Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Sermon Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/Sermons/zz20110313.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Daniel: Hope And Direction In A Troublesome World
H. Detailing Daniel 2: God's Use Of Evil Rulers To Purify His People
3. God's Edifying Timeline Of Using Evil Rulers To Purify His People
(Daniel 9:1-27)
    Introduction: (To show the need . . . )

    The world's growing unrest and the claim by some that the Church will face the antichrist creates insecurity and anxiety for many:

    (1) The March 7, 2011 nationwide paper USA TODAY, p. 9A ran David P. Gushee's story, "The danger of a Muslim witch hunt" to report how Representative Pete King, Republican from New York and Chairman of the House Homeland Security Committee, is convening hearings on "al-Qaeda's coordinated radicalization and recruitment of people within the American Muslim community.'"

    Though the article called for Representative King to lessen his highlighting Muslim terrorism, it acknowledged that "161 American Muslims have been publicly accused of planning or carrying out terror attacks. Eleven succeeded, killing 33 people." (Ibid.) He admitted that "a Saudi student named Khalid Ali-M Aldawsari has been charged with plotting terrorist attacks" with one of "(h)is alleged targets" being "the home of former president George W. Bush." (Ibid.) The article conceded a "steady drumbeat of sensational plots has had its impact on American public opinion. It's not just about 9/11 anymore." (Ibid.)

    (2) The civil unrest in Libya had even the oil producing nations so concerned about the way peaking oil prices could derail the world's economies, they were planning to increase oil production 300,000 more barrels per day according to one news report last Tuesday!

    (3) With such uneasiness, many Christians hold an Amillennial view that claims the Church will experience the Great Tribulation with its worldwide turmoil and suffering! This is seen in a current Christian book catalogue where author, John Hagee who authored, Can America Survive? has a promotional ad claiming "events could spiral out of control and lead to Armageddon by 2012."

    Another book ad laments the need to sort "through hundreds of constantly changing prophecies, predictions, books, and theories".

    Another book advertised there was written by Mark Hitchcock and is titled, 2012, the Bible, and the End of the World!

    (4) Last week's powerful earthquake off the coast of Japan and its subsequent Pacific Ocean tsunami has led many to wonder once again about the end time worldwide devastation predicted in Scripture!

    Accordingly, we ask, "In view of the world's unrest and the claim by many that the Church will face the Great Tribulation, does Scripture offer edifying insight and direction?!"

    Need: "With the world's unrest and the fear by some that Christians will experience the Great Tribulation period, what does God direct?"

  1. The Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy that the angel Gabriel gave Daniel was given DUE to GOD'S GREAT LOVE for Daniel, Daniel 9:23.
  2. This occurred to honor Daniel's obedience to God, Daniel 9:1-23:
    1. Daniel had read in Jeremiah 25:11-12 that God would restore Israel from the Babylonian Captivity after 70 years of bondage, Daniel 9:2.
    2. He read this in the first year of Darius, in 538 B. C., or 67 years after Daniel had been taken to Babylon, so he knew Israel was soon set to be back in her land, Ryrie Study Bible, KJV , 1978, ftn. to Daniel 9:1.
    3. Knowing Deuteronomy 30:1-3 told Israel truly to repent for blessing, Daniel poured out the Daniel 9:3-19 confession to God as an old man ardent to return to the land from which he had been taken at age 17!
    4. God had thus sent the angel Gabriel to Daniel the instant he had begun to pray to give him insight into the timeline God had for establishing the Messianic Kingdom in righteousness, Daniel 9:20-23a.
    5. This data was given in divine love as Daniel was "a precious treasure" (hamudot) in God's eyes, Dan. 9:23b; B. D. B., H. E. L. O. T. , p. 326.
  3. Daniel 9:24-27 thus aligns with the Pretribulational, Premillennial view versus Amillennialism in line with God's love for believers:
    1. The Amillennial view makes the 70th prophetic "week" of Daniel 9:27 Christ's First Advent so that the six actions in Daniel 9:24 are fulfilled in the Church age today, Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1364.
    2. However, the antichrist persecutes believers then (Daniel 9:27; Rev. 13:7), so Amillennialism puts the Church in the Great Tribulation!
    3. If this were so, God would UNJUSTLY punish true believers along with the lost world in the Great Tribulation for rejecting CHRIST , a sin no true Christian commits, cf. 2 Thessalonians 2:8-12!
    4. Conversely, God is righteous, so Daniel 9:24-27 prediction given in LOVE must offer a timeline that shows God is righteous and loving!
  4. Wonderfully, Daniel 9:24-27 viewed LITERALLY offers a timeline reflecting the PREMILLENNIAL, PRETRIBULATIONAL view in line with God's RIGHTEOUS LOVE for TRUE BELIEVERS:
    1. Gabriel said the Kingdom would come in 70 "weeks", Dan. 9:24 KJV.
    2. The KJV word "weeks" is better translated as "sevens" (Ibid., B. K. C., O. T., 1360), and in the context of Israel's being judged to be in Babylon for 70 years, one year for each of the 7-year land sabbaths she had failed to heed during 490 years in the land (Dan. 9:2; 2 Chron. 36:21) in fulfillment of Leviticus 27:33-35, the "70 weeks" of Daniel 9:27-27 are "weeks" of years, or ANOTHER 490 YEARS of history!
    3. This history relates to Daniel's people (Daniel 9:24), to Israel, so Daniel 9:24-27 gives God's timeline for His work with ISRAEL until God ushers in her long-awaited Messianic KINGDOM!
    4. Thus, starting with Artaxerxes Longimanus' 444 B. C. edict to restore and build Jerusalem to Messiah would be 7 "weeks" and 62 "weeks", Dan. 9:25. History shows this meant 49 Jewish years (of 360 days each) for the city to be fully rebuilt, and 434 more Jewish years to Christ. (Hoehner, Chron. Aspects of the Life of Christ , 1979, p. 137)
    5. Messiah was thus officially to come to Jerusalem on March 30, A. D. 33, the day of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem! (Ibid., p. 139)
    6. Then, "after" the 62nd "week", that is, after 49 years (the 7 "weeks") plus an additional 434 years (the 62 "weeks"), after Christ's triumphal entry on March 30, A. D. 33, Messiah would be "cut off", a term used for the execution of a criminal (the cross, Ibid., Bible Know. Com., O. T., p. 1364), and He would "have nothing," or not then offer His Messianic kingdom to Israel, Daniel 9:26a, Ibid.
    7. There is thus an interval of time between Christ's March 30, A. D. 33 triumphal entry and the start of the "70th week", the last 7 years of God's work with Israel before the Kingdom -- the Church age!
    8. In this Church age interval, Daniel 9:26b predicted the Romans from whom Antichrist eventually will arise would destroy Jerusalem and its temple, and this occurred in 70 A. D. Then, from 70 A. D. to the 70th "week", Jerusalem would experience war and desolations, Dan. 9:26c.
    9. The last, 70th prophetic "week" of God's work with Israel before the Kingdom is the 7-year Great Tribulation when antichrist rules after the true Church is raptured (2 Thess. 2:13-14) in escaping the Great Tribulation judgment on an unbelieving world! (Dan. 9:27)
    10. The antichrist will make a 7-year treaty with Israel only to break it in the midst of the Tribulation 3 years later and persecute Israel. Yet, this will purify Israel in readiness for the Kingdom, Dan. 9:27; 12:1-3.
Application: (1) May we trust in Christ to be a child of God, John 1:11-12. (2) Then, may we live godly lives, anticipating our righteous and loving God's Pretribulation Rapture and work for His Kingdom.

Conclusion: (To illustrate the message . . . )

 This sermon message comes from a straightforward, literal interpretation of Daniel 9:1-27, one that leaves us with the settling, encouraging, directing Pretribulational, Premillennial view of history.

However, the literal handling of Scripture is often not only not used, but opposed by even religious authorities.

Henry G. Brinton, pastor of the Fairfax Presbyterian Church in Virginia, wrote in his article, "When the Bible becomes a weapon" in the February 28, 2011 issue of USA TODAY, p. 9A opposing the literal use of the Bible on some issues! He charged: "Are we on God's side? We will not be able to answer this question by assuming that the Bible is going to give us clear guidance on every moral and political issue." He asked: "Are we allowing a literal reading of the Bible -- which understands homosexual activity to be an abomination, encourages humans to subdue the earth and says man should not kill -- to push religious discussions in one's favored direction?"

Conversely, denying the Bible's literal interpretation on such "politically correct" issues only backs the critic into a corner: Brinton later in this same article hailed the Bible's "values of faithfulness, love, sacrifice and promise-based commitment", but if he rejects the literal interpretation on "politically correct" issues, he has no basis for adopting these values that are literally given elsewhere in Scripture!

Rather, viewing the Bible in a consistently literal way only supports our faith! For example, we found the literal interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27 leads us to the presentation of Messiah Jesus on March 30, A. D. 33. Well, according to Herman H. Goldstine's secular work, New and Full Moons 1001 B. C. To A. D. 1651 (1973), there was a full moon on April 3, A. D. 33, the day Jesus was crucified, at Passover in the middle of the Hebrew month when there is supposed to be a full moon, Ibid., Hoehner, p. 89, 143! Thus, even the secular world's calculations of lunar syzygies exactly fit the timeline produced by interpreting Daniel 9:24-27 literally to arrive at Jesus as the Messiah in support of our Christian faith!



In the end, it is the CONSISTENTLY LITERAL handling of the Bible that SALVAGES our whole belief system, values and all!

May we HEED the Bible to KNOW and ENJOY God and His rich blessing in our era of spiritual blindness and insecurity!