20241208_Daniel

[0:00] We thank you for this day you've given us, and Father, for the opportunity to come here into Grace Bible and to worship with fellow believers. We thank you for that, and we just thank you for your word this morning, Father. Guide us as we go through the rest of the book of Daniel.

[0:17] And Father, for those that we've talked about this morning, we just pray your guidance upon Ed and Betty and the family that's caring for them right now. And we also think of hauling and infections and the things that she has after her chemo. And we think of Alma and, right.

[0:41] Anyway, be with them if they got sick and just guide them through that. So we just thank you this morning for who and for what you are, and ask it in the Lord and Savior's name, Jesus Christ. Amen.

[0:52] Amen. Amen. There is an echo. An echo. There is an echo. Do I need to step back? There's something that's not right about it. I don't know what it is, but it's not right.

[1:04] I can hear you, but it sounds right. It's not clear at all. One, two, three. I don't know how to do the sound, Roger. You're with me. Sounds good to me.

[1:15] Say it again. Okay, how am I doing now? Nope. Are these things on over here? The speaker's on here. Roger? It's green at the bottom.

[1:25] It's on. I don't see green. I don't think this one's on. It's green. Oh, yeah. Maybe it is.

[1:36] Yeah, it is. Okay. Oh, well. It just sounds like. Yeah. It just sounds like. Yeah. If I get up this way, is that better? Yeah. Is that better?

[1:47] Yeah. No? Yes? Yeah. Yeah. All right. You guys want to come up here. No, it sounds better. Okay. You know, it's funny.

[1:59] I just amaze all the time the way people seat themselves. They got all this room up front and everybody sits way back here in the back. I don't understand that one.

[2:09] But that's the way it is. Okay. We're on chapter 9 of Daniel. And Daniel has been a chapter where he is praying for the nation of Israel.

[2:22] He prayed to God and confessed their sins and asked for forgiveness. And after all these prayers, he came and Gabriel came to him and said, this is a vision and I'm going to give you.

[2:40] And after the 70 years, you've gone through that, but it's not over. You may be going back to Israel, some of you, but your times of troubles are not over.

[2:50] And then we get into verses 24 through 27. We're in chapter 9. And we're in verses 24, 25, 26, and 27.

[3:03] We're basically starting at 27 today, but we may be talking about some of the other verses. But it's basically the four verses that describes the 70 weeks.

[3:15] So we've talked about that last week. And this week we're in 927. And it says, and he will make a firm covenant.

[3:30] And who is he? The Antichrist. Well, with the many for one week. But in the middle of that week, he'll put a stop to sacrifice and grain offerings.

[3:41] And on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until complete destruction. One that is poured out on the one who makes desolate.

[3:55] So this is the talking about the end times when Antichrist is going to show himself. And abominations will start going after the three and a half weeks.

[4:08] There will be three and a half weeks of peace. So as the gap of the end of the church draws to a close, the church will be raptured. Away with notice, without notice, and the final seven-year period will start.

[4:24] Daniel's prophecy, it will begin again. So the final week will start with the ratification of a treaty between the prince who is to come and the nation of Israel.

[4:36] Again, who's the prince? Antichrist. This prince, or world leader, will agree to provide military protection and religious freedom for Israel.

[4:51] In the first year of the treaty, he will even help the Jews rebuild the temple and reestablish the sacrificial system. But after that three and a half years, this seemingly generous ruler will break the treaty, put an end to the sacrificial system, and begin a reign of terror.

[5:09] And why did... Okay, I see why. So he reveres his true nature.

[5:28] We're going to see that happening. And that true nature is something we don't want to mess with. And we should be glad that we're not going to be a part of it. A lot of people are confused today into saying, well, we're going to be a part of the first three and a half years or whatever.

[5:46] But I think scripture is pretty plain, especially in the second Thessalonians, that we will be raptured away. And the church will be raptured away.

[5:59] So it's very good that we're not going to be here during this tribulation period. So it talks about the Antichrist there in 27. He's known by various names.

[6:12] I think we talked about that last week. All the different names that he's called. So we just need to see when we're reading exactly what it's saying. And we can pretty much tell that it's the Antichrist.

[6:24] And he shall confirm or bring about the covenant or treaty with many for one week, seven years. So for seven years, he's going to make this treaty, but he's going to break it.

[6:38] With all that's going on in the Middle East today, we can look at some of the things and put it together. Even though it doesn't say it word for word, he is going to make a treaty with many, with an understanding now of the whole Middle East scenario.

[6:54] Who are the many? We're talking about the Jews and the Palestinians and the Arabs. You can't make a treaty with just one side of these people. It must have agreement on both sides.

[7:07] Can anybody see what's going on today that that's going to happen? It just doesn't seem possible, does it? So looking at the scenario we have in the Middle East right now, we've got Israel surrounded by 50 times their own number of Arabs in the world.

[7:26] It's a bone of contention that's got the whole world all wrapped up in it. Everybody wants to bring peace between Israel and Palestine or the Arabs.

[7:38] It isn't going to happen until this guy does it. And the guy we're talking about is the Antichrist. And that just doesn't seem to fly, does it?

[7:49] I mean, the Antichrist is here for one purpose, and that's to take over and become God. But he's going to go to these people, and he's going to make a treaty with them. So how will this Antichrist bring about a peace treaty that will satisfy Israel?

[8:04] Sitting there in that little strip of land, and at the same time satisfy the 50 million or so Arabs who surround him. Well, it's going to have to be a supernatural thing, I believe.

[8:17] I mean, it's just not going to happen. But politics, we've been doing that for years, and it doesn't work. All the leaders of the world, including the USA, are trying to work out peace agreements.

[8:29] They like to make the world think that there's hope. All we have to do is sign this peace treaty. But that's not going to do it either. No, there isn't.

[8:39] Because, number one, Israel will never, never agree to the loss to those four, five, or 600,000 Arabs that left in 1948 to come back.

[8:51] And that's what this whole thing is about. Once they came back in 1948, they conquered. They had these wars, and they won the wars. And they took these Palestinians out of Israel and put them outside.

[9:06] And that's been a bone of contention ever since. And it's just, you can see it on the news every night. All these other countries are trying to get them back.

[9:19] You know, it's something that all these other Arab countries, they never let those people come and integrate into their countries, did they? They put them on the outskirts and put them in camps and all those type of things.

[9:33] But all those Palestinians, they did not let them come into their countries and establish citizenship and all that type stuff. So that's been the main contention.

[9:44] That these people are fighting. Israel does not want them back because they just outnumber them. It's not that big of a state to begin with. And all the nation of Israel is not back yet.

[9:55] But that's still to come, too. So they don't want them there. And, of course, the Palestinians want back. They think that's their land because it was given to them back in one period of time.

[10:09] But the nation, it belonged to the nation of Israel. And, of course, in 1948, they came back and it became a state. So that's pretty much where we're at today.

[10:19] The Arab world, they cannot have peace unless Israel agrees to let all those so-called Arabs come back into the land of Israel. Well, Israel can't do that. They would let 600,000 or 700,000 come in and that would just completely outdo their population.

[10:37] So there isn't a man on earth that can come about a peace in the Middle East as we understand peace today. It's just not going to happen. But when this man appears, he's going to accomplish it.

[10:48] Not because he's got so great that he's so great, but rather it's a God thing. It must happen. That's the only way it's going to happen. And why God's going to let this happen, we just don't know.

[11:02] But he's got his timing. He's got the things that he's going to do. And he's going to be with this Antichrist during this time. He lets him set all this stuff up.

[11:13] And he's going to let it run it for that first three and a half years. And then when all things break loose, then things will start changing. So when we look at verse 27 carefully, this peace treaty between Israel and the Arab Muslim world, the Muslims are actually going to agree to let Israel rebuild their temple.

[11:34] Can you imagine even one Muslim today saying, yeah, we can agree to that. But God is going to intervene. It's going to happen. The book says that it's just going to happen.

[11:45] And we just can't imagine that. I mean, all these years, God has let them come in. He lets them worship. And they are in Jerusalem.

[11:57] But that place that the Arabs have is still there. But one of these days, that is all going to change. The Antichrist is going to let them come back in.

[12:08] He's going to let them rebuild the temple. And the rebuilding of the temple, you know, today there is accounts of all the stuff that people are setting up over there in Israel to go in this new temple.

[12:23] And so they know it's going to happen. They know something's going to happen. There's going to be another temple. And they're preparing for it. They just don't know when or how it's going to happen. So this is all going to happen.

[12:35] He shall convert a covenant for many. That would be the one week. The coming prince will make a covenant with Israel for the unit of the seven years, completing the seven weeks prophesied for the Jewish people in Jerusalem.

[12:53] With this covenant, Israel will embrace the Antichrist as the political Messiah, if not the literal Messiah. And we can't imagine that.

[13:03] But it's going to happen. Jesus predicted this in John 5, 43. I have come in my Father's name, and you do not receive me. If anyone comes in his own name, he will be received.

[13:18] And I think that's exactly what's going to happen during this time. You know, whoever comes and gives them all the stuff that they're looking for, the peace, they're going to jump on this guy and believe everything he says.

[13:35] Revelation 13, 16 says, And he causes all, the small and the great, and the rich and the poor, and the free man and the slaves, to be given a mark on the right hand or on their forehead.

[13:49] This is going to happen. Revelation 17, he provides that no one will be able to buy or sell except the one who has a mark. 18, here is wisdom.

[13:59] Let him who has understanding calculate the number of the beast for the number of that man is the 666. Did we talk about that last week? I think we did, didn't we? About the 666?

[14:14] No? Okay. The 666 will somehow identify the beast, but precisely how 666 is connected to the beast is not the main point of Revelation 13, 18, where this is spelled out.

[14:29] Many have tried to come up with the crazy calculations on how this relates to a certain man. The lengths some will go in order to get a person named to add up to 666 are amazing.

[14:42] Virtually any name can add up to 666 if you just sit there and try it long enough. You can do anything with numbers, can't you? So it's amazing that all these smart people are sitting around trying to come up with this stuff.

[14:55] But the Bible uses the number 7 to refer to God and his perfection. Traditionally, 6 is thought to be the number of what? Man.

[15:07] So he was created on the 6th day and always falling short of God. The beast, the Antichrist, will strive to be like God. He will likely even claim to be God.

[15:19] But just as a reminder, 6 falls short of the number 7. So will the Antichrist or the beast with his trinity of the others and the 6es ultimately fail in his effort to defeat God.

[15:32] He just is not going to be able to do it. So taking the description of what would be accomplished in the 70 weeks, we know that the 70 weeks are not yet complete.

[15:43] Yet the events promised in the first 69 weeks are fulfilled. And that leaves us with that last week. The 70 week will begin when the coming prince shall confirm the covenant with the Jewish people.

[15:56] We can think of it as this way. God appointed 490 years of spatial focus on Israel and his redemptive plan. The years were paused by Israel's rejection of Jesus.

[16:08] Right now there is that spatial time where we're in the age of Greece. God's focus will return to Israel when the church is taken away. And at the rapture, and the last 7 years of man's rule on earth will begin sometime after that.

[16:24] And there's all kinds of controversy. When we're raptured, you know, the rapture, there is nothing that has to happen for the rapture to happen. It could happen today, tomorrow.

[16:36] And a lot of these things that's going to happen before the Antichrist comes, it does not have to happen before the rapture.

[16:47] So we could be here, theoretically, during the first part of the tribulation. But I don't believe that. I think that we're going to be raptured before all this happens.

[16:57] And I think scripture points to that. So, the 7th of the week will begin when the Jewish people are restored. In the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to the sacrifice and the offerings.

[17:09] The coming prince, Satan, or the Antichrist, will break the covenant with Israel in the middle of the 7 years. The final week, a period of 7 years. On the wing of abomination shall be one who makes desolate.

[17:23] The ending of sacrifice will come with abomination, followed by tremendous desolation. Abomination translates in an ancient Hebrew word that is connected to horrible idolatry.

[17:38] And that's exactly what we're going to see at the end of this three and a half years. That he is going to take over and he's going to go into the temple. And he's going to, well, he's going to, what do I want to say?

[17:54] Deface it. He's going to make it with a pig. Just like, what was the other person? Antiochus? And he did that way back in time. And when we studied that back in chapter 8, he was kind of the forerunner of what's going to happen here in the end times.

[18:13] So Deuteronomy 29.17, the idea is that the coming prince breaks the covenant and brings an end to the sacrifice and offering by desecrating the holy place of the temple with this idolatry.

[18:31] So Jesus called this abomination of desolation in Matthew 24.15 and indicated that it would be a pivotal sign that the great tribulation, and Paul also referred to the idolatry of the coming prince in 2 Thessalonians 2.3 and 4.

[18:47] So Matthew 25.15 and 16. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations. And then the end will come.

[18:58] So when you see standing in the holy place the abomination that causes desolation, spoken of through the prophet Daniel, let the reader understand. Now let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains.

[19:12] This is one of the signs of the end, when the Antichrist sets up the abomination in the holy place and will command the people to worship. This object of disgust and idol will cause desolation, causing those in Judea to flee to the mountains.

[19:33] 2 Thessalonians 2.3, Let no one in any way deceive you. This is Paul talking. For it will not come unless the apostasy comes first. And the man of lawlessness, again, that is the Antichrist, is revealed, the son of destruction.

[19:49] 2.4, Who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called God and object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.

[20:02] What's going to happen after that happens? It's going to be the worst wars, the worst, everything is going to happen. We just can't imagine what's going to happen during that time of the last three and a half years.

[20:17] The uproar that's going to cause, the deaths that's going to cause, what's it say? It's going to wipe out over two-thirds of the population during this time.

[20:30] So, it's going to be a terrible time that these people will be living in. Until the consummation, what is determined, is poured out on the desolate. This is breaking of the covenant and abomination of desolation as promised in the consummation.

[20:49] Daniel had seen from the prophets of Jeremiah that Israel would be exiled for exiled for 70 years. But now, God seems to be saying that the total fulfillment for Israel's restoration is going to be 70 years, but 70 times 7.

[21:08] So, this is going to be extended. You know, the nation of Israel, and he's right in this time, during the time that what? When he's having this vision. The nation of Israel is going back to Israel from that 70 years of captivity in Babylon.

[21:25] So, this is a new revelation that's saying, okay, you're coming back, but it's not over. So, don't think. This is a revelation that I'm giving you, and it's going to be 70 times 7.

[21:36] And that's where we're going talking of the 70 weeks here that we're talking about. So, where does God get these numbers from? Does he make them up?

[21:46] We know that 7 is God's perfect number and is a seal of God. throughout scripture. But is there anything else to this? Why would God multiply the whole length of the exile period by 7?

[21:59] One answer could be Leviticus 26, 14 through 21. And it states, if after all this you will not listen to me, I will punish you for your sins seven times over.

[22:11] I will break down the stubborn pride and make the sky above you like iron and ground beneath you like bronze. Your strength will be spent in vain because your soil will not yield its crops nor will the trees of the land yield their fruit.

[22:26] If you remain hostile towards me and refuse to listen to me, I will multiply your affections if affliction seven times over as your sins deserve.

[22:37] And this was clear back in Deuteronomy or Leviticus. So, God has always said this. He said, God, people, I've created you as my people.

[22:49] And if you'll do what I say, you'll have peace. But if you don't do what I say, these are the type of things that's going to happen to you. And it just goes clear through the whole Old Testament, doesn't it?

[23:03] In and out. We accept God. Years come and go. They don't accept God. And it's just been a back and forth forever and ever.

[23:15] And it's going to be that way until the end times. So, the question is, did Israel repent after the seven years in exile? I don't think they did.

[23:27] We know that Daniel did on behalf of his nation because we've seen his prayer there that he had there in the first part of chapter 9. And he pleaded with God. He said, I know this nation is sin.

[23:38] And we've always been sinful. And we know that you've forgiven us, but we know he also gave him a vision then of what's to come. So, Daniel stated in 9.13, just as it is written in the law of Moses and all this disaster has come upon us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord, our God, by turning our sins and giving attention to your truth.

[24:03] So, it seems to me that the nation of Israel did not repent and actually got quite comfortable living down in Babylon. And while God would fulfill the prophecies of Jeremiah to bring them back after the 70 years, the entire punishment and restoration for that nation was not going to be 70 years, but 70 times 70 or 490 years and it's going to go out to what we see as the end times.

[24:28] So, they just didn't listen and the 70 years are going to be, they got to go through all this other stuff before they get to the end times and real peace.

[24:41] But they did go back to Israel, but not all of them and the ones that stayed, they were just, they were happy to be in these Gentile nations. And why did that happen?

[24:52] Well, 70 years, think about it, that's a whole generation. And they grew up in this country, they were used to this country, and they said, you can go back now.

[25:03] And we said, well, we don't want to go back. But the ones that did, and then there were the ones that did not. So, as we finish this chapter, keep in mind that this entire prophecy relates to the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.

[25:18] God dispatched Gabriel to deliver this message in response to Daniel's prayer and confession on the behalf of his people. The final week of Daniel's prophecy also relates directly to the Jews and culminate in a completion of the following six events.

[25:35] And we saw that clear back in verse 24 when we started the 70 weeks. So, verse 24 of chapter 9, 70 weeks or 490 years have been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the wrongdoing to make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.

[26:08] And so, this is what this whole thing is about. Gabriel is saying you're going to have 70 years or seven weeks and this is what's going to happen.

[26:20] At the end, this is what will happen. To finish the transgression. What is a transgression? It's the fact that people had never, we always transgressed against our God.

[26:35] He gives us all this stuff but yet we have this sin that always follows us. For all who have accepted Jesus as the Messiah, sin was conquered at the cross but for the rest of Israel, the consummation of his redeeming work will not occur until the end of the tribulation.

[26:53] Zechariah, who prophesied in Jerusalem after Babylon captivity, foresaw a change in Israel's attitude towards the Lord during the last days that would result in widespread repentance and reconciliation.

[27:08] That has not happened yet but they're going to see that in Zechariah 12, 10, I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem the spirit of grace and of supplication so that they will look on me whom they have repierced and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only son and they will weep bitterly over him like the bittering weep over a firstborn.

[27:37] So, we're talking about what Christ has done for us and the same thing is going to happen for the nation of Israel. they will accept they will finally realize that that's what Jesus was here for.

[27:50] He was the Messiah that was rejected. So, two, to make an end of sin. Sin will continue to be a part of the human experience throughout the last days but when Jesus returns he sets up his earthly kingdom.

[28:04] Sin will be destroyed never to do its evil work again. In the words of the prophet Ezekiel again. Step 37 they will no longer defile themselves with their idols or with their distestable things or with any of their transgressions but I will deliver them from all their dwelling places in which they have sinned and will cleanse them all and they will be my people and I will be their God.

[28:33] Three, to make reconciliation for inequity. This is a statement of atonement thousands of years of sinful disobedience on the part of Israel will be settled with God before this prophecy is complete.

[28:47] He knows that he will have his people. While Christ is not mentioned in this verse he is the one making the atonement. He paid for the sins of the world. At the end of the 70 weeks Israel will finally recognize the atoning effect of Jesus as the Messiah.

[29:04] To bring an everlasting righteousness with sin eliminated the nation of Israel will lay claim to Christ's righteousness at the second coming. Everlasting righteousness will rule and reign on the earth.

[29:18] Wow. That's a statement. It definitely doesn't now does it? Number five, to seal up the vision and prophecy. When Christ returns and establishes his kingdom every prophecy concerning him will be fulfilled.

[29:33] there will be no further need for visions and prophecies because there will be no more sin. There's no reason to. And people say today wow this guy prophesies this and this guy prophesies that.

[29:50] But you know that is all just false. God has already laid out everything that's going to happen. Yes he had he had prophets and Daniel is one of them and he's laying this stuff out and we get it from the scripture and we read it and we study it.

[30:07] But in the end the prophecies are already there for us to read and to understand. And when Jesus Christ comes there will be no more that needs to be done.

[30:19] Jeremiah 31 34 they will not teach again each man his neighbor and each man his brother saying know the Lord for they will all know me from the least of them to the greatest of them declares the Lord for I will forgive their inequity and their sin I will remember no more.

[30:40] So God is already going to have everything set up and all of our sins are going to be taken care of and he will not remember him anymore. That's what will happen during this time.

[30:52] The anointment of the most holy. In scripture the phrase the most holy describes the sacred place in the temple that is referred to as the holy of holies.

[31:03] Christ's kingdom will be established when the holy place and the millennial temple was completed and dedicated for service. Ezekiel 40 and chapter 40 through 48 talks about dedication of the new temple as the glory of the Lord fills this temple.

[31:21] So if you go back and you read Ezekiel 40 through 48 you're going to see how this new temple is going to be rebuilt. built. You're going to see Jesus Christ coming into it and you'll see all the stuff that will happen during this end times.

[31:37] In Ezekiel 48 40 through 48 Ezekiel describes an enormous new temple. Chapters 40 to 42 the glory of the Lord returns in chapter 43.

[31:51] Ficus sacrifices are resumed. Chapters 44 to 46 and the land is restored to the people of Israel. The hearts of the people will have been changed.

[32:02] Even Gentiles have a place in the restoration. So the land will be ruled by a prince who is mentioned several times in chapter 46 and the identity of this prince is in 46 is a mystery.

[32:18] Some assume that it will be from a line of David. Whoever he is he will play an important role in the festivals and the worship of the Lord in the millennium. Even in the presence of Jesus running on earth he will need to be reminded of his death and in fact sacrifice for us.

[32:35] So it even says the prince is not the Messiah because he doesn't need to do these sacrifices. Serving under the Messiah's authority.

[32:47] That's what the prince will do. We know that this prince is not the Lord because he must make this offering. only the prince is to provide a bull as a sin offering. Whoever the prince is he is a man with a sinful nature still.

[33:02] This section of Ezekiel describes the worship of the Lord that will take place during the future reign. Christ will be reigning in Jerusalem. There will be a temple with a massive size of which will be detailed by Ezekiel.

[33:16] The prince mentioned it appears as a leader of the nation of Israel during this time. He is a representative of the nation of Israel and will bring offerings to the Lord and provide an example of devote worship.

[33:30] I kind of read that and studied that and I'm thinking didn't he do away with all the sacrifices and stuff? Why would that be in there?

[33:43] The only thing I can come up with is the sacrifices they're talking about would be probably like our community that we're having. we don't have communion to ask for forgiveness and ask to be saved.

[33:59] Why do we have communion? For remembrance of what the Lord did for us. And I don't know maybe that's what this is going to be. They're going to be back to the nation of Israel and all the stuff that they do and the sacrifices were part of that.

[34:16] But I don't think the sacrifices are going to be for them to come to say to give us salvation. That's already going to be there.

[34:27] So the only thing I can come up with is all this sacrifice stuff that's going to be in that time would be to remind the people what Jesus did on that cross and what he's doing now.

[34:40] So and I you know I can't put that in stone because I really don't know. So the sacrifice offered by the prince will remind everyone that the supreme lord once died in our place.

[34:55] And we can look at 1 Peter 3 18. Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteousness for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He wants to put death in the body but made alive in the spirit.

[35:09] So those people are going to have that back in that.