Reformed Theology Pt 6 | The Mosaic Covenant | Theonomy | Christian Reconstruction

Reformed Theology, the Mosaic Covenant, and the Law of God

All right, let's pray. Father, thank you for this day. Lord, I pray at this very moment, Lord, that you will speak to your people through me. Lord, we gather together to worship you, to fellowship with each other.

We're so grateful that you have us together. And now we have come to the moment where we hear from you through your word. And we ask that you speak to us in the name of your precious son, Jesus Christ.

Amen. All right, so this is part six of our series on Reformed Theology. And so today we're gonna break into the Mosaic Covenant. Now, you cannot listen to what I say today and think that you know what I'm speaking about when it comes to Reformed Theology or the Mosaic Covenant.

You have to listen to the messages before, as well as the messages after what I say today. The way that I put this together, it is actually a unit. You cannot divide it. You cannot go to one message and think that you understand what it is that I'm teaching about Reformed Theology.

Because again, we're not teaching a Presbyterian view of Reformed Theology. We're teaching a particular Baptist, Reformed Baptist view of Reformed Theology, particularly on Covenantalism. Here in our outline is some of the topics that we will be covering.

So we have confessional. Confessional is the overarching umbrella of the whole series. And we're still dealing with Covenantal. And after this, we'll have Calvinistic, law and gospel distinctions, the ordinary means of grace, which if you think you know that, keep coming.

It's gonna get really good. And lastly, the five solas of the Reformation. I started thinking that maybe we could do this in six weeks, but again, this is the sixth message and we're still on the Covenantal.

We're building, there's so much here. So my overarching outline for Covenantalism is the Covenant of Redemption, the Covenant of Works, which we're still in the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace.

This week, we will look at the Covenant of Works for the fifth time and our outline is as followed. The Edemic Covenant, the Abrahamic Covenant, the Mosaic Covenant, and the Davidic Covenant. And like I said earlier, we will begin the Mosaic Covenant today.

The Covenant of Redemption, the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace

To give a quick overview, we looked at the Covenant of Redemption and we understand that the Covenant of Redemption is that God the Father purposed and His purpose was to save a people. And He done so by sending His Son.

For God so loved the world that He sent His only begotten Son. For all those who believe in Him, will not perish, but have everlasting life. The only way anyone can believe in Jesus is that they have to hear the message, the message of what Jesus Christ has done, the gospel message.

And that is how the Holy Spirit applies the purpose. So we have God the Father purposed to save a people and in doing so, He sent His Son to accomplish the purpose. And the message of His Son is how the Holy Spirit applies that purpose.

And in order for the Holy Spirit to apply that purpose, you and I have to preach the gospel. Whether it's catechizing our children on the street corner, whatever it looks like, inviting your neighbors over for dinner, I don't know what it looks like for you, but we have to proclaim this message.

That is how the purpose is applied. Then we walk through the endemic covenant. We saw that because of Adam's sin, because Adam was the covenant federal head, that even though Eve ate the fruit first, that we did not fall in Eve.

But we did not fall until Adam broke the covenant. It wasn't up to Eve to keep the covenant, it was up to Adam to keep the covenant. When Adam broke the covenant, because he broke the covenant, dying he would die.

And you and I were born and dying we will die because of this endemic covenant. We are born into Adam. And so the idea is that we're born, we're clothed in the garment of the unrighteousness of Adam. And then we saw how this garment has to be removed from us through that message of Jesus Christ.

That garment of Adam is removed from us and God places upon us the righteousness of Christ. And so it goes back to the covenant of redemption, that this message of Jesus Christ through the preaching of the gospel, God removes the garment of unrighteousness and he puts upon us the garment of righteousness.

And it's done the same way that Abraham was saved. And it takes us to the Abrahamic covenant. God, because of the seed of the woman, the God is God's curse on Satan was that an offspring would come from the woman and he would bruise his head while only bruising his heel.

The offspring of the woman is passed through the line of Abraham. God chose among a group of pagans, those who are born in Adam, he chose among a group, a man by the name of Abram, and he calls him out.

And from Abram, he basically begins a kingdom people, the Israelite people. And it was from Israel that we have the birth of our savior. Started out with Abraham, from Abraham to Isaac, Isaac to Judah, as we saw in the Psalm, from Judah to David.

And David is the one who sits on that throne. And we'll get to that in the coming weeks. So the idea is that God, the Father, purposed to save a people. In doing so, he sent his son, who is the offspring of the woman, who is the offspring of Abraham, who is the one that comes from Judah, to all the obedience of the people will belong to.

And he's the one who sits on the throne of David. And so we come to our theme today. Our theme today is the law of God. The law of God. And I wanna make a statement before we begin. And my statement is this.

So as I'm preaching through this, I want you to remember this statement that I'm making right now. So as you might say, think something different. And when you start thinking something different of what I'm saying, I want you to think back to this statement.

I love the law of God. I love the law of God. If you are a believer here today, you have the law of God written in your heart. It's written in your, if you're a believer, if that garment of unrighteousness has been removed from you and God has placed that garment of righteousness, the garment of Christ upon you, you have the law of God written in your heart.

The question is, is do you love the law of God? Now let me ask it in a different way. Do you wish that our government would establish the law of God with all of its rules and with all of its punishments?

Now that's something else to think about. Do you wish that our government would establish the law of God with all of its rules and with all of its punishment? Our text for today is Matthew chapter five.

We will be considering verses 17 through 20. But before we read Matthew chapter five, 17 through 20, I want to read Galatians chapter three. We'll look at verses 10 through 29 and then chapter four, one through seven.

I will give a brief commentary from 10 through 14, then I will just read the rest. Galatians three, beginning in verse 10. For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse. For it is written, curse be everyone who does not abide by all things written in the book of the law and do them.

Now it is evident that no one is justified before God by the law, for the righteous shall live by faith. Now you can't be justified before God by the law. The law cannot justify you. And right here it's saying not to live by the law.

Those who have received justification, righteousness, who have received this garment of righteousness, they do not live by the law, they live by faith. But the law is not of faith, verse 12. Rather, the one who does them shall live by them.

Christ redeems us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us. For it is written, cursed is everyone who is hung on a tree, verse 14. So that in Christ Jesus, the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we might receive the promise through faith.

Those that are not under the law, the Gentiles. Gentiles are not under the law. This happened so that we might receive the promise through faith, verse 15. I will just read from now on. To give a human example, brothers, even a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified.

Now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say into offsprings, referring to many, but referring to one and to your offspring, who is Christ. This is what I mean. The law which came 430 years afterwards does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God so as to make the promise void.

For if the inheritance comes by the law, it no longer comes by promise. But God gave it to Abraham by a promise. Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions until the offspring should come to whom the promise had been made.

And it was put into place through an intermediary. I mean, through angels by an intermediary. Now intermediary implies more than one, but God is one. Is the law then contrary to the promise of God? Certainly not.

For if a law had been given that could give life, listen, if a law had been given that could give life, then righteousness would indeed be by the law. But the scriptures imprison everything under sin so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe.

Now before faith came, we were held captive under the law in prison until the coming faith would be revealed. So then the law was our guardian until Christ came in order that we might be justified by faith.

But now that faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. For in Christ Jesus, you are sons of God through faith. For as many of you who were baptized into Christ put on Christ, have put on Christ.

There's neither Jew nor Greek. There's neither slave nor free. There's neither male nor female for you are all one in Christ Jesus. And if you are Christ, then you're Abraham's offspring heirs according to the promise, chapter four, verse one.

I mean that the heir, as long as he is a child, is no different from a slave. Though he is the owner of everything, but he is under guardians and managers until the date set by the father. In the same way, we also, when we were children, we were enslaved to the elementary principles of the world.

But when the fullness of time had come, God sent forth his son born of a woman born under the law to redeem those who are under the law so that we might receive adoption as sons. And because you are sons, God sent his spirit, God sent the spirit of his son into our hearts crying, Alba, father.

So you are no longer slaves, but a son. And if a son, then an heir through God. In our outline, we will see how Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets. We will see how Jesus is the fulfillment of the law and the prophets, and he does so by point number one, fulfilling them.

I know I spent a lot of time thinking about that one, by fulfilling them. By bringing judgment, by properly teaching them, and by the righteousness of faith. So he fulfills, it shows how Jesus is the fulfillment because he fulfilled them by bringing judgment, by properly teaching them, and by the righteousness of faith.

Now let's read our text. Matthew chapter five, verses 17 through 20. Jesus speaking, says, do not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets. I have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them.

For truly I say to you, until heaven and earth passes away, not an iota, not a dot will pass away from the law until all is accomplished. Therefore, whoever relaxes one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven.

But whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.

The Sermon on the Mount in Its Jewish Context

Now as we transition, an interpretation or an application of a text removed from the context is nonsensical. It's nonsensical. It's nonsense. It has no meaning and it makes no sense. If you remove, if you're teaching a text and you remove it from the context, it's nonsense.

Now I hate to call any part of God's text nonsense, but if you're up here, if a preacher's up here and he's taking a passage of scripture and he's teaching it and he's not teaching the context, what he's saying is nonsense.

It makes no sense. Your text has to be found in the context. Ladies and gentlemen, the book of Matthew is a very Jewish book. Historically teaching, it's always been said this is a very Jewish book. The book of the gospel of Luke is more of a Gentile leaning gospel.

The gospel of Matthew is very Jewish. The Sermon on the Mount was a message to Jews who thought they were in the kingdom of God. Remember, God established a kingdom people through Abraham. The recipients of this message would have been Jews.

Look at Matthew chapter five, verse one. Seeing the crowds, where is he? He's in Jerusalem. Seeing the crowds, he went up on a mountain and when he sat down, his disciple, who were Jews, came to him. The Beatitudes here are a lifting up of a spiritually broken people while the rest of this chapter, he is bringing the law to bear on spiritual prideful Jews.

Luke chapter five, verses 31 and 32 says this. Jesus speaking, Jesus answered them, those who are well have no need for a physician, speaking to the spiritual prideful. They have no need for a physician, but those who are sick, the spiritually broken.

I have not come to call righteous, I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance. He did not come to call the spiritual prideful to repentance, turning from self-righteousness, but the spiritually broken.

Look at verse 13. It says, you are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.

He is speaking to the Israelites, to the Jews. They have lost their saltiness. And he is telling them, you're no longer good for anything. You're gonna be thrown out and people are gonna trample on you.

And that's exactly what happened. It's exactly what happened. In 70 AD, Jerusalem was destroyed. They were trampled on. They have lost their saltiness. It can no longer be restored to them. Verse 14, you are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden.

Now I'm not saying that we can't take application from this, but unless you know what it's teaching, you have no application, it's nonsense. You are the light of the world, a city on a hill cannot be hidden, nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand and it gives light to all that are all in the house.

In the same way, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and glorify your Father who is in heaven. The cross-reference here leads to Isaiah, Isaiah 49, verse six. Well, let's look at verse five.

And now the Lord says, he who formed me, so this is Isaiah, the Lord says, he who formed me in my womb to be his servant, to bring Jacob back, and that Israel might be gathered to him. For I am honored in the eyes of the Lord and my God has become my strength.

Verse six, he says, is it too light of a thing that you should be my servant and raise up the tribe of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel, that I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the ends of the earth.

Isaiah is called to be a light, to be a witness, to raise up this nation so that they can be a light to the nations. The law is called to be a light to the nations. Israel is called to be a light to the nations.

David was called to be a light to the nations, pointing to Christ to be the light to the nations. Never once are Gentiles to be a light to the nations. But I'm not saying that now that we as Christians are not to be a light, but we have to understand that Israel was called to be the light of the nations.

If we don't understand that, we will never understand the text. We also, excuse me, we also see Jesus, we also see Jesus raised in the standard of the law in chapter five, verse 27 and 28. He says, this is Jesus again, you have heard that it was said you shall not commit adultery.

But I say to you, everyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. So Jesus takes the law, the law is do not commit adultery. And he raises the standard. In our text, it talks about don't even relax the law, don't belittle the law.

What does Jesus do? He raises the standard. He raises the standard. He raises the standard so high, leaving them as well as you and I guilty. He says, don't even think about it. So you had this pharisaical religious Jews who were not committing adultery.

But Jesus said, man, if you even think about it, if you even think about it, adultery brought the death sentence. Last week, Pastor Cal's message was on the law. And if I'm not mistaken, you presented it in a way to where it seemed to be a courtroom and that we were guilty and we were going to face judgment because that's what the law does.

Before the law, we are all guilty. When the gavel comes down, it's guilty. You are guilty. That's what the law does. You are guilty. I like the way that you switch it at the end and you put, it was Jesus on the stand.

And it's not that Jesus was guilty. It's that we were guilty, but Jesus took our punishment. Jesus took our guilty sentence upon himself, if I'm not mistaken, if I heard that correctly. But for the sentence, I mean, if a man at this time would have committed adultery, they were to die.

They were to be stoned to death. Jesus said, if you even look or if you look, if you think lustful thoughts, you need to be stoned. You need to be put to death. Ladies and gentlemen, that's every one of us.

No one lives. No one lives after this. The standard is so high. And he does this so that people will not be spiritually prideful. The goal here is that everyone becomes spiritually bankrupt, becomes spiritually broken, because Christ did not come for the spiritual prideful.

Theonomy and the Mosaic Covenant

He came for the spiritually broken. Now I want to transition to our day and time. We have a movement. We have brothers whom I love dearly, whom I call friends, who are a part of this movement, and I'm afraid that they don't understand what they're calling upon themselves.

And it's a movement called theonomy. The word theonomy is broken down into Theo Numos. Theo meaning God, Numos meaning law. It's the idea that the state is to be Theo Numos, governed by God. And that sounds well and good.

Yeah, we want our country, our states governed by God. The idea is that it's the Mosaic Covenant. It's that if you commit adultery, I mean, if you really want to be honest, this is what it is. Like you can say it's not this, but this is what it is.

If I was to tell you that I was a Calvinist, but I only held to three points, I would not be a Calvinist, I'd be a Southern Baptist, right? Right? We cannot rename something that's already, it means God's law.

It means the Mosaic Covenant. And so you have a movement where people are trying to establish the Mosaic Covenant, but they're picking and choosing. You cannot pick and choose. If you establish it, this is what it is.

It's establishing the Mosaic Covenant. Theonomy is God's law. It's establishing God's law over the nation. And if so, this is what it is. If you commit adultery, you deserve to die. And everybody wants justice, unless the justice falls on them, and then they want mercy.

And I just don't see that being taught in the New Testament anywhere. I don't see Paul or anyone calling Rome to live under the Mosaic law. Theonomy as a movement looks back at the Mosaic Covenant in an inconsistent way, thankfully.

Like I was saying earlier, they're like a three-point Calvinist, who's really a Southern Baptist, because they're not really theonomists. They say they're theonomists, but they're not really theonomists.

Hoping to establish the Mosaic law. And what they use, their main verse that they use is the one I'm fixing to go through right now, Matthew 5, verse 17. This is the critical verse that they use. Do not think that I have come to abolish the law.

See, Jesus Christ did not come to abolish the law, but they stop there. It continues, it says, or the prophets have not come to abolish them, but to fulfill them. I want you to notice that it says the law and the prophets.

Not just the law, it says the prophets. Those who would argue for a reestablishment of the Mosaic Covenant must also argue for modern day prophets. They go hand in hand. You can't say one without the other.

If you argue for a movement for the reestablishment of the Mosaic Covenant, you must also argue for modern day prophets. As Reformed Christian believers, we clearly see that biblical prophets have ceased.

Hebrews chapter one, it's probably the most go-to verse. Chapter one, verses one and two, long ago at many times in many ways, God spoke to our fathers, how? By the prophets. But in these last days, he has spoken to us by his son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom he also created the world.

John the Baptist was the last Old Testament prophet. By my estimation, biblical prophets who spoke the word of God mainly spoke about two events, the coming of the Messiah and the judgment upon Jerusalem.

Isn't that what John the Baptist did? He said, I'm a voice crying out in the wilderness, prepare the way of the Lord, make straight his path. I see Pharisees and Sadducees coming down to the waters of Jordan.

You brood of vipers, who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Therefore do not think to say to yourselves, oh, we have Abraham as our father. I tell you that God is able to raise up children from Abraham from stones.

And even now the ax that's at the root of the tree and any tree that does not bear good fruit, it will be cut down and thrown into the fire. I baptize you with water into repentance, but he who comes after me is mightier than I, whose sandals I'm unworthy to carry.

And he will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. The whittling fork is in his hand and he will thoroughly cleanse the thrashing floor. He will gather his wheat into the barn, but the chaff he will burn with an unquenchable fire.

Speaking of the Messiah and the judgment that's going to come upon Israel. So then the question is, is what is, what do we know about the law? And it's really clear. It's in Galatians, excuse me. I got my Bible marked.

I'm getting confused. Okay, Galatians chapter three. I'm gonna read verse 19a and then we'll go back to verse 15 and we'll come down to verse 19a again. This is what we know about the law. Why then the law?

Why was the Mosaic covenant established? That's what it's asking. It was added because of transgressions, because of sin. Look back at 15. Now, I hope y 'all heard my last message because this is gonna be dealing with it.

To give a human example, brothers, even if a man-made covenant, even with a man-made covenant, no one annuls it or adds to it once it has been ratified. What was the covenant of this time? They would slaughter animals.

They would slaughter animals and they would separate the halves of the animals and they would put it on each side and they would hold, the two parties would hold hands and they would walk through these slaughtered animals.

He says, once this covenant was made, it could not be ratified. You could not, it could not be done away with. And we have God coming down in a theophany as a smoking fire pot and a flaming torch walks through the pieces of the torn animal himself because he put Abraham into a deep sleep.

He says, now the promises were made to Abraham and to his offspring. It does not say into offsprings, referring to many, but referring to one and to your offspring who is Christ. And I went over this several times how Jesus is the offspring and to all things that were promised to.

This is what I mean. This is Paul. The law which came 430 years afterwards, after God himself came down in the theophany and he walked through these slaughtered animals, he says, this is what I mean. The law which came 430 years afterward does not annul a covenant previously ratified by God so as to make the promise void.

What promise? That through his offspring, who is Christ, would receive a land and all the peoples of the world will be blessed through him. Verse 18, for the inheritance come, for if, excuse me, for if the inheritance comes by the law, the inheritance meaning the land, it no longer comes by promise, but God gave it to Abraham by a promise.

So why then the law? It was added, added to what? The Abrahamic covenant. It was, the law was added to the Abrahamic covenant because of transgressions. The Mosaic covenant was added to the Abrahamic covenant because of sin, because of sin.

The law promised physical and earthly blessings if you kept it, and it promised curses if you didn't keep it. This, that the law was for a particular people. So, so my argument to the theonomist is, is that the law was for a particular people, the physical descendants of Abraham in a particular land, the land of Canaan.

So if you look at, I'll do my best to read this without speaking for the sake of time. Exodus chapter 20, verses 18 through 21, says this. Now this is the establishment of that covenant. Now when all the people saw the thunder, the flashings of lightning, the sound of a trumpet, the mountain smoking, the people were afraid and they trembled and they stood far off and said to Moses, you speak to us and we will listen, but do not let God speak to us lest we die.

Moses said to the people, do not fear for God has come to test you. That the fear of him may be before you, that you may not sin. The people stood far off while Moses drew near to the thick darkness where God was.

Deuteronomy chapter four. Now I'm gonna read verse one, then I'm gonna go to verse five. And now, oh Israel, listen. Listen to the statutes and the rules that I am teaching to you and do them that you may live and go and take possession of the land that the Lord, the God of your fathers has given you.

Verse five. See that I have taught you the statutes and rules as the Lord God hath commanded me, that you should do them where in the land that you are entering to take possession of it. I'll skip over here.

I hate to skip, I'm for the sake of time. Verse nine. Only take care and keep your soul diligently lest you forget the things that you have seen with your eyes. Speaking of the time, verse 10, I'll tell you what it's speaking of.

It's speaking of the 10 commandments when it was given. Unless they depart from your heart all the days of your life, make them known to your children and your children's children. How on that day that you stood before the Lord, Lord your God at Herbert, the Lord said to me, gather the people to me that I may let them hear my word so that they may learn to fear me all the days that they live on the earth and that they may teach their children so.

And you come near and stood, and you came near and stood by the foot of the mountain while the mountain was burning with fire. This is a theophany. To the heart of heaven, wrapped in darkness, cloud, and gloom.

Then the Lord spoke to you out of the midst of the fire. You heard the sound of words, but you saw no form. There was only a voice. Verse 13. And he declared to you his covenant, which is the 10, I mean, he declared to you the covenant, which he commanded you to perform.

That is the 10 commandments. And he wrote them on two tablets of stone. Verse 14 is key. And the Lord commanded me at this time to teach you the statutes and rules that you might do them in the land that you were going over to possess.

Now, whenever God rescued the people from the hands of the Egyptians, all the males at that time were circumcised. But as they were in the wilderness, whenever they did not go into the land of Canaan because they did not believe God, they did not trust God, their children were not circumcised.

Remember the covenant sign. It says if you do not circumcise them on the eighth day, is it good things or bad things? Bad things. It talks about them being cut off. They were not circumcised in the wilderness.

Joshua chapter five says that as they were entering the land of Canaan, then they were circumcised. The children were not circumcised until they entered the land of Canaan. Because this is where they had to keep the law was in the land of Canaan.

Deuteronomy chapter 18, 15 through 19. The Lord God will, again, this is Moses speaking. The Lord God will raise up for you a prophet like me among you. From your brothers, it is to him you shall listen.

Just as you desired of the Lord God at Herber on the day of the assembly when you said to me not, I mean, hold on. When you said, let me not hear the voice of the Lord my God or see this great fire anymore, speaking of when God gave them the 10 commandments.

And the Lord said to me, they are right in what they have said and what they have spoken. I will raise up from them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth and he shall speak all that I command him.

This is speaking of Hebrews chapter one, one and two. Talking about the prophet, Jesus being the final prophet. And whoever will not listen to my words that he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him.

And now Acts, Acts chapter three, verse 22. Speaking of this time, then Moses, Moses said that the Lord will raise up for you a prophet like me from your brothers. You shall listen to him and whatever he tells you.

You shall be, and it shall be that the soul that does not listen to that prophet shall be destroyed from the people, right here. And all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel, this is how he fulfills the prophets, listen.

And all the prophets who have spoken from Samuel and those spoken from Samuel and those who came after him also proclaimed these days, the days that Jesus would come. They spoke about the coming destruction and the coming Messiah.

Verse 25, you are the sons of the prophets and of the covenant that God made with your father saying unto Abraham and to your offspring, shall all the families of the earth be blessed. That's through Jesus Christ.

God having raised up his servants, sent him to you first to bless you by turning every one of you from your wickedness. John 1, verses 16 and 18 says this, speaking of Jesus from his fullness, we have all received grace upon grace for the law was given through Moses, but grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.

One more time, look again at Galatians 3, verse 19. Why then the law? It was added because of transgressions. Now turn to Daniel. The Hottens first came whenever we was touched on Daniel, so they should be very familiar.

Daniel chapter nine, we're only gonna read verse 24. So we have the angel Gabriel speaking to Daniel who is a Jew and he says to him, 70 weeks are declared about your people. So you have Daniel, a Jew, he says 70 weeks are declared about your people.

70 weeks is, so one week in the Bible is seven years. Jacob worked for Rachel for one week, for Leah for one week, which total each one was seven years. So for 14 years, he worked for Leah and his father-in-law for his two daughters.

So when it says 70 weeks, it's speaking of 490 years. For 70 weeks are declared about your people, which are the Jews in your holy city. Where's their holy city? Jerusalem, the land of Canaan. And there are to do six things, to finish transgressions, to put an end to sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring about everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and profit.

He fulfills the prophets, right? And to anoint the most holy place. So Daniel chapter nine, the 70 weeks are 490 years. The decree went out from King Arthur Xerxes in 457 BC. 490 years from 457 BC takes us to AD 33.

In this time, these six things must be brought to fruition. And what was one of them, the very first one? To finish transgressions. Why was the law added? Because of transgressions. What is one of the things he's gonna do when he comes?

Finish transgressions. So I believe these six things find their fulfillment in the gospel of Jesus Christ. He finished the transgressions by putting an end to sin. How? By atoning for. He is our atonement.