All:

 

Any seminary-trained pastor will tell you the importance of context in the Bible.  One can not even begin to understand the Word of God by "cherry-picking" passages to support a pet theory.

 

In eight years of formal theological seminary training, every professor that I took a course from would sooner or later drill home the point about context.  Context means you look at the material before and after relative to a particular passage.  It goes like this:

 

        A verse has to be understood within a passage, that may be a paragraph, or

        A paragraph has to be understood within a chapter, or

        A chapter has to be understood within a particular book, and

        A book has to be taken within the context of the overall genre, and,,,,,,

 

A violation of the context principle came in a post by someone responding to Gary concerning the understanding of Daniel 9:24. 

 

The six clauses of Daniel 9:24 have never been totally fulfilled in all of history, despite the claim they were fulfilled by Jesus Christ on the cross. 

 

The reason that this has not occurred at the cross is the premise is based on an Allegorical approach to interpretation rather than a Literal and Historical approach to interpretation of the passage.

 

To help Daniel understand God's plan of a kingdom on Earth, Gabriel shares with Daniel a time period of seventy weeks.  In the Hebrew language, this is literally "seventy sevens", and the context must be "seventy sevens" of years, or 490 years, during which God is dealing with "thy people" (Israel) and "thy holy city" (Jerusalem) till He ultimately brings in the kingdom at the culmination of the 490 years:

 

1. "...to finish the transgression...."                      Till Israel's apostasy comes to an end.

 

2. "...to make an end of sins..."                            Till Israel becomes a righteous nation.

 

3. "...to make reconciliation for iniquity..."            Till Israel's sins are forgiven.

 

4. "...to bring in everlasting righteousness..."      Till Messiah's righteous kingdom is established.

 

5. "...to seal up the vision and prophecy..."         Till the prophecies concerning Israel are fulfilled.

 

6. "...to anoint the most Holy (Place)..."              Till the rebuilt Temple will be consecrated.

 

All these characteristics relate to the promised KINGDOM AGE. 

 

With Israel's rejection of the Messiah and His death taking place after the 69th week (vs. 26), the completion of the six goals for Israel (vs. 24) are left for the 70th week.  If the 70th week immediately succeeds the 69th week historically, (as those that allegorize Scripture do) then the expected restoration must be applied spiritually to the church as a new Israel.  (This is known as "Replacement" theology or Supersessionism.   

 

Before I go forward, simply ask yourself is there any evidence or signs that any of these six goals has been achieved or fulfilled in 2000 years of recorded history. 

 

I don't think so. 

 

1. Israel is still apostate.

2. Israel hasn't become righteous.

3. Israel's sins have not been forgiven in any visible way.

4. The Kingdom has not been brought in.

5. The vision and the prophecies are unfulfilled.  Any rabbi will confirm this point.

6. The Holy Place has not been rebuilt, and If it has not been rebuilt it cannot be consecrated.

 

Because only a literal understanding can answer the predicament we have, the expectant restoration recognizes the context dictates a spiritual distinction between God's plan for Israel and the Church.  It becomes a given that the historical completion of Israel's restoration must take place in a future week.  During this time (as described in vs. 27), there is a resumption of the messianic program for Israel with the overthrow of the Antichrist (the apocalyptic prerequisite to the establishment of the messianic kingdom). 

 

The Daniel passage viewed within the context of Jeremiah's prophecy in Jeremiah 30-33, like the prophecies of Isaiah 40-66 and Ezekiel 33-48, including predictions of both immediate (post exile) restoration and future (eschatological) restoration.  The post-exile prophets understood this distinction, realizing that though they were enjoying a restoration under Ezra/Zerubbabel, the complete national/spiritual restoration had been delayed (postponed) for the future.  This is seen for example, in one of the signal events of restoration - the building of the Temple noted in Haggai 2:3-9.

 

The six goals of Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy may have a near fulfillment in the experience of the Nation (Messiah's redemptive advent), but must wait for its complete fulfillment in the future (Messiah's restorative advent).  The postponement understood between verses 26 and 27 is the consequence of partial and complete fulfillment in the messianic program.

 

The first phase of the messianic program accomplished spiritual redemption for ethnic Israel in the first advent of Jesus Christ (Matthew 1:21, Luke 2:11).  National rejection of Messiah (Matthew 23:37, Acts 3:13-15,17; 4:25-27), while fulfilling the promise of Gentile inclusion (Acts 15:14-18; Romans 11:11,25,30), necessitated a second phase of the messianic program to apply spiritual redemption to Israel nationally (Acts 3:181-21; Romans 11:26-29,31) and completed of national restoration (Matthew 23:39; Acts 1:6-7; 3:22-26; 15:16) which will be fulfilled at the second advent of Christ (Zechariah 12:10-13:2; 14:3-11).

 

Anyone understanding that the Jews were dispersed to the four regions of the planet, can clearly see that none of the six goals of Daniel 9:24 remain unfulfilled.  There is no known historical evidence to prove to the contrary. 

 

A third temple is in the wings and the Temple Mount Institute have plenty to support that by their making the instruments, robes, furnishings of the next Temple, even the golden Menorah sitting in the lobby window area of the Institute, valued at over a million dollars, along with the 60,000 tons of Bedford limestone that exists in Israel today.  This third temple will be only temporary, short lived because of the deception of Antichrist, and because a fourth Temple is described in Ezekiel 40-47, and notes specifically there are no Temple furnishings or instruments. 

 

To fully grasp and understand the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27, it has be understood within the context of the book, and further understood of how God was using the prophets to bring Israel to repentance.

It becomes a necessity to have a deeper understanding of the prophets and God's Master Plan for Israel. 

 

As Arnold Fruchtenbaum in his book 'Israelogy' notes, the Jews and the nation of Israel are found well over a thousand times in the Scriptures, and yet they are not the focus of study in theological institutions in the study of theology.  When the study of Israel and the Hebrew people are not given focus in the study of the Bible, it can be expected that students of the Word will miss the significance, importance, role, history, and events dealing with God's chosen people.  They were "chosen" for a purpose (to make known to humanity of God's holiness, love and desire for our worship).  People today miss completely the reason why they were the "chosen" people of God.  They dropped the ball but they were never replaced.  Paul's dealing with this subject is quite clear in Romans 9-12. 

 

Israel and the Church are two different entities in the Bible.  One takes up 7/8ths of the Bible while the other only about 1/8th of the text.

 

Too many people want to simply narrow in on the Daniel text of 9:24-27 and dismiss all the rest of the Biblical message as insignificant or irrelevant.  The allegorical method of understanding the Bible stands on shaky legs that babys' learning to walk couldn't place their weight upon.  Spiritualizing of historical promises fail because it attempts to force the text to say something that violates linguistics, syntax, and good grammar, not to mention being deceived concerning the whole counsel of God.

 

I say it again, a thousand times, Israel has not been "replaced" by the Church.  God will deal with Israel, and has been dealing with them for nearly two thousand years.  Rome created this "Replacement" theology, because Lucifer hated the Jews first because of the promises God has made to them.  If Lucifer can get people to believe the Church has replaced Israel, then he has achieved much of his agenda in Isaiah 14:12-14, because he will ensnare Christians to buy into the idea that Israel and the Jews should be removed from the planet.  Today, most Protestant denominations have divested themselves of investments in Israel, Israeli companies, Israeli products.  Count on it, God will take the Jews to the wood shed, but only to get them to repent.

 

Do not get me wrong, Israel or its people aren't saintly by any means, Mossad has proved that, but God will come through and deliver them without the military support of the USA.  Ezekiel declares why God will do that many times:  to restore His name which the Jews have defamed and made a mockery of over the centuries.  God has made promises to the Jews and has made promises to the Gentiles called the Church.  The removal of the Church and even the USA's power will leave the Jews with no place to turn but to God Himself!

 

Pastor Bob