WEBVTT 00:00:01.999 --> 00:00:03.940 Let's bow together in prayer. Would you join 00:00:03.940 --> 00:00:08.460 me? Lord, today we do proclaim the grace and 00:00:08.460 --> 00:00:13.279 glory that belongs alone to you. Father, your 00:00:13.279 --> 00:00:18.300 Almighty Son, we adore and worship, and we quiet 00:00:18.300 --> 00:00:22.839 ourselves before you, desiring with all of our 00:00:22.839 --> 00:00:25.760 hearts that in this time we might hear from you. 00:00:27.229 --> 00:00:30.289 We have come not only to sing and to speak to 00:00:30.289 --> 00:00:37.170 you, but to be quiet and to listen. And so open 00:00:37.170 --> 00:00:44.770 our minds, prepare our hearts, and do that work 00:00:44.770 --> 00:00:47.909 by the Spirit which you alone can do within each 00:00:47.909 --> 00:00:55.259 one of us. For Lord, we are a needy people. We 00:00:55.259 --> 00:01:01.380 need cleansing from our sins. We need grace for 00:01:01.380 --> 00:01:07.180 our struggles and temptations. We need encouragement 00:01:07.180 --> 00:01:12.939 along this pilgrim pathway. And so we present 00:01:12.939 --> 00:01:17.040 ourselves to you, acknowledging our needs and 00:01:17.040 --> 00:01:22.640 trusting you to provide for them by your grace 00:01:22.640 --> 00:01:29.909 and glory. Sing with me the chorus that I think 00:01:29.909 --> 00:01:33.930 most of us know. Father, we love you, we worship 00:01:33.930 --> 00:01:44.010 and adore you. Father, we love you, we worship 00:01:44.010 --> 00:01:55.689 and adore you. Glorify thy name in all the earth. 00:02:00.049 --> 00:02:15.530 glorify thy name glorify thy name glorify thy 00:02:15.530 --> 00:02:26.150 name in all the earth Jesus we love you Jesus 00:02:26.150 --> 00:03:15.750 we love you Hershey Spirit, we love you. Spirit, 00:03:16.849 --> 00:04:06.870 we love you. Father who art in heaven, hallowed 00:04:06.870 --> 00:04:12.789 be your name. Your kingdom come. Your will be 00:04:12.789 --> 00:04:23.829 done on earth as it is in heaven. Amen. There 00:04:23.829 --> 00:04:25.930 are some things that you try to wipe out of your 00:04:25.930 --> 00:04:30.250 memory. But in the back of my mind I recall an 00:04:30.250 --> 00:04:32.970 occasion when I was late for an appointment. 00:04:33.769 --> 00:04:37.110 and drove perhaps a little bit too fast to get 00:04:37.110 --> 00:04:40.790 there, but nonetheless arrived safely and pulled 00:04:40.790 --> 00:04:43.930 into the parking lots, jumped out of my car, 00:04:44.050 --> 00:04:46.810 locked the door, and went into the building, 00:04:47.750 --> 00:04:51.350 only to realize that I had left the car running 00:04:51.350 --> 00:04:56.250 with the keys inside of the locked car, and there 00:04:56.250 --> 00:04:59.550 I was late for an appointment in a real mess. 00:05:00.620 --> 00:05:03.920 If you've ever lost your keys or been locked 00:05:03.920 --> 00:05:07.360 out of a place you wanted to be, you know the 00:05:07.360 --> 00:05:11.959 importance of a key. It's valuable. A key brings 00:05:11.959 --> 00:05:17.620 to us entrance and comfort. Daniel was urgently 00:05:17.620 --> 00:05:22.759 asking God in Daniel chapter 9 for the restoration 00:05:22.759 --> 00:05:26.300 of the Jewish nation. We examined that prayer 00:05:26.300 --> 00:05:30.519 of his last week. You will recall that for nearly 00:05:30.519 --> 00:05:33.620 70 years they had been exiled from their land. 00:05:34.199 --> 00:05:38.800 They had been locked out by God because of their 00:05:38.800 --> 00:05:43.699 disobedience and sin. Daniel knew that the exile 00:05:43.699 --> 00:05:47.399 was to be 70 years in length and that God had 00:05:47.399 --> 00:05:50.800 then promised his people restoration, and so 00:05:50.800 --> 00:05:56.920 he prayed. In answer to Daniel's petition, God 00:05:56.920 --> 00:06:00.420 gave Daniel more than an open door for the restoration 00:06:00.420 --> 00:06:04.560 of the Jews in that generation. In answer to 00:06:04.560 --> 00:06:10.620 his prayer, God gave to Daniel a key. A key that 00:06:10.620 --> 00:06:13.860 prophetically unlocked the future of the Jewish 00:06:13.860 --> 00:06:19.060 nation for Daniel's understanding. I believe 00:06:19.060 --> 00:06:22.029 that if a student of the Bible can comprehend 00:06:22.029 --> 00:06:26.230 the timeline that God revealed in this key passage 00:06:26.230 --> 00:06:30.009 that we look at this morning. He will be comforted 00:06:30.009 --> 00:06:35.189 because he will possess three assurances. He 00:06:35.189 --> 00:06:38.990 will be assured that God is sovereign. He will 00:06:38.990 --> 00:06:42.329 be assured that God is faithful. And he will 00:06:42.329 --> 00:06:47.810 be assured that God is loving. Because we all 00:06:47.810 --> 00:06:51.399 face temptation. and because we all struggle 00:06:51.399 --> 00:06:55.720 with doubt and uncertainties. We need our hearts 00:06:55.720 --> 00:07:03.259 to be reassured that God is and that God reigns. 00:07:03.699 --> 00:07:06.800 We turn today to Daniel chapter 9, verses 20 00:07:06.800 --> 00:07:12.279 through 27, and we talk about God's key to Israel's 00:07:12.279 --> 00:07:15.939 future. The key to Israel's future involves several 00:07:15.939 --> 00:07:19.720 important features, as we shall see. In verses 00:07:19.720 --> 00:07:23.620 20 -23, Daniel explains to us how God answered 00:07:23.620 --> 00:07:27.500 his prayer. It was while he was still praying, 00:07:27.540 --> 00:07:32.480 actually, that the man Gabriel was sent to him. 00:07:33.300 --> 00:07:36.360 By man, he does not mean a human being, like 00:07:36.360 --> 00:07:41.319 you and me, but nonetheless a person, an angel, 00:07:41.620 --> 00:07:44.519 actually, who had come to him before in a vision. 00:07:45.319 --> 00:07:48.620 And he explains to Daniel that God had heard 00:07:48.620 --> 00:07:52.839 his prayer and that from the very first of his 00:07:52.839 --> 00:07:55.160 pleading with God, he had been sent from the 00:07:55.160 --> 00:08:00.040 throne of God to give Daniel understanding. And 00:08:00.040 --> 00:08:02.660 in verse 24, this is that understanding. This 00:08:02.660 --> 00:08:06.459 is the key that God gave to Daniel and to all 00:08:06.459 --> 00:08:10.300 of us regarding the future of Israel. Seventy 00:08:10.300 --> 00:08:13.959 weeks have been decreed for your people and your 00:08:13.959 --> 00:08:17.540 holy city. to finish the transgression, to make 00:08:17.540 --> 00:08:20.620 an end of sin, to make an atonement for iniquity, 00:08:21.019 --> 00:08:23.360 to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal 00:08:23.360 --> 00:08:26.040 up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most 00:08:26.040 --> 00:08:30.579 Holy Place. So you are to know and discern that 00:08:30.579 --> 00:08:34.179 from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild 00:08:34.179 --> 00:08:40.100 Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there will 00:08:40.100 --> 00:08:44.720 be seven weeks and sixty -two weeks. It will 00:08:44.720 --> 00:08:48.580 be built again with plaza and moat, even in times 00:08:48.580 --> 00:08:52.639 of distress. Then after the sixty -two weeks, 00:08:52.779 --> 00:08:55.139 the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing. 00:08:56.519 --> 00:08:59.799 And the people of the prince who is to come will 00:08:59.799 --> 00:09:03.360 destroy the city and the sanctuary, and its end 00:09:03.360 --> 00:09:05.700 will come with a flood. Even to the end there 00:09:05.700 --> 00:09:11.120 will be war. Desolations are determined. And 00:09:11.120 --> 00:09:14.720 he will make a firm covenant with the many for 00:09:14.720 --> 00:09:18.159 one week. But in the middle of the week he will 00:09:18.159 --> 00:09:21.460 put a stop to the sacrifice and grain offering. 00:09:22.759 --> 00:09:27.519 And on the wing of abominations will come one 00:09:27.519 --> 00:09:31.659 who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, 00:09:32.279 --> 00:09:36.200 one that is decreed, is poured out on the one 00:09:36.200 --> 00:09:41.509 who makes desolate. This is perhaps one of the 00:09:41.509 --> 00:09:45.389 most complex prophetic passages in the entire 00:09:45.389 --> 00:09:48.629 Old Testament. This morning we want to look at 00:09:48.629 --> 00:09:51.350 it so that we can all gain at least a preliminary 00:09:51.350 --> 00:09:54.690 understanding of this key to Israel's future. 00:09:55.649 --> 00:09:58.669 Notice that in this key there are three features 00:09:58.669 --> 00:10:02.610 that stand out immediately. They are the 70 weeks, 00:10:03.350 --> 00:10:06.490 the six accomplishments, and the three divisions. 00:10:07.490 --> 00:10:10.009 Those are the three features we want to examine 00:10:10.009 --> 00:10:12.809 this morning. First of all, the 70 weeks. Gabriel 00:10:12.809 --> 00:10:18.330 said to Daniel, 70 weeks are decreed. Literally, 00:10:18.750 --> 00:10:24.509 Gabriel said, 70 units of seven or 70 sevens 00:10:24.509 --> 00:10:27.669 are decreed for your people. What did he mean 00:10:27.669 --> 00:10:32.250 by that? In our culture today, because of our 00:10:32.250 --> 00:10:37.899 heritage, we think in terms of tens. as mathematical 00:10:37.899 --> 00:10:42.779 units. And so we talk about decimals. And we 00:10:42.779 --> 00:10:46.919 talk about decades. We think in terms of tens. 00:10:48.360 --> 00:10:50.720 But in the culture in that day, people did not 00:10:50.720 --> 00:10:53.720 think that way. They thought in terms of sevens 00:10:53.720 --> 00:10:58.519 or heptads. Units of seven were very common to 00:10:58.519 --> 00:11:02.940 them. And so Gabriel simply explains to Daniel 00:11:02.940 --> 00:11:05.639 something that he would more easily have understood 00:11:05.639 --> 00:11:08.870 than we might. Daniel, for your people there 00:11:08.870 --> 00:11:14.110 are seventy -sevens that are decreed. Now the 00:11:14.110 --> 00:11:17.190 question is, what unit of time is Gabriel referring 00:11:17.190 --> 00:11:21.889 to? Is he talking about seventy periods of seven 00:11:21.889 --> 00:11:28.169 days, seventy periods of seven weeks, seventy 00:11:28.169 --> 00:11:33.429 periods of seven years? Well, as we examine biblical 00:11:33.429 --> 00:11:36.330 history following this prophecy and what took 00:11:36.330 --> 00:11:39.690 place, it is very clear that Gabriel had in mind 00:11:39.690 --> 00:11:46.309 70 units of seven years. In other words, if you 00:11:46.309 --> 00:11:49.330 multiply that out, Gabriel is saying, Daniel, 00:11:49.350 --> 00:11:54.470 I want to tell you about a period of 490 years 00:11:54.470 --> 00:11:59.409 that are relevant to your people. Notice that 00:11:59.409 --> 00:12:03.610 he says, to your people, not to the church of 00:12:03.610 --> 00:12:07.769 Jesus Christ in this age, not particularly to 00:12:07.769 --> 00:12:10.789 the Gentile nations, though Daniel has dealt 00:12:10.789 --> 00:12:13.870 broadly with Gentile empires that would arise 00:12:13.870 --> 00:12:19.049 in history after his day. But he is talking about 00:12:19.049 --> 00:12:25.570 a period of 70 times 7 years, 490 years, that 00:12:25.570 --> 00:12:30.230 deal with the Jewish people. That brings us to 00:12:30.230 --> 00:12:32.610 the six accomplishments, the second feature of 00:12:32.610 --> 00:12:36.029 the key, for he says that in this period of time 00:12:36.029 --> 00:12:39.870 there would be six objectives that would be fully 00:12:39.870 --> 00:12:45.789 realized by the end of the 490 years. Three of 00:12:45.789 --> 00:12:49.090 these objectives deal with the removal of sin. 00:12:50.490 --> 00:12:53.350 Three of these objectives deal with the restoration 00:12:53.350 --> 00:12:57.070 of righteousness. Remember now Daniel's people, 00:12:57.190 --> 00:13:00.779 the Jews, had disobeyed God and for that disobedience 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:05.059 they were now in exile. Daniel is saying, God 00:13:05.059 --> 00:13:09.179 restore your people. And Gabriel brings the message 00:13:09.179 --> 00:13:12.799 from God, we must first of all deal with sin 00:13:12.799 --> 00:13:16.980 and then restore righteousness. Notice how he 00:13:16.980 --> 00:13:21.220 puts it in verse 24, these weeks of years are 00:13:21.220 --> 00:13:24.779 determined to finish the transgression. That 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:29.720 is to get a firm grip on. or a firm restraint 00:13:29.720 --> 00:13:34.399 on transgression. In other words, Gabriel says 00:13:34.399 --> 00:13:37.659 something has to be done, Daniel, to deal with 00:13:37.659 --> 00:13:41.419 sin. That is the real problem, whether you're 00:13:41.419 --> 00:13:44.659 dealing with just the Jewish people or all the 00:13:44.659 --> 00:13:48.539 peoples of the world, the Gentiles. Sin is the 00:13:48.539 --> 00:13:51.679 real problem. It's the root problem between man 00:13:51.679 --> 00:13:54.899 and God. So that has to be dealt with. He talks 00:13:54.899 --> 00:13:58.830 about making an end of sin. And so he deals with 00:13:58.830 --> 00:14:01.409 the extent with which God will deal with it, 00:14:01.509 --> 00:14:05.809 make an end of it. And he says, furthermore, 00:14:05.850 --> 00:14:08.529 to make an atonement for iniquity. So he explains 00:14:08.529 --> 00:14:13.049 how God is going to deal with sin. It is through 00:14:13.049 --> 00:14:16.250 an atonement, through the shedding of blood, 00:14:16.409 --> 00:14:18.909 although we have not many details given to us 00:14:18.909 --> 00:14:21.610 here. Nonetheless, we are told that is the method 00:14:21.610 --> 00:14:24.889 by which God will put an end to sin and will 00:14:24.889 --> 00:14:30.169 put a firm restraint on it. Now we know, because 00:14:30.169 --> 00:14:32.549 Bible prophecy has been fulfilled since that 00:14:32.549 --> 00:14:39.169 day, that these first three objectives were principally 00:14:39.169 --> 00:14:42.509 and foundationally dealt with in Christ's first 00:14:42.509 --> 00:14:47.340 coming. This week we are remembering. the cross 00:14:47.340 --> 00:14:52.759 of our Lord on Good Friday. We remember his sacrifice 00:14:52.759 --> 00:14:56.279 there where he made the final payment and atonement 00:14:56.279 --> 00:15:00.639 for sin. Now there is another sense in which 00:15:00.639 --> 00:15:03.379 the foundation only has been laid because there 00:15:03.379 --> 00:15:07.460 is still sin in the world. And Daniel's people 00:15:07.460 --> 00:15:10.500 are still in rebellion and unbelief against the 00:15:10.500 --> 00:15:19.049 Lord. And so the actual removal of sin It's finally 00:15:19.049 --> 00:15:23.470 being dealt with, is still in the future. But 00:15:23.470 --> 00:15:26.870 the foundation was laid in the first coming of 00:15:26.870 --> 00:15:31.710 the Savior. But it goes on to talk about a fourth 00:15:31.710 --> 00:15:35.830 objective, to bring in everlasting righteousness. 00:15:37.549 --> 00:15:40.210 And so not only would man's sin be dealt with, 00:15:40.389 --> 00:15:42.789 but God needed to do something to provide for 00:15:42.789 --> 00:15:45.350 man what he could not provide for himself, and 00:15:45.350 --> 00:15:49.669 that is righteousness. Now again, for the individual, 00:15:50.389 --> 00:15:52.610 that is provided through the death of Christ. 00:15:54.169 --> 00:15:56.830 When someone trusts the Lord Jesus Christ, his 00:15:56.830 --> 00:16:01.639 Savior, not only is his sin forgiven, But given 00:16:01.639 --> 00:16:04.659 to him is the righteousness of Jesus Christ. 00:16:04.700 --> 00:16:07.059 That's what we call in New Testament language 00:16:07.059 --> 00:16:12.960 justification. God declaring me to be not only 00:16:12.960 --> 00:16:16.620 free from sin, but actually to be righteous in 00:16:16.620 --> 00:16:21.399 his sight because of my faith in Christ. But 00:16:21.399 --> 00:16:25.159 for the Jewish people as a nation, and for the 00:16:25.159 --> 00:16:27.379 world as a whole, that righteousness has not 00:16:27.379 --> 00:16:30.100 yet come because there has not been repentance. 00:16:31.049 --> 00:16:34.169 He goes on to speak about the sealing up of vision 00:16:34.169 --> 00:16:37.850 and prophecy. In other words, the final and ultimate 00:16:37.850 --> 00:16:41.330 fulfillment of all prophecy regarding the Jewish 00:16:41.330 --> 00:16:45.070 people. That must be accomplished during this 00:16:45.070 --> 00:16:50.830 490 year period. And it says to anoint the most 00:16:50.830 --> 00:16:54.440 holy. And you may notice in your translation 00:16:54.440 --> 00:16:57.639 of the Bible that it ends at that point or it 00:16:57.639 --> 00:17:01.000 may insert in parentheses or in italics the word 00:17:01.000 --> 00:17:06.359 place. The thrust here seems to be that during 00:17:06.359 --> 00:17:10.619 this 490 year period, by the end of it, there 00:17:10.619 --> 00:17:16.019 will be the anointing of the most holy things, 00:17:17.240 --> 00:17:23.819 referring most likely to a temple. in Jerusalem 00:17:23.819 --> 00:17:26.539 once again. Now remember, that was a big issue 00:17:26.539 --> 00:17:29.480 with Daniel and the Jewish people in captivity. 00:17:30.640 --> 00:17:33.240 The temple had been destroyed, their sacrifices 00:17:33.240 --> 00:17:36.019 had been set aside, of course, and they were 00:17:36.019 --> 00:17:37.960 longing for that day when those things could 00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:42.119 be reinstituted. And here Gabriel says, actually 00:17:42.119 --> 00:17:46.019 Daniel, before all of these things can come to 00:17:46.019 --> 00:17:48.579 pass, including the removal of sin, the restoration 00:17:48.579 --> 00:17:50.700 of righteousness, and the anointing of the most 00:17:50.700 --> 00:17:56.980 holy place again, 490 years must be fulfilled 00:17:56.980 --> 00:18:01.940 for your people. And so we cover the six accomplishments. 00:18:02.740 --> 00:18:05.200 And now move into the most complex portion of 00:18:05.200 --> 00:18:08.220 our text, where we want to look at the third 00:18:08.220 --> 00:18:10.819 feature of this key to Israel's future, dealing 00:18:10.819 --> 00:18:15.940 now with the three divisions of the 490 years, 00:18:16.059 --> 00:18:21.160 verses 25 to 27. You will notice that these 490 00:18:21.160 --> 00:18:24.640 years are broken down into three divisions. Division 00:18:24.640 --> 00:18:32.119 number one, 49 years or seven weeks. Verse 25. 00:18:34.140 --> 00:18:41.920 And then again, 434 years or 62 weeks. And then 00:18:41.920 --> 00:18:46.519 a final period of one week or seven years. Now 00:18:46.519 --> 00:18:48.839 you'll understand why the latter division is 00:18:48.839 --> 00:18:51.940 especially important in this prophetic passage 00:18:51.940 --> 00:18:55.359 in just a moment. But the first period is said 00:18:55.359 --> 00:18:59.160 to be seven weeks in verse 25. You are to know 00:18:59.160 --> 00:19:02.240 and discern that from the issuing of a decree 00:19:02.240 --> 00:19:05.299 to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah 00:19:05.299 --> 00:19:08.740 the Prince, there will be seven weeks and 62 00:19:08.740 --> 00:19:13.700 weeks, or a total of 69 weeks. Now what begins 00:19:13.700 --> 00:19:19.619 this whole clock that God is setting up. What 00:19:19.619 --> 00:19:23.119 is it that initiates the 490 year period? Is 00:19:23.119 --> 00:19:26.940 it this prophecy to Daniel? No. He says clearly 00:19:26.940 --> 00:19:32.819 it is instituted, it is initiated with a decree 00:19:32.819 --> 00:19:38.259 to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. That's when 00:19:38.259 --> 00:19:42.480 the 490 years would begin to be counted on God's 00:19:42.480 --> 00:19:46.700 prophetic clock. The question is, when did that 00:19:46.700 --> 00:19:50.900 decree come? Most Bible scholars are divided 00:19:50.900 --> 00:19:54.240 around three answers on that. Some look back 00:19:54.240 --> 00:19:56.720 to the decree of Cyrus that we've already talked 00:19:56.720 --> 00:20:01.819 about in 538 BC, when he released some of the 00:20:01.819 --> 00:20:05.779 Jews to go back to their homeland. And he even 00:20:05.779 --> 00:20:10.160 made it possible for them to re -institute some 00:20:10.160 --> 00:20:15.250 of their culture there in Palestine. Others, 00:20:16.170 --> 00:20:20.490 and I think more wisely, look later, in fact 00:20:20.490 --> 00:20:26.329 past the time of Daniel, to one of two years. 00:20:28.430 --> 00:20:32.569 The first one is in 458 BC when Artaxerxes I, 00:20:32.670 --> 00:20:36.769 who was the king of Persia, allowed Ezra to return 00:20:36.769 --> 00:20:39.470 to Palestine. Ezra tells us about this in the 00:20:39.470 --> 00:20:44.900 book bearing his name, Ezra chapter 7. Our exerxes 00:20:44.900 --> 00:20:48.279 also at that time allowed the Jews to take back 00:20:48.279 --> 00:20:51.279 some of the vessels from the temple in Jerusalem 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:55.140 and provided for them to be able to re -institute 00:20:55.140 --> 00:21:02.099 the temple worship in Jerusalem. However it was 00:21:02.099 --> 00:21:06.220 13 years after that in 445 BC that our exerxes 00:21:06.220 --> 00:21:09.960 gave another decree concerning the Jews and it 00:21:09.960 --> 00:21:14.700 seems to me that this is the best choice as to 00:21:14.700 --> 00:21:19.000 the beginning of the 490 years. In that year, 00:21:19.140 --> 00:21:24.519 Artaxerxes sent Nehemiah back. Nehemiah tells 00:21:24.519 --> 00:21:29.319 us about this in the second chapter of his book, 00:21:29.559 --> 00:21:33.920 the book bearing his name. And Nehemiah's responsibility 00:21:33.920 --> 00:21:36.559 was in fact to begin to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. 00:21:37.930 --> 00:21:40.430 particularly the walls of the city for Nehemiah 00:21:40.430 --> 00:21:42.650 was greatly distressed that while the Jews were 00:21:42.650 --> 00:21:46.309 living in Jerusalem and they had reconsecrated 00:21:46.309 --> 00:21:48.910 the temple in part and there were sacrifices 00:21:48.910 --> 00:21:52.029 being made there, that the city was unprotected 00:21:52.029 --> 00:21:56.269 and the Jewish people were demoralized. And so 00:21:56.269 --> 00:22:00.329 he gains permission from our exerxes by this 00:22:00.329 --> 00:22:03.329 decree in 445 to go back and to actually begin 00:22:03.329 --> 00:22:08.299 to rebuild the torn down destroyed city. Jerusalem 00:22:08.299 --> 00:22:10.819 and that seems to be the thrust of what is said 00:22:10.819 --> 00:22:15.180 to Daniel more than a hundred and twenty five 00:22:15.180 --> 00:22:17.640 thirty years before this or a hundred years rather 00:22:17.640 --> 00:22:20.720 before this that the city would be restored by 00:22:20.720 --> 00:22:23.119 a decree and that that would begin the clock 00:22:23.119 --> 00:22:26.640 and so from my own understanding of this I would 00:22:26.640 --> 00:22:30.920 select 445 BC and the second decree of Artaxerxes 00:22:30.920 --> 00:22:33.640 to rebuild the city of Jerusalem under Nehemiah 00:22:34.539 --> 00:22:36.559 Now you say, well what is the significance of 00:22:36.559 --> 00:22:39.660 the first period of 49 years or seven weeks that 00:22:39.660 --> 00:22:43.319 seemed to be separated here in verse 25? That 00:22:43.319 --> 00:22:45.720 seems to be the period of time that it took to 00:22:45.720 --> 00:22:48.940 actually restore the city. Remember it took Nehemiah 00:22:48.940 --> 00:22:54.019 and his co -workers 52 days to essentially rebuild 00:22:54.019 --> 00:22:59.269 the walls of the city. But it took much longer 00:22:59.269 --> 00:23:01.890 than that to rebuild the whole city and to place 00:23:01.890 --> 00:23:05.490 around it what is called here a moat and to build 00:23:05.490 --> 00:23:10.609 a plaza a large Central area perhaps a marketplace 00:23:10.609 --> 00:23:13.890 or perhaps a gathering area But in order for 00:23:13.890 --> 00:23:16.130 the city actually to be restored it took almost 00:23:16.130 --> 00:23:20.630 50 years 49 years and so that takes us into about 00:23:20.630 --> 00:23:28.089 395 396 BC That seems to be the reason for the 00:23:28.089 --> 00:23:32.970 first seven periods of seven, 49 years being 00:23:32.970 --> 00:23:36.529 set aside. But consecutive to that, following 00:23:36.529 --> 00:23:40.670 that immediately went on the 62 weeks, the next 00:23:40.670 --> 00:23:46.329 period of 434 years. And nothing is said to happen 00:23:46.329 --> 00:23:50.349 during that time and indeed, it is a silent time 00:23:50.349 --> 00:23:55.630 primarily in God's revelation. Bible students 00:23:55.630 --> 00:23:58.849 speak about the 400 silent years from the time 00:23:58.849 --> 00:24:03.430 that Malachi closed his book until John the Baptist 00:24:03.430 --> 00:24:05.309 appeared on the scene and began to prepare the 00:24:05.309 --> 00:24:11.049 way for the coming of the Messiah. So 434 years 00:24:11.049 --> 00:24:16.509 pass, it says here, until Messiah the Prince. 00:24:19.049 --> 00:24:22.650 Until Messiah the Prince. The language here is 00:24:22.650 --> 00:24:25.250 unmistakable. It refers to the coming of Jesus 00:24:25.250 --> 00:24:30.789 Christ. Daniel is told exactly when the Messiah 00:24:30.789 --> 00:24:35.089 would appear. Now Bible scholars have differed 00:24:35.089 --> 00:24:37.769 as to the beginning date, as I've said, and they 00:24:37.769 --> 00:24:41.150 differ as well as to the ending date. Does the 00:24:41.150 --> 00:24:43.690 coming of Messiah the Prince refer to his birth? 00:24:45.109 --> 00:24:49.539 Does it refer to his baptism? Does it refer to 00:24:49.539 --> 00:24:53.880 his triumphal entry? Personally, I'm undecided 00:24:53.880 --> 00:24:56.559 about that, and it's not that important to me 00:24:56.559 --> 00:25:00.000 to debate that and come to a conclusion. The 00:25:00.000 --> 00:25:02.900 point is that the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ 00:25:02.900 --> 00:25:10.819 came at the end of the 69th week after 483 years. 00:25:11.619 --> 00:25:13.640 You say, well that should be very easy to calculate. 00:25:13.700 --> 00:25:16.920 Well, it's not as easy as you think it is. because 00:25:16.920 --> 00:25:21.119 of the change there from BC to AD, because of 00:25:21.119 --> 00:25:24.980 uncertainty as to whether the 490 years are lunar 00:25:24.980 --> 00:25:27.779 years or solar years, and scholars debate that, 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:30.259 and there are other issues involved. So it's 00:25:30.259 --> 00:25:34.180 not as easy as you think, but the point is that 00:25:34.180 --> 00:25:38.279 in this year, and we're looking now at around 00:25:38.279 --> 00:25:45.900 537 BC, Daniel is given the time when Messiah 00:25:45.900 --> 00:25:49.779 would come. And, as I've already suggested, many 00:25:49.779 --> 00:25:55.339 Bible scholars believe that the 483rd year ended 00:25:55.339 --> 00:26:00.420 on Palm Sunday. On the Sunday that the Lord Jesus 00:26:00.420 --> 00:26:03.940 Christ came into Jerusalem, officially presenting 00:26:03.940 --> 00:26:07.119 Himself to be the King to the Jewish nation. 00:26:08.079 --> 00:26:11.019 And, of course, only a few days later He was 00:26:11.019 --> 00:26:14.259 killed. And in fact, Daniel is told that, for 00:26:14.259 --> 00:26:21.920 he says in verse 26, then after the 62 weeks 00:26:21.920 --> 00:26:27.759 plus the original seven, total of 69, the Messiah 00:26:27.759 --> 00:26:32.240 will be cut off and have nothing. That must have 00:26:32.240 --> 00:26:36.180 shocked Daniel. Surely it left him in mystery 00:26:36.180 --> 00:26:38.400 as to what that meant. We know now. We're on 00:26:38.400 --> 00:26:41.589 the other side of things. But what it meant was 00:26:41.589 --> 00:26:45.109 that after the 483 years had been fulfilled, 00:26:46.710 --> 00:26:49.170 from the time that the issue of the decree came 00:26:49.170 --> 00:26:55.730 forth to rebuild Jerusalem, after the 483 years 00:26:55.730 --> 00:26:58.109 had been fulfilled, Messiah would actually be 00:26:58.109 --> 00:27:00.769 executed as a criminal, which is what this verb 00:27:00.769 --> 00:27:05.269 suggests. He will be cut off and will have nothing. 00:27:06.549 --> 00:27:08.470 The point being that he would have nothing of 00:27:08.470 --> 00:27:12.619 his rights. nothing of the regal splendor that 00:27:12.619 --> 00:27:17.240 belongs to him as Messiah. It is John who gives 00:27:17.240 --> 00:27:20.079 us a brief commentary on this in his first chapter 00:27:20.079 --> 00:27:23.920 when he says he came unto his own and his own 00:27:23.920 --> 00:27:29.799 received him not cut off. He received nothing 00:27:29.799 --> 00:27:33.880 in his first coming that was due to him as the 00:27:33.880 --> 00:27:40.130 Messiah of the nation of Israel. The prophecy 00:27:40.130 --> 00:27:43.690 doesn't stop there. It goes on to say, and the 00:27:43.690 --> 00:27:49.450 people of the prince who is to come. Now the 00:27:49.450 --> 00:27:52.730 question is, who is this prince? Well, there 00:27:52.730 --> 00:27:56.130 are some people who relate it back to Messiah 00:27:56.130 --> 00:27:59.029 the prince in verse 25. However, I believe that's 00:27:59.029 --> 00:28:02.970 an incorrect interpretation. I believe the prince 00:28:02.970 --> 00:28:06.009 that is in view here is a different prince that 00:28:06.009 --> 00:28:09.549 has been introduced to us in Daniel before. It 00:28:09.549 --> 00:28:12.390 is that prince that is called the Little Horn, 00:28:13.250 --> 00:28:17.329 back in Daniel chapter 7. It is that prince that 00:28:17.329 --> 00:28:21.329 is yet to arise out of, as we have seen, the 00:28:21.329 --> 00:28:25.430 restored and revived Roman Empire, that individual 00:28:25.430 --> 00:28:27.769 that is called in the New Testament the Lawless 00:28:27.769 --> 00:28:32.490 One or the Antichrist. Now what Daniel is told 00:28:32.490 --> 00:28:37.089 here is that the people of that prince who is 00:28:37.089 --> 00:28:41.420 to come will do something. They will destroy 00:28:41.420 --> 00:28:46.119 the city and the sanctuary that has just been 00:28:46.119 --> 00:28:50.259 promised to them again in this prophecy. They 00:28:50.259 --> 00:28:52.420 will get it back and it will be taken away from 00:28:52.420 --> 00:28:57.059 them again by the people of the prince who is 00:28:57.059 --> 00:28:58.839 to come. Now who are those people? Well, it's 00:28:58.839 --> 00:29:01.819 the Roman people, the Roman Empire in the day 00:29:01.819 --> 00:29:07.339 of our Lord. original form, not as it will be 00:29:07.339 --> 00:29:10.819 reinstituted, but in its original form. Those 00:29:10.819 --> 00:29:14.180 people, Daniel is told, will destroy Jerusalem 00:29:14.180 --> 00:29:18.339 and its city. Did that happen? Exactly. It happened 00:29:18.339 --> 00:29:22.440 in 70 AD, when Titus, the general of the Roman 00:29:22.440 --> 00:29:27.019 army, came and besieged Jerusalem, and then ultimately 00:29:27.019 --> 00:29:31.059 destroyed the city, destroyed the temple, and 00:29:31.059 --> 00:29:33.400 never since that day have the Jewish people had 00:29:33.400 --> 00:29:37.579 a temple again. And so what Daniel was told in 00:29:37.579 --> 00:29:44.380 537 BC literally was fulfilled, the people, the 00:29:44.380 --> 00:29:47.660 Roman Empire, of that prince who is to come will 00:29:47.660 --> 00:29:50.440 destroy the city. And he goes on to say, its 00:29:50.440 --> 00:29:54.339 end will come with a flood, describing there 00:29:54.339 --> 00:29:58.039 the devastation, the ravages of the city of Jerusalem 00:29:58.039 --> 00:30:01.680 by the Roman army. Time doesn't allow us to recount 00:30:01.680 --> 00:30:05.559 the torture, the destruction. the ravishing of 00:30:05.559 --> 00:30:08.200 the city of Jerusalem when the Roman soldiers 00:30:08.200 --> 00:30:11.900 finally conquered it in 70 AD. Even to the end, 00:30:12.000 --> 00:30:14.759 there will be war, seeming to describe the struggle 00:30:14.759 --> 00:30:19.940 between the Jewish people and the Roman army, 00:30:20.180 --> 00:30:23.039 which dominated Palestine. And as you know, that 00:30:23.039 --> 00:30:25.440 was very strong, even in our Lord's ministry, 00:30:25.839 --> 00:30:28.440 for many of the Jews wanted him to rise up as 00:30:28.440 --> 00:30:33.000 Messiah to overthrow the Romans. But that wasn't 00:30:33.000 --> 00:30:35.400 God's plan. There was this struggle between the 00:30:35.400 --> 00:30:37.400 Jews and the Romans until finally the Romans 00:30:37.400 --> 00:30:42.259 crushed the nation in 70 AD. Desolations are 00:30:42.259 --> 00:30:46.859 determined. Then in verse 27, he goes further. 00:30:46.960 --> 00:30:53.000 He says, and he will make a firm covenant. And 00:30:53.000 --> 00:30:56.579 make that covenant with many for one week. Now 00:30:56.579 --> 00:30:58.640 if you've noticed, we have already described 00:30:58.640 --> 00:31:04.460 69 weeks out of the 70. 483 years out of the 00:31:04.460 --> 00:31:09.519 490 have already been fulfilled before the cutting 00:31:09.519 --> 00:31:13.599 off of Messiah. What Daniel did not understand 00:31:13.599 --> 00:31:15.619 and could not have understood is that there is 00:31:15.619 --> 00:31:19.519 a stop in God's clock between verses 26 and 27. 00:31:21.259 --> 00:31:24.380 The point I'm making is that the final week of 00:31:24.380 --> 00:31:27.440 years, the final period of seven years has not 00:31:27.440 --> 00:31:31.940 been fulfilled upon the Jewish people. God's 00:31:31.940 --> 00:31:37.619 clock has been holding at 483 years now for almost 00:31:37.619 --> 00:31:44.700 2 ,000 years. Seven years are yet to be fulfilled. 00:31:45.059 --> 00:31:49.940 What starts the clock again? What initiates the 00:31:49.940 --> 00:31:55.339 final week, he tells us, a covenant that someone 00:31:55.339 --> 00:31:58.799 will make with the many, referring to Daniel's 00:31:58.799 --> 00:32:02.539 people, the many of the Jews. The question is, 00:32:02.539 --> 00:32:04.519 who is making this covenant? Now there are some 00:32:04.519 --> 00:32:08.079 again, particularly all millenarians, theologians, 00:32:08.359 --> 00:32:13.960 who take this to refer to the Messiah, making 00:32:13.960 --> 00:32:16.420 the new covenant with the people of God. I disagree 00:32:16.420 --> 00:32:19.579 with that interpretation. I believe that he's 00:32:19.579 --> 00:32:23.779 talking here about the prince who is to come, 00:32:24.180 --> 00:32:28.039 that he's just talked about. That he, the antichrist, 00:32:28.250 --> 00:32:30.950 will make a firm covenant with the Jewish people 00:32:30.950 --> 00:32:34.809 for seven years. I believe that we can anticipate 00:32:34.809 --> 00:32:42.369 a future agreement, a peace treaty, an alliance, 00:32:42.650 --> 00:32:46.869 whatever you want to call it, between a strong 00:32:46.869 --> 00:32:53.430 European leader and the Jewish people. Now whether 00:32:53.430 --> 00:32:55.789 we will see that before the rapture of the church 00:32:55.789 --> 00:32:58.509 or not, I cannot give you a clear answer. I believe 00:32:58.509 --> 00:33:02.170 the answer is no. They may happen very closely 00:33:02.170 --> 00:33:05.650 together. We may see the beginning of it. But 00:33:05.650 --> 00:33:08.529 it seems as though this clock begins with the 00:33:08.529 --> 00:33:13.430 actual signing of that agreement. And if that's 00:33:13.430 --> 00:33:15.509 the case, then we will not actually see that 00:33:15.509 --> 00:33:17.569 signing because I believe the scripture teaches 00:33:17.569 --> 00:33:20.349 that the church will be taken out before the 00:33:20.349 --> 00:33:24.240 seven years begins. Now in that seven years, 00:33:24.240 --> 00:33:26.900 it says that in the middle of the week, he, the 00:33:26.900 --> 00:33:29.420 Antichrist, will put a stop to sacrifice and 00:33:29.420 --> 00:33:32.680 grain offerings. Now we understand the implication 00:33:32.680 --> 00:33:34.839 here that the Jewish people are going to rebuild 00:33:34.839 --> 00:33:38.880 a temple in Jerusalem. Now let me tell you, they 00:33:38.880 --> 00:33:42.420 would do it yesterday if it weren't for the fact 00:33:42.420 --> 00:33:46.000 that a Moslem mosque is in the place where they 00:33:46.000 --> 00:33:48.920 have to build that temple. And they have a little 00:33:48.920 --> 00:33:51.579 problem there. You understand the dynamics, of 00:33:51.579 --> 00:33:54.539 course. For if they send a bulldozer in to get 00:33:54.539 --> 00:33:56.380 rid of the mosque, they're going to be involved 00:33:56.380 --> 00:34:00.839 in a tremendous war with the Islamic powers of 00:34:00.839 --> 00:34:03.859 the Middle East. So how this is going to come 00:34:03.859 --> 00:34:06.500 to pass, I do not know. There are some people 00:34:06.500 --> 00:34:09.980 who suggest that perhaps they have mislocated 00:34:09.980 --> 00:34:12.460 the Temple Mount and that the temple actually 00:34:12.460 --> 00:34:15.480 should be constructed a slight distance from 00:34:15.480 --> 00:34:19.380 the mosque. Well if they decide that's the case, 00:34:19.440 --> 00:34:21.639 then the temple can go up very, very quickly. 00:34:21.869 --> 00:34:24.090 and the mosque can remain. Otherwise, the mosque 00:34:24.090 --> 00:34:28.369 is going to go some way, somehow, and that temple 00:34:28.369 --> 00:34:31.750 is going to go up. And there will be a reinstitution 00:34:31.750 --> 00:34:35.789 of the sacrifices of the Old Testament, probably 00:34:35.789 --> 00:34:39.869 by the Orthodox Jews. And the covenant will allow 00:34:39.869 --> 00:34:42.329 for that until the middle of the week when it 00:34:42.329 --> 00:34:44.710 says that Antichrist will put a stop to that. 00:34:44.929 --> 00:34:50.519 Why? Because he will want the Jewish people and 00:34:50.519 --> 00:34:52.519 all of the peoples of the world to accept Him 00:34:52.519 --> 00:34:56.280 as Messiah. Indeed, we read in the New Testament 00:34:56.280 --> 00:34:59.619 that He will establish an image there in Jerusalem, 00:35:01.000 --> 00:35:04.760 which He will demand that they worship instead 00:35:04.760 --> 00:35:09.900 of their God, the God of their fathers. And that 00:35:09.900 --> 00:35:12.159 is the reason for the breaking of the covenant. 00:35:12.260 --> 00:35:14.440 And He will change nature. Up to this point, 00:35:14.559 --> 00:35:18.360 this man will have been a prince of peace. He 00:35:18.360 --> 00:35:20.800 will make agreements and be very charismatic 00:35:20.800 --> 00:35:27.159 and very very powerful. At this point, however, 00:35:27.179 --> 00:35:30.239 he takes off his mask in the middle of this seven 00:35:30.239 --> 00:35:33.579 -year period and his true nature as a very wicked 00:35:33.579 --> 00:35:38.340 evil dictator will be exposed and he will begin 00:35:38.340 --> 00:35:42.300 to oppress the Jewish people. He again will make 00:35:42.300 --> 00:35:46.719 desolate. He will come, it says, with the wing 00:35:46.719 --> 00:35:50.440 of abominations. The actual language there seems 00:35:50.440 --> 00:35:53.559 to suggest an over -spreading of abominations 00:35:53.559 --> 00:35:57.059 and desolations which will be geared primarily 00:35:57.059 --> 00:36:00.079 toward the Jewish nation. He will be tremendously 00:36:00.079 --> 00:36:05.059 anti -Semitic. He will pick up where Hitler left 00:36:05.059 --> 00:36:08.019 off and make Hitler look like he was playing 00:36:08.019 --> 00:36:11.079 games. He will be that kind of an individual. 00:36:12.349 --> 00:36:17.090 But it goes on to say that eventually he himself 00:36:17.090 --> 00:36:21.309 will be judged and destroyed by God. We don't 00:36:21.309 --> 00:36:23.610 have time to look into the New Testament regarding 00:36:23.610 --> 00:36:25.289 that, but the New Testament gives us a great 00:36:25.289 --> 00:36:27.809 deal more information regarding how that will 00:36:27.809 --> 00:36:31.610 come to pass. Every time that Antichrist is mentioned 00:36:31.610 --> 00:36:35.650 in the Bible, his destruction is also mentioned. 00:36:36.670 --> 00:36:39.690 He is a man who will be very powerful for a while. 00:36:40.090 --> 00:36:44.590 and then he himself will be destroyed. And so 00:36:44.590 --> 00:36:49.869 that consummates the 490 years. It is a yet future 00:36:49.869 --> 00:36:53.030 period of seven years that must be fulfilled 00:36:53.030 --> 00:36:57.429 and then will come about the kingdom of righteousness 00:36:57.429 --> 00:37:01.119 when Jesus Christ will reign on the earth. And 00:37:01.119 --> 00:37:04.880 then all of the vision and prophecies regarding 00:37:04.880 --> 00:37:08.139 the Jewish people will be fulfilled. And then 00:37:08.139 --> 00:37:13.579 the most holy place, a temple that will be constructed 00:37:13.579 --> 00:37:16.460 for the millennial reign of Christ, described 00:37:16.460 --> 00:37:19.139 in the last part of the book of Ezekiel, will 00:37:19.139 --> 00:37:22.980 be anointed by God and the sacrifices will be 00:37:22.980 --> 00:37:26.699 instituted again as memorials looking back to 00:37:26.699 --> 00:37:31.789 the coming of Christ. Now, we have quite a panoramic 00:37:31.789 --> 00:37:35.030 view for the Jewish nation. I hope that this 00:37:35.030 --> 00:37:37.869 key this morning will give you more than knowledge, 00:37:37.909 --> 00:37:43.829 however. I hope it will give you assurance. In 00:37:43.829 --> 00:37:49.630 the first place, we can be assured that the future 00:37:49.630 --> 00:37:52.230 rests in the hands of a God who is sovereign. 00:37:53.309 --> 00:37:58.550 As he has worked in the past, so he is at work 00:37:58.550 --> 00:38:03.769 today and he will be working in the future. I 00:38:03.769 --> 00:38:06.210 was talking with someone yesterday about current 00:38:06.210 --> 00:38:09.309 events and he said these are frightening times 00:38:09.309 --> 00:38:12.190 in which we live and indeed that is true but 00:38:12.190 --> 00:38:14.389 the fact that we know the last chapter of the 00:38:14.389 --> 00:38:19.929 book eases the fright because God is in control, 00:38:20.010 --> 00:38:22.469 God is sovereign and we can be assured that the 00:38:22.469 --> 00:38:26.679 future rests in the hands of a God who is absolutely 00:38:26.679 --> 00:38:31.519 sovereign in the history of the world. The things 00:38:31.519 --> 00:38:33.960 that have been prophesied in this book will come 00:38:33.960 --> 00:38:39.320 to pass. Now, friend, if God is sovereign in 00:38:39.320 --> 00:38:42.719 the history of the world, he is sovereign in 00:38:42.719 --> 00:38:47.099 your life too. And you may today be faced with 00:38:47.099 --> 00:38:50.719 some uncertainties, some question marks about 00:38:50.719 --> 00:38:55.969 your future. Let me just give you some cause 00:38:55.969 --> 00:39:00.590 for rest God is sovereign in your future, too 00:39:00.590 --> 00:39:06.030 Let him have his way in your life and lead you 00:39:06.030 --> 00:39:09.170 Let him guide you let him open the doors let 00:39:09.170 --> 00:39:12.289 him close the doors Let him develop you grow 00:39:12.289 --> 00:39:14.969 you and make you the person the man the woman 00:39:14.969 --> 00:39:21.559 that he has created you to be A second assurance 00:39:21.559 --> 00:39:23.599 that I want to point to is this, that we can 00:39:23.599 --> 00:39:25.639 be assured that our prayers come to the ears 00:39:25.639 --> 00:39:29.780 of a God who is faithful. Daniel cried out to 00:39:29.780 --> 00:39:32.760 God, praying earnestly, intensely, fervently, 00:39:32.760 --> 00:39:36.719 as we saw last week, and God heard. And I like 00:39:36.719 --> 00:39:38.920 what Gabriel said, Daniel, from the very first 00:39:38.920 --> 00:39:44.900 you began speaking, God sent me. When you and 00:39:44.900 --> 00:39:47.320 I pray, our prayers come to the ears of a God 00:39:47.320 --> 00:39:50.900 who is faithful, who hears us as we pray. Now, 00:39:50.900 --> 00:39:54.099 sometimes God in His faithfulness does not answer 00:39:54.099 --> 00:39:58.019 our prayers because we've asked to miss. Because 00:39:58.019 --> 00:40:00.159 God is faithful, He will not pray prayers that 00:40:00.159 --> 00:40:05.280 are prayed wrongly. Sometimes because God is 00:40:05.280 --> 00:40:09.719 faithful, He will redirect our requests and reshape 00:40:09.719 --> 00:40:12.480 them and bring an answer that we hadn't really 00:40:12.480 --> 00:40:15.969 anticipated. He did that with Daniel. Daniel 00:40:15.969 --> 00:40:18.929 didn't ask for this vision, this key to Israel's 00:40:18.929 --> 00:40:21.449 future. He was simply praying for Israel to be 00:40:21.449 --> 00:40:23.170 restored. God said, no, here's how I'm going 00:40:23.170 --> 00:40:29.550 to answer you. But the fact is that when we pray, 00:40:30.809 --> 00:40:34.269 we are addressing a God who is faithful. And 00:40:34.269 --> 00:40:37.429 we can know that He will respond in some way 00:40:37.429 --> 00:40:42.030 and respond immediately. And a third assurance 00:40:42.030 --> 00:40:45.719 is a very wonderful one. we can be assured that 00:40:45.719 --> 00:40:48.519 our soul needs are known to the heart of a God 00:40:48.519 --> 00:40:52.320 who is loving. Because you see, God was not simply 00:40:52.320 --> 00:40:56.340 showing us in what he's done that he could predict 00:40:56.340 --> 00:41:02.480 and then fulfill the future. What God orchestrated 00:41:02.480 --> 00:41:09.059 in human history was specifically geared to provide 00:41:09.059 --> 00:41:14.690 a savior for humanity. through the cross of the 00:41:14.690 --> 00:41:18.190 Lord Jesus Christ. That's what God was about 00:41:18.190 --> 00:41:22.190 in saying 483 years, then Messiah will be cut 00:41:22.190 --> 00:41:25.630 off. You see, that's the real heart of it. That's 00:41:25.630 --> 00:41:29.289 the heart of God. It's a heart of love. God provided 00:41:29.289 --> 00:41:34.530 a Savior for you and for me. So that we might 00:41:34.530 --> 00:41:37.889 be delivered from our sins. So that our sins, 00:41:37.989 --> 00:41:41.980 our personal sins might be removed. And so that 00:41:41.980 --> 00:41:45.039 we might receive from God the gift of righteousness, 00:41:45.760 --> 00:41:50.420 so that as He sees us, He sees us not as sinners, 00:41:50.519 --> 00:41:54.599 but as saints. And He receives us even as He 00:41:54.599 --> 00:42:00.840 receives His own Son, Jesus Christ. This last 00:42:00.840 --> 00:42:03.079 week we will remind you again of a decision that 00:42:03.079 --> 00:42:09.289 a father and mother made to have a child. They 00:42:09.289 --> 00:42:11.329 decided to have the child despite the fact that 00:42:11.329 --> 00:42:15.909 they are in their mid -forties and knowing the 00:42:15.909 --> 00:42:18.110 risks that are involved having a child at that 00:42:18.110 --> 00:42:21.190 age. They had a particular reason for this. You 00:42:21.190 --> 00:42:24.730 see, their teenage daughter is dying of leukemia. 00:42:27.909 --> 00:42:30.449 The doctors desired to do a bone marrow transplant 00:42:30.449 --> 00:42:33.010 to try to save her life, but no suitable donor 00:42:33.010 --> 00:42:36.150 could be found, and so the parents decided to 00:42:36.150 --> 00:42:40.230 take a chance. to have a child, hoping that the 00:42:40.230 --> 00:42:44.030 bone marrow of the child would match the sister 00:42:44.030 --> 00:42:48.630 and provide for the sister an opportunity to 00:42:48.630 --> 00:42:52.949 live. This last week the baby was born. Born 00:42:52.949 --> 00:42:56.050 to provide extended life, hopefully, for the 00:42:56.050 --> 00:43:00.349 sister. Now we know that there are some ethical 00:43:00.349 --> 00:43:04.099 questions involved in this kind of thing. Not 00:43:04.099 --> 00:43:07.820 so much from exactly what they did as the ramifications 00:43:07.820 --> 00:43:11.880 of that in our society. But I think that there's 00:43:11.880 --> 00:43:14.159 something of a parallel in what happened in that 00:43:14.159 --> 00:43:17.800 family to what God did. It is not unlike what 00:43:17.800 --> 00:43:22.099 God did in sending His Son. For God caused a 00:43:22.099 --> 00:43:29.159 virgin, Mary, to be with child. And the only 00:43:29.159 --> 00:43:34.099 purpose for that child being born Was that he 00:43:34.099 --> 00:43:39.139 might be sacrificed and die When he was given 00:43:39.139 --> 00:43:45.579 his name by the angel Gabriel Gabriel said call 00:43:45.579 --> 00:43:49.559 him Jesus for he will save his people from their 00:43:49.559 --> 00:43:58.000 sins You see God our Heavenly Father Sent his 00:43:58.000 --> 00:44:02.480 son into the world to be born as a man that he 00:44:02.480 --> 00:44:06.579 might be sacrificed for your sin and for mine. 00:44:06.800 --> 00:44:10.440 What a wonderful truth. And it's a truth that 00:44:10.440 --> 00:44:12.400 I hope you not only know intellectually, but 00:44:12.400 --> 00:44:15.320 it's a truth that I hope you have trusted and 00:44:15.320 --> 00:44:18.280 believed upon in your heart for the saving of 00:44:18.280 --> 00:44:25.400 your soul. The God of glory himself became the 00:44:25.400 --> 00:44:33.019 sacrificial lamb of glory. Praise his name. Let's 00:44:33.019 --> 00:44:37.360 pray. Father, we thank you that we can be assured 00:44:37.360 --> 00:44:42.980 today that you live and that you reign. That 00:44:42.980 --> 00:44:46.940 you reign over the heavens and the earth. Oh, 00:44:47.019 --> 00:44:52.079 that you would reign likewise in our hearts. 00:44:55.219 --> 00:44:57.519 Dear friend, listening to me right now, does 00:44:57.519 --> 00:45:02.880 this God reign in your heart? Have you trusted 00:45:02.880 --> 00:45:06.500 Him as your Savior, as God who is sovereign, 00:45:06.679 --> 00:45:10.699 who is faithful, and who loves you so desperately 00:45:10.699 --> 00:45:19.900 that He sent a baby, His son, to eventually go 00:45:19.900 --> 00:45:29.320 to the cross for you to be your sacrifice? And 00:45:29.320 --> 00:45:31.989 child of God, you who have trusted the Savior. 00:45:33.030 --> 00:45:36.210 Does God reign in your life today? Is this Lamb 00:45:36.210 --> 00:45:40.590 of glory the risen King who reigns on the throne 00:45:40.590 --> 00:45:44.349 of your life? Oh, may it be so. May it be so 00:45:44.349 --> 00:45:48.289 today. In Jesus' name, amen.