22/01/23 – Daniel 9:24-27 – Israel’s everlasting
righteousness
Daniel 9:24 – 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.
weeks – seven; period of seven (days or
years); heptad; week. The main meaning refers to “heptad” or “seven”,
and refers to any grouping of seven. Because a week is a group of seven days,
it is therefore a heptad, a “seven”. But this word
could also refer to any group of seven, not just days, but months or years,
thus a heptad (= a group or series of seven). Seven days or even months make little
sense with 69 (7 + 62 – see Vs 25 below) of these weeks from the commandment to
restore and build Jerusalem to the cutting off of the
Messiah (see Vs 26 below). If we assume that these are weeks of years, then we
would have a period of 483 years fitting in somewhere after Daniel’s prayer and
finishing around the time of the crucifixion of Christ.
Vs 25 actually says it will be “unto the Messiah the Prince”, a title that
suggests Christ’s ministry at some point, from His baptism, to His triumphant
entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, to His crucifixion (which Vs 26 does point
to occurring after that 483 years has been
completed).
The total time from Daniel’s prayer here and Christ’s ministry would be
around 564 years, around 81 years more than the required 483 years. It is
reasonable to assume that the 69 weeks of years commenced around 81 years after
Daniel was praying, thus around 457 BC.
Thus seventy weeks of years would refer to a
period of 70 x 7 years = 490 years in all.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city – A timeline (period of time) of 70 weeks (= 490 years) has been
determined (decreed) (by God) for Israel and Jerusalem.
to make an end – There are two alternate terms here in the Hebrew
text: (a) to finish; cease doing; complete; perfect; make whole, and (b) to
seal; seal up; affix a seal. Thus it could mean
either cease doing, or to seal up with the idea of finalising it. Each could
have a similar meaning.
to make reconciliation – kaphar (to
cover; purge; make an atonement for sins; make reconciliation; cover over with
pitch; propitiate) It depicted a covering that hid their iniquity from God’s sight in the
same way that tar (pitch) covered and sealed the wood of boats). It is
generally translated “atonement”.
Leviticus 5:10 – And
he shall offer the second [for] a burnt offering, according to the
manner: and the priest shall make an atonement for him for his sin which
he hath sinned, and it shall be forgiven him.
to bring in – cause to come; bring upon; bring to pass.
to anoint – to consecrate; to set apart for holiness. This is the verb
form of “Messiah” (see Vss 25 & 26 below) = the
Anointed One. The context does point to Christ being referred to here.
most Holy – or “holy holies” or “holy of Holies” or “holy of holiest” (the same
word is repeated in the Hebrew). But what or who is the most Holy? Does this
refer to the Holy of Holies, or the Levitical priesthood, or to Christ
(referred to as Messiah the Prince in Vs 25 below)? The context of this passage
would point to the Messiah being referred to here. Note John 2:19-21 – 19Jesus
answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple,
and in three days I will raise it up. 20Then said the Jews, Forty
and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in
three days? 21But he spake of the
temple of his body.
and to anoint the most Holy – to set apart the most Holy (we will
assume the Messiah here) for service. In this case, it would be the millennial
reign of Christ the Messiah.
It is determined (decreed) that at the end of these 490 years,
concerning Israel and Jerusalem:
(a) Their transgression will be finished (kept restrained to this period,
to go no further), that is, they will be forever holy as God is holy.
(b) They will cease doing their sins (be perfected),
that is, they will never rebel against God’s law ever again.
(c) They will have had their iniquities eternally
atoned for (have been atoned for their perversity; depravity; iniquity), that
is, permanently reconciled to God. Their sins have been purged.
(e) They will have everlasting (perpetual)
righteousness brought upon them (attributed to them), that is, they will never
be found unrighteous again.
(f) This vision will be sealed, that is, this vision
is assured to come about as prophesied, and there will be no further prophecy
made nor required for Israel and Jerusalem. It is a “done deal” and, by God’s
decree, can never be altered.
And, (g) the most Holy will be anointed (consecrated; set
apart for holiness), that is, given the context, it is Christ the Messiah who will
be consecrated (set apart) for service to the Father and Israel will be His
people and He will be their God for evermore.
Ezekiel 37:27-28 – 27My
tabernacle also shall be with them: yea, I will be their God, and they shall be
my people. 28And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do sanctify
Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of
them for evermore.
Basically this one single
verse (Daniel 9:24) guarantees
Israel’s eternal (everlasting) righteousness at the conclusion of this 70 weeks
period. God has said that they will be, and therefore, unless God tells
a lie (see Numbers 23:19), then Israel
will be as God has said they will be. Israel has never been cast off
forever, and never will be.
Paul says so clearly that God has not cast away His people, Israel. (Also see Romans 11:26)
Romans 11:1-2a – 1I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin. 2God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.
And if this is true (or else declare Paul to be a liar!), then Israel’s salvation will come as soon as the Gentile Church is taken out of the way.
Romans 11:25-27 – 25For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness (pleroma) of the Gentiles be come in. 26And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
(Notice that the spiritual blindness of Israel is only until
“the fulness of the Gentiles be come in”. That word “fulness” is
pleroma (that which is (has
been) filled; fulness; abundance). It was originally used to describe a ship inasmuch as it is filled (i.e. manned) with sailors, rowers,
and soldiers; that is, all the ship’s manifest (passengers, cargo, sailors etc)
are on board and ready to sail. This describes the Gentile
Church which has been completed with all on board and ready to sail (in the
Rapture), at which point Israel is now brought back onto her prophetic timeline
and the final week of years starts to tick down. Israel’s redemption commences
with the Church being raptured out of this world and the seven-year tribulation
period commences. It is Israel that goes through the 7-year tribulation, not
the Church. If you belong to a church and you happen to go through the
tribulation, you were not saved and you have missed the boat!)
See the Addendum for more notes on the Church taking the place of Israel until that time when God reclaims them as His people.
Daniel 9:25 – 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.
It seems that this timeline commences with a 7x7 year period (49 years) and then another 62x7 period (434 years), totalling 69x7 (483) years. It may be assumed that there are two consecutive periods here, 49 years plus 434 years, and that 49 years completed the first period (probabl to rebuild Jerusalem and its wall) and then a further 434 years, after which the Messiah will be “cut off” (see Vs 26 below).
the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem – This is the date that triggers the beginning of the 70 weeks of years. There were 3 main commandments to rebuild the temple and Jerusalem: (a) Cyrus in around 536-535 BC commanded that the temple be rebuilt, (b) Artaxerxes I in 458-457 BC commanded that a group led by Ezra return, and (c) Artaxerxes I in 445-444 BC commanded that Nehemiah return.
Vs 26 below says that after that 62 weeks of years (following the initial 7 weeks) the Messiah shall “be cut off” (or cut down); this clearly refers to His crucifixion. Thus the term “unto the Messiah the Prince” could also refer to His ministry leading up to the time of the crucifixion. It is not likely to refer to His birth as this cannot fit into the 483 years timeline. It is possible that “unto the Messiah the Prince” refers to Palm Sunday the week before the crucifixion, and the Messiah being “cut off” refers to that time immediately following Palm Sunday. However, the 483 years does seem to point to a time earlier than Palm Sunday, and in fact may refer to Christ’s baptism by John the Baptist – see further down for discussion on this.
Commandment option (a) 536-535 BC would set the crucifixion at around 53-52 BC which is historically and biblically impossible.
Commandment options (b) 458-457 BC and (c) 445-444 BC are both in the ball-park area allowed for the time of the ministry before His crucifixion. Note that Jesus was born in or before 4 BC (the Herod that ordered the execution of boys up to 2 years old died in 4 BC). In fact, Jesus was probably born in either 6 BC or 5 BC. In Luke 2:1 it says that Augustus Caesar decreed that all the world should be taxed. This required a census, and this one was carried out commencing in 8 BC (but would have taken more than that single year to achieve across the whole Roman empire). Mary and Joseph went to Bethlehem to be counted probably in 6 (or maybe 5) BC and thus Jesus was born during this census. The absolute latest that Jesus could have been born is 4 BC with Herod dying in that year.
Luke 3:23 says that at or straight after His baptism, Jesus “began to be about thirty years of age”; this was in line with Numbers 4:47 which suggests that Levitical priestly or temple service began at 30 years of age. His ministry lasted for 3˝ years which would have made Him 33 years old when He died. If He were born in 6 BC, then this would place the crucifixion at around 28 AD; a 5 BC birth would mean a crucifixion around 29 AD and a 4 BC birth meaning around 30 AD crucifixion.
If the starting date of the 70 weeks is 458-457 BC (commandment option (b)), then 483 years takes us to somewhere around 26-27 AD. If the starting date is 445 BC (commandment option (c)), then 483 years takes us to around 39 AD. The option (b) where Ezra returned to Jerusalem as commanded by Artaxerxes I in 458-57 BC is the only logical option here, placing the end-date of the 483 years at around 26-27 AD, somewhere not long before the supposed date of the crucifixion (the date of which has never been exactly determined, but possibly 28-30 AD).
However, while Ezra’s main mission was to teach God’s law to those who had returned, Nehemiah is noted as having more to do with the rebuilding of Jerusalem, especially the city walls. But the commandment of 458-57 BC may yet be relevant, noting that the city and its walls would have been built over a period of time which included both Ezra and Nehemiah in Jerusalem. This may account for the initial 7 weeks of years (49 years) before the following 62 weeks. That 49 is significant in that after 49 years (7 sabbath periods) there was to be a special sabbath called the Jubilee at which time all land and possessions were to be returned to their original owner by law of God (Leviticus 25:10).
The Anderson timeline calculations are grossly incorrect!
Anderson calculated that if we assume the old Jewish calendar year to be 360 days (and not the solar calendar year of 365.25 days), then he could adjust the number of days to determine the exact day (as long as he had exact starting and completion points). He decided on a certain date of the commandment in 445 BC, then, by assuming 32 AD as the year of the crucifixion, claimed the date of Palm Sunday to be April 6th 32 AD. Then by certain mathematical manipulations, he then claimed to have established the exact number of days involved, and then claimed that they ended exactly upon the date of Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem in 32 AD.
But he made two gross errors of judgment here.
Firstly, he assumed that Jesus was born at Year zero (effectively meaning that 1 AD was His first year – there is no Year zero). Note that the year following 1 BC is 1 AD, not Year 0! But the Herod who ordered the death of boys up to 2 years old in Bethlehem, died in 4 BC, according to historical records. Thus Jesus could not have been born after 4 BC. This would put Anderson’s calculations out by at least 3 years.
Secondly, his assumption of 360 days per Jewish year failed to take into account that the Jews regularly added a month to their year when their seasons began going out of time with the calendar. Every 5 or 6 years they would add an extra month of 30 days, making those years 390 days instead of the 360 days. Effectively, their Jewish years in the long term were no different in length to our solar calendar years.
Even today the Jewish calendar works on 6 x 29-day months plus 6 x 30-day months, a total of 354 days in their year. “The solution is to periodically insert an extra (thirty-day) month into a year, creating a thirteen-month year. Such a year is called a shanah meuberet ("pregnant year") in Hebrew; in English we call it a leap year, and it makes up all the lunar calendar's lost days. It happens about once every three years.” (https://www.chabad.org/library/article_cdo/aid/526875/jewish/The-Jewish-Calendar-Year.htm)
So we may correctly assume that 483 Jewish calendar years were the same as (equivalent to) 483 of our solar years of 365.25 days each today.
The 458-457 BC commandment
We may accept the 458-457 BC commandment as being the only logical option here. It would establish a date of either 26 or 27 AD if applied exactly from either 458 or 457 BC. But the date for what? It is not likely that the crucifixion was that early, and even putting in Palm Sunday does nothing to change that year date.
There’s another clue to the dates in the Bible, though. John the Baptist’s ministry commenced in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar according to Luke 3:1. Tiberius’ first year of sole rule was 14 AD; thus his 15th year of sole rule would be 28 AD. However, while he became “princeps” (outright ruler) in 14 AD, he was “co-princeps” with Augustus Caesar from 12 AD, co-ruling with Augustus and effectively making the decisions of Caesar. It is therefore logical that the 15th year of his reign would be 26 AD (or possibly 27 AD). Thus John the Baptist commenced his ministry in 26 AD (or possibly as late as 27 AD).
Jesus was baptised by John after John began his ministry, thus probably 26 AD or maybe 27 AD. This would place the crucifixion as either 29 AD or 30 AD. But the 483 years cannot be stretched to match either of those two crucifixion dates. However, if Jesus’ baptism could be declared as the anointing of the Messiah the Prince for ministry, then the baptism would be 483 years after that commandment, with the crucifixion in 29 AD or 30 AD. It is possible that if the Jews had accepted Him as their Messiah at the commencement of His ministry (note John 1:11), then it would have been a completely different scenario. He still would have to have been crucified – no man put him on the cross (John 10:17-18) – but this their final week of 7 years would instead have been their redemption, their cleansing, culminating in their everlasting righteousness.
So, was His baptism His anointing to be their Prince? It does make sense. However, some might say that the crucifixion 3˝ years later leaves a big gap unexplained. Calvinists even go as far as to claim that the 3˝ years ministry was the first half of that final week of 7 years, with the crucifixion at the midpoint “and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease” (Daniel 9:27), thus their Christ declaring temple sacrifices to be ended with His crucifixion. However, that would also assume that their everlasting righteousness would come just 3˝ years after that (and it didn’t!). (Some teach that the 3˝ years was held off until just before Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in 70 AD.) Israel is not even eternally righteous today so the calvinists are wrong on that issue.
We are so often bound by our human thinking that we could fail to see how God could prophesy their rejection at Christ’s baptism, yet have a 3˝ year ministry after that, leading to the crucifixion. But on a number of occasions God has prophesied their judgments even while calling upon them to repent in order to avoid such judgments. If God already knows via His foreknowledge that they will reject Him, then He can still carry out His pleading ministry to them while predicting their downfall for their rejection. Thus setting the date on Christ’s baptism would then have to assume the rejection by the Jews from that time onward.
Note John 1:11 – He came unto his own, and his own received him not.
Christ would still have to have died for their sins, but it would have been a different scenario had they accepted Him as their Messiah from the beginning of His ministry.
John 10:17-18 – 17Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. 18No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.
And, as “Messiah” means “the anointed one”, then logically that anointing was for service, commencing with His baptism. Note that He “began to be thirty years of age”. Note His anointing for service here.
Luke 3:21-23a – 21Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass,
that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 22And
the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice
came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son;
in thee I am well pleased. 23And Jesus himself began to be about
thirty years of age
troublous times – distressing times, or times of anguish. Nehemiah was involved in rebuilding the walls of Jerusalem. Probably Ezra was also involved in this situation, but it is Nehemiah who records their difficulties in getting the city walls rebuilt. There was a lot of opposition from others living around Jerusalem to having the walls re-established.
Nehemiah 4:7-9 – 7But it came to pass, [that] when Sanballat, and Tobiah, and the Arabians, and the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites, heard that the walls of Jerusalem were made up, [and] that the breaches began to be stopped, then they were very wroth, 8And conspired all of them together to come [and] to fight against Jerusalem, and to hinder it. 9Nevertheless we made our prayer unto our God, and set a watch against them day and night, because of them.
the Messiah the Prince – literally “the Anointed (One), the Prince”. This title of Christ would refer to His redemption on the cross in order to set His people free.
The term “messiah” refers to someone who is a saviour of his people, or who sets his people free from affliction and oppression. It literally means “the anointed one” or the one chosen to liberate his people. Some commentaries incorrectly associate this “Prince” with the “prince that shall come” in Vs 26 below.
Daniel 9:26 – 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.
Messiah – = the Anointed One, that is, the Christ.
be cut off – or be cut down, clearly referring to the crucifixion. Note that it occurs after the 69 weeks of years, not halfway through the 70th week as many commentaries teach. Scriptural accuracy demands that if it meant “in the midst of the (70th) week” (Vs 27 below), then it would say so. Thus that which happens “in the midst of the (70th) week” (see Vs 27 below) cannot refer to the crucifixion! Instead it refers to the abomination of the antichrist (see Vs 27 below plus Matthew 24:15).
After that 62 weeks of years period (actually 7 + 62 = 69 weeks of years after the commandment went out – see Vs 25 above), the Messiah (the Anointed One) will be cut down (crucified), not for Himself or for His advantage or benefit, but for all mankind who could never be redeemed otherwise (1 John 2:2).
Matthew 26:28 – For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.
Pulpit
commentary re Calvin on Matthew 26:28 –"Many"
here is equivalent to "all." Redemption is universal, though all men
do not accept the offer (see on ch. 20:28). Even
Calvin says, "Non partem mundi tantum designat,
sed totum humanum genus." (“not a part of the
world only, but the whole human race”)
the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary – Some say that this prince is the “Messiah the Prince” of Vs 25 above. They say that it was the crucifixion that caused the temple sacrifices to cease. But, this doesn’t explain how the crucifixion is therefore an abomination according to Jesus’ words in Matthew 24:15. It also makes no sense to have Messiah “cut off” or crucified after 69 weeks, and then talk about Him being “the prince that shall come” in the middle of the 70th week. Also, the prince who is to come will be from the people who destroyed the city and sanctuary, that is, the Romans. Benson says: “The people here spoken of are the Romans, and the prince that should come, may mean, as some think, the Messiah; the Romans being called his people, both on account of their present subserviency to his will, and their future conversion to his (Roman catholic) faith” But Jesus was not a Roman citizen, nor a member of the catholic church of Rome! Some people will do anything to have the Bible say what they think it should say!
The whole context and grammar must assume two separate
people here, Messiah the prince, and another prince. The term “prince” can mean
leader, ruler, captain, or prince, and is used many times to describe human
leaders. This prince who is yet to come is not the Messiah Prince, and
therefore is a man who will be a leader of his people. In fact, he will be the
antichrist!
the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary –
This clause is actually two clauses:
(a) “the people ….. shall destroy the city and the sanctuary”
To Daniel, there would be a future people who would destroy Jerusalem and the temple. This has to refer to the Romans under Titus who destroyed the city and temple in 70 AD. (The only other time that this happened was with the captivity when Daniel was taken captive; and as that was in Daniel’s past, then it cannot be what Daniel is referring to here.) Therefore the people who would destroy Jerusalem and the temple in Daniel’s future were the Romans.
(b) “of the prince that shall come”. This states clearly that this prince who is yet to come will be of that same nation as the people who destroy the city and temple (in 70 AD). Thus this prince who shall come will be descended from the Romans, or he will belong to the same nation or people that descended from the Romans, or even be a part of the same political system that represents the Rome of the past.
We already know from Daniel’s visions and prophecies that the Romans were the empire that would arise after Babylon, Medo-Persia and Greece. And also that the Roman empire would lead to the ten kingdoms of the end-times (the ten toes of iron and clay – Daniel 2:41), known as the revived Roman empire. It was the Roman empire that destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD, and it will be a prince of that same people who will arise to lead that 10-nation revived Roman empire. Therefore we may name this future prince as the antichrist, the beast of Revelation 13:1.
the end – or the end of the time (as allocated by God)
a flood – an outpouring and overflowing. Here it could refer to an overwhelming judgment by God, or a huge army that overwhelms by its sheer size or amount.
the end thereof – Or “the end of him” (this would refer to the antichrist).
and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood – This is difficult but it does appear to say that his end (consequences of his actions? or the end of his princedom?) will come with a flood (which sweeps him away in a rush). That is, his end will come in a rush and happen all at once. It will be sudden and abrupt and complete. This would refer to the utter defeat of the antichrist at Armageddon when Christ returns to fight for His people.
It brings to mind that Psalm of Asaph, where the end of the ungodly happens all at once. When they start to go down, they go down quickly!
Psalm 73:12-19 – 12Behold, these [are] the ungodly, who prosper in the world; they increase [in] riches. 13Verily I have cleansed my heart [in] vain, and washed my hands in innocency. 14For all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened every morning. 15If I say, I will speak thus; behold, I should offend [against] the generation of thy children. 16When I thought to know this, it [was] too painful for me; 17Until I went into the sanctuary of God; [then] understood I their end. 18Surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castedst them down into destruction. 19How are they [brought] into desolation, as in a moment! they are utterly consumed with terrors.
and unto the end of the war desolations are determined – His princedom will be associated with devastating war until his end.
desolations – to be desolate; be appalled; stun; stupefy; be awestruck.
determined – decide; decree; determine; be
decisive.
Until the end of that war, there will be appalling and stupefying destruction as decreed by God’s sovereign will.
We can assume that this refers to God making a
decisive decree that causes such wars to result in (appalling and stupefying)
desolations. Note that much of Revelation records appalling and stupefying
desolations (the destruction of much of the earth as we know it).
Note the following from Isaiah:
Isaiah 10:22 – For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, [yet] a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness. (where “decreed” is the term used for “determined” in Vs 26 above, and “shall overflow” is the term from which “a flood” in Vs 26 above is derived)
the prince that shall come – He was in Daniel’s future; in fact, he was in the future even in 70 AD when Jerusalem and the temple were devastated. The clue to all this is the final week of years that hasn’t been dealt with yet. Up until just before the Messiah is cut off is 69 weeks or 483 years. Israel’s everlasting righteousness would happen after 70 weeks (490 years). They have to have that final week of years (a 7-year period) before they are righteous forevermore. And they are not yet righteous, so that week hasn’t completed even now. It is that week which is dealt with in Vs 27 below. So we can count a lot of years (2000 or more) between the end of the 69th week and that final week which so far has not yet begun. (It will begin when God begins the process of taking away their sins as a nation which can only happen after the Church is fulfilled (completed) and removed – Romans 11:25-27).
Jesus initially came for the sake of His people Israel. “He came unto his own, and his own received him not.” (John 1:11) His people continued to shut Him out. The pharisees turned public opinion against Him, finally having Him crucified despite being innocent. Paul then on a trip to Antioch preached the gospel of salvation to the Jews there, but they refused, with blasphemy (Acts 13:45).
“Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles. For so hath the Lord commanded us, [saying], I have set thee to be a light of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the earth.” (Acts 13:46-47)
And they preached the gospel (which the Jews had just rejected) instead to the Gentiles who had come desiring to hear the gospel for themselves.
“And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained (actually “appointed”) to eternal life believed.” (Acts 13:48) The Jews had been appointed to hear the gospel; therefore the Gentiles were given this same appointment when the Jews rejected their appointment.
As a result of this and other rejections by the Jews, Israel was put aside and the Gentile Church became God’s people.
“I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, [of] the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” (Romans 11:1-2a)
“What then? Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the rest were blinded (According as it is written, God hath given them the spirit of slumber, eyes that they should not see, and ears that they should not hear;) unto this day.” (Romans 11:7-8)
“I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but [rather] through their fall salvation [is come] unto the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.” (Romans 11:11)
But one day, when the Gentile Church is fulfilled (that is, completed), God will turn back to His people, Israel, and their final week of years will commence its 7-year countdown to the return of their Messiah and their everlasting righteousness.
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:25-27)
This final 7-year period is the tribulation that so much of Revelation describes. This prince is the one-world leader appointed (and indwelt) by satan, the antichrist who is described in Revelation 13:1 as the beast, who is also the little horn that arises among the ten horns on the beast as described in Daniel’s vision in Daniel 7:8, and “that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition” (2 Thessalonians 2:3-4).
Daniel 9:27 – 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.
Who is “he” in
Vs 27?
“he” is certainly not Christ! – Many commentaries incorrectly teach that “he” here is Christ who, in His 3˝ years ministry, works toward restoring true temple worship, and is then crucified in the middle of the seven-year period. They say that by His crucifixion He caused the temple sacrifices and offerings to cease. However, they fail to explain how this relates to “the overspreading of abominations” making it “desolate”, nor any explanation for the rest of this verse. It also doesn’t explain why Jesus told the Jews to flee to the mountains when they saw this abomination as spoken of by Daniel (Matthew 24:15-16). This prince is certainly not Christ!
And, if Israel achieves everlasting righteousness at the end of these 70 weeks, and if Israel has completed these 70 weeks, then Israel must be eternally righteous (or God has lied!). So, if Israel has not achieved everlasting righteousness yet, then Israel has not completed her 70 weeks of years’ timeline.
“he” is certainly not Antiochus IV Epiphanes! – Other commentaries teach that this relates to Daniel’s vision of Ch.8 where the little horn (representing Antiochus) caused an abomination in the temple by sacrificing a pig among other blasphemies. But Jesus warned of the abomination of Daniel as a yet-future event (Matthew 24:15) and therefore Antiochus (while a type or fore-shadow of the antichrist) cannot be the prince here. Also note that in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, Paul warned of a future event where the man of sin, the son of perdition (the antichrist) sits in the temple desiring to be worshiped as God.
So “he” can be none other than the end-times antichrist, the beast of Revelation 13:1 and the man of sin of 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The antichrist makes a covenant with Israel, ostensibly to protect them from being overthrown by the enemy (see Ezekiel 39 where it describes the battle that probably triggers this covenant and the start of the final week of years), but also, it seems, to permit them to resume temple worship as they had done so more than 2000 years before. This covenant signals the beginning of this final week of years, a 7-year period during which Israel is progressively purified and redeemed, so that by the end of this 7-year tribulation those remaining of Israel (“the remnant whom the Lord shall call” – Joel 2:32) will be declared righteous, with their Messiah returning to deliver them and their city (Jerusalem) from Armageddon.
Zechariah 12:8-10 – 8In that day shall the Lord defend the inhabitants of Jerusalem; and he that is feeble among them at that day shall be as David; and the house of David [shall be] as God, as the angel of the Lord before them. 9And it shall come to pass in that day, [that] I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. 10And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.
Joel 2:31-32 – 31The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into
blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. 32And
it shall come to pass, [that] whosoever shall call on the name of the
Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be
deliverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall
call.
He (a single person) will confirm the covenant with many (that is, the nation of Israel) for one week (the final 7 years) as a contract between two parties, himself and Israel. That is, he will sign a document into existence. Israel will sign it too, accepting his assistance in delivering them from the enemy as a type of saviour. In this they would see the antichrist as a type of messiah, as opposed to the genuine Messiah the Prince of Vs 25 above.
The antichrist, after making a protection covenant with Israel (which would have to include permitting temple sacrifices according to their law), then, in the middle of that 7-year period, sets himself up as God to be worshipped in the temple itself (note 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4). In doing so, he causes their sacrifices and oblations according to the Law to cease, requiring that he himself be the object of their sacrifices and oblations. Revelation 11:1-2 would refer to this period of the tribulation, the 3˝ years (42 months) of the second half after the midpoint of the 7 years.
the overspreading – wing; edge; border; corner; skirt; extremity. It seems to refer to the extent of the abominations (which refers to the antichrist wanting to be worshipped as God in the temple). I think it means that his abominations spread out to reach even the extremities, covering all. Or that it is when the abominations reach their greatest extremity (or magnitude?), the temple or sanctuary (where the sacrifices and oblations have been ceased) becomes desolate, desecrated, effectively laid waste by such abominations. This would then be “the overspreading of abominations”, which would occur until the consummation (complete destruction; annihilation; consumption; termination; full end) which has been determined (decreed) (by God) to be poured out upon the one who makes desolate (that is, the desolator – this term is a verb, not a noun, in the Hebrew). Note that the consummation would refer to the final destruction that is the consequence of the abominations caused by the antichrist (the desolator who makes desolate).
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate – Or that judgment which has been decreed by God shall be poured out upon the desolator (the antichrist), noting that the term for “desolate” is actually a verb.
This last phrase would refer to the complete destruction of the antichrist and his armies at Armageddon. That which God has decreed will be the consequences of the antichrist during this final 7-year period known as the great Tribulation.
Calvinism declares that Israel has either been totally rejected already or else Israel may only be saved as part of the Church which they claim will go through the tribulation. Many teach that if there is a rapture, then the Church will be snatched away just before the 2nd coming of Christ, at the end of the tribulation period (if, as many say, it should indeed even exist, nor even the millennial reign of Christ to follow). Some declare that the rapture of the Church will be 3˝ years before Christ returns; such people may have assumed that the first 3˝ years ended with the crucifixion. These are all false assumptions.
Many calvinists believe in the preterist view (that all prophecy to do with Israel, has already been fulfilled in the past), that Israel ceased being God’s nation forever either soon after the crucifixion, or in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Others believe that Israel may still partake of such prophecy but only as a part of the Church, that Israel may yet exist but never again as God’s chosen nation, and that the Church has taken over all of Israel’s promises for the future.
Both these views are demonstrably incorrect.
Calvinists also generally believe in the amillennial view (that there is no actual millennial reign of Christ) while those few calvinists who do accept a literal millennial reign of Christ also teach that it is the Church, not Israel, who rules with Christ.
However, God has declared that after the 70-weeks’ timeline is completed, Israel will be eternally righteous, and there is no biblical doctrine that is able to alter this truth.
Some extra documents with some further information.
https://www.hopperscrossingchristianchurch.com/2016/08/18/the-rapture/
https://www.hopperscrossingchristianchurch.com/portfolio-item/special-report-on-daniel-924-27/
Addendum
According to
Romans Ch.11, Israel will only be reclaimed as God’s special people after the
Church has been taken away (when its time as God’s people is fulfilled).
1/. “God hath not cast away his people” (Romans 11:2)
2/. Israel has
been refused that which they wanted: to continue to be God’s people (Romans 11:7). It is the election (those chosen by God according
to His foreknowledge of their acceptance of Him – 1 Peter 1:2a), with the rest (who rejected salvation on God’s
terms) having been blinded (from knowing the truth of the gospel – see Acts 13:45-46).
“Israel hath not obtained that which he seeketh for; but the election hath obtained it, and the
rest were blinded” (Romans 11:7). This meant that any Jews who wished to be saved
now had to come via the Gentile Church as the nation of Israel as a whole had been rejected with only some being declared
to be of the election.
3/. It was
through the fall of Israel that salvation was permitted to come to the Gentiles
(via the Gentile Church). “I say
then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God
forbid: but [rather] through their fall salvation [is come] unto
the Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy.” (Romans 11:11)
4/. Those who
were rejected of Israel (the blinded ones) were broken off their olive tree (which
represents God’s people who were originally Israel) and the Gentile Church was
grafted onto the stock of the olive tree (of Israel or God’s chosen people).
“And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou,
being a wild olive tree, wert graffed in among them,
and with them partakest of the root and fatness of
the olive tree;” (Romans 11:17)
5/. If the wild
olive branches (the Gentile Church) were called to be God’s ministry (as the
Church), then cannot the natural branches (Israel) be brought back again one
day and reclaimed as God’s special people.
“For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild
by nature, and wert graffed contrary to nature into a
good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural [branches],
be graffed into their own olive tree?” (Romans 11:24)
6/. The
blindness that has happened to Israel because of their rejection is only until
the Gentile Church is completed and ready to depart (as that word “fulness” signifies).
This is clearly referring to the Rapture of the Church.
“For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of
this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in
part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come
in.” (Romans 11:25)
7/. After the
Gentile Church is pruned off the olive tree and taken away, then Israel is
regrafted (as the natural branches) back onto their olive tree. They will then
be God’s people and He will be their God.
8/. And finally all Israel (actually the remnant that remains after
the cleansing according to Joel 2:32) will be saved (redeemed, made righteous etc as per Daniel 9:24) according to the covenant which God has made
eternally with them in the past.
“26And so all
Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall
come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27For
this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.” (Romans 11:26-27)
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