Read Part One Here.
Read Part Two Here.
The Seventieth Week
Daniel 9:27
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.
This “week” constitutes the seven of the 490 years, which were still left to be accounted for after the arrival of “Messiah, the Prince.” It is clear that an indefinite interval interrupts the continuance of Israel as a nation after the Messiah’s rejection. Verse 26 indicated that, before the true Messiah appears again, another prince, the anti-Messiah, shall lord it over them and stage a war of utmost devastation against them until he is utterly and decisively defeated.
The next words of verse 27 tells us that: “In the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease.” This last half of the seven years is the same as the years designated in verse 25: “And they shall be given into his hand until a time, and times, and the dividing of time” – 3 1/2 times, or years. In 7:21 Daniel speaks of the war which he saw the horn waging against the saints and prevailing, while 7:25 describes in further detail the defiance and sacrilege of this king.
This description agrees with that in 9:27 of the awful scourging of the Jewish people after the sacrifice and oblation are taken away: “For the overspreading of abomination, he shall make it desolate” – city, sanctuary, people – “even until the consummation, and that determined [by God’s retributive decree] shall be poured upon the desolate” – i.e. Israel.
In 8:11, the horn’s act of taking away the daily sacrifice and casting down the sanctuary was witnessed by Daniel. Now we learn that that is to be done by the anti-Messiah “in the midst of the week.” For the first 3 1/2 years the Jewish people we enjoy worshiping unmolested under some form of a treaty with the anti-Messiah; shortly thereafter the anti-Messiah will do away with every vestige of religious liberty and for the 3 1/2 years that remain, will mercilessly, ruthlessly, and defiantly devastate them. (The conditions of the first half of the last 7 years are depicted in more detail in Revelation 11:1-13 and those of the last half in Revelation 13:5-8).
According to Daniel 8:13-14 there are to be 2300 days from the time of the giving over of the sanctuary and the people to be trodden underfoot until the “sanctuary be cleansed,” or “justified.” The vindication, then, for the desecration of the sanctuary will overlap the last 3 1/2 years of the anti-Messiah’s reign by two years, ten months, and twenty days.
I might suggest that this may be the length of time required to build and consecrate the Millennial Temple in accordance with Ezekiel 40-44. This certainly would be royal vindication of that indignity. According to Thessalonians 2:4, the “Man of Sin” will take his seat in the pre-millennial temple in Jerusalem and show himself “that he is God.” What a contrast to the scene that we will one day behold and which is so poignantly described for us in Ezekiel 43:1-7:
Afterward he brought me to the gate, the gate that faces toward the east. And behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east. His voice was like the sound of many waters; and the earth shone with His glory. It was like the appearance of the vision which I saw — like the vision which I saw when I came to destroy the city.
The visions were like the vision which I saw by the River Chebar; and I fell on my face. And the glory of the LORD came into the temple by way of the gate which faces toward the east. The Spirit lifted me up and brought me into the inner court; and behold, the glory of the LORD filled the temple. Then I heard Him speaking to me from the temple, while a man stood beside me.
And He said to me, “Son of man, this is the place of My throne and the place of the soles of My feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel forever. No more shall the house of Israel defile My holy name, they nor their kings, by their harlotry or with the carcasses of their kings on their high places.
In the 19th century The Catholic Church was blessed to receive two converts from Judaism, the Lemnn brothers and here are just a few of their statement re The Messiah and Israel;
Then, we said to ourselves; If the Messiah has already come, it is Jesus Christ, and we must become Christians. If he has not yet come, we must nevertheless no longer remain Jews, because the time of the promise has passed and our books have lied.
Since this leaden book presses down on Israel, there is no longer question of the Messias amongst the Jews . . . The Bible was too clear, the seventy weeks of Daniel were too clear; the twenty-second Psalm of David was too clear; the fifty third Chapter of Isaias was too clear. Your Rabbins, O Israelites, have extinguished all these lights with the Talmud.
The Fathers Lémann quote some Jewish writers who speak of the “true Redeemer as not being a person but Israel transformed into a beacon for the nations,” and of “Israel personified as the People-Messias in the whole of Isaias, Chapter LIII.”[26] They add, however, that the attitude of the vast majority of the Jews is one of materialistic indifference. “It is the heart-breaking renewal on a grand scale of the scene in the desert when, having grown weary of waiting for the return of Moses . . . they feasted and danced around the golden calf.
What exactly is the purpose of this exegesis?
When will the author accept Jesus Christ as Messias?
Does the author understand he must accept Jesus as Messias if he is to save his soul?
What are you talking about? The author does accept Jesus.
Great questions!
What exactly is the purpose of this exegesis?
To provoke my brethren (and any other skeptics) to seriously consider Daniel and the exactitude of his prophecies, most especially the ones that speak of the promised Messiah of Israel (ie. Jesus) Who clearly fulfilled many of these prophecies during His first advent on the earth during the Second Temple period.
We are exhorted to attend to the words of the prophets as a light shining in a dark place. I hope that my brethren will be provoked to reconsider the words of the Daniel, a book that many are discouraged from studying in Jewish circles. I hope that the liberal Bible scholars who attempt to date the prophecies of Daniel to a period after they happened will open their blind eyes and receive the truth of these incredible words that were fulfilled in history with stunning accuracy and realize that every word of the Bible is true and certain, and that all men everywhere will bow the knee and confess with their mouth that He is the Lord and Redeemer of the Jew and the non-Jew.
When will the author accept Jesus Christ as Messias?
The author believes that the itinerant rabbi, Y’shua (Jesus), from Nazareth is the promised Messiah of Israel.
Does the author understand he must accept Jesus as Messias if he is to save his soul?
The author understands that He who has the Son has the life and that He who does not have the Son does not have the life. Thankfully, and by His chesed (loving kindness and grace), the author has the Son, Who he believes is the way , the truth, and the life.
Dear Theophrastus and Rabbi. I apologise. I read the pieces too hastily and my questions were not intended to put anyone on the defensive but were intended only to clear up some questions I had.
Jesus indeed fulfilled numerous prophecies – over 300 – but I can’t understand why He is being referred to as an itinerant rabbi when He is Christ the King who has ransomed us from slavery to Satan and who Resurrected and is now in Heaven reigning as Christ the King.
Speaking of kings….
Regicide is always revolution reified;
Deicide was Satan by Jews Glorified
It is possible for a country (France) to suffer a revolution and commit Regicide and yet still be able to recover much of its tradition at some point in its future but a country (Israel) which commits Deicide has committed national suicide and can never recover even the tiniest portion of its tradition; it’s only hope is to corporately confess and convert to Catholicism (the new Israel).
While France will restore its glory by restoring its Catholic Monarchy, Israel will perpetually serve only Satan since it has committed Deicide; no matter what it does, it is a forever dead nation; sure, ghosts of its past will haunt humanity in the Middle East and in these last days its political establishment was a necessary precondition before the first signs the Eschatological Events we are promised begin to be experienced while also signaling, to those who have eyes that can see, that the Advent of the Anti Christ is nigh, but it can offer the Jews only delusion, destruction, and death.
I would suggest that the “itinerant rabbi” refers to Jesus’ own self-description, when he pointed out that “The Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” He is referring to Jesus’ earthly ministry. Of course, we accept him as the ultimate King.
Jesus’ own disciples called Him “Rabbi” at various points throughout the New Testament. Good enough for them, good enough for us would be the way to figure.
As to that second part…well…that…that was a hell of a tangent.
Forgot to thank Rabbi B for the interesting series. Not a train of thought that I recall hearing or reading about.
Yes, Jesus did describe Himself as y’all point out but He also said, “I assure you, before Abraham was, I am,” and Titus calls him, “glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ” (other examples could be produced).
The truth is that there has only ever been one religion and that religion has been a progressive revelation and those of us who are not Messias-Deniers accept Him for who He is, as fully revealed in the original deposit of Faith,and He is King and so why the tendency to use descriptors of Him in use prior to the fullness of revelation?
Certain consequences result when the idea of Jesus is that He is an itinerant preacher vs the consequences resulting from Jesus Christ is King of all; one consequence being that one is not likely to fear offending an itinerant preacher whereas one is right to fear opposing the commands of King of all(i.e. that which has been done by the Executive, Legislative, and Judicial Branches in America since the get go).
Amateur Brain Surgeon:
The train is fine, my friend.
Will you be satisfied if I express my belief in the King of kings, Lord of lords, Son of Man, Son of God, Lion of Judah, Prince of Peace, Mighty God, Wonderful, Counselor, Bright and Morning Star, Alpha and Omega, First and Last, the Beginning and the End, Lamb of God, Lamb Who was Slain, Prophet like unto Moses, the Branch, the Root of Jesse, Great High Priest, Messiah, One greater than Jonah, One greater than Solomon, the Way, the Truth, the Life, the Bread of Life, the True Manna, the Root and Offspring of David, the Great I AM, Son of David, Light of the World, Shiloh, King of the Jews, Sun of Righteousness, the Resurrection, Redeemer, and any other title I may have missed?
Choo-choo …chugga-chuggah … choo-choo …
You probably missed a title, Rabbi B. The train may be fine, but the spergs aren’t.
Yeah, I’m good with that 🙂
Dear Rabbi. I appreciate your kindness and humor; thank you
It’s all good … thanks for being a good sport …
5
Rabbi B,
Excellent series. I only wish that you had written more.
I appreciate your clarity and your understanding.