56. THE FATE CHANGER IS COMING!What does God sending a Messiah have to do with your fate?
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Have you ever seen someone standing outside the gates of an airport with a sign in his hands? Why are they standing there? Well, it is because they are expecting someone to come and someone is expecting them to be there. Their job is to make sure that the person arrives safely and gets to the place they need to go. What do you think it would be like for a person who was expecting a helper but didn't get one? It would be discouraging and even scary!
Interestingly, in life we have lots of helpers. Second to God, the most important are our parents, teachers, coaches, and friends. But do we ever think about how their help gives us direction, hope, and a desire to face the unexpected? Do we really appreciate the com- fort that their words bring to us in a dangerous world that seems to be falling apart? Metaphorically, our parents are supposed to be like God. They help us maneuver through the experience called life. They help us prepare for the future. They help us learn the impor- tance of honesty and trust in a relationship. They help us know what to expect.
Ever since he was young, Serkan had been inquisitive. He liked to ask questions and always wanted to be prepared. His father Emrah remembered the day that he rst realized this about his son. It was the summer of 1976 and Serkan was only 5 years old.
“Dad, what will school be like?” he nervously asked.
“My boy, you will like it a lot. You will see your friends and have lots of fun.” Emrah answered.
“But what will we do? How long will I be there? Will I ever see you again?”
“Of course you will see me! You will go in the morning and come back in the afternoon. First, you will go into your classroom and sit down at your desk. Then your teacher will tell you what to do.” Emrah spoke con dently.
“What will he tell us to do?” Serkan inquired.
“First he will tell you his name. Then he will begin to teach you how to read, write, and do math.”
“Will he always be my teacher?”
“Well he won’t be your teacher forever, but for the rst ve years. And don’t forget that you won’t go to school in the summer. Every summer will be like this summer. You can play, watch TV, go to the beach, and visit your grandparents in the village.”
“I am scared father.” Serkan timidly replied.
“Son, there is no reason to be afraid. I just told you what it would be like. Do you trust me?”
“Of course father!”
“Good! Don’t worry about it. Now that you know what to expect there is no reason to be afraid. Come on, let’s go get some ice cream from the market.”
It was quite natural for Serkan to be worried about school. He had never experienced it before and the uncertainty scared him. Emrah, like any good father, could tell from Serkan’s shaky voice that he was deeply concerned and he wanted to comfort him.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to us, that God is the same way. He knows our insecurities and our need for certainty. He knows that our lives will be less stressful and predictable if He gives us a glimpse into the future. This is one reason why He calls people to be prophets. He doesn’t want us to worry, be confused, deceived or afraid. He wants us to know what to expect. He wants us to have hope!
Since Adam and Eve's first sin, God's people had been waiting for the fulfillment of Hisfi rst promise. God said that a child would be born who would crush the head of the serpent. In subsequent lessons we learned that the serpent was Satan and that he was focused on four things: the destruction of humans through sin, the defamation of God's character, hindering the ful llment of God's promise, and receiving the worship of all humanity. Ever since that first sin, he has been working nonstop to accomplish these goals. He is the source of all your pain, worry, and confusion. Unfortunately, he is fighting a losing battle because God is in control and always fulfills His promises! As Emrah helped his son Serkan calm down by revealing to him what would happen, God has assured us through prophecy that this powerful enemy will be defeated and we are not to live in fear.
As generations passed, God sent messengers to remind the people that He still intended to fulfill that initial promise. His list of mes- sengers was long and included men like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, King David, Elijah, Isaiah, and Daniel. Each prophet had a specific message for his generation. But they also reminded the people that God would send the child who would crush the ser-pent's head. After our lesson in the book of Isaiah, have you started to gure out who that child is? That is right; the greatest expectaton of all was the Messiah!
In this lesson, we will look at a prophecy that showed exactly when the Messiah would come. Not only does it give us con dence in the Bible as the predicter of the future, it shows us that God doesn't speak in generalizations. He gives us details so that we can trust in Him, have hope, and know what to expect. We already know from history that Jesus was the Messiah. But there is some confusion about what that title means, why He was the Messiah, and what really happened. Although it might be quite shocking, in this lesson
we will begin to find clarity about those very things. Lets start by reading the prophecy as recorded in Daniel chapter 9 verse 24:
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Daniel learned that 70 weeks were determined for his people and the holy city. God hadn’t forgotten about the Israelites and He wanted Daniel to know that this part of the prophecy focused specifically on them and Jerusalem (often referred to as God’s holy city). So what were they supposed to do?
In verse 24, there are six things listed. The rst two were the responsibility of the Israelites, the second two were the responsibility of God, and the third were simply the result of the rst four things. Let’s first look at what the Israelites had to do.
The Israelites were to put an end to rebellion and sin. In other words, they needed to stop disobeying God and start following His com- mandments. As part of the original covenant, God wanted them to be a holy people with a society based on His holy law. We see in this prophecy that God was giving them a second chance to be the people He wanted them to be. In fact, they had to do this to prepare the way for what God was going to do
.
Because humans are sinful and nothing good comes from us, we know the next two things had to be done by God himself. God was going to make reconciliation for iniquity and bring in everlasting righteousness. The language here is once again reminiscent of the priestly sacrifice system we studied in Exodus. But there is a major difference!
The priests had to repeat the Day of Atonement13 ceremony annually. This showed that the animal sacrifices had no real power to permanently remove sin. But they did remind the people to have faith in something that would. And although the priest couldn't
really change the fate of mankind from judgment to acceptance, the Messiah would!
The final two events would be the result of the first four. Prophecy and prophethood would be sealed up and the Most Holy place would be anointed. Due to the complexity of these two events, we will discuss them in a later lesson.
Did the Bible really predict exactly when the Messiah would come hundreds of years in advance? Yes! To demonstrate this we need to know when the 70 weeks or 490 days start and what it was leading up to. Let's nd the answers to those questions by reading Daniel chapter 9 verse 25:
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
God said that a decree would be made to restore Jerusalem. It is in- teresting to note that this decree was a prerequisite to the Messiah's coming and directly connected to the Israelites' ability to return to their homeland from Babylon, as prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah. Let’s read it in Jeremiah chapter 30 verses 1-3:
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. 3 For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
Although four decrees were actually made, through careful study we know that the nal decree by King Artaxerxes in 457 BC gave full authority to the Israelites to complete the restoration of the temple, Jerusalem, and it’s outer walls. In other words, his decree fulfilled this part of the prophecy. Now that we have a starting date (457 BC) we can begin to move forward through the other events of the prophecy. But before we do that, we need to explore an important Biblical principle regarding time prophecies.
When God places a prophecy in a specific time frame or gives a time limit, He usually uses a technique of substituting years with days. Let’s look at one example in Numbers chapter 14 verse 34:
34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
When the Israelites arrived at the border of the Promised Land they sent out spies to see what the land was like. After 40 days of investigation, the spies returned and told the Israelites what they saw. In spite of the encouragement that two of the spies gave, the people refused to enter the land because they were afraid of the large, war- like inhabitants. By refusing to continue they had directly disobeyed God and showed themselves to be faithless. Therefore God made them stay in the desert for 40 years, one year for every day that the spies were inspecting the Promised Land.
We actually see the same principle also used in Ezekiel chapter 4 verses 5 and 6. However, it is reversed in that one year would be represented by a day.
5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt
bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
Ezekiel was a prophet who lived the same time as Daniel. In fact, he was also taken captive to Babylon and probably knew Daniel very well. In these verses, God was telling Ezekiel to lie on the ground for a specific number of days. Each day that Ezekiel laid on the ground represented one year that the northern tribes of Israel and Judah had committed idolatry and disobeyed God. Ezekiel’s actions led up to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and were a daily reminder of the Israelites’ 430 years of disobedience.
It is interesting to note that there is a direct link between the day for a year principle and sin. In the rst example, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years as a punishment for their disbelief and sin. In the second example, Ezekiel laid on his side for 430 days as a constant reminder of the Israelites disobedience. But in Daniel chapter 9 verses 24 and 25, we see that God's intention is not to punish, but to remove and forgive sins forever!
Now that we understand this truth about Biblical time prophecies, have a starting date of 457 BC, and know that this prophecy lasts 490 years, let's reread Daniel chapter 9 verse 25:
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times
In verse 25, the original Hebrew says that 69 weeks (483 days/483 years) after the order to rebuild and restore Jerusalem “the anointed one” would come. This was none other than the Messiah that had been prophesied by Moses, King David, and Isaiah and who the Israelites had been waiting for in anticipation. Sure they would have to wait longer. But, God was telling them the exact moment He would appear! If we add 483 years to our starting date of 457 BC we arrive at the date of 27 AD (remember there is no year 0). How- 201 ever, God wanted them to know exactly what would happen so He revealed more. Let’s read verse 26:
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Wait a minute! This is the Messiah we are reading about. This is the One that Eve was hoping for, Moses mentioned, David wrote about, Isaiah prophesied, and the Israelites were expecting. How can he be killed and why? It is clear from verse 26 that the people of the Messiah, the Israelites, will not support Him. If we were to explain the verse in modern language, we would have to say that they would reject Him! And what will be the outcome of this rejection? Accord- ing to verse 26, Jerusalem would be destroyed. If you review history, you will learn that after a long siege by the Romans Jerusalem was nally destroyed in 70 AD.
|_______________________________________|__________________|_________________|
457 BC 27 AD 31 AD 34 AD Jerusalem Messiah Messiah Dies ?
Rebuilt
Comes
But what happened to the last 7 years of the prophecy. We have only read about 483 years. All we know thus far is that starting in 457 BC Jerusalem would be completely rebuilt. After 483 years, in 27 AD, the Messiah would appear. What would happen during the last week and when would the Messiah be killed? Let’s read Daniel chapter 9 verse 27:
27 And he shall con rm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacri ce and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Verse 27 says that the Messiah would make a covenant that would last one week which equals seven years. Once again, if we look at the original Hebrew we will see that the verb used in verse 27 means “to confirm”. Confirmation in and of itself requires something
already in existence. Thus the best translation would be that the Messiah would confirm or fulfill a covenant that has already been made. Based on the previous studies we have done, it is easy to connect this covenant with the one that God originally made with Abraham. If you recall, God renewed that original covenant with Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s children who became known as Israel. Do you remember what God promised when He made the covenant with Abraham? He promised to bless the whole world through Abraham’s seed! Thus the Messiah would bring a blessing not only to the Israelites, but the whole world.
Sometimes we think that the Messiah was only a prophet for the Jews, maybe even the Christians. But the Bible says that He was coming to bless the whole world, rescue everyone from sin, and bring in everlasting righteousness. Is that a message of exclusive- ness? Would it not also include us?
The nal aspect of verse 27 that we need to point out is that half way through the last seven years the Messiah would put an end to sacrifice. This is obviously referring to the daily and annual sacrifices for sin. How do you think that will happen? Will it have anything to do with His murder? Does it affect the ultimate fate (i.e., death) of mankind? Unfortunately, we will have to wait until a later lesson to find out the answers to those questions.
We have covered a lot of ground in this lesson. So before we finish let’s summarize the entire lesson in a few sentences.
Daniel was shown a prophecy that would last 490 years and start with the order to rebuild Jerusalem which occurred in 457 BC. The
restoration would last 49 years and then 434 years later, in 27 AD, 203 the Messiah would appear. According to the prophecy, the Messiah would con rm God’s original covenant with Abraham for seven years and at some point be murdered. And what was the whole point of this? God wanted to bring in everlasting righteousness and make reconciliation for sin.
Now granted there are some parts of this vision that are still a little unsettling. Specifically in regards to how the Messiah would be treated. But overall it was very reassuring for Daniel. He was shown that God still cared for them, they were being given a second chance, they were going home, their beloved city would be rebuilt, and the Messiah was coming. If there was any doubt along the way, all they had to do was compare the prophecy to the events as they occurred in history. But the Israelites, and everyone else who stud- ied the prophecy, had no reason to doubt God because He had always been right!
Serkan also had no reason to doubt his father. When he was scared at night, his father would lay with him in bed. When he burned his hand on the stove, his father rinsed it under cold water. When he was sick, his father took him to the doctor. And Serkan knew that his father would be there with him when he walked into his classroom on the first day of school. He didn’t know everything that would happen, but at least he had an idea. An idea that was reinforced by his loving father.
We also don’t know everything that will happen. But God through the years has revealed quite a lot. He hasn't left us standing in the airport without a guide or helper. As we continue to study the Bible, we will see that the events outlined in this prophecy happened exactly when and how God said they would. We will also see that those events had a lasting impact on world history and the fate of mankind. We are getting closer to discovering the answer to the ultimate question of whether or not fate can be changed. Don't quit! Let’s keep exploring the mysteries of the Bible so we can find comfort in a chaotic world and the key to changing our fate and canceling fear.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you remember a time in your life when someone comforted you about a future event?
2. Is there something right now that you have doubts about or need advice for? How can God help you with them?
3. Is it hard to believe that the Israelites would kill the very person that they had been expecting for years?
4. How do you think God is going to fulfill His covenant with Abraham to bless the whole world?
5. Has your faith in God grown since you started studying the Bible?
13 Fate Changer Book 2 Lesson 11
Interestingly, in life we have lots of helpers. Second to God, the most important are our parents, teachers, coaches, and friends. But do we ever think about how their help gives us direction, hope, and a desire to face the unexpected? Do we really appreciate the com- fort that their words bring to us in a dangerous world that seems to be falling apart? Metaphorically, our parents are supposed to be like God. They help us maneuver through the experience called life. They help us prepare for the future. They help us learn the impor- tance of honesty and trust in a relationship. They help us know what to expect.
Ever since he was young, Serkan had been inquisitive. He liked to ask questions and always wanted to be prepared. His father Emrah remembered the day that he rst realized this about his son. It was the summer of 1976 and Serkan was only 5 years old.
“Dad, what will school be like?” he nervously asked.
“My boy, you will like it a lot. You will see your friends and have lots of fun.” Emrah answered.
“But what will we do? How long will I be there? Will I ever see you again?”
“Of course you will see me! You will go in the morning and come back in the afternoon. First, you will go into your classroom and sit down at your desk. Then your teacher will tell you what to do.” Emrah spoke con dently.
“What will he tell us to do?” Serkan inquired.
“First he will tell you his name. Then he will begin to teach you how to read, write, and do math.”
“Will he always be my teacher?”
“Well he won’t be your teacher forever, but for the rst ve years. And don’t forget that you won’t go to school in the summer. Every summer will be like this summer. You can play, watch TV, go to the beach, and visit your grandparents in the village.”
“I am scared father.” Serkan timidly replied.
“Son, there is no reason to be afraid. I just told you what it would be like. Do you trust me?”
“Of course father!”
“Good! Don’t worry about it. Now that you know what to expect there is no reason to be afraid. Come on, let’s go get some ice cream from the market.”
It was quite natural for Serkan to be worried about school. He had never experienced it before and the uncertainty scared him. Emrah, like any good father, could tell from Serkan’s shaky voice that he was deeply concerned and he wanted to comfort him.
It shouldn’t be a surprise to us, that God is the same way. He knows our insecurities and our need for certainty. He knows that our lives will be less stressful and predictable if He gives us a glimpse into the future. This is one reason why He calls people to be prophets. He doesn’t want us to worry, be confused, deceived or afraid. He wants us to know what to expect. He wants us to have hope!
Since Adam and Eve's first sin, God's people had been waiting for the fulfillment of Hisfi rst promise. God said that a child would be born who would crush the head of the serpent. In subsequent lessons we learned that the serpent was Satan and that he was focused on four things: the destruction of humans through sin, the defamation of God's character, hindering the ful llment of God's promise, and receiving the worship of all humanity. Ever since that first sin, he has been working nonstop to accomplish these goals. He is the source of all your pain, worry, and confusion. Unfortunately, he is fighting a losing battle because God is in control and always fulfills His promises! As Emrah helped his son Serkan calm down by revealing to him what would happen, God has assured us through prophecy that this powerful enemy will be defeated and we are not to live in fear.
As generations passed, God sent messengers to remind the people that He still intended to fulfill that initial promise. His list of mes- sengers was long and included men like Noah, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, King David, Elijah, Isaiah, and Daniel. Each prophet had a specific message for his generation. But they also reminded the people that God would send the child who would crush the ser-pent's head. After our lesson in the book of Isaiah, have you started to gure out who that child is? That is right; the greatest expectaton of all was the Messiah!
In this lesson, we will look at a prophecy that showed exactly when the Messiah would come. Not only does it give us con dence in the Bible as the predicter of the future, it shows us that God doesn't speak in generalizations. He gives us details so that we can trust in Him, have hope, and know what to expect. We already know from history that Jesus was the Messiah. But there is some confusion about what that title means, why He was the Messiah, and what really happened. Although it might be quite shocking, in this lesson
we will begin to find clarity about those very things. Lets start by reading the prophecy as recorded in Daniel chapter 9 verse 24:
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Daniel learned that 70 weeks were determined for his people and the holy city. God hadn’t forgotten about the Israelites and He wanted Daniel to know that this part of the prophecy focused specifically on them and Jerusalem (often referred to as God’s holy city). So what were they supposed to do?
In verse 24, there are six things listed. The rst two were the responsibility of the Israelites, the second two were the responsibility of God, and the third were simply the result of the rst four things. Let’s first look at what the Israelites had to do.
The Israelites were to put an end to rebellion and sin. In other words, they needed to stop disobeying God and start following His com- mandments. As part of the original covenant, God wanted them to be a holy people with a society based on His holy law. We see in this prophecy that God was giving them a second chance to be the people He wanted them to be. In fact, they had to do this to prepare the way for what God was going to do
.
Because humans are sinful and nothing good comes from us, we know the next two things had to be done by God himself. God was going to make reconciliation for iniquity and bring in everlasting righteousness. The language here is once again reminiscent of the priestly sacrifice system we studied in Exodus. But there is a major difference!
The priests had to repeat the Day of Atonement13 ceremony annually. This showed that the animal sacrifices had no real power to permanently remove sin. But they did remind the people to have faith in something that would. And although the priest couldn't
really change the fate of mankind from judgment to acceptance, the Messiah would!
The final two events would be the result of the first four. Prophecy and prophethood would be sealed up and the Most Holy place would be anointed. Due to the complexity of these two events, we will discuss them in a later lesson.
Did the Bible really predict exactly when the Messiah would come hundreds of years in advance? Yes! To demonstrate this we need to know when the 70 weeks or 490 days start and what it was leading up to. Let's nd the answers to those questions by reading Daniel chapter 9 verse 25:
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
God said that a decree would be made to restore Jerusalem. It is in- teresting to note that this decree was a prerequisite to the Messiah's coming and directly connected to the Israelites' ability to return to their homeland from Babylon, as prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah. Let’s read it in Jeremiah chapter 30 verses 1-3:
1 The word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, saying, 2 Thus speaketh the LORD God of Israel, saying, Write thee all the words that I have spoken unto thee in a book. 3 For, lo, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the LORD: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they shall possess it.
Although four decrees were actually made, through careful study we know that the nal decree by King Artaxerxes in 457 BC gave full authority to the Israelites to complete the restoration of the temple, Jerusalem, and it’s outer walls. In other words, his decree fulfilled this part of the prophecy. Now that we have a starting date (457 BC) we can begin to move forward through the other events of the prophecy. But before we do that, we need to explore an important Biblical principle regarding time prophecies.
When God places a prophecy in a specific time frame or gives a time limit, He usually uses a technique of substituting years with days. Let’s look at one example in Numbers chapter 14 verse 34:
34 After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.
When the Israelites arrived at the border of the Promised Land they sent out spies to see what the land was like. After 40 days of investigation, the spies returned and told the Israelites what they saw. In spite of the encouragement that two of the spies gave, the people refused to enter the land because they were afraid of the large, war- like inhabitants. By refusing to continue they had directly disobeyed God and showed themselves to be faithless. Therefore God made them stay in the desert for 40 years, one year for every day that the spies were inspecting the Promised Land.
We actually see the same principle also used in Ezekiel chapter 4 verses 5 and 6. However, it is reversed in that one year would be represented by a day.
5 For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel.6 And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt
bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
Ezekiel was a prophet who lived the same time as Daniel. In fact, he was also taken captive to Babylon and probably knew Daniel very well. In these verses, God was telling Ezekiel to lie on the ground for a specific number of days. Each day that Ezekiel laid on the ground represented one year that the northern tribes of Israel and Judah had committed idolatry and disobeyed God. Ezekiel’s actions led up to the siege and destruction of Jerusalem and were a daily reminder of the Israelites’ 430 years of disobedience.
It is interesting to note that there is a direct link between the day for a year principle and sin. In the rst example, the Israelites wandered in the desert for 40 years as a punishment for their disbelief and sin. In the second example, Ezekiel laid on his side for 430 days as a constant reminder of the Israelites disobedience. But in Daniel chapter 9 verses 24 and 25, we see that God's intention is not to punish, but to remove and forgive sins forever!
Now that we understand this truth about Biblical time prophecies, have a starting date of 457 BC, and know that this prophecy lasts 490 years, let's reread Daniel chapter 9 verse 25:
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times
In verse 25, the original Hebrew says that 69 weeks (483 days/483 years) after the order to rebuild and restore Jerusalem “the anointed one” would come. This was none other than the Messiah that had been prophesied by Moses, King David, and Isaiah and who the Israelites had been waiting for in anticipation. Sure they would have to wait longer. But, God was telling them the exact moment He would appear! If we add 483 years to our starting date of 457 BC we arrive at the date of 27 AD (remember there is no year 0). How- 201 ever, God wanted them to know exactly what would happen so He revealed more. Let’s read verse 26:
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Wait a minute! This is the Messiah we are reading about. This is the One that Eve was hoping for, Moses mentioned, David wrote about, Isaiah prophesied, and the Israelites were expecting. How can he be killed and why? It is clear from verse 26 that the people of the Messiah, the Israelites, will not support Him. If we were to explain the verse in modern language, we would have to say that they would reject Him! And what will be the outcome of this rejection? Accord- ing to verse 26, Jerusalem would be destroyed. If you review history, you will learn that after a long siege by the Romans Jerusalem was nally destroyed in 70 AD.
|_______________________________________|__________________|_________________|
457 BC 27 AD 31 AD 34 AD Jerusalem Messiah Messiah Dies ?
Rebuilt
Comes
But what happened to the last 7 years of the prophecy. We have only read about 483 years. All we know thus far is that starting in 457 BC Jerusalem would be completely rebuilt. After 483 years, in 27 AD, the Messiah would appear. What would happen during the last week and when would the Messiah be killed? Let’s read Daniel chapter 9 verse 27:
27 And he shall con rm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacri ce and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Verse 27 says that the Messiah would make a covenant that would last one week which equals seven years. Once again, if we look at the original Hebrew we will see that the verb used in verse 27 means “to confirm”. Confirmation in and of itself requires something
already in existence. Thus the best translation would be that the Messiah would confirm or fulfill a covenant that has already been made. Based on the previous studies we have done, it is easy to connect this covenant with the one that God originally made with Abraham. If you recall, God renewed that original covenant with Isaac, Jacob, and Jacob’s children who became known as Israel. Do you remember what God promised when He made the covenant with Abraham? He promised to bless the whole world through Abraham’s seed! Thus the Messiah would bring a blessing not only to the Israelites, but the whole world.
Sometimes we think that the Messiah was only a prophet for the Jews, maybe even the Christians. But the Bible says that He was coming to bless the whole world, rescue everyone from sin, and bring in everlasting righteousness. Is that a message of exclusive- ness? Would it not also include us?
The nal aspect of verse 27 that we need to point out is that half way through the last seven years the Messiah would put an end to sacrifice. This is obviously referring to the daily and annual sacrifices for sin. How do you think that will happen? Will it have anything to do with His murder? Does it affect the ultimate fate (i.e., death) of mankind? Unfortunately, we will have to wait until a later lesson to find out the answers to those questions.
We have covered a lot of ground in this lesson. So before we finish let’s summarize the entire lesson in a few sentences.
Daniel was shown a prophecy that would last 490 years and start with the order to rebuild Jerusalem which occurred in 457 BC. The
restoration would last 49 years and then 434 years later, in 27 AD, 203 the Messiah would appear. According to the prophecy, the Messiah would con rm God’s original covenant with Abraham for seven years and at some point be murdered. And what was the whole point of this? God wanted to bring in everlasting righteousness and make reconciliation for sin.
Now granted there are some parts of this vision that are still a little unsettling. Specifically in regards to how the Messiah would be treated. But overall it was very reassuring for Daniel. He was shown that God still cared for them, they were being given a second chance, they were going home, their beloved city would be rebuilt, and the Messiah was coming. If there was any doubt along the way, all they had to do was compare the prophecy to the events as they occurred in history. But the Israelites, and everyone else who stud- ied the prophecy, had no reason to doubt God because He had always been right!
Serkan also had no reason to doubt his father. When he was scared at night, his father would lay with him in bed. When he burned his hand on the stove, his father rinsed it under cold water. When he was sick, his father took him to the doctor. And Serkan knew that his father would be there with him when he walked into his classroom on the first day of school. He didn’t know everything that would happen, but at least he had an idea. An idea that was reinforced by his loving father.
We also don’t know everything that will happen. But God through the years has revealed quite a lot. He hasn't left us standing in the airport without a guide or helper. As we continue to study the Bible, we will see that the events outlined in this prophecy happened exactly when and how God said they would. We will also see that those events had a lasting impact on world history and the fate of mankind. We are getting closer to discovering the answer to the ultimate question of whether or not fate can be changed. Don't quit! Let’s keep exploring the mysteries of the Bible so we can find comfort in a chaotic world and the key to changing our fate and canceling fear.
Discussion Questions
1. Do you remember a time in your life when someone comforted you about a future event?
2. Is there something right now that you have doubts about or need advice for? How can God help you with them?
3. Is it hard to believe that the Israelites would kill the very person that they had been expecting for years?
4. How do you think God is going to fulfill His covenant with Abraham to bless the whole world?
5. Has your faith in God grown since you started studying the Bible?
13 Fate Changer Book 2 Lesson 11