:32 and it's gonna be given to the Gentiles 46:34 and then Jesus speaks 46:35 about the destruction of Jerusalem 46:36 because of His rejection, of their rejection of Him. 46:40 So it says in verse 43, "For days will come upon you 46:44 when your enemies will build an embankment around you, 46:47 surround you and close you in on every side, 46:51 and level you, and your children within you, 46:53 to the ground, and they will not leave in you 46:57 one stone upon another." 46:58 Is this speaking about 47:00 the destruction of the Jerusalem? 47:01 Yes or no? 47:02 Absolutely. 47:04 Why was Jerusalem destroyed? 47:05 Daniel says, "He will be cut off 47:08 and then the city is destroyed." 47:10 Here it says, Jesus says, 47:12 "The city is gonna be destroyed." 47:14 And then at the end of the verse He says, 47:16 "Because you did not know 47:20 the time of your visitation." 47:25 Are you with me? 47:27 Now we still have to resolve the issue of, 47:30 how it is that the people of the Prince 47:33 who is to come destroyed Jerusalem? 47:37 How is that possible that the Prince, 47:39 the people of the Prince destroyed Jerusalem? 47:43 Well, who destroyed Jerusalem 47:46 in the year 70? 47:49 It depends how you look at it. 47:52 Did the Jews destroy their own city? 47:56 Did they bring destruction on their own city? 47:59 Ha, by rejecting the Messiah. 48:03 Did God destroy the city? 48:06 Yes, He did, 48:08 because in the parable of Matthew 22:7, 8 it says, 48:11 "That after they rejected the message 48:14 after Christ was sacrificed, it said that the king got mad 48:18 and he burned their city and destroyed those mirrors." 48:23 So God did it. 48:26 Did the Romans do it? 48:30 Did the Romans do it? 48:32 So who did it? 48:37 The people, by their apostasy 48:40 led God to use the Romans to destroy the city. 48:44 But technically the people 48:46 of the Prince destroyed the city. 48:48 Are you with me or not? 48:50 Let me read you a statement from Ellen White. 48:53 I never cease to marvel 48:54 at the simplicity of Ellen White. 48:58 She always gets it right. 49:01 These days she's used very little in the church. 49:04 You see we go by the Bible. 49:07 Untrue. 49:10 Not even by the Bible. 49:13 I marvel every time 49:15 I read the writings of Ellen White. 49:16 I'll tell you my mouth is open 49:20 when I read her writings with the depth, 49:23 the profound theological depth. 49:25 Great Controversy, 35 and 36, 49:27 she's speaking about the destruction of Jerusalem. 49:29 "The Jews had forged their own fetters, 49:34 they had filled for themselves the cup of vengeance. 49:38 In the utter destruction that befell them as a nation, 49:42 and in all the woes that followed them 49:44 in their dispersion, 49:46 they were but reaping the harvest 49:48 which their own hands had sown. 49:51 Says the prophet, 49:53 'O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself,'" 49:57 she's quoting from scripture. 49:59 "'For thou hast fallen by thine iniquity.' 50:02 Their sufferings are often represented 50:05 as a punishment visited upon them 50:07 by the direct decree of God. 50:09 It is thus that the great deceiver 50:11 seeks to conceal his own work. 50:14 By stubborn rejection of divine love and mercy, 50:17 the Jews had caused the protection of God to be 50:20 withdrawn from them, 50:22 and Satan was permitted to rule them 50:25 according to his will. 50:28 By the way, the same thing happened 50:31 with Jerusalem 50:34 when it was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar 50:35 in the Old Testament. 50:38 Who destroyed Jerusalem in the Old Testament? 50:42 Was it Nebuchadnezzar? 50:45 Yes. 50:48 Was it God? 50:51 Yes. 50:53 Was it the Jews? 50:55 Yes. 50:58 You see, they had filled the cup, 51:00 it says in the prophecy it says, 51:02 "Until there was no remedy." 51:06 That cannot be healed. 51:09 And so because there was no remedy 51:11 the cup was full. 51:13 God says, "I will use My servant." 51:15 By the way, 51:16 God calls Nebuchadnezzar His servant. 51:20 "I will use My servant Nebuchadnezzar 51:23 to destroy Jerusalem and take away governance 51:27 because of the sin of the people." 51:31 So what does that mean, 51:33 when it says the people of the Prince 51:34 that shall come will destroy the city? 51:37 Is that prince, a Roman prince, 51:39 that's going to rise after the rapture of the church 51:42 in the Middle East 51:43 and he's gonna sign a peace treaty, 51:45 a covenant with Israel. 51:48 And he's gonna establish a 10 nation federation 51:52 and there in the first three and half years 51:53 he's gonna keep his covenant with the Jews. 51:55 And then after the first three and half years, 51:57 he's gonna break his covenant with the Jews 52:00 and he's gonna bring 52:01 a terrible tribulation upon them. 52:02 He's gonna persecute them, 52:04 and that's the time of trouble for the Jews, 52:06 but the church is enjoying the bliss of heaven. 52:12 False prophecy! 52:15 It's a very serious thing to take a prophecy 52:19 that centers in Messiah 52:21 and attributed to the Antichrist. 52:25 It's blasphemy to say that this Prince is the Antichrist, 52:31 instead of realizing that it is a Christ, 52:35 and the reason why the city was destroyed 52:37 is because they did not know the hour of their visitation. 52:43 The center of this prophecy is not Antichrist, 52:47 the center of the last week is not Antichrist, 52:49 the center of this prophecy 52:51 from beginning to end 52:53 is Jesus Christ. 52:58 Did you understand this prophecy? 53:00 I'm amazed, 53:01 I was able to cover as much as I did. 53:04 I tried to explain at the best I could, 53:06 it's a complex prophecy with many elements. 53:09 Now we still have to speak about the last three 53:13 and half years. 53:15 See, that's our next subject tomorrow. 53:18 Don't miss the next exciting episode. 53:22 Tomorrow in our first presentation, 53:23 we are gonna show, listen carefully. 53:26 When you read Daniel 9, it appears to give us 53:30 no concluding event for the 70 weeks. 53:35 We assume that after Messiah's cut off 53:38 in the middle of the week, 53:39 there has to be three and half more weeks, 53:41 because there's 70 weeks. 53:44 But Daniel 9 doesn't appear to give us 53:46 an event that concludes the 70 weeks. 53:50 So you say, how do we know 53:52 that the stoning of Stephen 53:55 closed the prophecy of the 70 weeks? 53:57 How do we know that? 53:59 Is it just an assumption by Adventist? 54:01 Well, you know, they stoned Stephen 54:04 and that closed the theocracy. 54:06 Listen, folks, 54:07 tomorrow I'm gonna show you ironclad evidence 54:11 from scripture that the stoning of Stephen 54:14 was the event that closed the prophecy of the 70 weeks, 54:19 in the year 34 AD, 54:22 specifically in the fall 54:24 of the year 34 AD. 54:28 So this is a magnificent prophecy. 54:32 It gives us the starting point, 457 BC. 54:36 The first seven weeks, 54:38 Jerusalem is rebuild and restored. 54:41 Then 62 weeks later, after the first seven weeks 54:47 the Messiah is anointed, Jesus is baptized. 54:52 Then He confirms the covenant with the Jews 54:55 'cause He was sent to them 54:57 'cause the 70 weeks were given for them. 54:59 He confirms the covenant with many for that last week. 55:04 And in the middle of the week He causes the sacrifice 55:08 and the offering to cease 55:10 because there was no sacrifice or offering that day 55:13 because the true Lamb of God died. 55:17 And then, you have the concluding 55:21 part of this prophecy 55:24 which is the close of the 70 weeks, 55:28 the stoning of Stephen. 55:31 A watershed event we're gonna notice. 55:35 Because listen carefully, 55:38 the door to the Hebrew theocracy 55:41 closed in the year 34. 55:43 The Jewish nation would no longer be God's nation 55:46 to take the gospel to the world 55:49 or for the world to come to them. 55:51 That nation of Israel failed. 55:54 There were faithful people that belong to Israel, 55:57 but the nation as a theocracy fell. 55:59 So God says, now I'm gonna have the Gentiles 56:03 going to all of the world 56:05 and share the gospel with all of the world. 56:08 And here's the interesting point 56:10 and will cover this a little more closely tomorrow. 56:14 Who was present at the stoning of Stephen? 56:18 Saul of Tarsus. 56:23 Interesting, Saul of Tarsus. 56:29 Was Saul of Tarsus converted really 56:33 at the stoning of Stephen? 56:35 Did he feel the pangs of conscience 56:36 at the stoning of Stephen? 56:38 Oh, yeah, he knew that Stephen was right. 56:41 In fact the Bible says that the face of Stephen looked like 56:44 the face of an angel. 56:47 Saul knew that he was wrong and that Stephen was right, 56:51 but he kicked against the pricks. 56:54 So on the road to Damascus, 56:57 he is knocked to the ground 57:02 and Jesus speaks to him, 57:04 "Saul, Saul, why do you prosecute Me?" 57:07 He says, "Who are you, 57:09 so that I know who I'm persecuting?" 57:10 "I'm Jesus of Nazareth whom you are persecuting." 57:13 And here comes the key point. 57:16 At the stoning of the Stephen, 57:19 the plan of God closed for the Jewish nation 57:22 but present there was the apostle 57:25 that would take the gospel to the Gentiles. 57:30 So the door closes for the theocracy 57:33 but the person who is gonna take the gospel 57:35 to the Gentiles and plant the gospel 57:38 all over the world is present there. 57:42 And he's converted to the Lord, 57:44 and thus the gospel will go to every nation, 57:49 kindred, tongue and people planted 57:52 initially by the Apostle Paul 57:55 and then it's spreading 57:58 throughout the entire geographical region 58:03 of the world. 58:05 What a remarkable prophecy. |
Revised 2019-10-14