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A Bible study of the book of Daniel, chapter 9.
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00:00:02Hello, friends. I'm Pastor Joe Laswell. I welcome you to our study at this time. Oh,
00:00:07we're getting into the deep, powerful messages of Daniel, chapter 9, verses 25 through 27.
00:00:15This prophecy, 70-week prophecy, and all the details concerning it. And I hope you are
00:00:22learning many things. I'll tell you that I am. And I've been in ministry for years and
00:00:27years and years. But you always learn. At least you should be willing to always want to learn
00:00:34and have a teachable spirit when you come to God's Word. Amen? But we're getting back into
00:00:40here. Daniel, chapter 9. I get so excited when we get into Bible prophecy, because it just
00:00:49sets God's Word in a great foundation for each one of us, and our faith strengthens. And
00:00:57that's my testimony anyway. But before we get into this study, we want to ask the Lord
00:01:02to be with us. We want to have a quick season of prayer, and I invite you to kneel if
00:01:08possible.
00:01:09But above all, let us bow our hearts and our heads together here. Father in heaven, we thank
00:01:15you so much for this time that we have together. We thank you for your Holy Word. We pray that
00:01:20you give us of the Holy Spirit to teach us and give us discernment and a love for this truth
00:01:27that
00:01:28you are taking us step by step through. And we may come to know thee much better each and every
00:01:36moment of every day. And we reaffirm our faith. And we claim that blood that Jesus shed at Calvary
00:01:43for our sins. And we thank you so much for Jesus that he came to do that and show us
00:01:50how to be a
00:01:51citizen of heaven. And so as we learn these things, as we go through your Holy Word, guide and direct
00:01:56us. Give me the words to speak that they may always be truth. And that hearts will be prepared to
00:02:03hear
00:02:04these things. I pray that you be with all the equipment, everything that's involved in getting
00:02:09this message out. I pray that you protect each and every one as well as they come to know thee
00:02:14better. And Lord, please be with those on our prayer lists. And may we someday very, very soon
00:02:22see Jesus come in the clouds that we may all go home together. I ask these favors in Jesus' name,
00:02:28for he's so worthy. Amen and amen. We are in episode eight of the series of Daniel nine Bible
00:02:38studies that I have entitled The Annihilator. And remember, going through Daniel, we found this
00:02:45little horn power. And this is kind of telling us a little bit, getting more of a foundation to jump
00:02:53us back into that story of the little horn power when we get into chapter 10 and 11 and 12.
00:03:03And we've
00:03:04learned quite a lot together, haven't we? Those who may be hearing this for the first time, you can go
00:03:10to
00:03:10our Rumble page or BitChute or YouTube and you can get caught up in all the videos of all the
00:03:19studies from Daniel chapter one up to now are there. And I encourage you, take notes.
00:03:25However, you take notes, your iPad or pen and pencil, take notes and check me out. Make sure that what
00:03:34I
00:03:34am telling you is the truth. But we are in Daniel chapter nine. We're studying Daniel nine and verse
00:03:4325 in particular. So let's take another look at what Gabriel is telling Daniel here. He says,
00:03:50know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build
00:03:56Jerusalem unto the Messiah, the Prince shall be seven weeks and threescore and two weeks. The street
00:04:05shall be built again and the wall, even he says there in troublous times. Now in Daniel chapter nine,
00:04:17verses 24 to 27, we see Gabriel breaking up the 70 week prophecy, don't we? Into three specific
00:04:23sections. He says that starting from Artaxerxes commandment, there would first be seven weeks and
00:04:30then there would be 62 more weeks. And of course, one week would remain to reach the 70 weeks total.
00:04:38Correct? Now the word score in the Bible means 20 and it's used to express larger numbers in,
00:04:45in a traditional kind of a poetic or symbolic way, especially in reference to time or age or
00:04:52population even. Three score here then would be what? It would be 60. So seven weeks and then 62
00:05:01weeks, which is a total of 69 weeks before the Messiah. I want to read something to you from
00:05:09Haskell's book, The Cross and its Shadow, page 194. And he's speaking about this in particular.
00:05:18He says, quote, Gabriel divides the 70 weeks into three divisions, which we just read, seven weeks,
00:05:2762 weeks, and one week. The prophet Nehemiah gives an account of the rebuilding of the walls during
00:05:33troublous times. The seven weeks and the 62 weeks, or if you add those together, or 69 weeks in all,
00:05:42notice what he says, were to extend to Messiah the Prince. So something significant was to happen in
00:05:55the first seven weeks of the prophecy, right? Why would Gabriel break it up? What could it be in
00:06:02those first seven weeks? In the first section of time, we have seven weeks or 49 literal years
00:06:10that are allocated to the building of the city and restoring the theocracy to Israel. And this was
00:06:17literally accomplished in 408 BC, exactly 49 years after the decree of Artaxerxes in 457 BC.
00:06:25Isn't the Bible wonderful, friends? Isn't it wonderful? Notice this from Perdue's The Old and New
00:06:34Testament Connect in the History of the Jews. What a title, huh? It was a series. This is volume one
00:06:42on page
00:06:46322. Notice what he says. He says, in the 15th year of Darius Nothos, ended the first seven weeks of
00:06:54the
00:06:5470 weeks of Daniel's prophecy. For then, the restoration of the church and state of the Jews in Jerusalem
00:07:02and Judea was fully finished. In that last act of reformation, which is recorded in the 13th chapter of
00:07:10Nehemiah, from the 23rd verse to the end of the chapter, just 49 years after it had been, had first
00:07:19been, had been first begun, I'll get it out there, by Ezra in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus.
00:07:30So, Artaxerxes. And so here we see Prudeau is, is laying this out. This is what actually happened in
00:07:40documented history, 49 years. Here's John N. Andrews. Here's a note from him, and pay attention
00:07:47to this as well. This is from the Commandment to Restore and Build Jerusalem. It was a piece
00:07:53that he put together. This was page 15, John N. Andrews. Notice what he says, quote,
00:07:59The language of the angel is remarkably definite. Jerusalem is to be restored as well as rebuilt.
00:08:06Not only shall the temple be rebuilt, and the houses of the people once more cover that holy
00:08:12mountain, but notice what he says, but the rights, privileges, laws, and worship that once
00:08:19distinguished Jerusalem shall be reestablished, and idolatry, blasphemy, Sabbath-breaking, and
00:08:26marriages with heathen shall be prohibited by the civil authority and punished by adequate
00:08:33penalties. You get that? He says, this is properly implied in the restoring of the city as distinguished
00:08:43from its rebuilding. And we shall find these very powers granted in the commandment and exercised
00:08:51by those to whom its execution was entrusted. And besides all this, he says, the fortifications
00:08:57of Jerusalem were again to enclose the sacred city, end quote. So we had those first seven weeks or
00:09:0749 years, and all of this happened. Not only did they rebuild the city and temple, of course, and we
00:09:14covered
00:09:14this in our last study, but the theocracy was reestablished, you see, restored and rebuilding. And remember,
00:09:25we learned it took both, right? Now we have the 62-week section, right? This period is 434 years, and
00:09:35it
00:09:36represents the long, the silent stretch of years between Malachi and John the Baptist, the last prophet
00:09:44of the old and the first of the new covenant time. During this period of 434 years, there was no
00:09:53prophetic
00:09:54voice from God to his people, and no understanding of events in which the hand of the Lord could
00:10:00notably be recognized. Protestant scholars actually refer to this time as the 400 years of silence.
00:10:09That's what it's referred to. You can look that up, but I'm going to share some key aspects of this
00:10:14400-year period, just because I like history, and I think it's good to understand this as we go through
00:10:22our study. So some key aspects of the 400-year period between Malachi and John the Baptist. First,
00:10:29this era represents a gap in divine revelation, which I just talked about. There was no prophet
00:10:37that spoke in Israel, often cited as a period between Malachi and the birth of Jesus in some
00:10:46Protestant circles. Another thing is that the region saw major changes, moving from Persian rule to Greek
00:10:53domination under Alexander the Great. We learned about that in our study of Daniel 2 and Daniel 7,
00:10:59didn't we? And of course, he was followed by the Ptolemic and the Seleucid controls, Pergamon,
00:11:09we talked about that, if you recall. And finally, the Roman Empire. There was also Greek influence that
00:11:17spread rapidly, leading to the translation of the Hebrew scriptures into Greek, which is called the
00:11:24Septuagint, and increased tension between traditional Jewish customs and Greek culture. We even talked about
00:11:30that in previous studies. Also, the synagogue system grew. A lot of people don't realize this.
00:11:36The scribes became prominent during this time, and religious groups like the Pharisees and the
00:11:43Sadducees began to emerge. And then, many scholars view this period as God preparing the world
00:11:51for the coming of the Messiah by establishing a common language, Greek, which is the most descriptive
00:11:59language that we know of so far in history, the history of mankind. Isn't that like God to bring
00:12:09out the most descriptive language that the world knows in order to share the gospel that his son has
00:12:16come to give? And then you had, not only that, the most descriptive language, you had travel increase
00:12:25better because the Romans built these magnificent roads as they conquered the world. So you had a secure travel
00:12:33that the gospel could go out to the world on. You also had a longing for redemption. A longing for
00:12:44redemption.
00:12:44And the common people, as we'll refer to them, saw the corruption in the system, and they longed for God
00:12:54to do
00:12:54something about it. They longed to be redeemed. So, during this 400 years, you can see that, and if you
00:13:01study
00:13:01the history of Israel in the Old Testament, you'll see many of these things come about through history. Now, despite
00:13:13being
00:13:13called silent, the era was actually a dynamic, turbulent time that set the stage for Messiah, the Prince.
00:13:23And when John the Baptist came upon the scene, what was his mission? What was the mission of John the
00:13:30Baptist? Let's go to Matthew chapter 3. Let's look at verses 1 through 3. What was the mission of John
00:13:37the
00:13:37the Baptist? He had Malachi. He had these hundreds of years before John the Baptist comes, and what was
00:13:44his mission? We looked at what happened during those 400 years. It was like a way was being made for
00:13:51the
00:13:51coming of Messiah, the Prince, right? Matthew chapter 3, verse 1. In those days came John the Baptist,
00:13:58preaching in the wilderness of Judea, and saying, Repent ye, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,
00:14:06he was saying. For this is he that was spoken of by the prophet Isaiah, saying, The voice of one
00:14:13crying
00:14:14in the wilderness. And what was he doing? He says right here, Prepare ye the way of the Lord, make
00:14:20his paths straight. What was John the Baptist's mission? He was to prepare the way of the Lord that
00:14:27was coming. Messiah, the Prince, we'll get into in just a moment. Let me share this with you. It's from
00:14:35the book, Conflict and Courage. Conflict and Courage. Give me a second here.
00:14:51Okay. From the book, Conflict and Courage, notice what we read. Quote, John the Baptist had a special
00:14:58work for which he was born and to which he was appointed, the work of preparing the way of the
00:15:06Lord. We just read that in Matthew, didn't we? That was his special work. He was preparing the way
00:15:14for Jesus. Happened to be his cousin. And of course, you know, if you know the Gospels, you know
00:15:24that story. Now, the figure of speech used by Matthew represents the preparations to be made in
00:15:31in advance of the announced coming of the king. You know, when an Oriental monarch intended to visit
00:15:39parts of his realm, he would dispatch messengers to each district to be visited, announcing his
00:15:47anticipated visit and summoning the inhabitants to prepare for his arrival. That was the custom.
00:15:54The 69 weeks we just learned. And as we read, remember he had seven weeks, 49 years, and he had
00:16:02434 more
00:16:03years. That total there was 69 weeks. They were to reach to the Messiah, the Prince. And notice, not the
00:16:11king. The prophecies of Daniel chapter 2 and Daniel 7 picture the setting up of the kingdom of Christ at
00:16:18the end of the reign of sin when he will be the king of kings and the Lord of lords.
00:16:24You see, his first
00:16:25advent made him the prince of this world in the place of Satan. Adam had lost it to Satan, if
00:16:33you
00:16:33recall. Jesus gained it back. And that's why Satan tried to keep Jesus in the grave by tempting him to
00:16:40sin. If he could get Jesus to sin, Jesus would not have victory for us. He would not have become
00:16:48the
00:16:48prince of this world, taken it back from Satan. But once Jesus was resurrected, because he never
00:16:54sinned, he was now the prince of this world. And he left the earth to receive a kingdom
00:17:02and return. So he becomes king at the second advent. Let me share this with you. It's a statement out
00:17:10of
00:17:10the book, The Desire of Ages. By the way, if you want to copy that book, just get a hold
00:17:15of me. I'll
00:17:16send you one free. One free Desire of Ages. Fantastic book. Outside the Bible, the greatest
00:17:24book on the life of Jesus that I've ever read. Anyway, let's go to page 233, the book, The Desire
00:17:33of Ages. Notice this, quote, The burden of Christ's preaching was, the time is fulfilled and the kingdom
00:17:40of God is at hand. Repent ye and believe the gospel. Thus the gospel message, as given by the Savior
00:17:48himself, was based on the prophecies. The time which he declared to be fulfilled was the period
00:17:58made known by the angel Gabriel to Daniel. Seventy weeks, said the angel, are determined upon thy people
00:18:07and upon thy holy city to finish the transgression. We covered all this, right? She's quoting Daniel
00:18:129, 24. To finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity,
00:18:19to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint
00:18:26the most holy. She goes on, she says, a day in prophecy stands for a year. We understand
00:18:34that principle. See Numbers 14, 34, Ezekiel 4, verse 6. We went through a whole study about
00:18:41that, that principle. Now notice what she says. She goes on, she says, the 70 weeks, or
00:18:48490 days, represent 490 years. A starting point for this period is given. Know ye therefore and
00:18:58understand that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem
00:19:03unto the Messiah, unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks, and three score, and two
00:19:09weeks, 69 weeks, or 483 years.
00:19:1470 years. And I just ran into a problem.
00:19:30Hmm, give me a second here, folks.
00:20:02My laptop crashed. And I've said this before, things like this happen from time to time. You
00:20:11know, the devil doesn't want truth coming out, truth of God's Word. And specifically, he doesn't
00:20:16want anything to be known about Daniel. And why would that be? Because it unmasks him.
00:20:28It unmasks him and his representative on this earth. As we've been learning through this whole
00:20:37entire series of our study in Daniel, we find out who the representative of Satan is. We've learned
00:20:48it's that little horn power, right? That little horn power. We've gone through history. We've
00:20:55looked at Daniel 2. It's gave us the big picture. And as we've gone through Daniel, and specifically
00:21:00Daniel 7, we spend a lot of time in Daniel chapter 7. And it lays it out very well. We
00:21:08looked at
00:21:08history. We looked at, and went line by line.
00:21:17Any second here as it restarts.
00:21:31line upon line, as we went through Daniel 7. And especially when we get in here to Daniel
00:21:439 and we get into the 70-week prophecy, we start to see even more and more puzzle pieces come
00:21:49into play. And it unmasks him. So from time to time, when you're trying to get the message
00:21:57out, he throws up roadblocks. Right? You know the statement, the gates of hell shall not prevail?
00:22:07And that's exactly, let me see here, we are in, I was reading out of Desire of Ages, page 233.
00:22:29And she just
00:22:30quoted out of Daniel 9.25. And so she goes on, she says, the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem
00:22:36as completed by the decree of Artaxerxes, see Ezra chapter 6 and chapter 7, went to effect in the
00:22:44autumn of 457 BC. From this time, 483 years extend to the autumn of 27 AD. According to the prophecy,
00:22:56this period was to reach to the Messiah, the anointed one. In AD 27, 27 AD, Jesus at his baptism,
00:23:06what happened? He received the anointing of the Holy Spirit, didn't he? And soon afterward,
00:23:12began his ministry. Then the message was proclaimed, the time is fulfilled. Remember when Jesus said that?
00:23:24Now, let's go on in Daniel 9 and verse 25. We read there that it says, the street shall be
00:23:34built
00:23:35again, and the wall, even in troublous times. Daniel 9.25. Now, there are several issues we must address
00:23:46here among them. What's the meaning of street? What's the meaning of wall? I think you might be
00:23:52surprised by this. The differing translations of these words in our English Bible versions imply
00:23:58that these words are not very easy to translate. And I want to share the differences with you,
00:24:04just to give you an idea how difficult it can be to translate these words. The New International
00:24:13Version says streets and trench. The Revised Standard Version translates it as squares and moat.
00:24:23The New American Standard Version translates it as plaza and moat. The New English Bible says streets
00:24:32and conduits. The Jerusalem Bible translates it as squares and ramparts. And of course, we read out of
00:24:42King James. That's what I use. We read street and wall. So, you can see variations there on the
00:24:50translation, right? So, let's start by examining the meaning of the word street here. And let's put our
00:24:58thinking caps on, friends. What would be so significant about the rebuilding of one street? Because it's in
00:25:05singular. You know, what would be the significance? Building one street in Jerusalem after the
00:25:12captivity? I mean, no doubt there were many streets in Jerusalem after the rebuilding was
00:25:17finished. There wasn't just one street. Why does Gabriel refer to just one street being rebuilt
00:25:24in troublous times? The Hebrew word rekab literally means broaden, make room, broad expanse and
00:25:37broad and roomy place. The word simply means a broad open space in a town or village, basically.
00:25:45That's what it means. And so, the evidence from the Old Testament seems to indicate that it could just as
00:25:50well have been translated town square or plaza as the New American Standard Bible had translated it.
00:25:58The first time that the word was used in the Bible is Genesis 19 and verse 2. And in this
00:26:10text,
00:26:11if you recall, Lot invited the two angels to lodge in his house for the night. But one of the
00:26:17angels
00:26:17replied and said, Nay, but we will abide in the street all night. I always thought that was kind
00:26:24of strange. You know, but that's the first time that word is used. In Deuteronomy 13 and verse 16,
00:26:33Moses told the Israelites that when they conquered a city, they were to, as he puts it, gather all the
00:26:38spoil of it into the midst of the street thereof. And then he said, to burn with fire the city
00:26:44and all
00:26:44the spoil thereof every wit. And I think here the town plaza would seem to fit far better than a
00:26:51particular street. Wouldn't you? In Esther chapter 4 and verse 6, we're informed that the street of the
00:26:59city was in front of the king's gate. And in Esther chapter 6, verses 9 and even verse 11, we're
00:27:07told
00:27:07that Mordecai was paraded through the street of the city on the king's horse and in royal apparel,
00:27:13you recall. Once again, the town square seems to be a more likely place for this to occur than on
00:27:19a
00:27:19singular street. Now, there are two references in 2 Chronicles which actually bear a direct
00:27:27relationship to our study here. Boy, we're having some difficulty here.
00:27:37It shows you were kicked out of the room and then you came back to the whole town.
00:27:43Hello, hello, hello.
00:27:45You are. You're back.
00:27:52Technical issues.
00:27:56We want to look at 2 Chronicles because I believe they bear a direct relationship to what we're
00:28:03looking at here. In 2 Chronicles 29 and verse 4, we're told that Hezekiah gathered the priests
00:28:10and Levites in the East Street to give them special instructions. 2 Chronicles 32 and verse 6 explains
00:28:18that Hezekiah, notice what it says there, set captains of war over the people and gathered
00:28:23them together to Him in the street of the gate of the city. And what we see here are military
00:28:31leaders gathering in the town square for basically what you could call a pep talk. But once again,
00:28:37in both of these texts from 2 Chronicles, the town square really is a more likely meeting place
00:28:46than an actual street. But the two references which are of greater interest are found in Ezra and
00:28:54Nehemiah. The very books which describe the restoring and building of Jerusalem after the captivity.
00:29:02Ezra chapter 10 verses 9 and 10 describes a general assembly of the people of Jerusalem on the street to
00:29:09receive, if you recall, receive instructions on the danger of mixed marriages. Now, it's inconceivable
00:29:20that everyone in the city was able to gather in one particular street. It's more likely that they
00:29:28gathered at the town square. But notice what it says there, Ezra 10, beginning with verse 9,
00:29:35Then all the men of Judah and Benjamin gathered themselves together unto Jerusalem within three
00:29:43days. It was the ninth month on the twentieth day of the month, and all the people sat in the
00:29:51street
00:29:51of the house of God, trembling because of this matter, and for the great rain. Verse 10,
00:29:58And Ezra the priest stood up and said unto them, Ye have transgressed and have taken strange wives
00:30:04to increase the trespass of Israel. Now, if we look at Nehemiah chapter 8, we're told that as soon as
00:30:15the
00:30:15wall of the city was finished, the whole city gathered, as it says there in verse 1, as one man
00:30:21into the street that was before the water gate, and they spake unto Ezra the scribe to bring the book
00:30:29of the law of Moses, which the Lord had commanded to Israel. Here in the street, the covenant between
00:30:36God and Israel was renewed. The theocracy was officially restored by the reading of the book
00:30:43of the covenant. But even though modernization has diluted many traditions, you know, small towns can
00:30:54still be found where official proclamations are made at the plaza or the town square. You go to several
00:31:00smaller towns in the state of Indiana, which I've done, and they have a town square that you, when you
00:31:10drive
00:31:10through town, you got to go around the square. My dad used to say, you got to go around the
00:31:15square to get
00:31:16anywhere. That's why he always would say, we get into these towns. But you had a town square, or you
00:31:24did sometimes it's referred to as the plaza. It's usually in the square that you find the city hall,
00:31:33right? It's there where parades begin and end. It's there that people gather for social events and to
00:31:42hear civic announcements. In the past, even judicial decisions were reached there. So in short, the city
00:31:52square is the center of public, civil, social, and religious life. Now what Daniel 9.25 is telling us
00:32:00then is that the town square, not a street, was rebuilt in order to facilitate the establishment of
00:32:07social, political, and religious life. I hope you see that. And this is precisely what is contemplated
00:32:14in the command to restore Jerusalem. By rebuilding the town square, God's people were able to use it
00:32:22once again for civil and religious governance. Now what about the word wall?
00:32:29Well, as we've seen, the word is variously translated in modern versions as wall, trench, moat, rampart,
00:32:40even conduit. But is this what the word really means? The Hebrew word haris literally means to cut,
00:32:49to sharpen, to sharpen, or to decide. And except for Daniel 9.25, the word is never translated wall.
00:32:59It never is in all the Old Testament. It never is. Why then is the word translated wall in this
00:33:05solitary
00:33:08instance, this one place? And I think that's a great question. It seems that there are actually two
00:33:16reasons. First of all, the building of the wall by Nehemiah after the captivity seems to have
00:33:22influenced the translators. And secondly, the Septuagint, or the Greek Old Testament,
00:33:28translates the Hebrew word haris with tykos, which clearly means wall in the Greek. And Jerome's Latin
00:33:37Vulgate picked up on the Greek translation by rendering the word muri, which is walls, the plural.
00:33:49Notice that Jerome changed the Hebrew singular to a plural, to better fit the work of Nehemiah,
00:33:58rebuilding the walls, right? So let's take a closer look at the meaning of the word, actually,
00:34:05in the Old Testament. In 1 Kings 20, verse 40, King Ahab, he tells a certain prophet,
00:34:12so shall thy judgment be, thyself has decided, as the Hebrew word haris, it. Thou hast haris it.
00:34:24Here the word haris is properly translated as decided. And significant is the fact that the
00:34:33concept of decision is coupled with the idea of judgment. Pay close attention to that. Keep that
00:34:4114, verse 5, the patriarch tells us how man's existence is under God's control. He says,
00:34:47his days are determined, there's a Hebrew word again, haris, the number of his months are with thee.
00:34:53Thou hast to point at his bounds that he cannot pass. And of course, the idea here is that God
00:34:58decides how long man shall live. In Isaiah chapter 10, verses 22 to 23,
00:35:06God promised Israel that a remnant of Israel would return after the captivity. This had been decreed,
00:35:15there's the word haris, or determined haris beforehand. In Isaiah 28 and verse 22, we're told that God had
00:35:23determined haris, that Hebrew word, a consumption upon the whole earth. Again, God makes a decision
00:35:31before it's implemented. In Joel chapter 3 and verse 14, we're told that the nations are gathered in the
00:35:41valley of Jehoshaphat, and there God will make his decision regarding them. The decision is clearly
00:35:48linked with the idea of judgment. If you read the rest of Joel. Significantly as well, the word haris is
00:35:57used
00:35:58in two other places in Daniel chapter 9 itself. And in both, the basic idea is that of an execution
00:36:05of a
00:36:06judgment, which had previously been decreed or decided by God. In Daniel 9 and verse 26, we're told that the
00:36:13desolations of Jerusalem had previously been determined, right? That's a thought that's repeated in verse 27.
00:36:23And so the key question is, why is haris translated wall in verse 25, while it's translated determined
00:36:29in verses 26 and 27? That should make us perk right up and go, what's going on here?
00:36:37Would it not be more consistent to translate a decision in all three instances?
00:36:44Why is the word haris translated wall only in this one instance in verse 25?
00:36:53Well, the simple answer to this question is that the word decision does not seem to fit
00:37:02in verse 25. I mean, what sense can be made out of a translation which reads, the decision
00:37:09shall be built again? How can a decision be built again? Well, in order to answer this question,
00:37:19we've got to ask another. What does the town square have to do with the making of decisions?
00:37:26Maybe you've got some light bulbs going off in your mind now.
00:37:31You know, that's to say, if the expression, the street shall be built again, and the wall
00:37:38should be translated, the square shall be built again, and the decision, how does the building
00:37:46of the square relate to the ability to make decisions?
00:37:55You're thinking caps on?
00:37:58Because the answer is that the city gate, which led to the square, in the Old Testament, was
00:38:05the place where judicial, military, civic, and religious decisions were made.
00:38:11In order for decisions to be made at the gate of the square, the square had to be rebuilt.
00:38:17Doesn't that sound logical?
00:38:21Well, let's note several texts on the importance of the gate of the town square.
00:38:30The book of Lamentations describes the aftermath of Jerusalem's destruction by Nebuchadnezzar.
00:38:39One of the results was that the elders had ceased from the gate.
00:38:46That's where they were accustomed to meet, to counsel the people and to render judicial decisions.
00:38:53Let's look at Lamentations chapter 5 and verse 14.
00:38:56It says, the elders have ceased from the gate.
00:39:00Doesn't that sound strange?
00:39:01They've ceased from the gate.
00:39:03What?
00:39:07The elders have ceased from the gate.
00:39:10Now, we know that in antiquity, every city had a council of elders.
00:39:16And their task was to hear cases which were, you know, brought before them at the gate of
00:39:21the town square.
00:39:24We find an example of this in Jeremiah 26 and verse 10, where we're told that the trial
00:39:30of Jeremiah took place.
00:39:32It says, in the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house.
00:39:37That's where the trial took place.
00:39:38In the entry of the new gate of the Lord's house.
00:39:42That's where the princes of Judah had gathered to render their decision.
00:39:46In 2 Samuel chapter 15, we're told the fascinating story of how Absalom, David's son, notice this,
00:39:57verse 1, rose up early and stood beside the way of the gate.
00:40:01And it was so that when any man that had controversy came to the king for judgment, then Absalom called
00:40:08unto him and said, of what city art thou?
00:40:10And he said, thy servant is of one of the tribes of Israel.
00:40:14And Absalom said unto him, see, thy matters are good and right, but there is no man deputed
00:40:20of the king to hear thee.
00:40:23Of course, significant here is the fact that Absalom usurped the king's position at the gate
00:40:28to render judicial decisions.
00:40:29If you read all that out, many of you may be familiar with it.
00:40:34In the days of Amos, we're told that the judges had become so corrupt that they had turned judgment
00:40:41to wormwood and left off righteousness in the earth.
00:40:47Sounds much like our country today, doesn't it?
00:40:50This total lack of justice was reflected in the fact that the judges afflicted the just
00:40:55and took bribes and turned aside the poor of the gate from their right.
00:40:59That's Amos chapter 5.
00:41:00Once again, we find that justice was to be dispensed where?
00:41:06At the gate.
00:41:09Now, as we've already noted, immediately after the wall was finished in the days of Nehemiah,
00:41:18according to Nehemiah 8 and verse 14, the people gathered themselves together as one man
00:41:24into the street, city square, that was before the water gate.
00:41:31And it was there that Nehemiah renewed the covenant and the theocracy was restored, you see.
00:41:38Among other things, the book of the law was read, the benevolent acts of God were recited,
00:41:44the feast of tabernacles was kept, the Levitical priesthood was reorganized,
00:41:50and the laws of marriage, tithing, and Sabbath observance were renewed.
00:41:55And so, even a cursory reading of Nehemiah 8 and verse 13 reveals that Israel was reestablishing
00:42:03self-governance according to the laws of God at the water gate in the street or the city square.
00:42:16It makes much more sense, fits like a hand in the glove, when you understand this.
00:42:25And so, to summarize the meaning of Daniel 9 and verse 25, let's summarize it here.
00:42:34First, the decree in this verse must meet two specifications, right?
00:42:40It must be a decree to restore and build Jerusalem.
00:42:44While the restoration refers primarily to the reestablishment of self-governance
00:42:48in harmony with the laws of the theocracy,
00:42:52the building has to do with the actual reconstruction of the physical city,
00:42:56its walls, its gates, the city square, right?
00:43:00Et cetera.
00:43:03Second, the physical rebuilding of the city square,
00:43:07that Hebrew word rekab,
00:43:08is of prime importance because it's where judicial, religious, civic, and military decisions
00:43:14will be made in the reestablished theocracy.
00:43:17This is the reason why the square, rekab, and decision-making, heras,
00:43:22are paired together in Daniel 9 and verse 25.
00:43:27Like a hand in a glove, friends.
00:43:30Third, because the King James Version translators actually mistranslated the word rekab as street,
00:43:36they also mistranslated the word heras as wall.
00:43:40And once we realize that rekab means the city square,
00:43:44and heras means the ability to make decisions,
00:43:46the sense of Daniel 9, 25 becomes crystal clear.
00:43:50I hope you see that.
00:43:52It really makes it crystal clear.
00:43:54Fourth thing, especially significant is the fact that our Xerxes decree of 457 BC
00:43:59gave Israel the right to appoint judges and magistrates
00:44:04and to decide cases which were brought to them in harmony with the laws of God.
00:44:09You can look at Ezra chapter 7 for that.
00:44:12And fifth thing,
00:44:13the troublous times were due to the fact that the Samaritans and other people of the land
00:44:19did not want Israel to rebuild the city
00:44:21and reestablish, which may be more important,
00:44:24self-governance.
00:44:26They did all in their power to prevent the rebuilding and restoration,
00:44:30even to the point of accusing Israel of sedition
00:44:33against the Persian government.
00:44:36And so the period between 457 BC and 408 BC
00:44:40can certainly be described as troublous times.
00:44:47Now let's go on to Daniel 9 and verse 26.
00:44:51Let's go to verse 26 and read it.
00:44:57We see there,
00:45:06Boy, so much packed in one verse.
00:45:23It's amazing that God can put so much packed in just one word.
00:45:29But we're going to break it down like we normally do.
00:45:33So we see here,
00:45:35first of all,
00:45:36that after 62 weeks,
00:45:38that's the 434 years,
00:45:40Messiah was to be cut off.
00:45:43Now this would be sometime in the last week
00:45:45of the 70-week prophecy.
00:45:48The cutting off of the Messiah would take place
00:45:51not within this period of 62 weeks,
00:45:54but after its completion,
00:45:55after 434 years,
00:45:57from the restoration of Jerusalem
00:45:59and the theocracy in 408 BC.
00:46:03And this expression is not intended to fix the exact time
00:46:06when the calamitous event of the Messiah would take place.
00:46:10That's done in verse 27,
00:46:11where the event is placed in the midst of the week.
00:46:15Now, a couple of questions,
00:46:18again,
00:46:19that we need answered.
00:46:21First,
00:46:24what is meant by the cutting off of the Messiah?
00:46:30And second,
00:46:31for whom was he cut off?
00:46:36Well,
00:46:37the clearest answer to these questions
00:46:39is found in the parallel
00:46:40messianic prophecy of Isaiah chapter 53.
00:46:45In fact,
00:46:46there are several parallel terms
00:46:48in Daniel chapter 9 and Isaiah 53.
00:46:50You have transgression,
00:46:52that's Daniel 9 and Isaiah 53.
00:46:56Sin,
00:46:57Daniel 9,
00:46:59Isaiah 53 verse 12.
00:47:01Iniquity,
00:47:02Daniel 9 verse 24,
00:47:04Isaiah 53 verses 5 and 6.
00:47:06You have people,
00:47:07Daniel 9 verses 6,
00:47:0824,
00:47:0926,
00:47:11in parallel with Isaiah 53 verse 8.
00:47:14You have righteousness
00:47:16in Daniel 9,
00:47:17Isaiah 53.
00:47:18You have cut off
00:47:19Daniel 9,
00:47:2026,
00:47:20Isaiah 53 and verse 8.
00:47:23And that's what I want
00:47:26you specifically
00:47:27to notice.
00:47:31Verse 8
00:47:32of Isaiah
00:47:34chapter 53.
00:47:35Notice what it says.
00:47:37It says,
00:47:37He,
00:47:38that's the suffering servant,
00:47:41was taken from prison
00:47:43and from judgment
00:47:44and who shall declare
00:47:46his generation?
00:47:48For he was cut off.
00:47:51In Daniel
00:47:52and Isaiah,
00:47:53the verb is passive,
00:47:54which means that
00:47:54someone else cut him off.
00:47:56So he says,
00:47:58for he was cut off
00:47:58out of the land
00:47:59of the living
00:48:01for the transgression
00:48:03of my people
00:48:04was he stricken.
00:48:07Now it's clear here
00:48:08that the expression
00:48:10cut off
00:48:10means killed.
00:48:12Right?
00:48:14And the prophecy
00:48:15makes it clear
00:48:16that he did this
00:48:17for his people
00:48:17and not for himself.
00:48:20This second fact
00:48:22is underlined
00:48:23in several other verses
00:48:24of Isaiah 53 as well.
00:48:27You go through
00:48:28Isaiah 53,
00:48:29you read,
00:48:29He hath borne
00:48:31our griefs
00:48:31and carried
00:48:32our sorrows.
00:48:33He was wounded
00:48:35for our transgressions.
00:48:36He was bruised
00:48:37for our iniquities.
00:48:39The chastisement
00:48:40of our peace
00:48:41was upon him
00:48:42and with his stripes
00:48:43we are healed.
00:48:47It says,
00:48:48The Lord
00:48:48hath laid on him
00:48:49the iniquity
00:48:50of us all.
00:48:54It says,
00:48:55He shall bear
00:48:56their iniquities.
00:48:59It says,
00:49:00He was numbered
00:49:01with the transgressors
00:49:03and he bared
00:49:03the sin
00:49:04of many.
00:49:05There's that word
00:49:06many.
00:49:08So Isaiah 53
00:49:09makes it crystal clear
00:49:10that the Messiah
00:49:11would be killed
00:49:12and that his death
00:49:13would be vicarious.
00:49:15Meaning,
00:49:16it would be done
00:49:17for another.
00:49:18Now Daniel 9
00:49:20and verse 26
00:49:21said,
00:49:21Shall Messiah
00:49:22be cut off
00:49:23but not for himself?
00:49:26Correct?
00:49:28Let me share
00:49:29this statement
00:49:30with you.
00:49:30It's from
00:49:31Bunch's book,
00:49:33the book of Daniel
00:49:33pages 139 and 140.
00:49:36Notice what
00:49:37Bunch says.
00:49:38He says,
00:49:38Quote,
00:49:38That the Messiah
00:49:39would be innocent
00:49:40of all guilt
00:49:41and therefore
00:49:42condemned unjustly
00:49:43is indicated
00:49:44by this statement
00:49:45but not for himself.
00:49:49Three times,
00:49:50Pilate,
00:49:51the Roman judge,
00:49:52declared him
00:49:52to be innocent
00:49:53of the charges
00:49:54against him.
00:49:55He said,
00:49:56I find no fault
00:49:57in him.
00:49:58End quote.
00:50:00And so we see
00:50:01it wasn't for himself
00:50:04that he was cut off.
00:50:09Daniel 9,
00:50:10verse 26.
00:50:11Let's go back to it again.
00:50:12And after three score
00:50:13in two weeks
00:50:14shall Messiah
00:50:14be cut off
00:50:15but not for himself.
00:50:16And the people
00:50:17of the prince
00:50:18that shall come
00:50:19shall destroy
00:50:20the city
00:50:20and the sanctuary
00:50:22and the end thereof
00:50:23shall be with the flood
00:50:24and unto the end
00:50:25of the war
00:50:27desolations
00:50:27are determined.
00:50:28Who is
00:50:30this
00:50:32prince
00:50:32that shall come
00:50:33and who are
00:50:34his people?
00:50:36Now this is very important
00:50:37because there seem
00:50:38to be three main views
00:50:39here.
00:50:41Here are three views.
00:50:42First,
00:50:43the people
00:50:43are the Romans
00:50:44and the prince
00:50:45is Titus.
00:50:47A second view
00:50:48is that the prince
00:50:49is the future
00:50:50antichrist
00:50:51and the people
00:50:52will be his wicked
00:50:53followers.
00:50:54And the third view
00:50:55is that the people
00:50:56are the Jews
00:50:56and the prince
00:50:57is Jesus Christ.
00:50:59And so our question
00:51:00is,
00:51:01which of these views
00:51:02is actually correct?
00:51:06Well,
00:51:07let's concern ourselves
00:51:10here with
00:51:11actually options
00:51:12one and three
00:51:13only
00:51:14because
00:51:15as we go on
00:51:16we'll see that
00:51:19when we understand
00:51:21those,
00:51:21those two,
00:51:22the second option
00:51:23actually removes itself
00:51:25from consideration.
00:51:26So,
00:51:27we don't even need
00:51:27to get into it.
00:51:29But historicists
00:51:30in general
00:51:32and Adventists
00:51:33in particular
00:51:34have traditionally
00:51:35taught that
00:51:35the prince
00:51:36was Titus
00:51:37and the people
00:51:38of the prince
00:51:38were the Romans
00:51:39who attacked
00:51:39and destroyed
00:51:40Jerusalem
00:51:40in the year
00:51:4170 A.D.
00:51:43Though this view
00:51:44is very tempting,
00:51:45it doesn't really
00:51:47fit the literary
00:51:48structure of Daniel
00:51:49verses 24 to 27,
00:51:52Daniel 9.
00:51:54There's no reason
00:51:55to believe
00:51:55that the Messiah,
00:51:56the prince
00:51:57of verse 25,
00:51:58you know,
00:51:59is not the same
00:52:01Messiah
00:52:02and prince
00:52:03of verse 26.
00:52:04In fact,
00:52:05the reference
00:52:06of Messiah
00:52:08and prince
00:52:08in verse 26
00:52:09provides a literary
00:52:10balance
00:52:11with the reference
00:52:12to Messiah,
00:52:13the prince
00:52:13in verse 25.
00:52:15Another problem
00:52:16with the view
00:52:18that the prince
00:52:18is Titus
00:52:19and the people
00:52:20are the Romans
00:52:21is the fact
00:52:21that it's
00:52:22incompatible
00:52:23with the three
00:52:24personal pronouns
00:52:25in verse 27.
00:52:28In Daniel 9
00:52:29verse 27
00:52:30we're told,
00:52:32And he
00:52:32shall confirm
00:52:33the covenant
00:52:34with many
00:52:34for one week
00:52:35and in the
00:52:36midst of the week
00:52:36he shall cause
00:52:38the sacrifice
00:52:38and the oblation
00:52:40to cease
00:52:40and for the
00:52:41overspreading
00:52:42of abominations
00:52:43he shall make
00:52:44it desolate.
00:52:46The context
00:52:49clearly indicates
00:52:51that the three
00:52:52he's
00:52:53of verse 27
00:52:54refer to the
00:52:55same person
00:52:56as the
00:52:57himself
00:52:57of verse 26.
00:52:59So,
00:53:00the prince
00:53:01of the people
00:53:02of verse 26
00:53:03is the same
00:53:03person
00:53:04who confirms
00:53:05the covenant
00:53:05for one week,
00:53:06same person
00:53:07who causes
00:53:08the sacrifice
00:53:09and oblation
00:53:09to cease
00:53:10and makes
00:53:11the city
00:53:11and sanctuary
00:53:12desolate.
00:53:13Now,
00:53:14it is true,
00:53:16we know,
00:53:18Titus literally
00:53:19caused the
00:53:20sacrificial system
00:53:21to come to an end
00:53:22when he and his
00:53:23armies destroyed
00:53:23the Jerusalem temple.
00:53:26But it is not
00:53:26true that Titus
00:53:28made a strong
00:53:28covenant with
00:53:29Israel for one
00:53:30week.
00:53:32Adventists
00:53:33have traditionally
00:53:33believed that it
00:53:34was Jesus
00:53:35who brought
00:53:35the sacrificial
00:53:36system to an end,
00:53:37which we've
00:53:38studied,
00:53:38we know,
00:53:39and he did
00:53:40that when he
00:53:40died on the
00:53:41cross.
00:53:42In fact,
00:53:43Matthew 27,
00:53:44verse 51
00:53:45corroborates this
00:53:46view as well
00:53:46as basically
00:53:48the book of
00:53:48Hebrews.
00:53:51Adventists
00:53:52have believed
00:53:55that Jesus
00:53:56confirmed
00:53:58the covenant
00:53:59with Israel
00:54:00for one week,
00:54:01that is,
00:54:01during the
00:54:02last of the
00:54:0370 weeks.
00:54:04and it's
00:54:05clear that
00:54:05the precursor
00:54:06to all
00:54:07three he's
00:54:08in verse
00:54:0927 that we
00:54:09just read
00:54:10is the
00:54:11prince of
00:54:11verse 26.
00:54:13But let me
00:54:14read the
00:54:15verses this
00:54:17way.
00:54:20The people
00:54:21of the prince
00:54:21that shall
00:54:22come shall
00:54:22destroy the
00:54:23city and
00:54:24the sanctuary.
00:54:25And he,
00:54:26the prince,
00:54:28shall confirm
00:54:29the covenant
00:54:29with many for
00:54:30one week.
00:54:31And in the
00:54:32midst of the
00:54:33week,
00:54:33he,
00:54:33the prince,
00:54:34shall cause
00:54:34the sacrifice
00:54:35and the
00:54:35oblation to
00:54:36cease.
00:54:37And for the
00:54:38overspreading of
00:54:39abominations,
00:54:40he,
00:54:40the prince,
00:54:41shall make
00:54:42desolate.
00:54:45So,
00:54:45of course,
00:54:46if the prince
00:54:47of verse 26
00:54:48is Jesus,
00:54:49then the
00:54:49people of
00:54:50the prince
00:54:50must be
00:54:51who?
00:54:53The Jews.
00:54:56Never
00:54:57forget,
00:54:58friends,
00:54:59that the
00:55:00word people
00:55:01throughout
00:55:02Daniel 9
00:55:03always denotes
00:55:05Israel.
00:55:07Always.
00:55:09You look at
00:55:09verse 15,
00:55:1016,
00:55:1119,
00:55:1120,
00:55:1124.
00:55:14And so,
00:55:14the million
00:55:14dollar,
00:55:17I guess,
00:55:18you'd say
00:55:18the million
00:55:19dollar question
00:55:20becomes,
00:55:22did the
00:55:23Jews destroy
00:55:24their own
00:55:25city and
00:55:25sanctuary?
00:55:27Well,
00:55:27at first,
00:55:28this question
00:55:28would seem
00:55:29absurd,
00:55:29wouldn't it?
00:55:32I mean,
00:55:32it was
00:55:33Titus and
00:55:33the Romans,
00:55:34right?
00:55:37Was it?
00:55:38Of course.
00:55:40But,
00:55:41how do we
00:55:41answer the
00:55:42question?
00:55:43In order
00:55:45to find
00:55:46the question,
00:55:47that answer,
00:55:48we've got to
00:55:49take a look
00:55:49at the reason
00:55:50for the first
00:55:51destruction of
00:55:52Jerusalem by
00:55:53Nebuchadnezzar.
00:55:55So,
00:55:56let me ask,
00:55:59who destroyed
00:56:00Jerusalem the
00:56:01first time?
00:56:02Was it God
00:56:03or Nebuchadnezzar
00:56:04or Israel?
00:56:06Now,
00:56:07let's think
00:56:08this through.
00:56:09Let's think
00:56:10this through.
00:56:11Daniel 9,
00:56:13verse 14,
00:56:14explicitly states
00:56:15that God
00:56:15destroyed
00:56:16Jerusalem.
00:56:18It says,
00:56:19Therefore hath the
00:56:20Lord watched
00:56:20upon the evil
00:56:21and brought
00:56:22it upon us.
00:56:23For the Lord
00:56:24our God is
00:56:24righteous in
00:56:25all his works
00:56:26which he
00:56:26doeth,
00:56:26for we
00:56:27obeyed not
00:56:28his voice.
00:56:31Daniel 9,
00:56:32verse 14,
00:56:33says God
00:56:33destroyed
00:56:34Jerusalem.
00:56:362 Chronicles
00:56:3736,
00:56:39verses 17
00:56:40to 20
00:56:40states that
00:56:42Nebuchadnezzar,
00:56:43whom God
00:56:44calls my servant
00:56:45in Jeremiah
00:56:4527,
00:56:46verse 6,
00:56:47says that
00:56:48Nebuchadnezzar
00:56:49destroyed the
00:56:50city and the
00:56:50temple.
00:56:51Notice,
00:56:52verse 17,
00:56:53Therefore he
00:56:53brought upon
00:56:54them the king
00:56:55of the
00:56:55Chaldees,
00:56:55that's
00:56:56Nebuchadnezzar,
00:56:56who slew
00:56:57their young
00:56:58men with
00:56:58the sword
00:56:59in the house
00:56:59of their
00:56:59sanctuary,
00:57:00had no
00:57:01compassion
00:57:01upon young
00:57:02man or
00:57:03maiden,
00:57:03old man or
00:57:04him that
00:57:04stooped for
00:57:05age.
00:57:06He gave
00:57:06them all
00:57:07into his
00:57:07hand,
00:57:08and all
00:57:08the vessels
00:57:09of the
00:57:09house of
00:57:09God,
00:57:10great and
00:57:10small,
00:57:11and the
00:57:12treasures
00:57:12of the
00:57:12house of
00:57:13the Lord,
00:57:13and the
00:57:14treasures
00:57:14of the
00:57:14king,
00:57:15and of
00:57:15his
00:57:16princes,
00:57:16all these
00:57:17he brought
00:57:17to Babylon.
00:57:18Verse 19,
00:57:20And they
00:57:20burnt the
00:57:21house of
00:57:22God,
00:57:22and break
00:57:23down the
00:57:23wall of
00:57:24Jerusalem,
00:57:24and burnt
00:57:25all the
00:57:26palaces
00:57:26thereof
00:57:27with fire,
00:57:27and destroyed
00:57:28all the
00:57:29goodly
00:57:29vessels
00:57:29thereof.
00:57:31Verse 20,
00:57:32And them
00:57:33that had
00:57:33escaped from
00:57:34the sword
00:57:34carried he
00:57:35away to
00:57:35Babylon,
00:57:36where they
00:57:36were servants
00:57:37to him
00:57:38and his
00:57:38sons until
00:57:39the reign
00:57:39of the
00:57:40kingdom of
00:57:41Persia.
00:57:43So,
00:57:45what have we
00:57:46read so far?
00:57:47I mean,
00:57:48first we read
00:57:48that it was
00:57:49God that did
00:57:50it,
00:57:50and then we
00:57:51just read
00:57:52that it was
00:57:52Nebuchadnezzar.
00:57:55Daniel 9,
00:57:57verse 11,
00:57:5714,
00:57:58and 15
00:57:58explains that
00:58:00Israel's sins
00:58:01brought about
00:58:01the destruction
00:58:02of the city
00:58:02and the
00:58:03temple.
00:58:04Sounds kind
00:58:05of like a
00:58:05conundrum now,
00:58:06doesn't it?
00:58:07In fact,
00:58:08notice what
00:58:10the prophet
00:58:10Jeremiah told
00:58:11Israel in
00:58:12Jeremiah 38,
00:58:13verse 23.
00:58:14He says,
00:58:15So they
00:58:15shall bring
00:58:16out all
00:58:16thy wives
00:58:17and thy
00:58:17children to
00:58:18the Chaldeans,
00:58:19that's the
00:58:19Babylonians,
00:58:20and thou
00:58:21shalt not
00:58:21escape out
00:58:22of their
00:58:22hand,
00:58:23but shalt
00:58:24be taken
00:58:24by the
00:58:24hand of
00:58:25the king
00:58:25of Babylon,
00:58:26and thou
00:58:27shalt cause
00:58:28this city
00:58:29to be burned
00:58:29with fire.
00:58:33What's he
00:58:34saying?
00:58:35He said,
00:58:36If you,
00:58:37Israel,
00:58:37do not
00:58:38submit to
00:58:38the king
00:58:38of Babylon,
00:58:39that Jerusalem
00:58:40would be
00:58:41burned down.
00:58:42Back up to
00:58:43verses 17
00:58:44and 18.
00:58:45It says,
00:58:47Then said
00:58:47Jeremiah unto
00:58:48Zedekiah,
00:58:49Thus saith
00:58:50the Lord,
00:58:51the God
00:58:51of hosts,
00:58:52the God
00:58:52of Israel,
00:58:53if thou
00:58:53wilt assuredly
00:58:54go forth
00:58:54unto the
00:58:55king of
00:58:55Babylon's
00:58:56princes,
00:58:56then thy
00:58:57soul shall
00:58:58live,
00:58:58and this
00:58:59city shall
00:59:00not be
00:59:00burned with
00:59:01fire,
00:59:02and thou
00:59:02shalt live
00:59:03in thy
00:59:03house.
00:59:04Verse 18.
00:59:05But if
00:59:05thou wilt not
00:59:06go forth
00:59:06to the
00:59:07king of
00:59:07Babylon's
00:59:08princes,
00:59:08then shalt
00:59:09this city
00:59:10be given
00:59:10into the
00:59:10hand of
00:59:11the
00:59:11Chaldeans,
00:59:13and they
00:59:13shall burn
00:59:14it with
00:59:14fire,
00:59:15and thou
00:59:16shall not
00:59:16escape out
00:59:17of their
00:59:17hand.
00:59:20I mean,
00:59:21so we've
00:59:21read these
00:59:22scriptures
00:59:22now.
00:59:24First it
00:59:25was God,
00:59:27then it
00:59:27was Nebuchadnezzar,
00:59:29then it
00:59:30was actually
00:59:31Israel,
00:59:32right?
00:59:33Let me put it
00:59:34this way.
00:59:35Because of
00:59:36Israel's sins,
00:59:37God employed
00:59:38his servant
00:59:39Nebuchadnezzar to
00:59:40destroy the
00:59:40city and the
00:59:41temple.
00:59:42But God
00:59:43would not have
00:59:43used Nebuchadnezzar
00:59:44to destroy,
00:59:45had it not
00:59:46been for the
00:59:47sins of the
00:59:48people.
00:59:49So,
00:59:50Israel,
00:59:51because of
00:59:52her own
00:59:52sinful choices,
00:59:53brought destruction
00:59:54upon herself.
00:59:57Now,
00:59:59let's take a
01:00:00look at the
01:00:02second destruction
01:00:03of Jerusalem.
01:00:04And one thing
01:00:05becomes absolutely
01:00:06clear in Daniel
01:00:069, and it's
01:00:07that the
01:00:07destiny of
01:00:08Jerusalem is
01:00:09inseparably
01:00:11linked with
01:00:11what happened
01:00:12to Messiah
01:00:12the Prince.
01:00:14Twice in the
01:00:15literary structure,
01:00:16what happened
01:00:17to the Messiah
01:00:18is followed
01:00:18by the
01:00:19destruction
01:00:19of Jerusalem.
01:00:20Remember,
01:00:20I talked
01:00:20about patterns,
01:00:21right?
01:00:23In verse 26,
01:00:25after Messiah
01:00:25was cut off,
01:00:26Jerusalem was
01:00:27destroyed.
01:00:28In Daniel 9,
01:00:30verse 27,
01:00:30Jerusalem was
01:00:31destroyed after
01:00:31the Prince
01:00:32caused the
01:00:32sacrifice and
01:00:34oblation to
01:00:34cease.
01:00:36And the
01:00:37critical question
01:00:37at this point
01:00:38is, does the
01:00:39New Testament
01:00:40shed any light
01:00:40on how the
01:00:41destiny of
01:00:42the Messiah
01:00:43is linked
01:00:44to the fate
01:00:44of the
01:00:45second city
01:00:46and temple?
01:00:47And the
01:00:48answer is a
01:00:49resounding
01:00:49yes.
01:00:51And we'll
01:00:51get into
01:00:52that answer
01:00:53in our
01:00:53next study.
01:00:55Well, I
01:00:56apologize for
01:00:57the technical
01:00:59problems that
01:01:00we've been
01:01:01having.
01:01:04And, you
01:01:05know, sometimes
01:01:05we get into
01:01:06prophecy, and I've
01:01:06said this to
01:01:07you before,
01:01:10there are times
01:01:11that we've got
01:01:11to get into
01:01:12the weeds.
01:01:12weeds.
01:01:14We have to
01:01:14get into the
01:01:15weeds a bit,
01:01:15and I hope I'm
01:01:16not losing you
01:01:17while we're
01:01:17getting through
01:01:18some of the
01:01:18weeds.
01:01:20And what I
01:01:20mean by that
01:01:21is, you've
01:01:22got to break
01:01:22down some of
01:01:22the words back
01:01:23to their
01:01:23originals, and
01:01:25see in places
01:01:26in other parts
01:01:27of the Bible
01:01:27what they mean,
01:01:29and find
01:01:30exactly what
01:01:32context fits.
01:01:34And sometimes
01:01:34that's getting
01:01:35into the weeds.
01:01:36But I hope I'm
01:01:37able to describe
01:01:38it well enough
01:01:39for you, that
01:01:40you can see it
01:01:41fitting like a
01:01:42hand and a
01:01:42glove, all
01:01:42these pieces
01:01:43here, that it
01:01:44makes perfect
01:01:45sense.
01:01:46And so, I
01:01:48encourage you to
01:01:49study this out,
01:01:50continue to
01:01:50study, and let's
01:01:53have a word of
01:01:53prayer before we
01:01:54close up.
01:01:54Father in
01:01:55heaven, we
01:01:55thank you so
01:01:56much for your
01:01:57love and care
01:01:58for us.
01:01:58We thank you
01:01:59for protecting
01:02:00your word for
01:02:02hundreds and
01:02:03hundreds and
01:02:03hundreds of
01:02:04years for us
01:02:04who live down
01:02:06here in the
01:02:06time of the
01:02:06end, that we
01:02:07may read out
01:02:08of the book
01:02:08of Daniel, and
01:02:10that the Holy
01:02:10Spirit will guide
01:02:11us into
01:02:11the truth as
01:02:12he has
01:02:12promised, not
01:02:13because we're
01:02:14worthy, but
01:02:15because you've
01:02:16promised to do
01:02:16so.
01:02:17And we thank you
01:02:18so much for
01:02:19Jesus, we thank
01:02:20you for the
01:02:20forgiveness of
01:02:21our sins, and
01:02:23for the strength
01:02:25to stand for
01:02:27truth, though the
01:02:29heavens may fall
01:02:29all around us.
01:02:31Please continue to
01:02:32be with us, send
01:02:33angels to help us
01:02:34and keep us
01:02:36safe.
01:02:36Be with those who
01:02:38are hearing these
01:02:38things and maybe
01:02:40having struggles with
01:02:41them.
01:02:41Lead them, Lord,
01:02:42into the truth as
01:02:45we claim that
01:02:45promise.
01:02:48And I pray that
01:02:49you will gather
01:02:51us all together to
01:02:53be prepared for
01:02:53Jesus when he
01:02:54returns.
01:02:55I ask these
01:02:55favors in Jesus'
01:02:56name.
01:02:57Amen.
01:02:58Friends, keep
01:02:59looking up.
01:03:00Never doubt the
01:03:02love of God for
01:03:03you.
01:03:04Never doubt the
01:03:05love of Jesus for
01:03:06you.
01:03:06That's what the
01:03:07devil tries to do,
01:03:08bring in the
01:03:08doubts.
01:03:08Don't do it.
01:03:09Don't let him
01:03:09in.
01:03:10Keep looking up.
01:03:11Keep your eyes
01:03:11heaven bound.
01:03:12If you lose sight
01:03:14of that, the devil
01:03:15will surround you
01:03:16with darkness.
01:03:18Keep looking up to
01:03:19the bright lights of
01:03:19Jesus as he shines
01:03:21upon you.
01:03:22And I pray that I
01:03:25will meet you
01:03:26someday, every one
01:03:27of you.
01:03:28And we'll praise the
01:03:29Lord together.
01:03:30Keep looking up.
01:03:31We'll see you next
01:03:32time.
01:03:33God bless.
01:03:34God bless.
01:03:36God bless.
01:03:36God bless.