DANIEL’S PROPHECY OF 70 WEEKS AND THE COVENANT – PART IV

Previous postings

http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/may2006/ear515.htm PART I

http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/may2006/ear516.htm PART II

http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/may2006/ear517.htm PART III

The fulfilment of the Prophecy in Daniel 9:24

According to the angel Gabriel, Seventy weeks of years had been set aside, to accomplish the Messiah’s salvation –

The prophetic answer given by Gabriel, relates to Daniel’s two prayerful concerns –

1) His own sin and the sin of his people Israel.

2) The state of the holy mountain of God – i.e. The Temple.

As I have pointed out in PART III, the resolution of these two problems were inextricably linked because of the prophecy of Malachi 3:1 “Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me; and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even the messenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in; behold, he shall come, saith the LORD of hosts.”

For the Messiah to come there had to be a Temple in existence. Various scriptures portray quite clearly that the requirements listed in Daniel 9:24, were accomplished by Jesus during his tenure on earth. They are listed below and colour coding might help to identify the scriptures showing their fulfilment.

Daniel 9:24 -

“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.”

Hebrews 2:17 “Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.”

Hebrews 9:13-16 “For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God? And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance. For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.”

Hebrews 9:24-26 “For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us; Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others; For then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world; but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.”

Hebrews 9:28 “So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation.”

Hebrews 10:12 “But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God;”

2 Cor. 5:18-19 “And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation.”

Luke 24:44 And he said unto them, These are the words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.

The 70 Weeks prophecy makes it clear that after 7 + 62 weeks of years had passed, Messiah would come; to fulfil the last “week” of Daniel’s prophecy, i.e. the 6-fold Purpose outlined above. To accomplish this, a 2^nd Jewish Temple had to be built on the Holy Mountain

This “salvation” was to be accomplished by the expected prophet “like Moses” described in Deuteronomy 18:18. “I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren, like unto thee, and will put my words in his mouth; and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him.”

Verse 19 which follows, gives a warning that those who ignore his words will be called to account by God. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.”

We therefore have an early warning to the People of Israel, that this prophet will be vindicated by God himself. This is an early prophecy about the Messiah – the anointed one of Israel.

By the time of Jesus, the simple Temple constructed by Ezra and the remnant who returned from the 70 year captivity had been embellished and built by King Herod, into a “fabulous” edifice. (Compare Matt.24:1-2, Mark 13:1-2, Luke 21:5). Because they had rejected their Messiah, Jesus predicted that it would be destroyed within a generation, and that even the great stones would be torn apart. This was fulfilled literally in 70 A.D.

In the Old Testament Age, the Holy of Holies in the Temple in Jerusalem was the “dwelling place” for the Ark of the Covenant where the Shekinah glory of God dwelt between the cherubim.

After Jesus death, his Holy Spirit was released and found a new “dwelling place” in the “body of Christ” i.e. the members of His Body – the true spiritual Church. The old pattern and edifice was done away with. There is no earthly temple in which to seek God – He is to be found only through Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 10:20-22 “Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. By a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh; And having an high priest over the house of God; Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies wash with pure water.”

2 Cor. 5: 17-21 “Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature; old things are passed away; behold all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us, we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.”

As Jesus said in John 17:4 “I have glorified thee on the earth; I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do.” On the cross He said – “It is finished; and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.” John 19:30.

There are many other verses that one could bring to bear on the 6-fold purpose of the Messiah’s Salvation, but the ones mentioned will be sufficient.

In the next PART V, I will look at the “time-frame” of this prophecy.

The final PART VI will deal with the “Covenant” in Daniel 9 verse 27.