PROPHECY SECTION EDITED BY CHARLES L. FEINBERG, Th.D., Ph.D. DIRECTOR, TALBOT THEOLOGICAL SEMINARY
nations (Colossians 1:20). In the year that our Lord died the high priest “ prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad” (John 11:51,52). We are familiar enough with the meaning of the second part of this proph ecy which concerns ourselves, but Gabriel was emphasiz ing to Daniel the first part, that Jesus should die for that nation. During this present age, there are instant and complete pardon and forgiveness of sin available for Jews as well as Gentiles. There is no respect of persons with God. The glorious Gospel of Christ is “ the power of God unto sal vation to everyone that believeth, to the Jew first and also to the Greek” (Romans 1:16). However, when the church is completed at the conclusion of this age, and Israel goes through her time of special trouble, the sur viving remnant of that unhappy people shall be saved. Among the many prophets who write of these things is Zechariah, and he includes this comforting promise: “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of sup plications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one moumeth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him as one that is in bitterness, for his firstborn. . . . In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness (Zechariah 12:10-13:1). Paul spoke of that future time of Israel’s reconciliation and connected it with the coming of the Deliverer who is Christ. “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodli ness from Jacob” (Romans 11:26). This awaits the second coming of our Lord. 4. And to bring in everlasting righteousness. This too is the subject of Old Testament prophecy in relation to Daniel’s people Israel. “Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more” (Jeremiah 31:31- 34). It is true that Christ shed the blood of this everlasting covenant at His first coming. It is also true that the church of Christ already enjoys all the spiritual benefits of this covenant. Nevertheless, the house of Israel with the house of Judah have not yet entered into that cove nant, but they most certainly will when their Messiah returns. To this the Old Testament prophets give unani mous witness. Moses speaks of it in his farewell address:
“And the LORD thy God will circumcise thine heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live” (Deuteronomy 30:6). This is to occur after their world-wide dispersion among the Gentiles, and after their restoration to their own land. Isaiah likewise speaks of that future righteousness of God’s ancient people: “And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin: And I will restore thy judges as at the first, and thy counsellors as at the beginning: afterward thou shalt be called The city of righteousness, the faithful city” (Isaiah 1:25,26). That all this has had no fulfill ment in Israel in the past is simply undeniable. All looks forward to that coming age which Paul calls “ the dis pensation of the fullness of times” (Ephesians 1:10) when the King of Glory shall reign in righteousness over the whole earth. 5. And to seal up the vision and prophecy. Because the vision and prophecy covering God’s earthly people shall have been fulfilled and demonstrated, there will be com plete vindication of the truth of God’s Word. 6. And to anoint the Most Holy. The language of this last phrase is such that it could refer to the anointing of a person or a place. In the first case it would refer to the anointing of Christ. However, many competent scholars translate this phrase, “and to anoint the Holy of Holies” or “ the Most Holy Place.” In this case the reference would be to the anointing of that millennial temple which is yet to be built in Jerusalem and which is de scribed by Ezekiel. The above six-fold consummation clearly demonstrates that the seventy weeks determined upon Israel and Jeru salem carry us up to the second coming of Messiah and the inauguration of His millennial reign. Our question, then, about the seventieth week of Daniel being future has been abundantly answered. However, there is much more evidence in the verses to follow. As verse 24 gives us the termination of the seventy weeks, the next verse will give us the exact starting point. Verse 25. “Know, therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto 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.” Since the command to restore and to build Jerusalem constitutes the starting point of this important time prophecy, we may expect to find not only the command but also its accurate date included somewhere in the Bible. We shall not be disappointed. At least three dif ferent royal decrees were given concerning restoration in Jerusalem. Two of them (Ezra 1 and 7) related to re building the temple; only one command is recorded that relates to rebuilding the city itself. We find that in Nehemiah 2:1-8. The command is carefully dated not only as to the year but also to the month. Neither need we be surprised that in the marvelous providence of God this twentieth year of Artaxerxes the King, in the month of Nisan, is one of the best established dates in ancient history, viz., March 14, 445 B.C. The late Sir Robert Anderson in his great book, The Coming Prince, demon- CONTINUED ON NEXT PAGE ^
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