The story that I am about to tell may be a bit long, but I think that it is a little shorter than it was for those who came before us. Today we can look back along the dusty trail that others have trod before us, and at the end we find our King. We begin our journey in Babylon and we will set our course by a star. Let me now read for you some of the accounts as we go along. For It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.
(Numbers 24:17-19 KJV)
17 I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
18 And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly.
19 Out of Jacob shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.
The Biblical book of Daniel tells us that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon carried away the princes of Judah and made them eunuchs according to what was spoken to Hezekiah by Isaiah the prophet.
(2 Kings 20:18 KJV)
18 And of thy sons that shall issue from thee, which thou shalt beget, shall they take away; and they shall be eunuchs in the palace of the king of Babylon.
And God gave Daniel wisdom to understand visions and dreams.
(Daniel 1:17 KJV)
17 As for these four children, God gave them knowledge and skill in all learning and wisdom: and Daniel had understanding in all visions and dreams.
Later we are told that Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon made Daniel the chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
(Daniel 2:48 KJV)
48 Then the king made Daniel a great man, and gave him many great gifts, and made him ruler over the whole province of Babylon, and chief of the governors over all the wise men of Babylon.
After Nebuchadnezzar died his son Belshazzar was slain and Darius the Mede took the kingdom, and after the other princes failed to have Daniel eaten by lions, Darius set him over his realm.
(Daniel 6:28 KJV)
So this Daniel prospered in the reign of Darius the Mede, and in the reign of Cyrus the Persian.
Now some time passed in which Cyrus was king of Persia. Note that Cyrus was prophesied to come in the Book of Isaiah long before he was born.
(Isaiah 44:28 KJV)
28 That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid.
(Isaiah 45:1-13 KJV)
1 ¶ Thus saith the LORD to his anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut;
2 I will go before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron:
3 And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee by thy name, am the God of Israel.
4 For Jacob my servant’s sake, and Israel mine elect, I have even called thee by thy name: I have surnamed thee, though thou hast not known me.
5 ¶ I am the LORD, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me:
6 That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the LORD, and there is none else.
7 I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace, and create evil: I the LORD do all these things.
8 Drop down, ye heavens, from above, and let the skies pour down righteousness: let the earth open, and let them bring forth salvation, and let righteousness spring up together; I the LORD have created it.
9 Woe unto him that striveth with his Maker! Let the potsherd strive with the potsherds of the earth. Shall the clay say to him that fashioneth it, What makest thou? or thy work, He hath no hands?
10 Woe unto him that saith unto his father, What begettest thou? or to the woman, What hast thou brought forth?
11 ¶ Thus saith the LORD, the Holy One of Israel, and his Maker, Ask me of things to come concerning my sons, and concerning the work of my hands command ye me.
12 I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands, have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded.
13 I have raised him up in righteousness, and I will direct all his ways: he shall build my city, and he shall let go my captives, not for price nor reward, saith the LORD of hosts.
(2 Chronicles 36:22-23 KJV)
22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
23 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.
(Ezra 1:1-4 KJV)
1 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,
2 Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.
3 Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,)which is in Jerusalem.
4 And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
Cyrus king of Persia’s decree in his first year (539 B.C.) marks the end of the “seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem” which Jeremiah spoke of, but though a few returned, the temple and the wall remained unbuilt and there was much opposition.
(Ezra 4:4-7 KJV)
4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building,
5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia
6 ¶ And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem.
7 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.
(Ezra 4:11 KJV)
11 This is the copy of the letter that they sent unto him, even unto Artaxerxes the king; Thy servants the men on this side the river, and at such a time.
(Ezra 4:16 KJV)
16 We certify the king that, if this city be builded again, and the walls thereof set up, by this means thou shalt have no portion on this side the river.
What we see in Ezra 4:16 is that the command to build the CITY and the WALLS has not been issued yet.
Note that there are three different Darius’ mentioned in the context of Scripture.
Here is the Biblical succession from Nebuchadnezzar to Artaxerxes.
Now this is where our search becomes interesting.
(Daniel 9:1-3 KJV)
1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.
3 And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:
Daniel wants to know what is ahead for Israel now that the “seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem” are over. Thus, the LORD sent Gabriel to give Daniel skill to understand the matter.
And this is the prophecy that Gabriel delivered to Daniel.
(Daniel 9:24-27 KJV)
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
So lets see … First lets look at the math
We have 70 weeks = 7 (week of years) x 70 = 490 years
7 weeks (49 years) + 62 weeks (434 years) = 69 weeks (483 years) + 1 week (7 years)
In verse 25 we see that it says that “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks”
and we are given the additional detail that
“the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”
This is not talking about Cyrus king of Persia’s decree which he made in 539 B.C. for it has already been 74 years since then and the “the street” & “the wall” have not been built yet.”
These things would happen in the days of Artaxerxes king of Persia who ruled from 465-424 B.C.
Ezra 7:7 & 8 make it clear that in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king that he made a decree
(Ezra 7:11-26 KJV)
11 Ҧ Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of the LORD, and of his statutes to Israel.
12 Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.
13 I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.
14 Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;
15 And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,
16 And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:
17 That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.
18 And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.
19 The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.
20 And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king’s treasure house.
21 And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,
22 Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.
23 Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?
24 Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.
25 And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.
26 And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.”
So we know that Ezra was given a command by Artaxerxes king of Persia to build the temple, but there doesn’t seam to be anything about “the street” & “the wall”, but Ezra was not the only one who was commissioned to go to Israel and build. Artaxerxes also sent Nehemiah to build the wall.
(Nehemiah 2:1-8 KJV)
1 And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence.
2 Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
3 And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire?
4 Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the God of heaven.
5 And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I may build it.
6 And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,)For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
7 Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
8 And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Now Nehemiah says that the wall was finished in 52 days
(Nehemiah 6:15 KJV)
15 So the wall was finished in the twenty and fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty and two days.
What we see is the decree of Ezra comes 7 years after the prophecy of Daniel (465 B.C.) “in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king” (465 – 7 = 457 B.C.), and Nehemiah’s commission is given 13 years later “in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king” (465 – 20 = 445 B.C.).
There doesn’t seem to be any other command from which we can start the counting of the 70 weeks so we will have to go by one of these 2.
(Daniel 9:25 KJV)
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
We will simply be adding the 69 weeks (483 years) to the 2 commands and seeing what we come up with.
Ezra decree 458 B.C. 457 – 483 = -26
Nehemiah 445 B.C. 445 – 483 = -38
Now there are many groups that hold to different dating methods for examining this from this point on.
The 2 best methods that we have up to this point are.
1. Using our modern calculation of 365 days in a year & going by the Ezra date = autumn 27 A.D. when Jesus was baptized.
2. The Dispensationalist view holds to the idea that the years are calculated exactly by 360 day years and use the Nehemiah date = spring 32 A.D. when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the donkey.
First, I would like to point out that the wise men from the east and king Herod had the same problem that we do today. They didn’t know the exact time frame that Jesus was coming. The wise men only knew at what time they first saw the sign of the star, but Herod still set a calculation of “two years old and under”, (Matthew 2:16).
The problem that I see with the Dispensationalists is that they have inserted a Gap of time between the 69 weeks and the 7th week of Daniel, and I don’t see a justification in the Scripture for it. The scripture does not tell us that “he” who “shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” is the Anti-Christ. Some will immediately call me a heretic because they have been taught to believe that he is, but the text doesn’t say that.
The problem with this notion is that it changes a lot of things and runs contrary to the rest of scripture.
Let us go back and see what Gabriel said,
(Daniel 9:22-27 KJV)
22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.
23 At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war
desolations are determined.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
What can we draw from this text as far as why this revelation was given to Daniel:
1. so Daniel would understand
2. The message is for what is determined upon Daniel’s people and upon his holy city.
3. to finish the transgression
(Isaiah 43:25, 53:5, 53:8) Jesus said It IS Finished
4. to make an end of sins
(Hebrews 9:26, 1 John 3:4-5) Jesus made / IS the end of sins
5. to make reconciliation for iniquity
(Hebrews 2:17) Jesus made / was reconciliation for iniquity
6. to bring in everlasting righteousness
(Romans 5:20-21) Jesus is everlasting righteousness
7. to seal up the vision and prophecy
(Acts 2:17-18, Ephesians 1:13, 4:30) Jesus has sealed up the vision and the prophecy
8. to anoint the most Holy. (Hebrews 1:8-9)
There are other prophecies that have to be fulfilled as well.
The Sign of Jonah
(Matthew 12:38-40 KJV)
38 Then certain of the scribes and of the Pharisees answered, saying, Master,
we would see a sign from thee.
39 But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation
seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of
the prophet Jonas:
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale’s belly; so shall
the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
(Matthew 16:1-4 KJV)
1 The Pharisees also with the Sadducees came, and tempting desired him
that he would shew them a sign from heaven.
2 He answered and said unto them, When it is evening, ye say, It will be fair
weather: for the sky is red.
3 And in the morning, It will be foul weather to day: for the sky is red and
lowring. O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky; but can ye
not discern the signs of the times?
4 A wicked and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no
sign be given unto it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas. And he left them,
and departed.
Note that Jesus said this twice.
So we have to have 3 full days and 3 full nights with the 1st day of the week following. That means that Jesus was crucified on the 4th day of the week (Wednesday).
The Scripture also makes it clear that Jesus was crucified on the Preparation Day of the Passover at the time of the Evening Sacrifice and was placed in the tomb before sundown which marked the High Sabbath of Unleavened Bread.
(Matthew 27:62 KJV)
62 Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Pharisees came together unto Pilate,
(Mark 14:1-2 KJV)
1 ¶ After two days was the feast of the passover, and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft, and put him to death.
2 But they said, Not on the feast day, lest there be an uproar of the people.
(Mark 14:12 KJV)
12 ¶ And the first day of unleavened bread, when they killed the passover, his disciples said unto him, Where wilt thou that we go and prepare that thou mayest eat the passover?
(Mark 15:42 KJV)
42 ¶ And now when the even was come, because it was the preparation, that is, the day before the sabbath,
(Luke 22:1 KJV)
1 Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.
(Luke 22:7-8 KJV)
7 Then came the day of unleavened bread, when the passover must be killed.
8 And he sent Peter and John, saying, Go and prepare us the passover, that we may eat.
(Luke 23:54 KJV)
54 And that day was the preparation, and the sabbath drew on.
(John 19:14-15 KJV)
14 And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King!
15 But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate saith unto them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar.
(John 19:31 KJV)
31 ¶ The Jews therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the sabbath day, (for that sabbath day was an high day,)besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away.
Thus we know that Jesus lay in the tomb from Wednesday at sundown (High Sabbath) through Saturday at sundown (weekly Sabbath), equaling exactly 3 full days and 3 full nights.
Now we only have to check which year this was the Case.
If we look at the Passover dates from 26-34 A.D. we can only come to one conclusion.
Wednesday April 25th 31 A.D. is the only possible date for the crucifixion.
Note that this is exactly 3 ½ years after Jesus baptism in autumn of 27 A.D.
That means that the 70 weeks is completed in 34 A.D. likely with the death of Stephen.
What is seen after the two colons in verse 26 & 27 are addendums.
(Daniel 9:26-27 KJV)
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Verse 27 is not part of the addendum of verse 26 as the Dispensationalists teach.
And he (Jesus)shall confirm the covenant
( … the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, … -Galatians 3:17)
with many for one week (a “week of years[7 years]” & a “week of days[7 days]”)
: and in the midst of the week (three and a half years into “week of years” & fourth day of the “week of days”)
he (Jesus) shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,
(When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is finished: and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost. -John 19:30
Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost. And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; -Matthew 27:50-51)
and for the overspreading of abominations he (Jesus) shall make it desolate,
(Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. Matthew 23:38-39)
even until the consummation, and that determined (vials of the Wrath of God) shall be poured upon the desolate. -Daniel 9:26-27
Jesus finished both the Old Covenant and the New Covenant work on the Cross.
Note everything that transpired both in the “week of years[7 years]” & a “week of days[7 days]”, from His anointing to the death of Stephen.
Remember the criteria given by Gabriel:
(Daniel 9:24 KJV)
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
The 70 WEEKS are COMPLETE!
That does not mean that the entire Book of Daniel or the other Prophets is COMPLETE.
They are all COMPLETE IN Jesus and He gave us the Book of Revelation in order to reveal everything that the Prophets had foretold about the End Times that have happened, are happening and are still to come in the future. The Tribulation and the End Times began with Stephen’s stoning, after the 70 weeks were complete.
But as to the 70 Weeks, they lead up to the first coming of Jesus. From His Baptism, to His Death on the Cross, His Resurrection, His Ascension and the outpouring of His Holy Spirit and Fire (Power & Passion). This is what prepared the
believers for the Tribulation, which is all about separating wheat from tares and chaff. Those who cling to Jesus by the Blood of the Lamb and the Power of the Holy Spirit can Endure ALL THINGS, and Trample on all the power of the Enemy, and the gates of Hell cannot overcome them, even unto death. This is the gold that withstands the Fire. This is the Victory that overcomes the world even our Faith, (the Faith of the Son of God).
Many people are looking at Israel and saying that the fact that the “Jews” have returned to the land of Israel is a sign and that the end is near and that we should support the “Jews”. Now I’m not saying that we Christians should be treating “Jews” any worse than everyone else who hates Jesus. We love them as fallen men and women who Jesus loved and died for. We should be willing to suffer and die in order to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ with them. More than anyone else, we should want them, like Saul, to see the evil that they are doing to the LORD’s anointed and turn to Him and repent, but that does not mean that we should support and revere them in their lost condition.
Matthew 7:6
Give not that which is holy unto the dogs, neither cast ye your pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and rend you.
Luke 3:8-9
8 Bring forth therefore fruits worthy of repentance, and begin not to say within yourselves, We have Abraham to our father: for I say unto you, That God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham.
9 And now also the axe is laid unto the root of the trees: every tree therefore which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down, and cast into the fire.
Anyone who knows their Bible should be very leery because the Bible tells us,
17 ¶ And the word of the LORD came unto me, saying,
18 Son of man, the house of Israel is to me become dross: all they are brass, and tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst of the furnace; they are even the dross of silver.
19 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD; Because ye are all become dross, behold, therefore I will gather you into the midst of Jerusalem.
20 As they gather silver, and brass, and iron, and lead, and tin, into the midst of the furnace, to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I gather you in mine anger and in my fury, and I will leave you there, and melt you.
21 Yea, I will gather you, and blow upon you in the fire of my wrath, and ye shall be melted in the midst thereof.
22 As silver is melted in the midst of the furnace, so shall ye be melted in the midst thereof; and ye shall know that I the LORD have poured out my fury upon you. -Ezekiel 22:17-22
23 And they shall say to you, See here; or, see there: go not after them, nor follow them.
24 For as the lightning, that lighteneth out of the one part under heaven, shineth unto the other part under heaven; so shall also the Son of man be in his day. -Luke 17:23-24
9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan. -Revelation 2:9
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. -Revelation 3:9
Note that verse 26 of Daniel 9 has 3 separate parts:
1. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself
2. : and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary
3. ; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
1. was fulfilled when Jesus died on the cross for our sin.
2. was fulfilled with the coming of Titus in 70 A.D.
3. I don’t think that this has been fulfilled yet, as there has not been a flood yet.
Revelation 12:14-17 however seems to indicate that a flood is coming,
14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
15 And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.
16 And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
17 And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.
I’d like to draw your attention to the fact that there is no “peace treaty” prophesied in Scripture that is going to be made between the “Jews” and the Palestinians.
I’m not saying whether a “peace treaty” will not be made between them, only that the Scripture does not talk about it. The idea of a “peace treaty” made between the “Jews” and the Palestinians, is a Dispensationalist theory and nothing more. There could be many treaties made and broken and it wouldn’t mean that the end has come.
But let us look at what the scripture does say:
14 Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem .
15 Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves:
16 Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.
17 Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.
18 And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, then ye shall be trodden down by it.
19 From the time that it goeth forth it shall take you … -Isaiah 28:14-19
Certain things should immediately stand out in the text. Mainly that a covenant / agreement is made with death, and with hell.
Two passages in Revelation should immediately come to mind,
I [Jesus] am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death. -Revelation 1:18
And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth. -Revelation 6:8
So what we are seeing is that some scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem make a covenant with death, and with hell. We are not told who the scornful men or death and hell are.
Daniel 2:43
let us look again at Daniel 9:26:c
3. ; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Revelation 6:12-15
12 And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
13 And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind.
14 And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.
15 And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains;
1 ¶ Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God.
2 Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for
she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.
3 ¶ The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the way of the LORD, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain:
5 And the glory of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it.
6 The voice said, Cry. And he said, What shall I cry? All flesh is grass, and all the goodliness thereof is as the flower of the field:
7 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: because the spirit of the LORD bloweth upon it: surely the people is grass.
8 The grass withereth, the flower fadeth: but the word of our God shall stand for ever.
9 ¶ O Zion, that bringest good tidings, get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings, lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities of Judah, Behold your God!
10 Behold, the Lord GOD will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule for him: behold, his reward is with him, and his work before him.
11 He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: he shall gather the lambs with his arm, and carry them in his bosom, and shall gently lead those that are with young. -Iasiah 40:1-11
For those who are IN Christ, we know that the war is over.
Revelation 12:10-11 tells us:
10 And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night.
11 And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.
Matthew 24 makes it clear that
14 And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.
15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
17 Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:
18 Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.
19 And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!
20 But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:
21 For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.
22 And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened.
23 Then if any man shall say unto you, Lo, here is Christ, or there; believe it not.
24 For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall shew great signs and wonders; insomuch that, if it were possible, they shall deceive the very elect.
25 Behold, I have told you before.
26 Wherefore if they shall say unto you, Behold, he is in the desert; go not forth: behold, he is in the secret chambers; believe it not.
27 For as the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the coming of the Son of man be. -Matthew 24:14-27
Remember Romans 8:33-39?
33 Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God’s elect? It is God that justifieth.
34 Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh intercession for us.
35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword?
36 As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter.
37 Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us.
38 For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come,
39 Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
Note the order of things:
Tribulation
Death
Angels
any other creature
If we look at Revelation chronologically we see that after tribulation which includes being more than the “conqueror” (1st horseman), facing the “sword” (2nd horseman) and the “famine“(3rd horseman), and finally the coming of “death“(4th horseman), then the fallen angel and the “other creatures” released from the “depth” (Revelation 9).
But in all these things, as Jesus said in Matthew 16:18
18 … I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it.
Tribulation is not something to be feared, rather it is an opportunity to bring glory to God and share His victory by believing His Word … NO MATTER WHAT.
Those who believe in and teach the Pre-Tribulation Rapture, whether they realize it or not, are attempting to steal the glory of God from the believers.
Mark 9:42
42 And whosoever shall offend one of these little ones that believe in me, it is better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were cast into the sea.
They are telling the believers to take off their crown, which can best be understand as the bride’s wedding ring. It is not just her honor and glory rather it is His honor and glory that she wears.
Revelation 3:9-11
9 Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.
10 Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth.
11 Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown.
Like Job’s miserable comforters they do not understand the nature of God or the power of the Holy Spirit which He has prepared for those who put their trust IN Him.
Read all of Romans chapter 5
Jesus has turned everything upside down, thus if more Tribulation = more Glory for our King Jesus, then LET IT COME, that we might cast a bigger or more brilliant crown at His feet. The crown declares who He is and what He has done. It is a witness to His mighty acts. It shows what He has brought us through. Behold when He went into Heaven he laid that crown on the head of His Bride the Church, (born again Israel), and they wear it now. But when He comes those many crowns will be cast at His feet and He will wear them when he comes forth on his horse.
Never forget that the Wrath of God is passed for us who are hid IN Christ. Nothing that the world can do will ever change that, and in the end there are no side-effects to all that the world can muster against the Sons of God.
Revelation 22:20-21
20 ¶ He which testifieth these things saith, Surely I come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus.
21 The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you all. Amen.
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