The Second Coming of Jesus Christ (3)

The Rapture of the Church and Common End-Times Assumptions

I trust my voice is going to hold out today. We're in 1 Thessalonians 4, addressing this matter of the rapture of the Church. Now, some of these things that we're talking about may be pretty familiar to you.

I hope they are. I hope we come to the place where everything we say is familiar to you. But these things are not familiar to everybody, and I'm always mindful that our notes go out, and they go to, I think, 130, 135 now, addresses we send them to.

Maybe, I don't know, 40 or 50 of them are pastors in India and Africa. Not a week goes by I don't get a note from Central Africa somewhere from a pastor thanking us for the notes. And I got one last week, you know, please send more, you know, and I know that most of these people, even though they're in other nations, have been taught by American evangelicals, and particularly their view of the end times.

And so, you know, these kinds, what we have in our notes is probably something they've never seen or never heard before, and they're finding it helpful and enlightening. And a number of, I don't know how many, but maybe a dozen pastors write me all the time and tell me they actually use our notes in their own teaching and preaching of their churches, which is amazing to me.

And so, a word gets out. And so, sometimes I'm mindful that I might be repeating some things that are familiar to you, but I'm thinking they're not familiar necessarily to some others, and I'm a little reluctant to, you know, bring into mind those people also, but we've got a broader, you know, ministry, and I think it's important to do what we can do.

And besides, repetition is good. We need to, if you cannot teach these things, then you need to hear them once again, okay? We really know them when we can teach them to others. Now, in our study of 1 Thessalonians 4, we arrived two weeks ago to our paragraph before us, chapter 4, verses 13 through 18.

We're not going to read it today. We've read it three or four times, but it describes, of course, the rapture of the Lord's people to meet the Lord in the air, the second coming of Christ. And we've advocated that the rapture is not a separate event from the visible return of Jesus Christ, his second coming, but rather it is one event, that the rapture is the second coming of Jesus Christ.

And Paul's only concerned about revealing that aspect of the second coming where believers are rejoined with believers that have already died. He's attempting to comfort and instruct these Christians in this matter.

But having introduced the subject of the rapture, we found it necessary to explain and refute commonly held belief, the commonly held belief of a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. This is such a common understanding that most Christians have never heard anything but this teaching.

And so, I know that if you listen to Christian radio, you hear about it virtually every day. A pre-tribulation rapture of the church followed by a seven-year tribulation on earth, but thankfully they say the church will escape that, will be raptured out, and that seven-year tribulation will fall upon all those who were left behind.

And so, for some of you who may not be familiar with these matters, and I know some of you are not, you're fairly new in the Lord, I've set down the order of events that most evangelicals espouse today with regard to future events.

We've rehearsed these before, maybe not in this detail, but here is what most Bible-believing Christians believe to be what scripture foretells, prophesies. They would argue that the rapture of the church is the next event in God's calendar, His plan.

And after the rapture of the church, when all Christians throughout the world are raised from the dead, and those who are alive and remain are transformed and caught up with the Lord of the air, that they will enter a judgment seat, the judgment seat of Christ.

But it will not be a judgment seat, which outcome is salvation or condemnation, but rather it's a judgment of works, they say. They argue that Christians will never have to answer to God for anything bad they've done in this life, and they even try and argue that the Greek word in the New Testament is the bema seat, and that is not a judgment seat of a judge passing judgment on condemned criminals or whatnot and exonerating the righteous, but it's a judgment seat like, say, at the Olympic Games when a judge is conferring an award for a race having been successfully completed or won.

And so it's believed that judgment is the only judgment Christians will encounter, and the only outcome of that judgment would be degrees of rewards that are bestowed upon the Lord's people. And then they say that the New Testament Christians, and once again, the rapture of the church, they believe the church are only those believers from Pentecost until the rapture.

They will then undergo or experience what is called the marriage supper of the Lamb. Proponents of this view believe the church, again, includes only those who become Christians between Pentecost and the rapture.

We would differ from that. The rapture, when that occurs, it's going to be all the redeemed of all of history that will be caught up to be with the Lord. Well, after the rapture, secondly, they argue that it will be followed on earth by a seven-year tribulation period for all those who are left behind.

And this is said to be the fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel. You commonly read this. You commonly hear this. An end-time Antichrist will arise and rule during this seven-year end-time tribulation.

And this Antichrist will persecute the Jewish people severely because the Christians are taken out of the world. And so he'll persecute the Jewish people for, in the latter half of that seven-year tribulation, the three and a half years, which is commonly referred to as the Great Tribulation.

He presents himself as a world leader of peace to the Jews in the first three and a half years, but then midpoint he changes and he turns upon the Jews and persecutes them. And then it's taught at the end of this seven-year tribulation is the second coming of Jesus Christ, when Jesus will return, defeat the world in the Battle of Armageddon, in which he will slay all who refuse to believe on him as Savior and Lord.

And at his second coming, fourthly, they say that he will establish a thousand-year millennium on earth in which he will reign as the son of David over a restored kingdom of David for a thousand years.

And so at his second coming, Jesus will judge the nations that existed during the tribulation period, allowing some of those nations to continue into the millennium, to exist in the millennium with Jesus as king, but excluding other nations.

And they actually argue that the basis of judgment of these countries, of these nations, is how they treat the Jewish people during the tribulation. Those nations that treated the Jewish people favorably will be allowed to continue into the thousand-year millennium.

Those who did not will cease to exist. At that time, he'll raise Old Testament believers because they were not caught up in the church with the rapture, they would argue. And they, along with those who became believers during the tribulation and survived, they would continue into the millennium.

They would populate this thousand-year revived kingdom of Israel during the millennium. Well after the thousand years, fifthly, at the end of the millennium, after a short period of rebellion against King Jesus, which to me is an amazing teaching on the part of these folks, they say that at the end of the thousand years, the people of the world will again rebel against King Jesus, who is literally physically sitting on a throne in Jerusalem, they say, but that rebellion will be just temporary, short-lived, King Jesus will put it down, and then the end will come.

And then lastly, you have the final great white throne judgment at the end of the thousand years, in which Christ will judge and condemn all the unsaved of all of history, after which they will be thrown into the lake of fire.

And they believe and teach that only the unsaved will come before Jesus Christ at the great white throne judgment. They don't believe there is a judgment in which separates Christians from non-Christians, but rather the judgment of Christians was a thousand and seven years before, and then at the end of a thousand and seven years, the seven-year tribulation, thousand-year millennium, you have this great white throne judgment only of the unsaved.

And then finally, seventh, of course, God will then, they argue, create a new heavens and a new earth in which his people will dwell with the Lord forever. Those who believe in a two-stage second coming of Christ, the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation, the visible bodily return of Jesus at the second coming at the end of the seven years, espouse the above-order events that we just rehearsed.

They affirm a pre-tribulation, pre-millennial return of Jesus Christ to rapture's church, that the church will then escape the seven-year tribulation that will come upon the earth, and they claim that our passage of 1 Thessalonians 4, 13 -18, teaches their view.

And I would argue you read that passage and you're not going to find any of this even suggested in Paul's words. Now in contrast to that rather intricate scenario that involves a thousand-plus years, the view of historic Reformed theology Protestants regarding the doctrine of the second coming of Christ is really quite simple.

These are my words, but it basically describes our understanding of the future. The Bible foretells a single second coming of Jesus Christ when he will call unto himself his people from the grave and the world.

Jesus Christ will then bring all mankind into a general judgment over which he, Jesus, will preside as judge. He will then separate the redeemed from the damned. The redeemed will be granted entrance into the fullness of the kingdom of God, even the new Jerusalem and the new heavens and the new earth, in which they will dwell with their Lord for eternity, and the damned will be consigned to eternal punishment.

It's pretty simple, isn't it, in comparison to this intricate, detailed view of the end times. Now, to show you that this is what Reformed folks or Protestants historically believe, we can pull from our own confession of faith, and we can pull it from the Westminster Confession or the Savoy Declaration, the Congregational Reformed Confession, or the Heidelberg Catechism.

We can find it anywhere, but here in the article on the Last Judgment from our Baptist Confession of 1689, you have three paragraphs, and although there is more detail here, it basically says the same thing that I put in this paragraph we just read.

First, God has appointed a day wherein he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, to whom all power and judgment is given of the Father, in which day not only the apostate angel shall be judged, but likewise all persons that have lived upon the earth shall appear before the tribunal of Christ to give an account of their thoughts, words, and deeds, and to receive according to what they have done in the body, whether good or evil.

And probably most of you recognize the almost direct biblical language and then their scripture references given. Two, the end of God's appointing this day is for the manifestation of the glory of his mercy in the eternal salvation of the elect, and of his justice in the eternal damnation of the reprobate who are wicked and disobedient.

For then shall the righteous go into everlasting life and receive that fullness of joy and glory with everlasting rewards in the presence of the Lord. But the wicked who know not God and obey not the gospel of Jesus Christ shall be cast aside into everlasting torment and punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his power.

And third, as Christ would have us to be certainly persuaded that there shall be a day of judgment both to deter all men from sin and for the greater consolation or comfort of the godly in their adversity, so will he have the day unknown to men, that they may shake off all carnal security, and be always watchful, because they know not at what hour the Lord will come, and may ever be prepared to say, Come, Lord Jesus, come quickly, Amen.

Again, very simple, very straightforward scenario about future events. Now let's consider the relationship between the rapture and the seven-year tribulation. Again, last Lord's Day we began to show why the arguments of those who hold to a pre-tribulation rapture of the Church are unbiblical.

So we addressed common expressions or phrases, words that they use, that they believe indicate there is a pre-tribulation rapture separate from the visible Second Coming. And so we addressed how they are mistaken in their understanding of the biblical expression one will be taken, the other left.

The one taken is the one who is judged of God. Disciples ask Jesus, where are they taken, Lord? They're taken where the vultures are gathered.

They're dead.

That's where they're taken. The ones who are left behind are the blessed ones, the ones who survived. And then we showed also the wrong belief in a secret rapture of the Church, that they argue from the expression, he's coming like a thief in the night.

That's not the idea that Christ is coming secretly in a secret rapture, but rather he's coming suddenly and unexpectedly as a thief. And then we explained their errant assertion that there will be two stages of the Second Coming of Jesus by their claim that Jesus is coming for his saints can be distinguished from his coming with the saints.

That is not biblical. And then lastly, we refuted their teaching that the Lord has promised that his people would not go through tribulation. We see everywhere in the New Testament that we're actually called to go through tribulation.

But I would like us now to consider a teaching that most evangelicals believe to be biblical with uncritical acceptance, a doctrine which we, and when I say we, that is a rhetorical we, you know, in other words, me, I, believe to be unbiblical.

And I believe, again, the burden of proof rests on me, because this is an understood, accepted belief of anybody and everybody virtually, except for a minority of people, like R .C. Sproul, you know, or Alistair Begg, but there's few that would espouse this that are well known across the country.

There are many that hold this view, but they're not necessarily widely known. But this doctrine, I believe, which is unbiblical, is the belief the Bible teaches there will be a seven-year tribulation period on earth ending in the second coming of Christ.

Now, regardless of the rapture, okay, they teach a seven-year end-time tribulation, and I'm saying the Bible does not teach that. Now, I'm not saying that there will definitely not be a time of tribulation before the second coming of Jesus Christ.

There may indeed be. There may be a period of intense trouble and persecution. Paul wrote to Timothy, you've carefully followed my doctrine, manner of life, purpose, faith, long-suffering, love, and then he talks about persecutions, and out of them all the Lord.

Delivered me.

Yes, and all who desire to live godly in Christ will suffer persecution. And then he declares, but evil men and impostors will grow worse and worse, deceiving and being deceived. This is what the course of this age is like.

And there are periods when it gets very, very, very difficult, and then there is respite and times of revival. And so tribulation may come, perhaps even great tribulation, but the argument that evangelicals put forward that there will be a seven-year tribulation period as foretold in the scriptures is incorrect, in my opinion.

Those who hold to such a position, in other words, most evangelicals, I believe impose a false interpretation on passages that they wrongly believe speak to this matter. Actually, the scriptures present this entire church age as a period of tribulation.

The best commentary on the book of Revelation is a commentary on the Greek text, and it is by Greg Beal, who used to be a professor at Gordon, has been a Bowdoin conference speaker, is the best thing available.

And repeatedly through his commentary on Revelation, he shows how it declares this entire church age is a time of tribulation, not just an end-time seven-year period. Yes, at times, more intense than at other times.

Jesus told one of the churches at the end of the first century, he says, you will have tribulation ten days, probably a reference to ten periods of persecution, and there were ten periods of intense Roman persecution over the next two centuries.

Our Lord Jesus told his disciples, these things I have spoken to you, that in me you may have peace, in the world you will have tribulation. But be of good cheer, I have overcome the world. But an end-time tribulation of seven years is essential to the belief in a pre-tribulation rapture.

They go hand-in-hand. The doctrine of an end-time seven-year tribulation is a doctrine on which everything they espouse rests and is measured. Arguments about the timing of the rapture are based on its relationship to this seven-year tribulation.

The majority of evangelicals believe in a pre-tribulation rapture that will occur before the onset of the seven years. However, there are those who believe in a post-tribulation rapture. They argue that the rapture and the second coming are one event, but they argue that it will take place after or at the end of the seven-year tribulation period.

And then there are those who espouse a mid-tribulation rapture, that Jesus returns for his church three and a half years into the tribulation, and then he comes back bodily at the end of that seven-year period.

And those who hold to one of these three positions will make this a very important matter. I mean, it becomes a test of fellowship to them. They do not count you, really, as worthy to be a member of their church if you don't hold, say, to a pre-tribulation rapture.

And some might question that. However, the church I was converted into in Fort Bragg, California, a small town up on the North Coast, Calvary Baptist Church, a GARB church, that denomination, General Association of Regular Baptists, in the latter 1950s adopted a statement of faith, which was the 1833 New Hampshire Baptist Confession of Faith, which is a great confession.

But in their paragraph on end times, they gave a very detailed end-time scenario like we rehearsed above. And they made it a test of fellowship. They would not permit me to join their church today because I don't hold to a pre-tribulation, pre-millennial rapture of the church.

And people will dismiss you, discredit you. I'm sure that there are people in our region who view our church with suspicion, if not relegate us to a lower status because we do not espouse, and everything we espouse we do so publicly on the radio and television.

We don't espouse a pre-tribulation rapture. And people think that's weird and errant, by the way. Sometimes when someone who changes their view on the pre-tribulation rapture, they're cut off from support of a local church.

Kevin was telling me about a missionary, was it in Ireland, Kevin, who got under Protestant teaching over in Ireland, came to see that this whole view of dispensational end times was not biblical, and he came back and expressed that to his denomination, and they immediately.

Cut him off.

He and his family were left in Ireland without support because he changed his view of it. How many people count this? When I was in Germany and applying to churches in America, sending my resume, numbers of churches contacted me, and we were in various stages of process in them searching, and they seemed to be quite interested in me until we addressed end times.

And as soon as they heard I didn't hold a pre-trib rapture, I was dismissed, discredited. I remember one church in Grand Junction, Colorado, I mean, you talk about the millennium, if they would have called me to Grand Junction, Colorado, that would have been a beautiful gig, so to speak, and they were really serious about calling me, and I had to write them and said I don't hold to a pre-trib rapture, and they wrote back, this one fellow wrote back on the church committee, how can you possibly say this?

So I sat down and wrote a long essay, spelling it all out, and sent it back to him, and he says, you've made our committee aware of some things that we never considered before. We cannot call you because it would disrupt our church, but let me assure you, after we call a pastor, we're going to work through these issues.

But it discredited me from being called there. This becomes a test of fellowship for people. And so understand what we're saying, we're asserting here that the very doctrine of a future end-time tribulation, seven-year tribulation, is based on a faulty interpretation of Scripture.

It's based upon an errant interpretation of Daniel's prophecy of 70 weeks, an interpretation which emerged in the late or mid -1800s, became the predominant view among evangelicals early in the 20th century with the publication of the Schofield Reference Bible.

But it is a major tenet of dispensationalism, which is a man-made belief system about the interpretation and understanding of Scripture. And so let's consider Daniel's prophecy, upon which they claim their teaching is based, first upon the perspective of historic Reformed understanding, Protestant understanding, and then secondly from the perspective of modern-day dispensationalism.

And so, the historic Reformed understanding of Daniel's prophecy of 70 weeks. Let's turn to Daniel 9. You may not all have the New King James Version, which I have in front of us. You may have the ESV, which reads a little bit differently.

Says the same thing, but in different words. But here you have the prophecy of Daniel's 70 weeks in these four verses. I want to read them. These were words of Gabriel the angel to Daniel. 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 sixty-two weeks. The streets shall be built again, and the wall even in troublest times.

After sixty-two weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself. 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.

Then 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 abomination shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.

Now that's a mouthful of words, isn't it? Now let's work through this. First, let's understand the context. Daniel had been deported among other young Hebrews, Jews, after the Babylonian Empire defeated Judah and destroyed Jerusalem.

In 605, he was in one of the earlier deportations. God's judgment was upon the nation for having broken its covenant with God. Daniel arrived in Babylon as a teenager, but God blessed him, and Daniel arose to become one of the leaders of Babylon.

He served there all his life. And years later, when Daniel was an old man, he was reading a copy of Jeremiah's prophecy regarding his people, and he learned of God's intention and promise to restore his people to their land after 70 years in exile.

We read in Daniel 9, 1 -3,. In the first year of Darius, the son of Azarias, by descent of Mede, the Medes defeated Babylon, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans. That's another term for Babylonians, the Chaldeans.

In the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, perceived in the books the number of years that, according to the word of the Lord to Jeremiah the prophet, must pass before the end of the desolations of Jerusalem, namely 70 years.

See, Jerusalem had been destroyed utterly by Babylon. And he sees that this exile, this judgment, was going to last 70 years. And so here Daniel is an old man, and these 70 years are almost up. And you can imagine his optimism.

He expected that God was going to restore his people to the land. God had utterly destroyed Jerusalem and the temple, but Daniel believed that their physical and spiritual condition was about to be restored.

He believed that upon their release from exile and return to their land that the Messiah would appear and that the kingdom of Israel would be restored. And so Daniel began to pray that God's will would come to pass for his people.

But Daniel had been mistaken in thinking that at the end of the 70 years of exile in Babylon that all things would be restored, that the curse of God would be removed from the people and that the kingdom of the Messiah would be established.

And so God sent his angel Gabriel, sent him to Daniel in order to reveal to Daniel the actual time that would transpire until the Messiah would come, who would accomplish his work of salvation for his people, reconciling them to God.

And so we read in Daniel 9, verses 20 and following,. Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord, my God, for the holy mountain of my God, that would be the kingdom, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the visions beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering.

And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved, and therefore consider the matter and understand the vision.

And then it was then that Gabriel gave Daniel this prophecy of 70 weeks. Gabriel told Daniel it would not be immediately after 70 years of exile that their reconciliation before God would occur, that the promised kingdom of God would be inaugurated.

Gabriel told Daniel it would not be 70 years, it would be 70 weeks of years. In other words, it would be 490 years. 70 weeks, 70 times 7 years, 490 years. It will not be 70 years, Daniel, it is going to be 490 years before the Messiah comes, reconciles your people, establishes his kingdom.

Only then would their sins be fully forgiven, and their relationship with God would be restored. Only then would all the promises of God respecting their salvation be realized. In other words, to seal up the vision and prophecy.

Only then would the Messiah come and accomplish their redemption from sin, removing God's curse from his people, fulfilling his promise to inaugurate the promised kingdom of God. Well, did this event occur?

Of course it did. And the early Christian witness was that Jesus of Nazareth who fulfilled all that the holy prophets had foretold would come to pass, all that Gabriel declared to Daniel that would take place after 490 years, God accomplished.

He did reconcile his people unto himself. He did establish his kingdom through the life, crucifixion, resurrection, and exaltation of the promised Messiah, Jesus Christ. The angel Gabriel gave detailed explanation to Daniel about the prophecy of the 70 weeks of years.

He told Daniel that the outset or the beginning point of this 490 year time frame would begin with the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem. We see that in verse 25 of Daniel 9. This is probably, and there's difference of opinion, but this is probably a reference to the formal decree of the Persian emperor Cyrus who gave permission for Jewish exiles to return and rebuild the city.

From this initial decree, which was the beginning point, until Messiah the Prince, 69 weeks of years or 483 years would transpire. At the end of 483 years, the Messiah would appear. Gabriel divides this initial 69 weeks into two divisions of 7 weeks and 62 weeks.

The 7 weeks, 49 years, speak of the time in which Jerusalem is rebuilt in troublous times. And we would argue that that was realized under the leadership of Nehemiah. Nehemiah led the returning Jewish exile to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.

And you can read of the difficulty Nehemiah and his people had during those troublesome times. And then after the city was reestablished in its fortifications, another 62 weeks or 434 years are specified until Messiah the Prince.

Now look at that expression. It's very important. Until Messiah the Prince. He's the promised king. These 69 weeks of Daniel's prophecy, therefore, take us from the official return of the Jews from the 70-year Babylonian captivity until the appearance of Jesus Christ the Messiah, when he began his earthly ministry of proclamation and reconciliation, until Messiah the Prince.

The 69 weeks of years describe the period of history to the onset of Jesus' ministry. And upon the public ministry of Jesus of Nazareth, the 70th week of Daniel began. The Messiah was performing his ministry in the regions of Galilee and later Judea.

He served for three and a half years. We would argue that's the first half of the 70th week of Daniel. 69 weeks came to the onset, the appearance, of Messiah the Prince. The 70th week describes the ministry of Messiah.

After the 69 weeks, we read, after 62 weeks, that's after the 49 or the 7 weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself. Sometime after the 69 weeks, we would argue that's in the 70th week. The Messiah would be cut off, but not for himself.

This is a clear reference to the crucifixion of Christ. Halfway through the week. But what happens next? The Prince would then bring God's judgment upon Jerusalem and its temple, the desolation of which would be total and lasting.

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, till the end of the war desolations are determined. And we would argue that our Lord pronounced judgment upon Jerusalem and its temple.

He's the Prince. He declared to Jerusalem in Matthew 23, Your house is left to you desolate. And then he announced to his disciples that the temple would be destroyed. The opening words of Matthew 25.

Then Jesus went out and departed from the temple. His disciples came up to show him the buildings of the temple. And Jesus said to them, Do you not see all these things? Assuredly, I say to you, not one stone shall be left here upon another that shall not be thrown down.

The Prince to come is the one who destroyed the city and the sanctuary. As King of kings and Lord of lords, he is the one who commanded the Roman armies to come and lay siege to Jerusalem and destroy it.

And of course that was realized in A .D. 70. I'm not going to take the time to read Matthew Henry's comments there, but just to show you this is a historic Protestant Reformed view. This is what Matthew Henry affirms.

So I'm not saying anything new or novel here. I'm saying something that is old and forgotten and lost. But what of Daniel 9 .27 which reads,. Then 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 abomination shall be one who makes desolate, even upon the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate. We would argue again that this is what takes place during the 70th week of Daniel which began with the onset of the public ministry of the Lord Jesus.

This last seven year period in Daniel's time frame included our Lord's entire three and a half year public ministry and I would argue approximately three and a half years afterwards. Although Daniel doesn't give emphasis to the second three and a half years.

He really gives emphasis to the first three and a half years. We should recognize. We read that our Lord initially confirmed a covenant with many. Now Reformed commentators actually have two opinions as to the meaning of this prophecy.

Some argue this is the new covenant that our Lord established with many. Just as he came to give his life a ransom for many, he established a new covenant with many. Others, however, and I'm of this persuasion, argue that this alludes to Jesus Christ as the Jewish Messiah who came to confirm.

He confirmed the covenant. In other words, he confirmed God's promise and commitment to the Jews that God said he would send them the Messiah. And this is what Jesus did when he first came into Israel.

You recall the Lord telling his disciples, you just go to the Jews. Don't go to the Gentiles. Matthew 10, 5, and 7. These twelve Jesus sent out instructing them to go nowhere among the Gentiles and enter no town of the Samaritans, but rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel and proclaim as you go saying the kingdom of heaven is at hand.

Now later he would tell a Gentile woman, I was sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. You see, he came and he confirmed the covenant with many, with his people. God had bound himself to send the Messiah to Israel, and he came to Israel, and only to Israel initially.

In fact, Paul wrote of this,. Now I say that Jesus Christ has become a servant to the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the promises made to the Father. He came to confirm a covenant with many, and he did.

But in the middle of the week, that seventieth week of Daniel, Jesus Christ was crucified, having brought an end to sacrifice and offering. When Jesus died, that veil in the temple was torn from top to bottom.

He brought an end to the sacrifices of that temple. The epistle to the Hebrews declares,. But as it is, he has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself.

But then the desolation of the temple in Jerusalem takes place. The city and temple that Daniel prophesied regarding would be rebuilt in troubled times would nevertheless be destroyed once again. On the wing of abomination shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate.

What does that mean?

Well, if the Lord Jesus was cut off, that is, crucified in the middle of the seventieth week, three and a half years into seven years, what of the second half of the seven-year period? This is my opinion.

Take it for whatever that is worth. I would argue that for the first three and a half years of this church age, after the resurrection of Christ, the primary emphasis of mission took place among the Jews.

God was fulfilling his commitment and promise to them. Peter would himself declare to the gathered Jews, God, having raised up his servants, sent him to you first, talking to Jews, to bless you and turning every one of you from your wickedness.