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Sunnyside Baptist Church "Covenant Faithfulness" Pt 8 Daniel 9:1-27
All right. Good morning, everyone. It's good to be together worshipping together this morning. A few announcements as we get started for our day today. Come back this evening for our evening worship service at our regular time 5 30 and then looking ahead to Wednesday.
All the regular activities there are meal at 5 45 and then it's 6 30 prayer and tag for the kids and then looking ahead toward the end of the month. We have on Sunday the 27th communion during the morning and then truth group is after the evening service that night.
Also, I want to remind you guys this Thursday we've been invited along with a lot of different congregations around the city to participate in a psalm sing down at the state capitol. That's Thursday at 10 a .m. Put on by free the states and abortion abolition group.
So if you can come, they're going to be using the Psalter that we have recently introduced here at Sunnyside and sing the word of God to our state legislators. Also, Operation Christmas Child continues to go on.
Thankful for your giving toward that throughout the year. Also, I wanted to let you know Joel reminded me that he's just finished putting all of the Sunnyside podcast to have you not read up to our YouTube channel.
So now there's an additional Avenue that you can find those instead of going to a particular podcast app. If you already go to Sunnyside's YouTube channel to watch messages from Sunday morning or Sunday night, you can find those podcast episodes there.
So hopefully that'll make your life a little bit easier. Any other announcements this morning before we get started together? I'm going to read the fighter verse and then after that Dwight will have a time of prayer and then Dwight will come up and open us together in prayer.
This week's fighter verse is from the Psalms. Psalm 86 verse 11. Teach me your way, O Lord, that I may walk in your truth. Unite my heart.
To fear your name. Father, what a blessing it is to come together in the name of your son,.
The Lord Jesus, just to give you thanks and praise and glory and honor for who you are. For a God who is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, abounding in steadfast love and faithfulness and who forgives.
We thank you and praise you for your son, the Lord Jesus, who shed his blood on our behalf that we might be forgiven and that we can confess our sins and you are faithful and just to forgive us and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.
So Father, we come together this morning to worship you, to sing your praises, to pray, to teach your word, and to preach your word. I pray as Michael comes to preach your word that it would go forth in the power of your spirit and accomplish your perfect will and that we might grow in the grace and knowledge of your son, the Lord Jesus.
In his name I pray, amen. Would you stand.
With me for our call to worship? Our passage this morning is found in Psalms chapter 76. We'll be reading verses 7 through 12. Read with me together. But you, you are to be feared. Who can stand before you when once your anger is roused?
From the heavens you utter judgment, the earth feared and with steel. When God arose to establish judgment to save all the humble of the earth. Surely the wrath of man shall praise you. The remnant of wrath you will put on like a belt.
Make your vows to the Lord your God and perform them. Let all around him bring gifts to him who is to be feared. Who cuts off the spirit of princes who is to be feared by the kings of the earth. I'm going to sing this very passage in our Psalms for worship hymnal page 76A.
We'll sing verses 3, 4, and 5. We're going to page 98B. To the Lord, oh sing a new song. And I'd like to read just about five or so verses out of chapter 98 in Psalms. Sing, oh sing to the Lord a new song for he has done wonderful things.
His right hand and his holy arm have gained the victory for him. The Lord has made known his salvation. He has revealed his righteousness in the sight of the nations. Verse 4, shout joyfully to the Lord all the earth.
Break forth and sing for joy and sing praises. Verse 8, let the rivers clap their hands. Let the mountains sing together for joy before the Lord for he is coming to judge the earth. He will judge the world with righteousness and the peoples with equity.
And this is the tune is you'll know it. Joyful, joyful we adore thee to Psalms 98. Scripture reading this morning is from Isaiah chapter 19.
Verses 16 through 25. Isaiah 19, 16 through 25. This is the word of God. In that day Egypt will be like women and will be afraid and fear because of the waving of the hand of the Lord of hosts which he waves over it.
And the land of Judah will be a terror to Egypt. Everyone who makes mention of it will be afraid in himself because of the counsel of the Lord of hosts which he has determined against it. In that day five cities in the land of Egypt will speak the language of Canaan and swear by the Lord of hosts.
One will be called the city of destruction. In that day there will be an altar to the Lord in the midst of the land of Egypt and a pillar to the Lord at its border. And it will be for a sign and for a witness to the Lord of hosts in the land of Egypt.
For they will cry to the Lord because of the oppressors. And he will send them a savior and a mighty one and he will deliver them. Then the Lord will be known to Egypt and the Egyptians will know the Lord in that day and will make sacrifice and offering.
Yes they will make a vow to the Lord and perform it. And the Lord will strike Egypt. He will strike and heal it. They will return to the Lord and he will be entreated by them and heal them. In that day there will be a highway from Egypt to Assyria.
And the Assyrian will come into Egypt and the Egyptian into Assyria. And the Egyptians will serve with the Assyrians. In that day Israel will be one of three with Egypt and Assyria. A blessing in the midst of the land whom the Lord of hosts shall bless saying blessed is Egypt my people and Assyria the work of my hands and Israel my inheritance.
This is God's word would you pray with me. Heavenly Father you are indeed the Lord of hosts. The one who comes to those who oppress your people and say you are now my people. The one who takes a Saul of Tarsus and makes them Paul the apostle.
Lord you know rebellious people and because you know them they know you. Because you love them they love you. People like us Lord you have shed us mercy and grace given us Lord not what we deserve but something we do not deserve.
And that is through your son Jesus Christ through whom we have redemption and reconciliation to a holy God we who are a sinful people. And Father you harden whom you will harden and on whom you will have mercy Lord you will have mercy.
And we thank you and we praise you for having mercy on us Lord in your son Jesus Christ who is the radiance of your glory in the image Lord of you. And it's in Christ's name we.
Pray amen. You may be seated. Our next two songs are for the cause and fairest Lord Jesus. I want to thank.
All of you who've been praying for our family and joining us in prayer and we rejoice with you by answers to prayer. Let's go to the Lord together. Father I thank you for the day you've made. Thank you that you are faithful and that you are good that you hear our prayers receiving them by the merits of Jesus by the ministry of the Holy Spirit and that you as our heavenly Father know our needs before we ask and even have your answers on the way the entire time that we pray.
So we thank you and ask that today you would help us to worship you in spirit and in truth to rejoice in the truth of your son Jesus Christ made clear in your word. Help us to sing the song of the redeemed and to follow the lamb wherever he goes.
It's in his name that we pray amen. Well I invite you to open your Bibles and turn with me to Daniel chapter 9. We will be reading verses 24 through 27 in a moment. Daniel chapter 9 reading verses 24 through 27.
Last week we considered God's surprising answer to Daniel's prayer. God was very kind to Daniel assuring him of his goodness that Daniel was beloved of God and that his prayers were favorably received that even while Daniel was praying God's answer was on the way.
Gabriel the angel has been sent to Daniel to provide understanding to Daniel so that he would he would understand what this new vision was all about. Daniel has been praying for the restoration of the old covenant signs.
He sees the miserable condition of the people of God and and the desolation of their mountain and city and temple and he confesses sin and shame that the sin of his people the shame of his people that God was right in bringing the judgment upon them but now God has made a promise in Jeremiah of 70 years and Daniel implores the Lord isn't it time are we are we ready to we return to our land will you act now.
God answers in a surprising way not only does he confirm that he will act according to his promise of 70 years but he does more he he promises more than simply the restoration of the people's covenant mountain covenant city and covenant sanctuary.
God answers with a promise of more than 70 years. He promises 70 weeks of years that will ultimately bring about the new covenant in the Messiah and the passing away of the old covenant shadows and this is God's surprising answer to Daniel's humble and faithful prayer.
Here is God's faithful generous answer. If you will stand with me I'm going to read God's answer to Daniel's prayer verses 24 through 27. Daniel 9 this is the word of the Lord 70 weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city to finish the transgression to make an end of sins to make reconciliation for iniquity to bring in everlasting righteousness to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.
Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the prince there shall be seven weeks and 62 weeks the street shall be built again and the wall even in troublesome times.
And after the 62 weeks Messiah shall be cut off but not for himself and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city in the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood until the end of the war desolations are determined and he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week.
But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering and on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate.
This is the word of the Lord. You may be seated there. Once was uh an entrepreneur who built a brand new business from the ground up. He was actually building the building for his new store and it caused all sorts of problems for the surrounding businesses and community.
They were very upset with all of the disruption that this construction was causing. And so he figured what he needed to do was let everybody know the timetable and at the same time advertise for his business.
So he put a sign out by the road that said 90 days till our grand opening. He figured that that would help you know modify the complaints. It always helps folks to know how long they have to put up with a nuisance which is why we came up with term limits.
Finally the great day arrived and he was so happy to have the grand opening but it wasn't as big as he was hoping it would be. All along he had been very diligent to go down to the sign and manage that countdown.
89 days 88 days 87 days to the grand opening grew a little tired of that having to go out there and change the sign every day. So he began to do it week by week. And then finally one day he had even forgotten about the sign.
He found it blown over and like oh man i gotta get back onto this sign. This is my my big advertisement for people to come to my store. So he put it back up. But he ended up forgetting about it. Even then after the grand opening he was wondering why his business was not faring so well.
And eventually one day a man wandered in with a surprise look on his face and he said. Are you open. The man said. Well yes. Of course we are. We've. We've had our grand opening. We've been open for a month.
The man says well the sign down at the road says you're going to be open in seven days. What will the entrepreneur do. Will he not immediately run down to the road and remove that forgotten overlooked sign.
The old covenant is that sign. Daniel prayed for god to restore the components of the old covenant. The sign had blown down. There was no longer this important picture of messiah and all that god had promised.
And so daniel said. So god says to daniel. Yes. Of course. Yes. Of course i'm going to put that sign back into place. The covenant mountain will be restored the covenant city will be rebuilt the covenant sanctuary the temple will be put back together in the worship of god restarted.
Yes. Of course daniel according to my promises of 70 years i will put all of that back into place. But when it has served its purpose at some time after the grand opening of the new covenant the sign will be removed.
Once god had kept his promises in christ the shadows of christ were necessarily removed. And in this we are reminded that god's covenant faithfulness manifests in christ for all the saints. Daniel's old covenant prayer in verses 1 through 19 of daniel 9 is answered by god's new covenant promise in verses 20 through 27.
We've already seen how god answers prayer in verses 20 through 23. But now the details 70 weeks have been determined. God says to daniel through his angel gabriel. These are the details. And even as in the other chapters of daniel where there are promises of god upon the horizon visions of what is to come so also here like in chapters 2 7 and 8 so also here in chapter 9 god diverts attention away from other concerns to his son the messiah.
That's where he wants the faith of his people to be focused. In chapter 2 we saw the passing the the rising and falling of empires. But it all gave way to a mountain which fills the whole earth. The mountain of christ.
In chapter 7 a terrible terrible fourth beast and its bombastic little horn we discover are not to be feared for the son of man receives the everlasting kingdom. In chapter 8 we hear about antiochus epiphanies and his unforgettable abominations.
But he shrivels up and dies because he opposed the prince of princes. Here in daniel chapter 9 the prophet is in many ways rightly concerned about the mountain and the city and the sanctuary about the people of the old covenant.
But god redirects his attention again to the messiah as the meaning and the goal of it all. It's as if god says to daniel 70 years. Oh my promise of 70 years. Yes of course. Very good daniel but not quite there here look at these 70 weeks of years.
Verse 24. 70 weeks. 70 weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city. 70 weeks are determined for your people and your holy city. Now that time frame grabs our attention. Does it not. It should.
The term weeks is simply the hebrew word for sevened basic math. What is 70 sevened. It's 490. Now recall the context. Daniel has read jeremiah's prophecy about 70 years. Now god takes that number 70 that complete time period and adds another whole dimension of fullness to it.
70 sevened. And just as the 70 years that god promised to jeremiah would be accurately and meaningfully fulfilled so also will these 490 years be accurately and meaningfully fulfilled. As we talked about at the beginning of daniel chapter 9 daniel was praying about the 70 years because there's more than one starting point to start counting 70.
But the bible makes that clear about when the countdown began and so also the bible makes clear to us how to count to 490. The bible clarifies it. But 70 weeks are our attention. Let's think of this timetable.
Let's think of the time unit and let's think of the time focus. What is the timetable. Well of course 70 weeks. When does it begin. Look at verse 25. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build jerusalem until messiah the prince there shall be seven weeks and 62 weeks.
So 69 in all from the moment from the start of a decree concerning the restoration of jerusalem to the time that the messiah is revealed. 69 weeks or 69 7 483 years. There's the timetable begins with the decree and we mark it by the arrival the the manifestation of messiah.
When you go and look and you read in the old testament about decrees that were issued about the restoration of jerusalem you find four of them. The one that matters is found in ezra chapter 7 verses 12 to 26.
The decree from arctic xerxes in 457 bc. If you count 483 years after this you arrive in luke chapter 3 verses 1 and 2 the 15th year of tiberius john the baptist begins his ministry and shortly thereafter baptizes jesus who is revealed before everyone as the messiah.
God's anointed exactly 483 years. Remember in daniel chapter 2. The rock who is christ crashes into the tower that the the statue of empires. He doesn't come during the babylonian empire. The head of gold.
He doesn't come during the medo-persian empire. The silver arms and chest. He doesn't come during the bronze empire. That of the of the greeks. He comes during the fourth empire. The one that has iron legs and feet of clay and iron.
And he crashes into the feet where those tin toes are. And the rock particularly crashes into the third toe. Not julius not augustus but tiberius. This little piggy named tiberius. The rock crashes there.
That's what luke 3 1 through 2 says that he was revealed as messiah during the reign of tiberius 483 years on the dot. So that's the timetable. What about this time unit. Why is god speaking in weeks.
Why is he not speaking about years. Wouldn't that be simpler for everybody. We of course remember that god created everything in six days and he rested on the seventh day. And ever since that history began we have this idea of seven meaning a kind of fullness.
But there's more to it than that. Look again at verse 25. Look how god takes those first 69 weeks and breaks them up into a set of seven and a set of 62. This is helpful for god's people. It's giving them a trajectory of faith and hope.
God is helping them know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and build jerusalem until messiah the prince there shall be seven weeks and 62 weeks. Well well what happens in the seven weeks.
Well the street shall be built again. And the wall even in troublesome times now that's interesting. The temple is not mentioned as being rebuilt. Is it. That's because the temple and the wall and the street or the wall and the street were built at within these 49 uh 49 weeks.
The temple was built prior to the beginning of those 49 weeks in 515 bc. That's when ezra's temple was built. Later on came the ministry of nehemiah. Remember nehemiah. Remember they had to build the wall.
They had to build the wall with swords and strapped to them troublesome times to buy and send ballot. Difficult times. But they rebuilt the wall. And they rebuilt the street. And the and the city was restored during those first 49 weeks of that countdown that god gave to daniel.
They were assured by this. Were they not troublesome times are ahead but there will be success. Jerusalem will be rebuilt. Daniel you're praying about the restoration of the covenant mountain the covenant city the covenant temple.
Well good news is gonna happen. Good things are on the horizon even if they're going to be difficult times. And then god says after the seven weeks there's 62 more weeks. Well what happens during the 62 weeks.
Well that's daniel chapter 11. And then attention is given in the 70th week the most important week the week of messiah. And verses 26 and 27 both you'll notice begin with a focus upon the 70th week that last set of seven years.
These verses split the last week into two sets of three and a half years. But together they make the week of messiah. So there's the time table. There's the time unit weeks. What is the time focus. Notice what god says.
Notice what god says. 70 weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city. So these 70 weeks are not about russia and ukraine. They are not about tel aviv and tehran. They're not about western democracy in the arab caliphate.
God says these 70 weeks are about daniel's people. Daniel's holy city. Of course that's exactly what he's been praying about this whole time. He's been praying about his people. He's been praying about his holy city.
And god says daniel 70 weeks are determined for your people and for their holy city. Daniel's been praying about uh the the covenant mountain the covenant city the covenant sanctuary. And 70 weeks are determined for these according to jeremiah.
But there's also 70 weeks determined. 70 weeks determined not just 70 years but 70 weeks determined for these same covenant symbols. So when you read after verse 24 verse 24 says 70 weeks are determined for your people and your holy city.
You get the program of six things that are determined in these 70 weeks. And then verse 25 through 27 talk about jerusalem. They talk about jerusalem street. They talk about her wall. They take about her troubled times.
They talk about her sanctuary. They talk about the sacrifices and offerings that are made there. But you know what these verses speak of most. Verses 25 26 and 27. What's the main theme. What's the central theme in every one of those verses.
It is the messiah. It is christ. It is who he is and what he came to do. So verse 24 declares that there's going to be 70 weeks and gives us a six-fold program of what's going to happen by the end of the 70th week.
Verses 25 through 27 breaks down those weeks into seven weeks and 62 weeks. And one week god says this is how we're going to handle this. I want to talk to you about the seven weeks. Jerusalem will be fully restored walls and all within these first seven.
Then there's 62 and at the finish of the 69 weeks the seven in the 62 in the 70th week messiah will be revealed. Now what will happen. What will god accomplish concerning jerusalem and the jews by the end of that 70th week.
Notice he says six things. And every one of these things is elaborated on by the following verses. So verse 24 is the general declaration. Verses 25 through 27 explain more about how that's going to happen.
But verse 24 gives us the entire program. God says 70 weeks. Six things are going to happen within these 70 weeks. Later on we find out how those weeks are broken up. Later on we find out the details of how some of these things come to pass.
But everything that they needed to know. If they're going to memorize a verse about what is to come they would have this verse right there. Verse 24 to know the full program. What's the first thing god says to finish the transgression.
70 weeks are determined for your people in your holy city. First of all to finish the transgression god has determined that this transgression a word translated as revolt. The revolt will be finished.
Now this regards daniel his holy people and his holy city. God says concerning your people daniel concerning your holy city i have determined that by the end of 70 weeks the revolt will be finished. Recall that when god sent his son messiah to israel the rulers of the jews those wicked tenants of the vineyard revolted and killed the air and cast his body outside the walls.
They said of their rightful ruler we will not have this man reign over us. They said in their rebellion we have no king but caesar. They said in their high-handed transgression his blood be upon us and upon our children.
When did that happen. Right in the middle of the 70th week. Three and a half years into the revelation of messiah. Three and a half years after the messiah's anointing. So they continued in the revolt against christ until their city and their sanctuary were desolated by a war a judgment of god a war that lasted three and a half years until his determined consummation.
So god says by the end of the 70th week the transgression will be finished. Secondly he will make an end of sins. By the end of the 70th week god is determined to seal up is the word the same word that is used later on to talk about vision and prophecy in the same verse to seal up sins by the end of the 70th week god has promised focusing upon daniel's holy city and daniel's people that by the end of the 70th week god is going to seal up sins.
Now we are told that christ was manifested to take away our sins and in him there is no sin and that he was manifested for this purpose to destroy the works of the devil. And what he is finished in his death.
And what victory he manifests in his resurrection and ascension. That certainly spells doom for sin. That the vital work was finished within these 70 weeks. However the terms used here point in a different direction to another truth.
The word seal up does not have the same meaning as expiation the removal of our sins as far as far away as the east is from the west. That's not the meaning of that word. It doesn't mean propitiation that god's wrath was satisfied concerning our sins it doesn't have.
The word doesn't have the meaning of sanctification that we are cleansed and purified from our slavery to sin. This word means to seal up to sew up to bottle up. And it's important to remember that the word sins in the hebrew 40 of the time is used to refer to the sin offering rather than the sin act.
And you just have to read the context. Is this about the sin offering or the sin act. Same word is used for both 40 of the time. It refers to a sin offering. Isn't it true that messiah in his vital work was cut off for his people not for himself.
That he was sacrificed as god's lamb and thereby made all other sacrifices and offerings obsolete. Did not christ seal up bottle up sew up sacrifices sin offerings. Did he not do. That did he not in the middle of the week bring an end of sacrifices and offerings to god that they were no longer recognized or received by god.
And by the end of the 70th week by the end of the old covenant there was no more offerings being offered in jerusalem because there was no more temple there. Thirdly by the end of the 70th week god promises to make reconciliation for iniquity.
Within those 70 weeks god had determined to make propitiation for perversity atonement for sin. God had passed over the sins previously committed. But he would demonstrate his righteousness in the blood of his son messiah who verse 26 says he was cut off but not for himself.
He bore our transgressions. God made christ who knew no sin to become sin on our behalf that we might become the righteousness of god in him where the blood of bulls and goats were not efficacious just shadows.
Christ's blood has sufficed once for all time and he bore his own blood into the holy of holies in heaven knocked into a copy upon earth. We were cut off from god in this world dead and transgressions and sins unfailingly tangled in the perversities of our passions slaves of the devil.
But christ has provided reconciliation brought us to god by his death upon the tree at one mint atonement. That is my testimony is that your testimony you have been reconciled to god by the death and resurrection of his son.
The fourth thing that god is determined to do within these 70 weeks to bring in everlasting righteousness to bring an everlasting righteousness we read by the end of the 70 weeks a new rule a new dominion will be brought in an everlasting righteousness which regards daniel's people and his holy city.
Whereas god has brought their revolt to an end he will also establish something new. There will be a new order of righteousness that is established and the people under that order will be defined by their king and their king is righteous.
Daniel's been reading jeremiah. So let's read jeremiah. Jeremiah 23 verses 5 through 6. Behold the days are coming says the lord that i will raise to david a branch of righteousness. A king shall reign and prosper and execute judgment and righteousness in the earth in his days judah will be saved and israel will dwell safely now this is his name by which he will be called the lord our righteousness.
And these are the new covenant promises in jeremiah. We've seen in daniel that the empires of men are all corrupt savage beasts full of grotesque horns and they rear up and they fall apart one after another.
And yet in contrast time and again we see a kingdom that is everlasting. That there is a that there is a standard there is a rule there is an authority there is a righteousness which will never pass away.
There is a mountain there is a city there is a temple. There is a people which are founded in christ who is the mediator of the new covenant. And these will never be shaken. So daniel 244 says daniel 7 14 hebrews 12 18 through 29.
This is the testimony of the word all the kingdoms of men pass away and their laws never bring about justice. There is a king of kings however and of christ dominion. There shall be no end in his actions.
There is no wrongdoing. He reigns today and he reigns forever according to all the righteousness of god. The establishment of his kingdom was in righteousness. The spread of his kingdom is in righteousness.
The culmination of his kingdom shall be righteousness. What about you do. You hunger and thirst for righteousness. Jesus says if you do you will be satisfied. You follow the lamb wherever he goes and he will nourish you with righteousness.
The fifth thing that god is determined to do within these 70 weeks a program of hope and promise to daniel and his people to seal up vision and prophecy. The fifth thing that god is determined to do to seal up vision and prophecy by the end of the 70 weeks god has determined that for daniel's city and for daniel's people he will seal up bottle up sew up vision and prophecy that by the end of the 70th week there'll be no more need for new visions and new prophecies.
All that had needed to be said will have been said by that time. And it has been supremely said in christ. God the word who became flesh and dwelt among us. Hebrews chapter one begins this way. God who at various times and in various ways spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets has in these last days spoken to us by his son.
Do you hear the writer to the hebrews. The preacher to the hebrews what does he say in these last days. He has spoken to us by his son his last days. The writer of hebrews in the time that he lived in his first audience those he first wrote to and and spoke to their last days.
What was that time. It's the last days of the old covenant which was obsolete and ready to pass away. That's what he says in hebrews 8 13. He says the old covenant is obsolete and ready to pass away in these last days.
After all that god has said during the old covenant the mediator of the new covenant has come. And he has said it supremely. And notice in daniel 9 verses 26 and 27 how this prophecy is laid out. In the first half of each verse we have a parallel.
Verse 26 begins this way. And after 62 weeks messiah shall be cut off but not for himself. He bore our transgressions right. He suffered bearing our sins. He was cut off but not for himself but for us.
Verse 27 says that he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week. And in the middle of the week he shall bring it in to sacrifice and offering again. This speaks of the beginning of the 70th week and then talks about the middle of the week.
So verse 26 begins and says. Let's talk about the 70th week. Let's talk about after the 7 and the 62. After the 69 has passed. Let's talk about the 70th week. What happens. What happens is messiah comes and he dies upon the cross.
He's cut off for our transgressions. He brings an end to sacrifice and offerings in the middle of the week after a three and a half year ministry. So then is that not what we read in the new testament four times over in all the gospels.
So the first half of verse 26 parallels the first half of verse 27. Well that means that the second half of verse 26 and the second half of verse 27 might parallel. Let's read them and see if there's any themes that repeat.
And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood until the end of the war desolations are determined. Now let's read the second half of verse 27.
And on the wing of abomination shall be one who makes desolate even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate desolations and desolations. So the second half of each of these verses parallel the same themes and talks about what now god has said.
70 weeks are determined. Daniel for your people and your holy city. Right. He's already said that the transgression will be finished ended. The revolt will be brought to an end. He says in verses 26 and 27 he talks about a city and a sanctuary and a people who's he talking about in verses 26 and 27.
Who's going to be desolated. What's going to be destroyed. He's already said your people your city your sanctuary. Daniel. And and we find that these will be destroyed. And god says a flood will be instrumental in the destruction of the city.
This word flood is used throughout isaiah and jeremiah to describe armies of foreign nations. And in fact it is used four times in daniel chapter 11 to describe just that armies of foreign nations. And how was jerusalem destroyed in ad 70 after a three and a half year war a flood of romans combined with other nations that they hired to destroy the jews.
If the first half of these verses speak to the first half of messiah's week then the second half of these verses speak to the second half of the messiah's week. After all god said 70 weeks are determined.
He talked about the 7. He talked about the 62. And now he's talking about the 70th in verses 26 and 27. So we're seeing two halves now. The first three and a half years are about the ministry of christ's redemption the beginning of the new covenant.
This is the new covenant in my blood he says. The second three and a half years are about the manifestation of christ's reign as he ends the old covenant. Three and a half year ministry of christ. Three and a half year war between the jews and the romans.
Now astute mathematical minds among us will note that between 80s 27 through 30 and 80 67 and 70 there's a 40 year gap separating that last week. Yes jesus said there would be. In the olivet discourse he said there would be.
And he called it and described it as a merciful opportunity from a long-suffering god. So the gospel will be preached to the nations beginning in jerusalem. And this 40-year interim between the first and second halves of messiah's week are the last days in which the new testament was written.
Everything written in the new testament was composed in the passing shadow of the old covenant. Think about what the apostles say again and again. These are the last days. It is the last hour we upon whom the end of the age has come.
Time is near. How many times do you read that in the new testament. Do you read it allegorically. The feeling i get in the time which i live. Do you read it experientially. That's how i feel. Do you read it by newspapers.
Oh yeah. Look at those newspapers. How do you read it. What if we took them at their basic honest face value that they were the last days. That they say again and again of the age of the age of the age.
What age was about to end. The old covenant was about to end. The new covenant has been established by the blood of jesus. His spirit-born apostles wrote the new testament. Each of them had this heightened awareness that he lived in the last days.
Indeed the last hour and at the end of the old covenant would come with a cataclysmic conclusion. They echoed their master's own prophecies and foresaw the end of the old covenant. And listen once it passed away there was no more need for further prophecy and visions.
They were sealed by the end of the 70th week. This is not to say that all biblical prophecies have been fulfilled prior to 80 70. That is not true. Those regarding daniel's old covenant people and their old covenant city have been fulfilled.
Additionally as we labor in this new covenant kingdom of christ we rejoice in all that christ accomplishes in the world. And we look forward to all that he's going to do. And ultimately we look forward to his glorious return.
We look forward to that we're going to be caught up together with him. And we have all the prophecies we need in the scriptures regarding that blessed hope. And there's a lot of them. There's a lot of them.
Do we know them. Do we rejoice in them. And do we revel in god's completed his completed word breathed by his holy spirit illumined by his son. That there's no more vision and prophecy that we have to add to it that we're not bound and accountable to somebody who just bought his apostleship online and comes to us with a vision about how if we give him money we'll be blessed.
No the vision and prophecy has been sewn up sealed up for the new covenant was written prior to the end of the old covenant. What a mercy of god. That it was to call many to repentance and many did repent.
The sixth thing on the list in verse 24 which is the most important thing that god has determined to do before the end of the 70th week. By the end of 70 weeks god has determined to anoint the most holy.
That's the most important thing out of all this list. Everything on this list is pertaining to that that the that the most holy was anointed. And he follows that most important thing by speaking of christ in verse 25 and 26 and 27.
So so do you see god's answer to daniel's prayer. What did daniel pray for all the way through daniel chapter 9 we looked at it very carefully. Daniel has prayed for the restoration of his holy people his holy mountain his holy city and his holy temple.
And god answers that by saying we're going to anoint the most holy we're going to anoint the most holy. Yes your people yes the sanctuary yes the city yes the mountain. But no we're going to anoint the most holy.
What's better than the restoration of the old covenant holy shadows after 70 years. How about the anointing of the new covenant holy substance after 70 sets of seven years. That's why in the new testament jesus interprets all of god's promises as yes in him yes in christ.
This is why the apostles you read it for yourselves this is why the apostles locate the holy mountain and the holy city and the holy temple and the holy people in christ again and again the apostles say where's the holy mountain look to christ.
Where's the holy city look to christ. Where's the holy people look to christ. Where's the where's the temple. Look to Christ. Without fail, all of them in agreement. Jesus of Nazareth is the Christ. He is the Son of the Living God.
He is Messiah. He is the Anointed One. The Anointed in the Old Testament shadows, the Old Covenant shadows. Who are they? Prophet, Priest, and King. Jesus is the fulfillment of the substance of all those Anointed Ones.
He is the Most Holy, the Great Prophet, the High Priest, the King of Kings. God anointed Him Prophet with the Holy Spirit at the beginning of the 70th week. At the beginning of His ministry. The beginning of the three and a half years of preaching and teaching.
This is My Beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. All were to listen to Him as the Great Prophet who declared the full meaning of God's Word. In the middle of the 70th week, God manifested Christ as the perfect Lamb.
The appointed High Priest who shed His own blood and carried it into the true Holy of Holies. By the end of the 70th week, God had manifested Christ as the Anointed Ascended King of Kings. And the sign of Christ's high heavenly position at the right hand of God was displayed in His judgment upon Daniel's city and Daniel's people.
As the old sign was removed for it had served its purpose. If anything else comes through in chapter 9, we need to wrestle hard with the obvious question. Daniel goes to God in fervent, humble prayer.
Asking God to restore the mountain and the city and the sanctuary. That's what he asked for. They had been laid waste. They were desolate. And the people were miserable because, look, all the old covenant shadows were laid waste and torn down.
Daniel goes to God and says, look, you promised 70 years and you were going to restore this. And God says, yes. He keeps His Word. He restores that. The temple is rebuilt. The city is rebuilt. The mountain is restored to use.
The people of God are regathered there in Jerusalem. All according to God's promise. But then watch him answer Daniel. And he says, yes, we're going to do that within the first seven sets of the 70 weeks.
But watch. After all these old covenant shadows are restored for a time, all of them are destroyed. Do we see that in the text? Verses 26 and 27. What happens to the holy city? What happens to the holy sanctuary?
What happens to the holy mountain? What happens to the holy people? What happens to them? And God says of all these things that Daniel has asked to be restored. He says, here's my answer. By the time I'm done, all these things are destroyed.
And what kind of answer is that? I mean, what are you doing, God? He said what he's doing in verse 24. He's anointing the most holy. He's anointing the most holy. Grand opening has come and gone. There's no more need for the sign.
Especially a sign being tended by such covenant breakers as the scribes and Pharisees with whom Jesus contended and condemned. It's all about Christ's preeminence. When we interpret any or all of the scriptures, Christ's preeminence is the necessary lens through which we see it all.
I want you to think about this very carefully. Think about the weightiness of Israel. The weightiness. The significance. The gravity of Israel. Their land. Their mountain. Their city. And their temple.
These things that Daniel is praying about. Think about the weightiness and the gravity of Israel. If her prophets and her priests and her kings and her land and her mountain and her city and her temple.
If the full weightiness, if the entire glory of Israel and all of God's old covenant dealings with her is merely the shadow of Christ. Shadows don't weigh very much. Then what are we doing? If we pick up the word of God and read it through our own personal experiences?
Read it through the times we now live? Hold the Bible in one hand and doom scroll with the other? What are our personal experiences and the little life lessons that we have learned and the little tidbits of wisdom that we pick up?
Are those proper lenses for interpreting the Bible or anything else in life? If the entire 42 generations of the old covenant in their total significance were never meant to eclipse the glories of Christ.
But had their entire meaning anchored by their orbit around his preeminence. Then what about you? What about your significance? You're made in God's image. You're designed to live for his word. And you live in the 2022nd year of our risen and reigning Lord Jesus Christ.
You are in orbit around Jesus Christ. Everyone is. You may be having a screaming fit about that. Or you may kiss the sun and find refuge in him. Now may you be filled with the knowledge of God's will.
In all wisdom and spiritual understanding. That we may walk worthy of the Lord fully pleasing to him. Being fruitful in every good work. And increasing in the knowledge of God. Strengthened with all might according to his glorious power.
For all patience and long suffering with joy. And let us give thanks to the Father. He has qualified us to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints and light. He has delivered us from the power of darkness.
And conveyed us into the kingdom of the son of his love. In whom we have redemption through his blood. The forgiveness of our sins. And let us confess that Christ is the image of the invisible God. He is the firstborn of all creation.
For by him all things were created that are in heaven and that are on earth. Visible and invisible. Whether thrones or dominions or principalities or powers. All things were created through him and for him.
And he is before all things. And in him all things consist. And he is the head of the body. The church who is the beginning. The firstborn from the dead. That in all things he may have the preeminence.
Let's pray. Lord we come before you and we are humbled by your glory. Our savior and our sovereign Jesus Christ. Lord we know that everything really is about you. And that as important and significant and precious and weighty as Israel was.
They are all about you. And so are we. Lord I pray that we would live our lives in light of your kingdom. In light of your reign. In light of your glory. In light of your will and your desire for us. I pray that you would help us to.
As you are the light of the world. As we are caught up with you. In our growing into you our head of the church. As we abide in you. Lord that we too would be the light of the world. Pointing to you. Thank you for loving us.
We thank you for saving us. We pray these things in Jesus name.
Stand with me for our song of benediction. Apostle Paul that in all things Christ might have the preeminence. Let us sing let the earth resound.
And the fellowship of the Holy Spirit be with us all. We are dismissed.