Desolation's and Covenants (Daniel 9: 26-27a)

Welcome to Kootenai Community Church Adult Sunday School.

Let's open in prayer.

Father, it is your wonderful word we will be opening this morning, and we look to it to see Jesus, for he said it is the scriptures that speak of him. And this morning we will see our Messiah cut off, and yet we know he will return.

And Father, you gave this information to a man 500 years prior to your coming, and prior to your birth, actually,.

Or prior to your ministry.

And we look forward to seeing the end of that in our lives at some point. Either we will go home to be with you, or you will come to get us,.

And either way is good with us, Lord.

We want to be about the business of promulgating your word to the world, and about doing it in a manner that gives you glory. And so this morning give us illumination as we study this section of Daniel.

Help us to understand what Gabriel was teaching Daniel,.

In Jesus' name, amen.

So last week we talked about, I gave a little disclaimer or a little clickbait about the multiple Messiahs, and I didn't get to it, but it's on the list. I was looking at some of the different rabbit trails that have been gone down in the book of Daniel over the last two and a half millennia.

And I think if I chased 10 of those, we would be here a long time. So I will give a little bit of flesh to that one because it piqued my interest. There's a lot of people who don't believe in Christ, don't believe in the Bible, but they read this and they wonder, maybe there were two Messiahs.

And we'll look at that just a little bit next week. That's my plan anyway. But we left off last week on the first part of chapter nine, verse 26. So, and I just lost my, I still haven't found my Bible.

So I'm using one of these fake ones that the church has. You know, I looked in the lost and found. So, so the pages are all messed up. This is like page 637. I don't know what these guys were thinking when they numbered these pages, but.

So if you would read with me in the book of Daniel chapter nine, we're gonna read from verse 20 to the end of the chapter, Daniel chapter nine. Daniel says, now, while I was speaking and praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people, Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord, my God, in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.

He gave me instruction and talked with me and said, oh, Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding. At the beginning of your supplications, the command was issued and I have come to tell you for you are highly esteemed.

So give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision. 70 weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.

So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and 62 weeks. It will be built again with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.

Then after the 62 weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing. And the people of the Prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary and its end will come with a flood. Even to the end, there will be war.

Desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week,.

But in the middle of the week,.

He will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering. And on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed is poured out on the one who makes desolate.

So with that, I'd like to just not, this time we're going to actually do a little bit of review of verse 26 so that we can treat it in its entirety this morning. We made it actually to, not very far. So with that in mind, let's just quickly review verse 26.

After this, then after the 62 weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing. And the people of the Prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary and its end will come with a flood.

Even to the end, there will be war. Desolations are determined. And I will give a complete chronology of Daniel at some point, it'll be up on the screen. We'll summarize this so that we aren't left hanging as to what Gabriel was teaching here.

But we're going to walk through it verse by verse still. So Messiah is cut off. Then after the 62 weeks, the scripture says, there's no description of the length of time that the word after describes.

This is not the opening event of the 70th week and it is not stated as such. It occurs after the culmination of the 69 weeks or more formally, it is after the culmination of the seven weeks and the 62 weeks.

So the reconstruction of Jerusalem occurs in the first seven sevens, which is 49 years. Then another 62 sevens passes, 434 years. Following this, two events occur. First Messiah comes, verse 25. Then he is cut off, verse 26.

There is no debate about the fact that it is Jesus who has been spoken of here. And this is a reference to the crucifixion of Christ as well. So after the completion of the seven and then the 62, Messiah appears and is cut off.

But this happens before the beginning of the 70th week. For this to happen, there must be a time gap between the two time periods. Since almost all believing commentators agree that this is a 490 year period made up of three time periods, 49 years, followed by 434 years, followed by another seven years, totaling 490 years.

Only those who do not believe there is a time gap are forced to insert the appearance of Messiah, the crucifixion of Messiah, and the destruction of Jerusalem 40 years later into a purported seven year period.

This simply did not happen. One well-known proponent of this theory argues that Christ's death took place in the middle of the final week, coming to an end in AD 33 with the conversion of Paul, which has no bearing on this prophecy.

Remember, I'm basically repeating what I said last week, just to give us context for the rest of this verse. There is no way to cram 40 years into the seven year period. Note that there is no mention of the 70th week here.

These events precede the 70th week, but do not immediately follow the 69th week. Only a literal understanding of this passage can harmonize the interpretation. So three things occur in verse 26 at the end of the 69th week.

Number one, Messiah will be cut off and have nothing. Number two, the prince, the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And number three, its end will come with a flood.

Even to the end, there will be war, desolations are determined. So as mentioned, all believing commentators agree that the cutting off of Messiah refers to the death of Jesus. The 483 years have been fulfilled to the day on March 30, AD 33 at Christ's triumphal entry.

And the Lord was crucified four days later on April 3rd,.

AD 33.

So this was an event that took place after the 483 years, but not during the final seven of sevens. Final seven, the final week, excuse me. The text says, quote, after the 62 weeks, close quote, not in the 62 weeks.

These things occurred after 483 years, but before the final seven years, since no mention is made of these things occurring during that final week of seven years. Walvoord explains in his commentary, he says, quote, it makes plain that the Messiah will be living at the end of the 69th week and will be 69th seventh or week, and will be cut off or die soon after the end of it, close quote.

Another commentator observes now, quote, now his crucifixion took place four days after his appearance as the Prince and Israel recognized him as a Prince during the triumphal entry. That is four days after the close of the 483rd year.

Nevertheless, the prophecy does not represent this great event as occurring in the seven years, which yet remain to be fulfilled. Here then is the beginning of the interval, which separates the 483 years from the final seven.

That was G .H. Pember. So this explains the phrase that Messiah would be cut off. The Lord Jesus Christ through his death on the cross, which paid for the sins of the elect was in effect killed, cut off.

That's a common term used in scripture for killing someone. Usually it refers to murder. The nothing that Christ did not gain at his first advent was the final kingdom. He did not receive his messianic kingdom.

He was cut off before that was established. The stone had not destroyed the image at this point, the stone from chapter two of Daniel. His own people rejected him and did not receive him as John says in his gospel in chapter one, verse 11.

He came to his own and those who were his own did not receive him. The people of Daniel, the Jews rejected the Messiah. And so the Lord Jesus Christ first coming, at the Lord Jesus Christ first coming, the kingdom was not ushered in.

The millennial eternal kingdom was not ushered in. After the final week, this will happen. Thus this final week is still in the future. It is explained this way by Reynolds showers. He says the expression to heaven and have nothing meant that when Messiah would die, he would not have all that should properly belong.

To the Messiah.

As Messiah, he should have had a Royal crown of gold and precious jewels, but he had a crown of thorns, Matthew 27, 29. He should have had a Royal robe, but he was stripped of his clothing, John 19, 23, 24.

He should have had a Royal throne, but he was given the cross, John 19, 17 and 18. He should have had the reception and the claim and the acclaim of his people, but he received the rejection, John 19, 14, 15 and scorned Matthew 27, 39 through 44.

And that's where we ended last week. So next is regarding the phrase and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. There is considerable debate here, but imagine Daniel's dismay at finding that although the temple would be rebuilt in the first seven sevens, it would be destroyed again after the 483 years, three years had transpired.

Israel's discipline would continue. It would not end with the close of the Babylonian captivity. This would be God's judgment on Israel for rejecting the Messiah in his first coming. And Jesus confirms this in Matthew chapter 19, excuse me, in Luke chapter 19, 1941 through 44.

It says of the Lord Jesus, it says, when he approached Jerusalem, he saw the city and wept over it saying, if you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace, but now they have been hidden from your eyes for the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you and surround you and him you in on every side.

And they will level you to the ground and your children within you. And they will not leave in you one stone upon another because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.

So we need to be reminded,.

Or at least some of us need to be reminded that the subject of the verb to destroy, will destroy his people, not Prince. This Prince is not Christ for certain. The second Prince and will come after the death of Christ.

That is after the Messiah is cut off. The only two possibilities would be the Roman Prince who destroyed Jerusalem in AD 70 or Antichrist. The emphasis of this verse is on the people and not the Prince.

Linguists point out that the use of the article, the, indicates that this is referring to someone who was mentioned earlier in the book. This would be the little horn of Daniel 7, 8 and 24 through 26.

There is no relationship between this mentioned Prince and any other issue or matter in this section. Therefore, the implication is that he is mentioned here by Gabriel regarding something about, something which will be said about him later.

When verse, where verse 25 describes the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple, this verse immediately following describes this destruction of both. This is to follow after the 62 weeks. This comports with the fact that Christ's crucifixion followed the 62 weeks and history describes the destruction of the temple and city 40 years after Christ's crucifixion.

Actually 43 years after Christ's crucifixion, the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the temple quelling a revolt. It seems that Gabriel stated it this way so that it would be understood that the people of the Prince who is to come would destroy Jerusalem in AD 70, setting up future destruction by the princes, by the Prince slash Antichrist during the 70th week.

So far, only 69 weeks have been described. We will see the 70th week begin to be described in verse 27. So that explains and the people of the Prince who is to come, they will destroy the city, the people of the Prince who is to come.

And it's end, the scripture says, will come with a flood. This describes the destruction of the city and temple by Titus with his four legions in AD 70. This would be the equivalent of about between 16 ,000 and 20 ,000 Roman soldiers.

And the word it's refers to Jerusalem and the temple. So Titus came in and if I remember right, he removed the stones from the temple. I think there was gold and they did something with the gold that was among this.

I think there was gold in between the stones and the temple and they wanted to get at that gold. That was one of the reasons they took it down stone by stone, but the temple was leveled. It was like a flood came in and washed everything regarding the temple away in Jerusalem.

Four legions of soldiers made it so. They destroyed it and they killed many. Even so, the scripture says, even to the end, there will be war, desolations are determined. That's the last phrase in verse 26.

So the wars and desolations that began with that destruction in AD 70 will continue throughout the time leading up to the 70th week. This has been the lot of the Jews since the destruction of Jerusalem.

The times of the Gentiles have reigned supreme and will continue even to the end. Several commentators have explained this. Feinberg says in the final words of verse 26, the final words of verse 26 sum up the history of Israel since AD 70.

Desolations are determined, quote unquote. Surely the determined wars and desolations have come upon them. Such has been the lot of Israel in the city of Jerusalem and such will be the portion, their portion until the time of the Gentiles has been fulfilled, unquote.

Similarly, Dr. Dwight Pentecost states, but that invasion in AD 70, awesome as it was, did not end the nation's sufferings. For war, Gabriel said, would continue until the end. Even though Israel was to be set aside, she would continue to suffer until the prophecies of the 77s were completely fulfilled.

Her suffering spanned the entire period from the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 to Jerusalem's deliverance from Gentile dominion at the second advent of Christ. Imagine Daniel's dismay at seeing this.

Oh yay, Jerusalem's gonna be rebuilt.

Shut up, Gabriel. That would have been my temptation because the next statement was,.

But desolations will continue.

And Gabriel said that he would give Daniel understanding. I believe Daniel understood what was going on here. Maybe not completely fully, but he understood enough to know that Jerusalem would not turn from her sin fully and would continue to sin, and God would have to judge them for centuries.

And this had to weigh heavily on Daniel's heart. So the literal understanding of this chapter, although a little bit challenging to discern, shows a space between the 69th and 70th weeks. That space most certainly appears to be the time between the crucifixion of Christ and his second coming, the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ.

It's all an important package, by the way. The language of the text leaves no option other than this. Culver explains it this way. He says, all attempts to place the events of verse 26, the cutting off of Christ and the destruction of Jerusalem, in either the period of the 62 weeks or in the 70th week, stumble and fall on the simple language of the text itself.

It seems that a more natural interpretation is the one that regards the events of verse 26 as belonging to a period between the 69th and 70th weeks. When God has sovereignly set aside his people Israel, awaiting a time of resumption of covenant relationship in the future after Israel has been restored to the land.

No, because I have reduced these to smaller groups for... Yeah, but it's on the website. You're talking about the chart. Yeah, that's a good... I'll try to include that with each of weeks, each week. Jesus himself, when quoting Isaiah, regarding his fulfillment of that prophecy, only quoted part of Isaiah's statement.

The part that deals with the first coming. He anticipated time passing between his first coming and his second advent. Here is his quote juxtaposed with Isaiah's statement in full.

Or there was his quote.

Isaiah said, the spirit of the Lord is God is upon me because the Lord has anointed me to bring me to life.

To bring good news to the afflicted.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to captives and freedom to prisoners, to proclaim the favorable year of the Lord and the day of vengeance of our God to comfort all who mourn.

I put that in bold because Jesus left that off.

Look at his quote.

The spirit of the Lord is upon me because he anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim release to the captives and recovery of sight to the blind,.

To set free those who are oppressed,.

To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord. And then it says, and he closed the book and set it down. Do you think Jesus didn't know what Isaiah said? He misquoted the person that he inspired to write Isaiah chapter 61.

I forgot that last verse, that last phrase. No, the Lord Jesus Christ was clearly giving us a picture of what was to come.

This is the gap.

And we will revisit this as needed. There will be other times when this particular verse will bear repeating and focusing on some of what we will be talking about. Are there any questions about verse 26, which took up two weeks?

Sorry about that.

Okay, verse 27. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.

But in the middle of the week,.

He will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering. And on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed is poured out on the one who makes desolate.

Do you think Daniel was taking notes?

I do.

If I don't write stuff down, it doesn't happen. My customers have found that out. If they come in and order a particular object for their use, the ones who know me well say, are you gonna write that down?

Cause they know if it doesn't get written down,.

It don't happen.

I think Daniel probably took notes. I think probably he, and I think it would have been perfectly fine for him because he wrote this up later. And it is so wonderful that he did because we have this. So now we're gonna go through verse 27.

Yes, I have no problem with that. That's exactly right. The Holy Spirit would, but I don't think the Holy Spirit objects to taking notes either. But yeah, the Holy Spirit will come and men of God and women of God can depend on that.

He will bring, it says in the New Testament that he will bring things to your mind that are necessary. Certainly he did that with Daniel. So we're gonna go through Daniel 27, verse 27 slowly. The first two words, and he.

So this first describes events that occur within what has been described as a prophetic postponement, a prophetic postponement. The literal interpretation of the language does not place these events in the 62 weeks, nor does it place them in the 70th week.

It is worded clearly in such a way as to place those events in between those two periods. God has set aside his people waiting for a resumption of their relationship after Israel has been restored to the land that he has promised them.

The he here has been described to two different personalities in verse 26. There is one group that believes it refers to the Messiah and another that believes it refers to the prince who is to come. In Hebrew grammar, as in most languages, a pronoun refers to the nearest antecedent unless there is a contextual reason just directing you to something different, directing you to something different.

The nearest antecedent in this particular case is the prince who is to come. This is the antecedent that is clearly in view here. Culver explains this grammatical, the grammatical rules. He says in the first place, ordinary rules of grammar establish that the leading actor of this verse is the Antichrist, the great evil man in the end time.

He shall make a firm covenant, et cetera. Thus, the verse opens a more literal reading of the Hebrew words, make a firm covenant is, and he shall cause to prevail a covenant. If the pronoun he were present in the Hebrew, a case might possibly be made for the introduction of an entirely new personality into the story at this point.

However, there is no such pronoun. Only the third masculine singular form of the verb indicating that an antecedent is to be sought or to be looked for in a previous statement and that of necessity in the proceeding context.

There was only one antecedent admissible. According to the accepted rules that the last proceeding noun, which agrees in gender and number and agrees with the sense is the antecedent. This is unquestionably that word, the coming prince of verse 26.

He is a coming prince. That is one whom the reader would already know as a prince to come because he is the same as the little horn or the fourth beast of chapter seven. Leon Wood further explains. He says the prior context presents two possible antecedents for this pronoun, the Messiah or the prince that shall come.

Amillinarians favor the former and premillinarians the latter. I had to just abbreviate him Amill and premill because I stumble on them every time. The following matters give evidence for the premill view.

There you go.

First, the prince that shall come is the nearer of the two antecedents making for a grammatical preference. Second, as noted above, the unusual manner of mention in verse 26 regarding that prince calls for just such a further reference as this.

There is no reason for the earlier notice something further is to be said regarding him for he does nothing nor plays any part in activities there described. And then so if you would like, I can provide you with this entire section that Wood goes through.

But he points out this person made a firm covenant. Christ made no covenant. Even if Christ had made a covenant, the idea of mentioning it only here in the overall thought of the passage would be unusual when the subject of his death and even the destruction of Jerusalem have already been set forth.

The idea of the 70th week here closely associated with this does not fit the life or ministry of Christ. The idea that this one causes sacrifice and offering to cease does not fit with reference to Christ.

One could understand a direct statement concerning Christ providing atonement for sin, although it's placing at this point in the general thought order of the passage would be strange because that would be important to sin-bondaged Israelites.

There's quite a bit more he goes through that explaining who this is talking about, the Antichrist. And if anybody has interest in that, I'd be glad to shoot you that information. It's quite extensive.

The second phrase, the next phrase, will make a firm covenant. So it's clear from these reasons, especially because this is a literal interpretation that the he referred to is the little horn, the Antichrist.

Also as seen earlier, Antichrist shall cause covenant to be strong. Some argue that this person takes a covenant that already exists and causes it to achieve its intended purpose. They are wedded to that view because they're convinced that the he is Christ.

They see this as the fulfillment of God's covenant of grace. At his first coming, Christ made no covenant with anyone and this non-existing covenant did not last seven years. None of the periods of time in Christ's life have answered to any of this.

The understanding of the first phrase of this verse is that the Antichrist is in the restored Roman empire will make firm covenant with the Jews at the beginning of the 70th week for seven years. Irrespective of the fact that the King James has the article, it is not there.

The covenant will be made at this time. And as Dr. Wood says, it will concern some type of non-aggression treaty recognizing mutual rights. Israel's interest in such a treaty is easy to understand in light of her desire today for allies to help withstand the foes such as Russia and the Arab block of nations.

So this Antichrist in this seven years will make a firm covenant with Israel. Now, the covenant is firm to start with, we will see. With the many, next phrase, with the many. The many here clearly refers to Israelites since Gabriel started this entire explanation to Daniel by indicating that the 70 weeks concerns Daniel's people, the Israelites and the holy city, Jerusalem.

The word translated the many is the same word used in Isaiah 52, 14, which chronicles the rejection of the Messiah by the Jewish people, by the many. It also is the same word in Isaiah 53, 12, referring to the fact that he bore the sins of the Jewish elect.

52, 14, Isaiah 52, 14. Just as many were astonished at you, my people, so his appearance was marred more than any man in his form more than the sons of men. First Isaiah 53, 12. Therefore, I will allot him a portion with the great and he will divide the booty with the strong because he poured out himself to death and was numbered with the transgressors, yet he himself bore the sin of many and interceded for the transgressors.

It is also the same word used three other times in Daniel referring to the Jewish people. In Daniel 11, 33, those who have insight among the people will give understanding to the many, yet they will fall by the sword and by flame and by captivity and by plunder for many days.

Speaking of the Jews, Daniel 11, 39, he will take action against the strongest of fortresses with the help of a foreign God, and he will give honor to those who acknowledge him and will cause them to rule over the many and will parcel out land for a price.

And finally, verse three of chapter 12, those who have insight will shine brightly like the brightness of the expanse of heaven and those who lead the many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever.

To summarize, the term the many is not speaking of global salvation, it speaks specifically of Daniel's people, the Israelite. They are the many whom this verse is referring to. For one week. This is not a simple reference to Christ's covenant to save his people, namely the covenant of grace.

Non-literal interpreters generally make this a reference to confirming an already extant covenant. There is no seven-year covenant made by Christ with the Jewish people during his first advent. This would be an allegorical interpretation and is unsupported by sound exegetical principles.

This is dealing with the 70th week separately from the other 69th. Since this entire verse has no correspondence with the life of our Lord Jesus Christ, he cannot be the subject. This is talking of the antichrist.

Some have attempted to fit alleging that the first half of this week might be a continuation of Christ's ministry from heaven. The simple fact is that Christ's future heavenly ministry, a result of the ushering of the coming millennial kingdom is eternal.

It's not for a half of seven years, not three and a half years. Further, there is no historical record of anything happening three and a half years after Christ's earthly ministry, which would close this week.

An appeal to the destruction of Jerusalem falls flat because it happened in AD 70, not in AD 33. The millennial position, the optimal position that the 70th week immediately follows the 69th runs into several problems.

The 70th week is treated distinctly separately from the 69th. You cannot fit the seven years into the Lord's life. It must be inserted elsewhere. The crucifixion and the destruction of Jerusalem in verse 26 come after the consummation of the 69 weeks.

And precede the 70th week. The idea of a time gap has precedence in the suggested gap in chapter seven, contemplating the restored Roman empire and the final period of the indignation of chapter eight.

This is explained by Dr. Wood. He says, the rationale for such a gap is simply that there was need to speak of times relative to both advents of Christ. And there was no need to speak of history between them, particularly when that history would concern primarily Gentiles and Gabriel's message concerned Jews.

That would be verse 24. Finally, in Matthew chapter 24, verse 15, and in Mark 13, 14, Jesus speaks of the abomination of desolation in his time as yet future. Matthew 24, 15. Therefore, when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place, let the reader understand.

Mark 13, 14. But when you see the abomination of desolation standing where it should not be, let the reader understand, then those in Judea must flee to the mountains. Note that for there to be an abomination of desolation in this future time, there needs to be a temple.

And this temple is mentioned in Revelation. Revelation 11, one and two. Then there was given me a measuring rod like a staff,.

And someone said,.

Get up and measure the temple of God and the altar and those who worship in it. Leave out the court, which is outside the temple and do not measure it, for it has been given to the nations and they will tread underfoot the holy city for 42 months.

So in order for this covenant to be formed with the Jews and to involve a temple, there has to be a temple. So the final week spoken of here is the time identified with the tribulation spirit that we had spoken of elsewhere in scripture.

And we're gonna read some scripture here, including Revelation. And I didn't put Revelation because the section you need to look at for reference to this area is all of chapter six through 18. Jeremiah 30, 33 through 11.

For behold, this is in reference to the future. The days are coming, declares the Lord, when I will restore the fortunes of my people, Israel and Judah. The Lord says, I will also bring them back to the land that I gave their forefathers and they shall possess it.

They shall possess it. Now, these are the words which the Lord spoke concerning Israel and concerning Judah. For thus says the Lord, I have heard a sound of terror, of dread, and there is no peace. Ask now and see if a male can give birth.

Why do I see every man with his hands on his loins as a woman in childbirth? And why have all faces turned pale? Alas, for that day is great. There is none like it. And it is the time of Jacob's distress, but he will be saved from it.

It shall come about on that day, declares the Lord of hosts, that I will break his yoke from off their neck and will tear off their bonds and strangers will no longer make them their slaves, but they shall serve the Lord, their God, and David, their King, whom I will raise up for them.

Fear not, O Jacob, my servant, declares the Lord, and do not be dismayed, O Israel, for behold, I will save you from afar and your offspring from the land of their captivity, and Jacob will return and will be quiet and at ease, and no one will make him afraid, for I am with you, declares the Lord, to save you, for I will destroy completely all the nations where I have scattered you, only I will not destroy you completely, but I will chasten you justly and will by no means leave you unpunished.

So the Lord will punish them through the end until the national turning, remember a national turning is a result of individual turnings, to Christ as Messiah, and then he will restore them in the land.

Ezekiel 20, another section that refers to this, that is related to this, 33 through 34. As I live, declares the Lord God, surely with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, I shall be king over you.

I will bring you out from among the peoples, from the peoples, and gather you from the lands where you are scattered with a mighty hand and with an outstretched arm and with wrath poured out, and I will bring you into the wilderness of the peoples, and there I will enter into judgment with you face to face as I entered into judgment with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt.

So I will enter into judgment with you, declares the Lord God. I will make you pass under the rod and I will bring you into the bond of the covenant and I will purge from you the rebels and those who transgress against me.

I will bring them out of the land where they sojourned, but they will not enter the land of Israel. Thus you will know that I am the Lord. As for you, O house of Israel, thus says the Lord God, go serve everyone to his idols, but later you will surely listen to me and my holy name you will profane no longer with your gifts and with your idols.

For on my holy mountain, on the high mountain of Israel, declares the Lord God, then the whole house of Israel, all of them will serve me in the land where I will, there I will accept them and there I will seek your contributions and the choices of your gifts with all your holy things.

As a soothing aroma, I will accept you when I bring you out from the peoples and gather you from the lands where you are scattered. And I will prove myself holy among you in the sight of the nations. And you will know that I am the Lord when I bring you into the land of Israel, into the land which I swore to give to your forefathers.