The book of Daniel, chapter 9.
As we continue in this series of messages
concerning end-time events, let me read from
verse 19.
Daniel, chapter 9, from verse 19.
O Lord, hear, prays Daniel.
O Lord, forgive.
O Lord, hearken and do, defer not for
thine own sake.
O my God, for thy city and thy
people are called by thy name.
And whilst I was speaking and praying and
confessing my sin and the sins of my
people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the
Lord my God for the holy mountain of
my God, yea, whilst I was speaking in
prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had
seen in the vision at the beginning, being
caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the
time of the evening oblation, and he informed
me and talked with me and said, O
Daniel, I am now come forth to give
thee skill and understanding.
At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment
came forth that I am come to show
thee, for thou art greatly beloved.
Therefore understand the matter and consider the vision.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and
upon thy holy city to finish the transgression
and to make an end of sins and
make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in
everlasting righteousness and to seal up the vision
and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
Know therefore and understand that from the going
forth of the commandment to restore, to build
Jerusalem, unto the Messiah, the Prince, shall be
seven weeks and three score and two weeks.
The street shall be built again and the
wall even in troublesome times.
And after three score 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.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week.
In the midst of the week he shall
cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,
and to the overspreading of abominations he shall
make it desolate even until the consummation, and
that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Amen.
I want to continue this morning looking into
this chapter to come specifically to this latter
part where we have such a significant prophecy
concerning the 70 weeks that it says in
verse 24, are determined upon thy people, God's
people Israel, and the holy city, that is
Jerusalem.
And last week you might recall that I
felt the Lord wanted to speak to us
through the first part of the chapter, Daniel's
intercessory prayer.
And what we were concerned with was one,
his consideration of prophecy, namely that specific word
coming through Jeremiah and which came to pass
just as God had spoken in the 70
years of captivity of God's people in Babylon.
But secondly, we noted Daniel's confession of sin,
which is with such sincerity, it's the cry
of the burdened prophet, the one intensely longing
for God to mercifully intervene, so that above
all else the name, the name of the
Most High might be honored.
It is an incredible prayer, the end of
which you will notice in verse 21, the
man Gabriel whom I had seen the vision
at the beginning, and if you turn to
chapter 8 and from 17 we read there
of this one who had the appearance of
a man coming, which was called Gabriel.
And it says the man Gabriel whom I
had seen in the vision at the beginning,
being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about
the time of the evening sacrifice.
Let me just pause there for a moment
because I cannot overlook the detail.
It was the time of the evening sacrifice.
In Jerusalem yonder there was no sacrifice because
the altar had been desolate for some 68
years.
This people had been in Babylon.
But Daniel, exiled though he was in pagan
Babylon, by faith always kept that time of
devotion, seeking the Lord.
And as you will be acquainted, I'm sure,
with something of Daniel's story, there he was
with the windows of his room opened to
the city of God, and he sought the
Lord.
And friends, wherever there is a heart that's
disposed toward God, in simple faith, there is
God to answer.
Hallelujah.
It may not be always what we desire,
because we will note in a moment that
what Daniel saw caused him to faint and
he was sick many days.
But God knows what we need to know.
And in respect of his dealings with our
lives, he knows best.
And with regards to prayer and that we
make known to him, God knows just how
he should answer, and in that we must
rest.
So this morning, friends, get him, get God
in focus.
I am glad that he has not, and
thank God he never, never, never will abandon
us.
Don't let us give the devil any joy
whatsoever that God has forsaken us in our
situation.
Let us never find ourselves with our guard
down and the enemy infiltrating with doubts about
the faithfulness of God.
He's there all the time.
Hallelujah.
And there he was with Daniel, even down
there in Babylon.
And so there is this confession of sin
in this incredible prayer.
But then we have, thirdly, God's communication of
purpose.
And this is what this latter part of
the chapter sets before us.
Here is what I might call light for
the lost days.
Will you note back there in chapter 8
from verse 15, Daniel seeks to understand this
vision that God has given to him.
And it's most interesting to note that in
terms of chronology, that is, the sequence of
events in this book, chapter 8 should be
before chapter 5.
How do we know?
Well, you see, in chapter 5, we have
Belshazzar throwing that great banquet, which is suddenly
interrupted by God Almighty.
And God speaks solemnly by His finger writing
upon the wall that was over against the
lampstand, that which had been taken from the
temple and had been placed in that hall
of festivity and of sin.
It was desecrated.
But over against the lampstand, God writes His
judgment upon Babylon.
That Babylon was doomed.
And that very night, friends, Belshazzar himself would
die and the kingdom overtaken by another power.
Now, God had already shown Daniel so that
when he was summoned into the flamboyant but
and now frightened king, Daniel already knew what
was going to take place.
It's the opening verse of chapter 8 that
indicates this particular sequence of events.
And so Daniel makes known the judgment of
God upon both Belshazzar himself as well as
Babylon.
Now, I don't think Belshazzar really believed it
would be fulfilled to the letter.
Relieved as he seemed to be that at
least the mystical message had been interpreted.
Because the king commanded that Daniel be honored.
Listen to it in chapter 5 and verse
29.
Then commanded Belshazzar and they clothed Daniel with
scarlet and put a chain of gold about
his neck and made a proclamation concerning him
that he should be the third ruler in
the kingdom.
Belshazzar thought it was still going to go
on.
But God had spoken.
What we might say, friends, is that at
least when Darius took over, Daniel was the
foremost president in the whole of the kingdom.
But for Belshazzar, there were no more honors
after that night.
For just as God had spoken, it says
that night the king died.
When we consider these things, surely we know
that we are dealing with a sovereign God.
One who is absolutely sovereign.
He raises up the rulers and he puts
them down.
God is in control.
And this is where it all comes into
our present theme of end time events.
For in chapter 8, God said, listen, Gabriel,
make Daniel to understand the vision.
And what did God say?
Verse 17.
This is in chapter 8.
Understand, O man, for the fulfillment of the
vision belongs to events that shall occur in
the time of the end.
Then in verse 19.
Behold, I will make you know what shall
be in the latter time of the indignation
that is of God upon the ungodly.
For it has to do with the time
of the end.
Again, please, in verse 23.
And in the latter time of their kingdom,
I want you to mark these words, in
the latter time of their kingdom, when the
transgressors are come to the full, a king
of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences shall
stand up.
And then down to verse 26.
The vision of the evenings and the mornings
which is told is true, but seal up
the vision.
For it has to do with and belongs
to the now distant future.
The truth is that with the visions that
Daniel had received, there was a measure of
fulfillment of those things.
Shortly afterwards, when there was a wretched and
godless character by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes,
he arose.
And what fearful, frightful things he did.
Awful things to both God's people and to
the temple.
But as Gabriel goes on to explain things,
he uses, you'll notice, this certain expression.
For at the time of the end, the
revelation that God is giving to Daniel, had
only a partial fulfillment in Antiochus Epiphanes.
Many prophecies are like this.
There seems to be a double fulfillment.
That which is almost immediate, and then that
which is yet to come.
And so it is here.
For the ultimate and the fullest outcome of
this incredible vision, which causes Daniel, as we
have intimated, to faint and become so sick
for many days.
The ultimate outcome was for a future day,
when even a worse and more character would
arise, known as the Antichrist.
And what a sinister figure he is.
This is the one that is spoken of
in verse 27.
He shall confirm the covenant with many for
one week.
We will make reference to that.
But I feel that perhaps next Sunday morning,
I will deal with the coming Antichrist particularly.
This wretched ruler, this king of fierce countenance
who rises.
The last blot upon the pages of human
history.
And one who is going to be instrumental,
an instrument in the hands of Satan, in
a final attempt to liquidate God's ancient covenant
people.
A final attempt.
He's tried many times and failed.
And he is still going to fail.
I was listening to the radio this week,
because we've all been deeply moved by the
events of that man who went berserk and
massacred so many people.
And all the political implications and all the
trouble that has aroused.
But one of the radio commentators was speaking
to a friend of the man, of this
man Goldstein, a friend of his in New
York.
And he said how meek and how sweet
a man he was.
But he said he knew within his own
heart or he felt within his own heart,
that there would never be any change of
heart by the Arabs towards Israel.
And that their ultimate goal was to drive
them out of the land and into the
sea and liquidate them.
And of course, that is friends what is
going to be the attempt.
And we will look perhaps at that a
little more next Sunday morning, when we talk
about the Antichrist in particular.
But keep your ears open and your eyes
too, if there's anything that comes on our
newscasts.
It's all happening, the climax of the ages
is about to be witnessed.
Christ is coming and he is coming very
soon.
Now friends, the reason for me taking you
back to Daniel's prophecy, is to show you
that what we're coming to in chapter 9,
is for these last days.
Indeed, it might be more correct to speak
of our times as being the last of
the last days.
Because you see, the expression the last days
is used in the scriptures in a very
broad sense.
And it refers to the period from the
time of Christ's first coming, to the time
of his second coming.
For instance, Hebrews 1 verse 1.
God would send me times in divers manners,
spoken to the fathers by the prophets.
But half in these last days, spoken unto
us in or by his son.
So when Christ came into the world, it
was the beginning of the last days.
Now listen friends, 1 Peter 1 20, speaking
of Christ who verily was foreordained before the
foundation of the world, but was manifest in
these last times for you.
What about 1 John 2 18, little children
says John, this is the last time.
And as you heard that the antichrist shall
come, even now there are many antichrists, whereby
we know that it is the last time.
So that may possibly surprise a few folk,
that when we talk about the last days,
it's not just these moments just prior to
his second coming, but it commences with his
first coming.
And I think that ties up very beautifully
with this final week that this chapter talks
about.
And yet there are so many scriptures that
carry us forward to a distinctive period, which
are the last days, in the sense of
them being immediately preceding Christ's second advent.
And thus does Daniel give us light on
these last days, these last days in which
now we are living.
That which God has determined to do in
consummating all things, all things to do with
the church, described by the apostle Paul as
the Israel of God.
All things to do with the nation of
Israel, spoken of as the Israel after the
flesh.
And also those purposes that God will consummate
in relation to the nations of this world.
Now in opening this up last week, we
just saw the touch that Daniel received.
But now we are dealing with the truth
that Jehovah revealed.
Notice in verses 23 and 24.
At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment
came forth, and I am come to show
thee, for thou art greatly beloved.
Therefore understand the matter and consider the vision.
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and
upon thy holy city to finish the transgression
and to make an end of sins, to
make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting
righteousness and to seal up the vision and
prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
Will you note that?
Seventy weeks, not seventy years, but better referred
to as seventy sevens.
And without going into detail friends on some
technical matter perhaps, it marks out a period
of seventy sevens of years.
Quick calculation, do not have to be a
scholar, 490 years.
And so God takes Daniel forward beyond the
immediate work that he would accomplish bringing his
people out from Babylon and also the rebuilding
of the holy city.
He shows Daniel the great consummation of his
purpose that concerns Israel's final restoration.
Daniel had been confessing the sins and the
continual unfaithfulness of his own people.
But God now points him forward to a
time when sin would be sealed up.
No longer would God's people go astray.
Oh it's a greater glory than the fulfillment
of the seventy years prophecy in Babylon and
coming out from it.
After 490 years, the period determined upon the
Jews and Jerusalem, Israel would know her greatest
jubilee.
The final release and recovery and restoration as
the people in whom God has great purposes
to fulfill.
Now what I want you to notice this,
notice this, that when we talk about years
in the Bible, prophetic years or biblical years,
it's not a year of 365 days or
a leap year where we got 366.
But it's a year of 360 days and
that needs to be borne in mind because
of the incredible prophecy we have here.
So we're going to look at two things
today.
One, what God says he will do.
What God says he will do.
And here is a six-fold revelation that
applies to Israel and Jerusalem.
And this friends is something that has not
been realized as yet.
That is why I cannot accept either the
kingdom now teaching a realized eschatology or accept
a an amillennial position.
Because I believe that these chapters and these
visions and these prophecies themselves just show us
that those ideas cannot be true.
Now you'll observe that there are six things
mentioned here and there are two groups of
three.
The first three statements you will notice they
are statements of intent concerning the removal of
sin.
Whilst the second three relate to the restoration
of righteousness.
Now this, keep in mind this has to
do with the Jews and Jerusalem.
And this friends is rather remarkable.
It has to do with the removal of
sin and the restoration of righteousness because really
this was the burden of Daniel's incredible prayer.
If you read his prayer very carefully it's
all about Israel's sin and his longing to
know God's dealing in mercy and grace and
the restoration of righteousness and God's honor to
be preserved.
He says for thy city and thy people
are called by thy name.
And so God gives an answer here of
what he is going to do.
Let's look at these things.
First he says to finish or to shut
up the transgressions.
It's the Jewish transgression.
You notice in verse 11.
Yea all Israel have transgressed thy law even
by departing that they might not obey thy
voice.
Therefore the curse is poured upon us and
the oath that is written in the law
of Moses the servant of God because we
have sinned against him.
Now such rebellion and revolt was not only
against God's law but against God's son.
John tells us in his gospel chapter 1
and verse 11.
He the word who became flesh and dwelt
among us.
He came unto his own and his own
people received him not.
So then this divine intention intention pertains to
the bringing in of national obedience to finish
or to shut up the transgressions.
Listen friends this morning after the 70th week
there will be no more rebelliousness.
After the 70th week after the fulfilling of
this vision this prophecy.
Well has that happened up to now?
No it has never been so since this
word was spoken.
It's something that's yet to come and because
we have seen that Christ will return very
soon friends that day is not far away.
There will be a national obedience.
Genesis 49 and verse 10.
The scepter shall not depart from Judah nor
a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh
come and unto him shall the obedience of
the peoples be.
That day friends is going to dawn but
you will notice we have no opportunity to
elaborate here.
It's during the 70th week that something like
144,000 witnesses not Jehovah's witnesses.
No they are Jews.
They are from the 12 tribes.
There's 12,000 from each tribe.
144,000 Jews evangelizing the world.
Hallelujah.
To finish or to shut up the transgression
there is going to be brought in this
national obedience.
Not at the moment it's coming soon.
The second thing to make an end of
or seal up sins and again this refers
to Israel for there will be the bringing
in of complete and final restraint.
I was meditating and a couple of the
scriptures just leapt off the page again to
me.
For instance in Ezekiel 37 verses 22 and
23.
Listen I will make them one nation.
Let me just pause a moment.
We talked about the Jehovah's witnesses who've got
their ideas of the 144,000.
The Mormons have got their idea about the
two sticks.
The two sticks is the Bible and the
book of Mormon.
How crazy can you be?
It's so clear here.
The two sticks that division that came in
the time of Jeroboam, Rehoboam but here it
says there's a day coming when they will
be one.
I will make them one nation in the
land upon the mountain of Israel and one
king shall be king to them all and
they shall no more be two nations.
Neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms
anymore at all.
Neither shall they defile themselves.
Listen here it is.
Neither shall they defile themselves anymore with their
idols nor with their detestable things nor with
any of their transgressions but I will save
them out of their dwelling places wherein they
have sinned and will cleanse them.
So shall they be my people and I
will be their God.
Turn over please to Zechariah the last but
one book in the Old Testament chapter 12
and verse 10 and I will pour upon
the house of David and upon the inhabitants
of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of
supplication and they shall look upon me whom
they have pierced.
Who's that?
Jesus.
They shall look upon me whom they have
pierced and they shall mourn for him as
one mourneth for his only son and they
shall be in bitterness for him as one
that is in bitterness for the firstborn.
I like the 13th chapter as it opens
up.
In that day there shall be a fountain
opened to the house of David and to
the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness.
It shall come to pass in that day
said the Lord of hosts I'll cut off
the names of the idols out of the
land and they shall no more be remembered
and I will cause the prophets that's the
false prophets and the unclean spirit to pass
out of the land.
He is going to seal it all up.
Hallelujah.
And I tell you friends the ultimate of
this is not just the people who've been
brought back to national obedience but the devil
the instigator of evil.
He will be bound by one angel and
cast into the abyss where for a thousand
years he will be there.
Hallelujah.
There is one who is sovereign this morning
and he will seal it all up.
Praise his holy name.
One thing further here on this matter of
the removal of sin.
To finish or shut up the transgressions to
make an end of or seal up sins
to make reconciliation for iniquity.
Turn now to Jeremiah's prophecy.
Jeremiah chapter 50 and verse 20.
In those days and in that time and
it's interesting that in the original text friends
it's the definite article is in there.
It's in the the the specific time.
Saith the Lord the iniquity of Israel shall
be sought for and there shall be none
and the sins of Judah and they shall
not be found for I will pardon them
whom I reserve.
What an astounding prophecy.
Oh friends the day is going to dawn
soon after that period of fearful and frightful
trouble.
The day is going to dawn when Israel
will believe on him whom they have rejected
and crucified in his first advent.
No longer perverse and wayward and unbelieving.
Remember that's that's precisely what Daniel had been
praying about and can that be so?
Can that nation be brought to such a
place especially in this day where we see
the increase of moral evil everywhere and godlessness
abounding.
Well let me turn you to Romans please
chapter 10 and verse 1.
Brethren my heart's desire and prayer to God
for Israel is that they may might be
saved.
Over to chapter 11 verses 1 and 2.
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 has foreknew.
Then down to verse 25 for I would
not brethren that you should be ignorant of
this mystery lest you should be wise in
your own conceits that blindness in part has
happened to Israel until the fullness of the
Gentiles become in.
Earlier verses are very clear as to the
times of the Gentiles showing this to mean
the completion of God's purposes for the church
and after that what verse 26 and so
all Israel shall be saved as it is
written there shall come out of Zion the
deliverer and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob.
Who is that deliverer?
That deliverer friends is Jesus and Israel is
going to repent.
He goes on to say for this verse
27 for this is my covenant unto them
when I shall take away their sins as
concerning the gospel they are enemies for your
sakes but as touching the election they are
beloved for the father's sakes for the gifts
and calling of God are without repentance.
May I just pause a moment there have
been a lot of people using that text
concerning servants of God who have lived in
sin and yet they have seen apparently many
marvelous things through their ministry and say well
you see the gifts and callings of God
are without repentance.
Friends that's got nothing to do with it.
The gifts and callings of God without repentance
here has to do with Israel.
Keep in his context back there in Zechariah
12.
Zechariah 12 and verse 10 I will pour
upon the house of David upon the inhabitants
to use them the spirit of grace and
of supplications and they shall look upon me
whom they have pierced.
Mark it well friends there'll be no further
atoning work made by Jesus.
What he did at the cross of Calvary
2,000 years ago and we have commemorated
this morning with joy and with gratitude of
heart that work was complete for the sins
of Israel and of the whole world.
That one glorious sacrifice by Christ the basis
then for that reconciliation is the same basis
for your reconciliation and mine means the Jews
will have to come in the same way
as you and I come.
It's to the father through our Lord Jesus
Christ who died for our sins according to
the scriptures there is no other way.
If you are not a Christian this morning
friend the only way in your sinful past
dealt with and to know peace with God
is coming to believe on the Lord Jesus
Christ and trusting him totally for your salvation.
Let me move very quickly here because our
time is slipping away.
The other three things that have to do
with the the restoration of righteousness these 70
years these 77 rather the 490 years are
determined upon the Jews and upon Jerusalem to
bring in everlasting righteousness and this is something
that one must not overlook.
Before light can prevail then wrong must be
subdued.
Why is there no peace in our world
today?
It's because of sin but that day will
come friends when the great adversary the tempter
as we have said will be chained in
the abyss.
When also the man of sin the antichrist
will have been consumed and spiritual restoration will
be seen in Israel and what a day
that will be.
I haven't the time but just to mention
Jeremiah 31 verses 33 to 40 bear upon
this.
With the personal advent of the righteous one
Christ himself then his great and universal kingdom
of righteousness and peace will be established on
the earth.
His throne will be in Jerusalem and from
Jerusalem he will govern the nations.
Hallelujah.
And then to seal up the vision and
prophecy this means that when Christ comes back
to the earth and stands again on Olivet
in his glory then and only then the
entire subject of prophecy and a vision will
realize its total fulfillment.
What God has already spoken through his prophets
and apostles recorded for us in this infallible
word the bible.
This will be authenticated it will be vindicated
by its fulfillment.
It will then it will be then at
that time that Paul spoke of in 1
corinthians 39 he says for we know in
part and we prophesy in part but when
that which is perfect is come then that
which is in part shall be done away
for now we see through a glass darkly
but then face to face now I know
in part but but then shall I know
even as also I am known.
A sealing up of the vision and prophecy
bring it all to its finality and the
last thing is mentioned here is to anoint
the most holy.
Now this has to do with the temple
and the innermost shrine the holy of holies
in that millennial temple that Ezekiel foretold would
be erected.
You can read of that in Ezekiel 41
and 42 and on beyond that.
There's going to be not only a reconstruction
there's going to be a re-consecration and
hear me friends Jesus will himself be there.
Daniel 8 verses 13 and 14 the question
is asked by Daniel how long is it
to be before the vision finds fulfillment and
then we have the mention of three and
a half years during which the antichrist will
desecrate the temple.
He'll stop the worship of Jehovah and erect
his own image this abomination of desolation as
he demands recognition as God.
Well God says after those three and a
half years then shall these sanctuary be cleansed.
Oh the prophecy of Haggai chapter 2 and
verse 9 that will then come to pass
when the glory of this latter house shall
be greater than the than of the former
and in this place is God will I
give peace hallelujah oh there's no ark of
the covenant there the throne of Jesus will
be there hallelujah you see in that tabernacle
and temple of old when they came with
the blood and sprinkled upon the mercy seat
above the ark of the covenant there God
manifested his shekinah glory his presence was manifested
in that form shekinah glory but I tell
you friends when Christ comes back oh the
glory of God will be seen in the
face of Jesus himself his throne will be
there hallelujah but when when when is it
going to take place well if we have
seen what God says he will do let's
just notice briefly when God says he will
perform it chapter 9 verse 25 of Daniel
from the going forth of the commandment to
restore and build Jerusalem and so we know
the precise date of its commencement the commandment
to restore and build Jerusalem now there's a
number of decrees that have to do with
a temple found in Ezra and Nehemiah but
there's one that has to do with the
temple that has to do with Jerusalem rather
Nehemiah chapter 2 and verse 5 and 8
when Nehemiah was asked by the king well
what is it you want me to do
for you he says listen please send me
back I just want to get on with
with doing a recon a rebuilding job and
so this is the particular decree that refers
to the building and the restoration of Jerusalem
itself and so looking at verse 1 of
that book of Nehemiah chapter 2 of Nehemiah
we have the exact date of this decree
in the month Nisan in the 20th year
of the king do you know friends that
this is one of the best known dates
in history even the Encyclopedia Britannica sets the
date in our calendar when that decree came
forth for Nehemiah to go ahead March the
14th 445 BC from that day says the
prophecy to Daniel or through Daniel from that
date unto Messiah the prince shall be 69
weeks that's 483 years coincidence no divine
ordination because friends on that very specific day
the 10th of Nisan in the Jewish calendar
that day was when Zechariah 9 and verse
9 was literally fulfilled when Jesus rode triumphantly
into Jerusalem Messiah the prince would come and
you can read of this in Luke chapter
19 verse 28 to 44 oh this is
so fantastic the accuracy of the word that
God gives through Daniel but there's a vital
point to be noted here for Daniel is
not only given the sequence but even the
significance of this specific prophecy in this further
word after that is those weeks shall Messiah
be cut off and was he not he
was cut off cut down in the midst
of life the victim of unbelieving hatred and
callous rejection but there's even more here but
not for himself could anything be plainer than
that friends is not this the reference to
Calvary that great atoning work of Jesus when
he died for Israel's sin and for the
sins of the whole world which means then
there's seven years to go what about that
final week that final seven year period this
has to do with the end time for
we have not seen sin finished we have
not seen everlasting righteousness brought in neither have
we seen this other prince arising against Jerusalem
one will be the cause of of many
sorrows he's referred to as the prince that
shall come evidently distinguished from Messiah the prince
that's why it was a remarkable question that
was asked by the disciples when Jesus had
risen from the dead and for 40 days
he was with them teaching them concerning the
kingdom of God and they must have had
some understanding for they said will thou not
restore again the kingdom to Israel aren't you
now going to set it up and I
wonder perhaps even if in their minds there
might have been the thought of what Jesus
had promised that when the Son of Man
should come in his glory he said you
shall sit upon the 12 tribes on the
12 thrones judging the 12 tribes of Israel
and maybe their thought was well praise God
he'll set up the kingdom now we are
ready for it and we'll have positions of
authority and the Lord says it's not for
you to know the times or the seasons
that's in the Father's power but you shall
receive power you shall receive authority not to
rule but to serve for you shall be
witnesses unto me in Jerusalem Judea Samaria the
outermost parts of the earth and it seems
as though friends at that point of time
there was a staying of this prophetic clock
and so we have these times when God
through his Holy Spirit is bringing together a
people the church whom Christ loved and bled
and died for and it's not until those
purposes are fulfilled that that seven-year period
will then continue because it's got nothing to
do with the church it's got to do
with Israel the last week the seven years
of this prophecy is to do with Israel
so when the church is raptured then the
prophetic clock that measures out the times fixed
by God's will will begin to tick again
and the 77s will find complete fulfillment I'll
tell you about those years next week for
seven years as I share specifically about the
coming man of sin all I want to
say just as I conclude this morning friends
is is this everything to me more and
more points to the nearness of the coming
of Jesus for the church if what we
see is the stage being set for the
last act in the drama of human history
then the coming of Jesus for his church
is very very very very near I have
said it again and again and I believe
we have the Bible to substantiate it he
can come at any time at any time
what then should this be an effect upon
us well first of all friends there should
be faith in God's word because 1 2
Peter 1 19 tells us that these marvelous
fulfillments of prophecy spoken by holy men who
are moved by the Holy Ghost shows us
we are not believing some myth it's not
some fable it's not some humanly devised idea
we have the word of God and you
can trust it you can trust it there
must be faith in God's word there must
be the following in God's ways and they
are ways of holiness seeing these things shall
be dissolved Peter says in 2 Peter 3
3 11 what manner of persons ought we
to be in all manner of holy behavior
we know that Jesus is coming there's no
time for gossip there's no time for for
broken relationships there's no time friends for bitterness
and hardness of heart there's no time for
playing around at religion it's time for us
to get ourselves right with God and right
with one another and say God by your
grace I'm going to press through and do
your will and be ready for the coming
of Jesus hallelujah following in God's ways faithfulness
also in God's family Hebrews 10 24 and
25 because this day is fast approaching it
says listen don't forget don't forsake the assembling
of yourselves together as the manner of some
is we might come together to encourage to
exhort to strengthen one another we need one
another friends faithfulness in God's family and further
in God's work 2 Peter 3 15 and
also from the Gospels where Jesus talks about
occupying until he comes Jesus is coming Jesus
is coming let's stand in his presence shall
we and worship him hallelujah I felt I
would like to sing a song as we
conclude this morning my heart and voice I
raise to sing Messiah's praise we'll sing just
a few of these verses oh what a
great message in this song and this morning
if God has spoken to you even once
we're singing this morning if you feel your
need of getting right with God then do
come friends this altar is open for you
this one to come and seek the Lord
and as you seek him you shall find
him is anybody here's not a Christian today
I tell you don't miss out come to
know Jesus as your savior he is waiting
for you he'll forgive your sins and bring
you to God in marvelous reconciliation and peace
if you need prayer this morning you can
come as we sing this great hymn of
faith