A verse-by-verse study of Psalm 13. Move with David as he transcends his perceived abandonment by God to his great trust in the Lord.
Psalm 13
Monday, August 31, 2020
Revelation 16
A verse-by-verse study of Revelation chapter 16. John sees seven angels given bowls of God's wrath and their outpouring of the is wrath on the earth. This will end the wrath of God and prepare the way for the return of Christ.
Revelation 16:1-11
Revelation 16:12-21
Revelation 16:1-11
Revelation 16:12-21
Friday, August 28, 2020
Verse of the Week: Jude 1
Verse of the
Week: Jude 1
v.1 Jude, a bond-servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of
James, to those who are the called, beloved in God the Father and kept for
Jesus Christ:
(The majority of footnotes is from the Ryrie Study Bible. They are included to give further teaching on quoted verses)
We now begin
a study through the epistle of St. Jude. The half-brother of Jesus had intended
to write about our salvation in Christ but was faced with insidious foes
creeping into the church and spreading false teachings throughout the
congregations. Jude writes a warning to all congregations that is as relevant
to day as it was when he wrote over 1900 years ago.
Jude- Jude identifies himself in this passage as the brother of James.
Jude literally means “Judas.”
But to avoid connection or confusion our English translations use Jude.
·
Judas
was a common first century name.
·
There
are 6 different “Judas” in the New Testament:
(1) Judas Iscariot, the
betrayer of Jesus and one of the twelve apostles (Matthew 10:4);
(2) Judas the son of
James, and one of the twelve apostles (Luke 6:16);
(3) Judas, a brother of
Jesus (Matthew 13:55) this is the person who wrote the letter we are studying;
(4) Judas, Paul’s host in
Damascus (Acts 9:11);
(5) Judas, called
Barsabbas, a leading Christian in Jerusalem and a companion of Paul (Acts
15:22);
(6) Judas, a
revolutionary leader (Acts 5:37);
·
Jude
did not believe in Jesus (along with James) until after the resurrection:
For not even His brothers were
believing in Him. John 7:5
This was predicted in the Psalms:
I have become estranged from my brothers,
And an alien to my mother’s sons.
Psalm 69:8
But after the resurrection they had the ultimate change of
heart:
These all with one mind were continually devoting themselves
to prayer; along with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with His
brothers. Acts 1:14
A bond-servant- (Gr. Doulos)
A slave, a servant. This would be typical of prisoners of war. They would be
bound and carried off as booty. Not so with Jude. Jude had bound himself
voluntarily over to a Master, Jesus Christ. Jude did not esteem himself to be
called the half-brother of Jesus, though he was a blood relative. This
demonstrates the simple fact that Jude could call himself, as we all can, the
twice-born, once to sin and once to Christ.
He displays his humility and his
true position by this declaration of himself.
By calling himself this way he also
demonstrated the relative unimportance of being connected to Jesus by a human
relationship. Being of the same blood as Jesus did not impart any spiritual
favors or extra grace. While it is assured at the time that Jude composed this
letter, he had a true appreciation for being the half-brother of Jesus it
wasn’t always this way. Think about how difficult it would have been living in
a household with a perfect brother. But of more importance would be this new
relationship with Jesus. While family blood is precious, there is nothing more
precious than the blood of Christ. Jude would probably echo what Paul wrote:
Therefore from now on we recognize no man according to the
flesh; even though we have known Christ according to the flesh,[1]
yet now we know Him thus no longer. 2 Corinthians 5:16
Brother of James- The leader
of the Jerusalem Church and the half-brother of our Lord Jesus Christ:
“Is this not the carpenter’s son? Is not His mother called
Mary, and His brothers,[2]
James and Joseph and Simon and Judas? Matthew 13:55
“Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of[3]
James, and Joses, and Judas, and Simon? Are not His sisters here with us? And
they took offense[4] at
Him. Mark 6:3
James is also responsible for the
epistle that bears his name. He would be well-known and well respected in
Christian circles.
To those- Jude writes
specifically to Christians. This is not an evangelistic tract but deals with
subjects that believers needed to hear, but often do not want to. This book is
as relevant today as it was 2,000 years ago.
Called- (Gr. Kletois)-
This is the beginning of a three-fold description by Jude of who he is writing to.
The expression, called, refers
to God’s sovereign call to salvation in His electing grace. This is a
reflection to the past for a Christian. His readers have been called to
salvation. This is His activity in summoning those He chose for salvation:
among
whom you also are the called[5]
of Jesus Christ; Romans 1:6
and whom He predestined, these He also called;[6]
and whom He called, these He also justified;[7]
and whom He justified, these He also glorified.[8]
Romans 8:30
but to those who are the called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ
the power of God and the wisdom of God.[9]
1 Corinthians 1:24
There is one body and one Spirit, just as also you were
called in one hope of your calling; Ephesians 4:4
seeing that His divine power has granted to us everything pertaining
to life and godliness, through the true knowledge of Him who called us by His
own glory and excellence. 2 Peter 1:3
Beloved in (with, by) God-
This is the second descriptive and refers to the present activity of God
toward the believer. By using the verbal form “loved” it indicates a past
action that is running now and forever. His is a binding love in a tight
relationship. God “loves” the world but “calls” only a select few.
The Father, who is love:
And we have come to know and have believed the love which God
has for us. God is love, and the one who abides in love, abides in God, and God
abides in him.[10] 1
John 4:16
Has set His love on His people:
6 “For you
are a holy people to the LORD your God; the LORD your God has chosen you to be
a people for His own possession out of all the peoples who are on the face of
the earth.
7” The LORD
did not set His love on you nor choose you because you were more in number than
of the peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples,
8 but
because the LORD loved you and kept the oath which He swore to your
forefathers, the LORD brought you out by a mighty hand, and redeemed you from
the house of slavery; from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.[11]
Deuteronomy 7:6-8
Kept for Jesus Christ- The
third descriptive phrase of who Jude was writing to.
To be kept assures us that no matter what we face we
will eternally belong to Christ. It can be easy to forget this with the many
pressures that we face in the world today. We must remember that at all time
Jesus Christ is our guardian and our protector. This positive reassurance
should allow us all to get up in the morning with a smile on our face and
confidence in what the world has in store for us.
Those who believe in Him will be preserved until the time of
His coming to gather us together:
Now may the God of peace [reconciliation with God] Himself
sanctify [our experiential walk] you entirely; and may your spirit and soul and
body[12]
be preserved complete, without blame at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.[13]
1 Thessalonians 5:23
For this reason I also suffer these things, but I am not
ashamed; for I know whom I have believed[14]
and I am convinced that He is able to guard what I have entrusted[15]
to Him until that day. 2 Timothy 1:12
who are protected by the power of God through faith for a
salvation ready to be revealed in the last time. 1 Peter 1:5
Throughout this passage we see the Godhead in their majesty
and in their working:
·
The
calling is the active work of the Holy Spirit
·
Love emanates
from the Father
·
And
the keeping is a work of the ministry of the Son
No matter what position we find ourselves in God has us just
where we are needed and when we are needed by His sovereign will.
“The nature of the salutation reflects the writer’s attitude.
Jude’s choice of words introduces his deep-seated compassion and heartfelt
concern for his readers. He longed for them to know in the fullest measure
God’s “mercy, peace, and love.” Jude overflowed with love for the believers
while warning them about those who were making their way into the church to
destroy it, those who knew nothing of Go’s mercy, peace, or love. “[16]
[1]
Before his conversion, Paul regarded Christ as merely another man.
[2] His
brothers- These were the sons of Joseph and Mary born subsequent to the
birth of Jesus from Mary alone. To understand them as sons of Joseph by a
former marriage or cousins of Jesus is contrary to the usual sense of brothers.
[3] Brother
0f- The four half-brothers and two or more half-sisters were children of
Joseph and Mary born after Jesus (Matthew 1:25). James became the leader of the
church in Jerusalem and author of the Epistle of James. Jude wrote the letter
that bears his name.
[4] They
took offense- Something stood in the way of the believing in Him.
[5] The
called- I.e., those who have been summoned by God to salvation (Romans
8:30).
[6]
See Romans 1:6.
[7]
See Romans 3:24.
[8] Glorified-
The tense of this word shows that our future glorification is so certain
that it can be said to be accomplished. Those who were foreknown will all be
glorified without loss of a single one.
[9] In
vv. 18-25 Paul shows that worldly wisdom, which the Corinthians prized so
highly, is the very antithesis of the wisdom of God.
[10]
To live a love-filled life is to be God-filled.
[11]
God’s sovereign choice of Israel was not based on the size of the nation
(Abraham received the promise while still childless, and Jacob’s immediate
family consisted of only 70 individuals) but stemmed from His love and from
faithfulness to His covenant purpose for them.
[12] Spirit
and soul and body- This should not be understood as defining the parts of
man, but as representing the whole man.
[13]
This verse, along with v. 24, are a prayer that closes the section of
instruction and exhortation begun at 4:1.
[14] Whom
I have believed- I.e., on whose trustworthiness I have staked my faith.
[15] What
I have entrusted- Literally, the deposit. Paul’s trust is well-founded, for
God will preserve this deposit of faith in Christ until the day of judgment,
when all dangers will be past. Some understand this to refer to God’s deposit
of gifts in Paul’s life (as in v. 14 and 1 Timothy 6:20).
[16] The
Bible Knowledge Commentary, p 919.
Monday, August 17, 2020
Revelation 15
A verse-by-verse study of Revelation 15. A prelude as the seven angels are given the seven bowls of wrath and prepare themselves to pour them out on unbelieving, unregenerate mankind.
Revelation 15:1-4
Revelation 15:5-8
Revelation 15:1-4
Revelation 15:5-8
Saturday, August 8, 2020
Verse of the Week: Daniel 9:27
“And he will make a firm
covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put
a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will
come one who makes desolate even until a complete destruction, one that is
decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” Daniel 9:27
(The majority of the footnotes are
from the Ryrie Study Bible. Their purpose is to clarify Bible verses used in
reference to our study. All Bible quotations are from the New American Standard
Bible.)
This is the closing verse of one of the most important
prophetic portions of the entire Old and New Testament. I would urge you to
master Daniel 9:24-27 to deepen your understanding of Bible prophecy and to
give you a firmer foundation for future prophecy studies.
“And he will make a firm
covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put
a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will
come one who makes desolate even until a complete destruction, one that is
decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” Daniel 9:27
He
will make- This has only been possible since May 14, 1948 with the founding
of the modern state of Israel. Before this Israel did not exist as a nation, so
therefore this prophecy could not be fulfilled. Today Israel is in the proper
place to enter the covenant predicted in this passage. Since 1948, there have
been numerous attempts at Geneva, the United Nations, Camp David, and in
unilateral agreements to bring peace between Israel and the surrounding Arab
nations. But to date, all such attempts have failed.
The “He” is the Antichrist
who was previously introduced in 7:8, 24-26. “He” will be a Roman king,
since the immediate context is the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. This
fits the description of the antichrist, who will rise out of the Roman Empire.
He is so well known in the Old Testament prophecy that Daniel simply referred
to him as “the prince that is to come” (v. 26).
A
firm covenant- The antichrist will make an agreement wit the Jewish people
and their enemies. Among its features will be the reestablishment of temple
sacrifices. Under the auspices of the antichrist, the Arabs will allow the
Jerusalem temple to be rebuilt and the sacrifices celebrated.
With
the many- Many of the Jews will be deceived, but not all. Some will oppose
the rebuilt temple aware that the next temple is to be built by Messiah. Other
Jews have become believers under the ministry of the two witnesses. They are aware that this fits the prophetic
scenario and the reason to oppose this temple. The many refers to those
unbelieving Jews who enter into an alliance with the prince that shall come,
the antichrist. Such an alliance will obviously be an unholy relationship and
ultimately to the detriment of the people of Israel, however promising it may
be at its inception.
This
covenant, when ratified, begins the 7-year tribulation.
One
week- The agreement is to last 7 years. This is “DANIEL’S SEVENTIETH WEEK.”
Middle
of the week- After 3 ½ years the antichrist will break his covenant with
Israel and desecrate the Temple by demanding worship of himself in it:
“Therefore
when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION[1] which was spoken through Daniel the prophet,
standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), Matthew 24:15
who opposes and exalts himself
[Antichrist] above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes
his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God. 2 Thessalonians
2:4
At the
midpoint of the Tribulation, after his apparent “resurrection” from the dead, the
antichrist will desecrate the rebuilt Jewish Temple in Jerusalem by placing
himself there to be worshiped, not only by the Jews, but by all the world. He
will demand worship of everyone. This will be the climax of man’s great sin of
self-deification, in open defiance of God.
The
Bible speaks of two Temple’s in Israel’s future. The first two temples have
come and gone, while the final two have yet to appear. The Tribulation temple
(the third temple) will be next, while the Millennial Temple (the fourth
temple) will appear after Jesus the Messiah returns to planet Earth and builds
it to use during His messianic kingdom.
THE TRIBULATION TEMPLE
It will
be a look in vain to find a scripture that says, “There is going to be a third
Temple.” But the fact that there will be a Jewish Temple in Jerusalem at least
by the midpoint of the seven-year tribulation period is supported by at least
four scriptures:
Daniel
9:27 (the verse we are currently examining)
Matthew
24:15, 16
16 then let those who
are in Judea flee to the mountains; Matthew 24:15, 16
When
Jesus spoke of the “abomination of desolation…standing in the holy place,” He
is referring to the same event that Daniel refers to in Daniel 9:27. The “holy
place” is reference to the most sacred room within Israel’s Temple. What
Temple? There is no Temple now. How can this be fulfilled since there is not a
Jewish Temple standing. The third temple must be seen as a future event. Dr.
Tim LaHaye tells us that “Matthew 24:15 portrays the ‘abomination of
desolation,’ when the Antichrist desecrates the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem.”
He then adds, “Obviously it has to be rebuilt in order to be desecrated.”
2 Thessalonians
2:3, 4
3 Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come
unless the apostasy[2]
comes first, and the man of lawlessness[3]
is revealed, the son of destruction,
4 who opposes and exalts himself above every so called-god
or object of worship; so that he takes his seat in the temple of God,[4]
displaying himself as being God. 2 Thessalonians 2:3, 4
In this
passage we see, for the third time, a description of “the abomination of
desolation.” This time it is referred to a as the event in which the antichrist
“takes his seat in the temple of God.”
Once e again, which Temple? The clear
answer is the future third temple. Dr. Charles Ryrie tells us that at “the
midpoint of the tribulation period the Antichrist will desecrate the rebuilt
Jewish temple in Jerusalem by placing himself there to be worshiped.” This act
of self-deification is the “abomination of desolation.
Revelation
11:1, 2
1 And there was given to me a measuring rod like a staff;
and someone said, “Rise and measure the temple of God,[5]
and the altar, and those who worship in it.
2 And leave out the court which is outside the temple, and
do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations; and they will tread
under foot the holy city for forty-two months.[6]
Revelation 11:1, 2
Since
this section of Revelation in which this passage appears takes place during the
tribulation period, this is a reference to Israel’s third Temple in Jerusalem.
THE MILLENNIAL TEMPLE
The Bible teaches in Ezekiel
40-48 that there will be a fourth Temple. This final temple will be the center
from which worship of Jesus Christ during the Millennium will be focused:
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 among the sons of Israel forever. And the house of Israel will not
again defile My name, neither they nor their kings, by their harlotry,[7]
and by corpses of their kings when they die, Ezekiel 43:7
As for you son of man, describe
the temple to the house of Israel, that they may ashamed of their iniquities;
and let them measure the plan. Ezekiel 43:10
The Old
Testament refers to the sacrifices that will take place in the Millennial
Temple in the following passages: Isaiah 56:7; 60:7, 13; 66:20-23; Jeremiah
33:15-22; Zechariah 14:16-21.
These sacrifices are not for the expiation of sin
but as a memorial, a remembrance, of what Christ did for us.
Put
to a stop sacrifice and grain offering- When these are stopped is the time
for the Jews to flee to the mountains:
15 “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION
which was spoken through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let
the reader understand),
16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains;
Matthew 24:15, 16
Many believe the place that they
will flee to will be the mountains of Petra.
Some have postulated that this
verse refers to Christ and His death on the cross. However, they forget that
the Jews continued to carry out the sacrifices until the Roman army came and
defeated them in 70 AD. It was the Romans who stopped the sacrifices then, it
will be a Roman who will stop the sacrifices during the Tribulation.
Sacrifice-
A reference to offerings that would cover their sins. This relates to the
bloody offerings. Unfortunately for them since the sacrifice of Jesus Christ,
their offerings are worthless.
Grain
offering- This refers to non-bloody offerings that were an expression of
thanksgiving and dedication to God.
On
the wing- This involves some symbolism familiar to the author and his
readers. This should be a lesson to all Bible students that not everything is plainly
explained to us. There will be things we read and study that we just don’t know
what it means.
This
could refer to the outstretched wings of some bird to which the ruler is tacitly
compared or else the hawk like wings that adorned the royal insignia of the
kings of Egypt, Assyria, and Rome.
Who
makes desolate- This is the ushering in of the last three and a half years
of the Great Tribulation. The final horrors of the Tribulation.
A
complete desolation- The dictator will hold sway until the wrath of God is
poured out in fury on the God-defying world of the Beast.
One
that is decreed- In summary, it may be concluded that Daniel’s great
prophecy of the seventy sevens comprehends the total history of Israel from the
time of Nehemiah in 445 BC, until the second coming of Jesus Christ. In the
first period of seven sevens, the city and streets are rebuilt. In the second
period of sixty-two sevens which follows, the Messiah appears and is living at
the conclusion of that period. In the parenthesis between he sixty-ninth and
seventieth seven, at least two major events take place:
1.
The cutting off of the Messiah (the death of
Christ)
2.
The destruction of Jerusalem in 70
Though
the church is founded during the time there is no mention of the church
anywhere in the Old Testament.
The
final period of seven years begins with the introduction of a covenant
relationship between the future “prince that shall come” and “the many,” the
people of Israel. This covenant is observed for the first half of the future
seven-year period, then the special liberties and protections granted Israel
are taken away; and Israel becomes persecuted in their time of great
tribulation. The beginning of the last three and one-half years of the seventy
sevens of Daniel, is marked by the desecration of the future temple, the
stopping of the sacrifices, and the desolation of the Jewish religion. It is
this period referred to by Christ as the great tribulation in Matthew 24:15-26.
The
culmination of the entire prophecy of the seventy weeks is the second advent of
Jesus Christ which closes the seventieth seven of Israel as well as the time of
the Gentiles pictured in Daniel’s prophecies of the four great world empires.
For most of the period, the two great lines of prophecy relating to the
Gentiles and Israel run concurrently and both with the same major event- the
second advent of Jesus Christ. At this
point, the oppressed Israel is delivered, and the oppressor, the Gentiles, are
judged. With Israel back in the land, the fulfillment of these prophecies may
not be too long distant.
[1] Abomination
of desolation. This is the man of sin (2 Thessalonians 2:4), the
Antichrist, who at this midpoint in the tribulation breaks his covenant which
he made at the beginning of the tribulation with the Jewish people (Daniel
9:24), and demands that they and the world worship him. Those who resist will
be martyred; that is the reason for he urgency of the instructions in Matthew
24:16-22). The antichrist will make his center of worship in Jerusalem.
[2]
Two trains of thought have come to light on what is meant by the apostasy. An
aggressive and climatic revolt against God which will prepare the way of the
appearance of the man of sin. Another, more recent line of translation, is that
this is an actual reference to the Rapture.
[3] Man
of lawlessness. While it is true that the forces of lawlessness were at
work in Paul’s time and are at word today, the man of lawlessness is an
individual of the future who will come to power during the tribulation days.
John also recognized the presence of many antichrists in his time (1 John 2:18)
as well as the coming of one great Antichrist in the future (Revelation 11:7;
13:1-10).
[4] takes
his seat in the temple of God. At the midpoint of the tribulation period
the Antichrist will desecrate the rebuilt Jewish temple in Jerusalem by placing
himself there to be worshiped (see notes on Matthew 24:15). This will be the
climax of man’s great sin of self-deification, in open defiance of God.
[5] The
temple of God. Apparently the temple which will be rebuilt during the
tribulation days, in which Jewish worship will be carried on during the first
part of that period and in which, at the mid-point of the seven year period,
the man of sin will exalt himself to be worshiped (2 Thessalonians 2:4).
[6] Forty-two
months. This equals three and one-half years and probably refers to the
last half of the tribulation period.
[7] Harlotry.
Temple prostitution.
Revelation 14:9-20
A verse-by-verse study of Revelation 14:9-20. John witnesses the horrible future that lies in wait for those who accept the Mark of the Beast.
Revelation 14:9-20
Revelation 14:9-20
Revelation 14:1-8
A verse-by-verse study of Revelation 14:1-8. John is given a vision of the 144,000 with Jesus Christ on Mt. Zion.
Revelation 14:1-8
Revelation 14:1-8
Revelation 13:6-18
A verse-by-verse study of Revelation 13:6-18. John concludes his vision of the Antichrist and sees a second beast, the False Prophet, coming on the scene.
Revelation 13:6-18
Revelation 13:6-18
Revelation 13:1-5
A verse-by-verse study of Revelation 13:1-5. John begins his description of the terrible beast that comes out of the sea, the Antichrist.
Revelation 13:1-5
Revelation 13:1-5
Palm 8
A verse-by-verse study of Psalm 8. In this psalm David speaks of the glory of God,
and how the glory of man and his destiny reflect upon God.
Sunday, August 2, 2020
Verse of the Week: Daniel 9:26
Verse of the Week: Daniel 9:26
The Siege of Jerusalem in the year 70 AD was the
decisive event of the First Jewish–Roman War, in which
the Roman army captured the city of Jerusalem and destroyed
both the city and its Temple. The Roman army, led by the future
Emperor Titus, with Tiberius Julius Alexander as his
second-in-command, besieged and conquered the city of Jerusalem, which had
been controlled by Judean rebel factions since 66 AD, following
the Jerusalem riots of 66, when the Judean provisional
government was formed in Jerusalem.
The siege of the city began on 14 April 70 AD, three days
before the beginning of Passover that year. The siege lasted for about four
months; it ended in August 70 AD on Tisha B'Av with the burning and
destruction of the Second Temple. The Romans then entered and sacked
the Lower City. The Arch of Titus, celebrating the Roman sack of Jerusalem
and the Temple, still stands in Rome. The conquest of the city was
complete on approximately 8 September 70 AD.
Josephus places the siege in the second year
of Vespasian, which corresponds to the year 70 AD.[1]
“Then after the sixty-two weeks
the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who
is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with
a flood; even the end there will be war; desolations are determined. Daniel
9:26
After sixty-two weeks- From the completion of the
construction of Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah would be sixty-two weeks,
or four hundred and thirty-four years. Altogether, from the signing of the
decree to rebuild Jerusalem by Artaxerxes on March 14, 1445 BC, to the Messiah
would be four hundred and eighty-three years.
Plus
the first seven weeks, for a total of 69 weeks important events were to occur.
The events recorded here takes place after the crucifixion of Christ. The two
most important events to occur after the 69 weeks were:
1.
The Messiah was to be cut off (crucified), and
2.
The city of Jerusalem and the Temple were to be
destroyed.
These events were to occur between
the 69th week and the 70th week.
Messiah will be cut off- The crucifixion of the
Messiah. Within a few days after the people had shouted, “Hosanna,” they shouted,
“Crucify Him!” and in response to their shouts the religious leaders and the
people crucified the King. The adulation of the crowd at the triumphal entry
and the devotion of those who had been touched by His previous ministry was to
no avail. The unbelief of Israel and the calloused indifference of religious
leaders when confronted with the claims of Christ combined with the hardness of
the heart of Gentile rulers to make the greatest of tragedies. Thus, the cutting
off of the Messiah happened after the 69 weeks. We read in Isaiah:
By oppression
and judgment He was taken away;
And
as for His generation, who considered
That
He was cut off out of the land of the living,
For
the transgression of My people to whom the stroke was due?
Isaiah 53:8
Christ
was not only “cut off” from man and from life, but in His cry on the cross it is
indicated that He was forsaken of God for a short time while the sins of the
world was placed upon Him. The plaintive cry of “My God, My God, why has Thou
forsaken Me?” reveals not only the awfulness of separation from God but points
also the answer- the redemptive purpose.
Have nothing- (Heb. weenlo) This Hebrew word means
“nothing” or “no one.” The phrase has been interpreted as:
1.
The destruction of Jerusalem
2.
It was not for His own sins that He was cut off,
but the sins of others.
3.
He shall have no kingdom as of yet. Nothing that
rightly belonged to Him as Messiah the Prince was given Him at that time. He
had not come into His full reward nor the exercise of His regal authority.
Looking at the circumstances through human eyes, it would appear that evil won.
4.
He will be bereft of followers, all of them will
fell from Him at the time of His arrest, trial, and death. Only if the meaning
of the word is “no one.”
5.
It suggests that He will die without any
material wealth or resources if the meaning of the word means “nothing.”
From my studies #3 is the best
explanation for this passage.
People of the prince who is to come- The destruction
of the temple was done by the Romans in 70 AD. Titus, the Roman general, destroyed
the city of Jerusalem and the Temple. This occurred some 38 years after the end
of the end of the 69th week.
Carefully
note the wording of this prophecy. The people of the prince, not the
prince himself, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Josephus, who was a
captive of the Roman army besieging Jerusalem, wrote that after the death of
Nero, General Galba was recalled to be made emperor.
Figure 1Galba
But a conspiracy that opposed him developed and the general
was assassinated. After Galba, Otho was made emperor, but he was not capable of
ruling; and like Nero, he committed suicide. There followed a period of
revolution and political instability. Finally, the general in command of the
Roman-Israeli expedition was recalled restoring order and become emperor. This man
was General Vespasian, the father of Capatian Titus.
Figure 2Vespasian
When Vespasian left for Rome, he made his son Titus general, and left him in charge of the siege. Just a few days before the assault on Jerusalem, Vespasian was crowned emperor of the Roman Empire, making Titus a prince. Therefore, the army which destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple was committed by a prince.
Figure 3Titus
Since
these events were to occur after the 69 weeks had run their course and before
the 70th week began, there must be a space of time between
conclusion of the sixty-ninth week and the beginning of the seventieth.
Some
have erroneously attributed that the prince is Christ. If this is true, then
Christians must have destroyed the city and the sanctuary. There were very few,
if any, Christians in Jerusalem at the time of its destruction. In fact, the
Christians, heeded the warnings of Jesus in Luke:
20 “But when you see Jerusalem
surrounded by armies, then recognize that her desolation is at hand.
21 “Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are in the midst of the city depart, and let not those who are in the country enter the city; Luke 21:20, 21
They
fled the city during a temporary withdrawal of the hostile army and reached the
mountains of Pella.
Destroy the city- After the Messiah was crucified,
the city and the Temple were destroyed. In the forty years in the wilderness,
Israel only spent two years going to the Promised Land. But because of
unbelief, they spent thirty-eight years in the desert until all that generation
died, with the exception of Joshua and Caleb. Thirty-eight years after Jesus
was crucified, the city and the Temple were destroyed. Not even one stone was
left upon another as Christ had predicted:
And He answered and said to them,
“Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone will be
left upon another, which will not be torn down.” Matthew 24:2
And the sanctuary- Titus attempted to spare what was
left of the city and the Temple. For some unexplained reason, as recorded by
Josephus, the well-trained and disciplined army went berserk, pillaged and
burned the city and the Temple. Titus personally intervened at the Temple to
save it, but the soldiers, according to Josephus, were seized by a “divine
urge” and refused to heed t the hand sings of Titus or his voice. Thus,
Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed by the people of the prince.
It is
said that a torch was thrown into the Temple igniting the curtain and the oil.
The flames melted the gold objects and the melted gold ran down into the
openings between the building stones. In an effort to get to the gold soldiers
tore down the Temple, brick by brick. Thus, fulfilling the words of Christ.
with a flood- This is used to denote warlike hosts
who annihilate their enemies in Daniel. This seems to be a general reference to
the fact that from the time of destruction of the city of Jerusalem, trouble,
war, and desolation will be the normal experience of the people of Israel and
will end only at the consummation of history. History has demonstrated more
than once that this is true.
Next week Daniel 9:27
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An overview of the history, author, date, theme and other information on the prophet Obadiah. A Survey of the Minor Prophets-Obadiah