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BACK TO: INDEX OF BIBLE
NOTES With slow Internet Speed, this page may take a minute to load Unfortunately,
there is much confusion with respect to the second coming of the Lord
Jesus Christ for His saints. A
misunderstanding of the Lord’s words in the three gospels, Matthew,
Mark, and Luke brings about this confusion.
"Rightly dividing the Word of Truth" is required to
understand just what He said and the chronology of those events mentioned.
A study of these passages show that there are six events or periods
mentioned, and after the Lord describes the sixth He returns to a period
between the first and third event. Let
us now look at the Lord's words in the three gospels.
We will note that there are some things omitted from one gospel and
added to others. It is
therefore necessary to look at all three gospels concurrently. First,
we list the eight events or periods mentioned: 1.
The
destruction of the temple in AD 70 2.
Many
false Christs who deceive 3.
Wars
and rumours of wars 4.
The
coming for His saints 5.
The
beginning of sorrows 6.
The
time of Jacob's trouble a seven-year period 7.
Three
and a half years into Jacob's trouble, the abomination of desolation 8.
The
Lord's return to Jerusalem with His saints, and seen by every eye. Please
note that the fourth event takes place between the third and fifth period
mentioned above. This is the
coming of the Lord in the air for His saints, commonly called the
“rapture”. In order to
study the six events above we will need to look at the verses describing
each event, where applicable, and note the similarities and differences. The
Disciple's View of the Temple This
conversation takes place, as the Lord and His disciples leave the temple,
and is found in all three gospels. Matthew
24:1 After
leaving the temple, the disciples came to the Lord with the purpose of
pointing out the whole system of buildings, which made up the temple.
Matthew notes this conversation in a general sort of way. Mark
13:1 Mark
gives us a little more information than that given by Matthew.
Here one of the disciples spoke to the Lord and said, "See
what stones and what buildings".
It was, no doubt, a statement of pride in the building.
The Greek words used indicate that this disciple was proud of the
place of worship, and that he was proud to be a Jew with God's dwelling
place in Jerusalem. Luke
21:5 The
disciples in Mark’s gospel obviously commenced a conversation about the
value of the costly stones in the temple in monetary terms, but the Lord,
when He spoke, referred to the actual stones of which the Temple was made.
He was saying that the time would come when every stone of the
building would be removed and not a sign of the building would be left.
He gave an account of the state of the world at His return for His
saints immediately after saying that the Temple would be destroyed.
He had to say to the Jews, "your house is left unto you
desolate", and soon in addition, the veil would be rent from top to
bottom by the hand of God. His
death, burial, and resurrection were to begin a new and living way for
believers to enter into the very presence of God.
Each believer was to be a holy and royal priest.
At this time, His disciples were not prepared for such momentous
news. THE
DISCIPLE'S CURIOSITY Naturally,
the Lord's words left many unanswered questions, and the scene now moves
to the Mount of Olives. Matthew
24:3 After
leaving the temple, the group went to the Mount of Olives where the
disciples asked three questions.
1. When will the
temple be destroyed?
2. What are the
signs of Thy coming?
3. What are the
signs of the end of the age? 1 It
seems from these questions that they expected something like this to
happen when He came as their Messiah and deliverer, and their curiosity
was aroused. Their hope was
that the Messiah would come right then.
The word for end was (sunteleia) "the bringing to completion
of the various parts of a scheme" W.E.Vine, hence the end of the age. Mark
13:3-4 Peter,
James, and Andrew ask two of the questions mentioned in Matthew here.
"Tell us, when shall these things be?
And what shall be the signs when all these things shall be
fulfilled?" This also
indicated their curiosity, and the their hope that the Messiah would come
soon. Luke
21:7 The
same questions are asked here as in Mark, and no further light is shed on
this part of the conversation. Daniel's
Prophecy Had
the disciples been familiar with the book of Daniel particularly
Dan.9:24-27, they could have known the time of His ride into Jerusalem on
the colt of an ass. They
could have known that His death, and the destruction of the temple would
follow soon after. They could
have assumed that the Romans would destroy the temple.
In any case, it is obvious that they were not familiar with this
prophecy, nor does the Lord refer directly to it. Summary It
seems that the disciples had no real idea what was about to happen very
soon. They could not, at this
particular stage, believe that the Lord would be crucified.
No doubt, it is with great love and compassion that the Lord begins
to relate to them future events thus preparing them for His departure to
go to His Father. He knows of
their coming grief, and they would remember these words of comfort. They
would lose the bodily presence of their Lord, and yet they could not
understand the role of another Comforter who would draw beside them, and
carry them through their most difficult times.
He would also endue them with power from on high. THE
SECOND EVENT - THE LORD'S WARNING False
Christs Immediately
after prophesying the destruction of the temple, the Lord gives a special
warning in all three gospel’s accounts. Matthew
24:4-5 - Mark 13:5-6 - Luke 21:8 All
three gospels note three things in the warning:
1. There will be
many deceivers
2. They shall
say I am Christ
3. They are not
to be followed. It
seems the nearer the date of the Lord's coming the more false Christs
operate. It is evident that
they must be very persuasive otherwise; a warning would not have been give
not to follow them. For the
believer who is a child of the day, however, it should be easy to
understand the three points above, and to recognise error. The
Lord will not come to the earth again unless every eye shall see Him when
He will come in great power and glory.
Even though it is not possible for the false Christs to emulate the
power or glory with all the attendant signs, they nevertheless build up
bands of followers. The
terrible truth is that men love darkness rather than light because their
deeds are evil. Luke
adds another important piece of information, "and the time draweth
nigh". What we can
conclude from this is that as things in the world become more and more
trying these false Christs are saying that deliverance is near.
To the unsaved hearer it may seem to be a way out of difficulty.
It may well be that the message is primarily to the Jew who may
well be in dire straits. Go
not after them! This
phenomenon occurs just before the third period, which is "wars and
rumours of wars". 2 THE
THIRD EVENT WARS AND RUMOURS OF WARS As
always, every word in scripture is important and cannot be overlooked.
This is so in the passages dealing with "wars and rumours of
wars". Matthew
24:6 - Mark 13:7 - Luke 21:9These three verses have three things in
common:
1. They would
hear of wars and rumours of wars
2. They were not
to be disturbed
3. The end was
not yet. We
know from history that since 1948 when the state of Israel came into
existence their Arab neighbours have tried to annihilate them, and so far
have been unsuccessful. We
should also note that there has been neighbouring wars over the ensuing 45
years in Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Lebanon, Syria, and Egypt. Are
these the wars and rumours of wars? Let
the reader decide as we proceed. Whether
they are or whether they are not, one thing is certainly clear; that there
are no more prophecies to be fulfilled before the Lord comes. ISRAEL
AND THE LAST DAYS The
previous notes are only an overview of the period just prior to the
crucifixion of the Lord until His coming again, and it is profitable to
look at this period in more detail. Every
spiritual christian is very much aware of the fact that we are in the last
days. The writer’s notes
headed “Last Days” describe certain aspects of things at that time. This aspect is the attitude and morality of both the
christians and the unsaved just prior o the Lord’s coming in the air for
His redeemed. In these notes
the aspect in mind is that which concerns Israel in the last days. The Eight Events of Luke 21 The
eight events mentioned are listed on page 1 above, but the difficulty
arises in the fact that they take place over a period of about 2000 years.
It might be interesting to compare these eight facts with those
given by the Lord recorded in Mat.24.Mark 13 and Luke 21. Luke 21
Mat.24
Mark 13
1.
Temple destroyed
1.
Temple destroyed
1. Temple destroyed
in AD 70. 2.
False Christs deceive
2
False Christs
2.
False Christs 3.
Wars and rumours &
3.
Wars & rumours of
3.
wars etc.
commotions
wars
4.
Nation against nation
4.
Nation against nation
4.
Nation against nation 5.
The beginning of sorrows 5
Beginning of sorrows
5. 6.
Great earthquakes, famines 6.
Earthquakes famines
6
Earthquakes famines 7. Persecutions etc
7.
Persecutions, hated
7
Persecutions
of all nations, betrayals
8.
Abomination of desolation
8.
Abomination of desolation
8.
Abomination
desolation 9.
Implied
9.
False prophets
9.
False prophets 10.
Jerusalem surrounded flee.
10.
10. Surrounded, flee. All
the facts remain in each of the three gospels but are given in a slightly
different way. In order to
get the complete picture given by the Lord the bible student must be
familiar with each passage. Differences Between the Three We
should notice above that, the three gospels are really identical except
each of them give much more information than listed in the ten items above
and one must be conversant with them.
The differences are that the gospel being preached and false
prophets are not mentioned in the gospel of Luke.
The false prophets may be implied in Luke’s gospel. 3 In
Matthew, we see the “gospel of the Kingdom” and in Mark, it is just
the “gospel”. Although
the “Gospel of he Kingdom” will be preached to all the world, it is
not the “Gospel of grace”. After
the resurrection of the dead in Christ and the living believers are “raptured”,
and immediately the day of Grace is ended.
The next expected event is the arrival of the Lord Jesus Christ as
“King of King” and “Lord of Lords”.
He will reign in righteousness.
The Temple Destroyed It
is indeed sad when born again christians fail to begin to understand the
reason for the events of scripture. Until
the temple is destroyed, the Lord is dealing with the children of Israel,
the rightful inheritors of the Promised Land.
In failing to understand this one thing, a born again christian can
be misled into all forms of error. Not
the least being present day Pentecostal error, and speaking in tongues.
One absolute certain fact is that the just shall live by faith.
“For therein is the righteousness of God revealed from faith
to faith: as it is written, The just shall live
by faith.”
Rom.1:17, again, “But
that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is
evident: for, the just shall live
by faith”.
Gal.3:11. The
destruction of the Temple as foretold by the Lord was the sign to the
people of Israel that they were no longer “a people”.
Because of rejecting the Lord, the Lord rejected them.
Let us be clear about one thing.
The judgement of God comes because of the individual’s rejection
and disobedience of the Word of God.
As William Kelly has written, “Now we know of course, that while
the people have their responsibility, the chief weight must necessarily be
according to the position of individuals”.
The rules of Israel judged that the Lord was guilty whereas the
Word of God says, “For such an high priest became us, who is holy,
harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens;” Heb
7:26. The Rulers' Sin The
fact was that the Rulers were worried about their comfortable position in
the Roman system in their subject country.
They would not give His rightful place under any circumstances
simply because they would lose theirs, just plain jealousy. They knew that He had not broken any law of the country, and
no law according to the written Word of God. “Who did no sin,
neither was guile
found in his mouth:” 1Peter.2:22.
This is a quotation from the Old Testament prophecy. The Peoples' Sin From the Lord’s arrest, and throughout His mock trial, the people
voiced not one word of protest. In
fact, some stood around the cross and reviled Him.
The book of Matthew says: Matthew 28: 39-44. And they that passed by reviled him,
wagging their heads, And saying, Thou that destroyest the
temple, and buildest it
in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the
cross. Likewise also the chief priests
mocking him,
with the scribes and elders, said, He saved others; himself he cannot
save. If he be the King of Israel, let him now come down from the cross,
and we will believe him. He trusted in God; let him deliver
him now, if he will have him: for he said, I am the Son of God. The thieves also, which
were crucified with him, cast the same in his teeth. Again the actions of the people of Israel were clearly prophesied about
760 years beforehand. Isaiah Chapter.53 Verse 7 to 11. The terrible crucifixion scene was prophesied also in Isaiah. “He was oppressed, and he was
afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the
slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not
his mouth. He was taken from prison and from
judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of
the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he
stricken. And he made his grave with the
wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence,
neither was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the LORD to bruise
him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering
for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the
pleasure of the LORD shall prosper in his hand. 4 He shall see of the travail of his
soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant
justify many; for he shall bear their iniquities.” The whole nation rejected Him and again this terrible illegal action by
the people of Israel was prophesied about 750 years beforehand.
The Jewish people did not understand their own scriptures, how
amazing! Then again, not
really, we seem to be in exactly the same position 1970 years after the
crucifixion. All the evidence
of the scriptures point out that we are therefore we should make sure of
our position The Result of Israel Rejection of the Lord Of
the many prophecies written in the scriptures about the Lord’s rejection
let us note two “Therefore
shall Zion for your sake be plowed as a field, and Jerusalem shall become
heaps, and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forest.”
Micah.3:12. “And
shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and
they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest
not the time of thy visitation.” Luke.19:44. God’s Character Holiness Because
of the nation of Israel’s rejection of the Lord, judgement would surely
follow, and it did. However,
it did not fall on the nation immediately.
That judgement would follow was sure.
It was prophesied in the scriptures, and the scriptures must be
fulfilled. Now it is of the
utmost importance to recognise that the character of God is not love
alone. To think that is
absolutely Satanic. We read
in the Old Testament this verse; “Isa 6:3*
And one cried unto another, and said, Holy,
holy, holy,
is the LORD of hosts: the whole earth
is full of his glory”. Our
first question should be, “what does Holy mean?”
It means the utmost of purity, majesty and glory.
He is absolutely unique and nothing or none can be in the same
class. In the New Testament the character of holiness is also shown in “And
the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were
full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying, Holy, holy, holy,
Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come.”
Rev.4:8. Holiness means sacred,
holy, Holy One, saint, set apart in His purity, majesty, and glory as
stated above. Righteousness
and Judgement Two
other characteristics of God is His righteous judgement.
This is shown clearly in the Psalms. Psa.97 verses 2 to 6 Clouds and darkness are round about him: righteousness and
judgment are the habitation of his throne. A fire goeth before him, and burneth
up his enemies round about. His lightnings enlightened the world:
the earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like wax at the
presence of the LORD, at the presence of the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare his
righteousness, and all the people see his glory. Even
many christians do most certainly not understand the characteristic of
righteousness. It is
unfortunate, and indeed a terrible evil to think that God overlooks sin.
Righteousness is the character or quality of being right and just.
The New Testament book of James makes a clear statement on this
matter. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow
of turning.”
Jas.1:17. This
character says right is right and wrong is wrong, and most definitely
there is no in between. Three Other Characteristics There
are numerous characteristics of God, but there are three fundamental ones. Omnipotent This word simply means He is all-powerful, and that to the christian
should be obvious. ”I know that thou canst do every
thing,
and that no thought can be withholden from thee.”
Job.42:2. “But our God is in the heavens: he hath done
whatsoever he hath pleased.” Psa.1115.3 “Yea, before the day was I am he; and there is
none that can deliver out of my hand: I will work, and who
shall let it?” Isa.43.13 5 Mat.19:26 “But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is
impossible; but with God all things are possible.” Luke.1:37
“For with God nothing shall be impossible.”
Omnipotent
means infinitely powerful. Omnipresent This word means that He is in every place all the time. “Know
therefore this day, and consider it in thine heart, that the LORD he is
God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath: there is none else.” Deut.4:39 “If I ascend up into heaven, thou
art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou art there.”
Psa.139:8. “The
eyes of the LORD are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.”
Prov.15.3. “Thus saith the LORD, The heaven is
my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that ye build
unto me? and where is the place of my rest?”
Isa.66.1. “Can
any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him?
saith the LORD. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the LORD.” Jer.23.24. “That
they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find
him, though he be not far from every one of us:”
Acts.17:27. Omniscient
This
means that He knows everything, and there is nothing hid from Him.
Omniscience. Cognisant
of all things. Ge 18:18,19 25:23 Ex 3:19 De 31:21 1Sa 2:3 1Ki 8:39 2Ki 8:10,13 1Ch 28:9 Ps 94:9,11 139:1-16 147:4,5 Pr 15:3,11 Isa 29:15,16 40:28 Jer 1:4,5 16:17 Eze 11:5 Da 2:22,28 Ho 7:2 Am 4:13 Na 1:7 Zec 4:10 Mt 6:4,6,8,18 Lu 16:15 Ac 15:8,18 Ro 8:27,29 1Co 3:20 2Ti 2:19 Heb 4:13 1Pe 1:2 1Jo 3:20. In one way, these last three characteristics are
self-explanatory, but what is impossible to really understand is that such
a person, as God exists. We
are finite human beings, that is, we are limited both by time and space.
We are limited to one place at one time, and we have very limited
knowledge. What should be
obvious from these few words is that God is really outside our
understanding. For the
believer however, he has the indwelling Holy Spirit of whom it is written,
“Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into
all truth:
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
John.16:13. The evidence of the Holy Spirit indwelling the believer
is very private and personal. “For
ye have not received the spirit of bondage again to fear; but ye have
received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba,
Father.”
Rom.8:15. and,
“And because ye are sons, God hath sent
forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba,
Father.”
Gal.4:6.
It is at that time, the time of our being recreated (born again)
that we know we have been adopted into the family of God.
Furthermore we read, Howbeit when he, the Spirit of
truth, is come, he will guide you into all
truth:
for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that
shall he speak: and he will shew you things to come.”
John.16:13. In this verse, it is very important that we see, at
least, two things. First, if
we allow Him, He will lead us into all truth.
Please notice this process is progressive. Second, He will not speak of Himself. It is vitally important to know that He has the following
functions: 6 1.
He will guide us
into all truth. Remember, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy
word is
truth.”
Joh 17:17. Some
may ask, but isn’t that restrictive?
No, it is not! However,
the believer in this our day must remember God has dispensations, or
periods wherein He has to operate according to that period.
Most emphatically, the believers, prior to the destruction of the
Temple, had no written Word. The
Relayer (Holy Spirit) of God’s messages would relay them directly from
God to the believer. Once the Word of God was complete, there is no truth
available to the believer except through it.
Yes the apostle and the prophet is gone, and we are left with the
Word of God and the teacher. “But there were false prophets also among the people,
even as there shall be false teachers
among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the
Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift destruction.”
2Peter.2:1. Please
very carefully note that prophets are past tense, that is they do not now
exist. In their place we have
teachers. If the teacher is
false, how can we know? Very
simply, “they Word is truth”, nothing else is.
“To the law and to the testimony: if they speak not according
to this
word, it
is because there is no light
in them.” Isa.8:20. 2.
He will not speak of Himself That is a flat statement.
He will not speak about Himself!
Nothing more should be said about this matter except to say if one
hears a supposed believer purporting to have a message from the Holy
Spirit speaking about Himself it is wrong.
That person, so doing, is self-controlled, or more likely demon
controlled. We are
effectively locked into the Word of God as the only source of truth, and
with that, we have teachers, who through the power of the Holy Spirit
teach. Once again we are totally reliant on the ability,
through dependence on the Holy Spirit, to maintain fellowship
“If we say that we
have fellowship
with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth:” 1John.1:6. “The entrance of thy words giveth
light;
it giveth understanding unto the simple.” Psa.119:130. Notwithstanding the indwelling Holy Spirit, God is
infinite and we are finite. Because
He is infinite, our understanding is limited to that which He reveals to
us. He came to this world,
and took the form of a man, with the express purpose of reconciling man to
Himself. Let us be assured of
one thing, and that is that He never has and never will force man to do
anything he does not want to do. We
were created with a free will. Now
the Lord Jesus Christ, was “God manifest in flesh” and He was
“that true light, which lighteth every man that cometh into the
world”. John.1:9. Daniel’s Seventy
Weeks
The
Word itself is infinite and we find that all prophecy relating to events
up to the crucifixion of the Lord have been fulfilled just as written.
This being so we can have the absolute confidence that prophecies
covering the events after the crucifixion will be fulfilled.
For a finite mind the mathematical probability of the prophecies
written before the crucifixion by chance are hundreds of millions to one.
In reality, there is no possibility that these prophecies could
happen by chance. An infinite
God in infinite wisdom controls everything.
We now with confidence look at one of the prophecies concerning the
Lord’s advent in person. We
will note the prophecy of Daniel chapter 9:24-27, verse by verse. 7 Verse
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. In this verse, we note 6 events are mentioned. 1.
To finish the transgression 2.
to make an end of sins 3.
make reconciliation for
iniquity 4.
bring everlasting
righteousness 5.
seal up the vision 6.
anoint the most Holy. The time frame of this prophecy is 70 week.
What we have to see is that a week has the meaning of a week of
years. Therefore, a week is a
period of 7 years. The
prophecy then covers 490 years. The
first event is the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem, which takes 1 week
or 49 years, and that leaves 483 years.
After the years of captivity of the children of Israel in Babylon
and the edict to commence this work is described in the book of Nehemiah
chapter 2, verses 5 to 9. Historically
the Persian enemy had overrun Israel and the people taken captive to
Babylon. Nehemiah wrote the
following historic prophecy during his captivity. Verse
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. Very carefully note that the 70 weeks are divided into
two separate periods of time the first is “seven weeks” to the
completion of the walls being rebuilt in Jerusalem and the second is 62.
This brings us to the end of the 69th year when the Lord
rode into Jerusalem on an ass. In actual years, the first period is 49 years to
rebuilt Jerusalem, and the second is 483 years, from the edict to the Lord
riding into Jerusalem on the ass. The
first period commences as shown in Nehemiah chapter 2 below.
“Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of
Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having
salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an
ass.” Zechariah.9.9. Nehemiah
Chapter 2 verses 5 to 9
5.
And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant
have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah,
unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it. 6.
And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how
long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the
king to send me; and I set him a time. 7.
Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters
be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me
over till I come into Judah; 8. And
a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me
timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the
house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter
into. And the king granted
me, according to the good hand of my God upon me. 9.
Then I came to the governors beyond the river, and gave them the
king's letters. Now the king had sent captains of the army and horsemen
with me. From
the edict being issued by Artaxerxes to the completion of the Jerusalem
project took 49 years. The
edict went out about 453 BC (approx) therefore the Jerusalem
project was completed in 404.BC (approx).
The entry of the Lord riding into Jerusalem on the ass occurred at
the end of the 69 weeks, or 483 years after the edict to rebuild
went out, that is 30AD (approx).
These figures are approximations only as the exact years for the
going out of the edict needs more historical study.
However please be aware that the crucifixion was the end of the 69th
week of years. 8 END OF THE FIRST PART
Verse
26
And after
threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be
cut off
,karath; cut off
or kill (in this case by crucifixion) but not for
himself: and the people
of the prince that shall come
am; nation, family shall destroy
the city and the sanctuary;
qodesh, holy place and the end
thereof shall be with a flood,
sheteph; flood and unto the end
of the war desolations are determined.
Shamem; waste, destroy. The first phrase of the verse tells us when the
crucifixion takes place, and that He did not die for any wrong that He
did, but we know that He died for the “sins of the world”. Between the word “himself” and the word “and” there
is a break till about AD70. Therefore,
we must very carefully study the next phrase.
The first subject is “the people”, not the Prince.
In order to make it clearer we can read the sentence like this:
“the people, OUT OF WHICH A FUTURE PRINCE WILL COME, shall destroy the
city and the sanctuary”. The
question may then be asked, which people? History answers that question and tells us clearly that about
70AD the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.
At the same time, they slaughtered large numbers of Jews, and
unfortunately, a similar even is to take place just after the
“rapture”. Now the essential thing for the believer is to realise
that time in God’s prophetic calendar, ceased at the crucifixion of the
Lord, and is resumed at the rapture.
After the crucifixion, there is an unchartered period of time,
which is well described as the period of God’s grace or the church age.
In addition, during that period, the Gentile is brought into an
infinitely close relationship with the Lord.
To
be precise, the resurrection of the Lord brought in a new testament.
Let us note the Lord’s command and meaning of the new testament Mt
26:28
For this is my
blood of the new testament,
diatheke; a
disposition, arrangement, of any sort one wishes to
be valid, the last disposition which one makes of his earthly
possessions after his death, a testament or will, a compact, a
covenant, which
is shed for many for the remission of
Aphesis; forgiveness
or pardon, of sins (letting them go sins.
as if they
had never been committed), remission of the penalty. What is then noted with respect to the new covenant is
that the apostle Paul confirms it: 1Co
11:25
After the same
manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the
new testament
in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. During this untimed period He has left us with the
words, “Let your conversation be
without covetousness; and be content with such things as ye have: for he
hath said, I will never leave
thee, nor
forsake thee.” Heb
13:5. Almost two thousand years have passed since the
resurrection and the believer waits for the Lord’s coming.
Not only has He not left us, but also He has provided us with His
“mind” in His written Word the New Testament”. John chapter 1:1 - 4. In the beginning
was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
The same was in the beginning with God.
All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made
that was made. In him was
life; and the life was the light of men. |