ZERO IN ON THE WORD "AFTER" – (Daniel’s 62 Weeks) - Garry B (21 June 2020)
When I saw this headline I thought it could be referring to THE ONE some refer to as ZERO. I would not personally use that reference. Basically a play on the first letter “O” of his last name.
"And AFTER three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut-off....." Daniel 9:26
When I saw the post had to do with Daniel’s 62 weeks I was thinking that “zero”, if you want to call him that, is indeed “in on” the true meaning of the word “after” referring to what happened AFTER Daniel’s 62 weeks in Daniel’s 70 week prophecy. In fact it looked to me that he must be “in on” the true meaning of the 7 weeks and the 1 week in Daniel’s 70 week prophecy as well.
Other leaders of worldly empires have believed they fulfilled other Biblical prophecies such as Alexander the Great when he entered Jerusalem and Napoleon Bonaparte when he deposed the pope and is credited with ending 1260 years of papal oppression.
Some take the two Revelation beasts as signifying the papacy for the false prophet and the most dominant nation or people group at the time from the former Roman Empire for the antichrist. The term is beast not human. Others take it a step further to mean the leaders of these two powers, one religious and one political, possibly even transformed into beasts by rDNA technology.
"And AFTER three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut-off....." Daniel 9:26
So what happened after? Well, this cutting off event. The original word translated “cut” in this verse is literally to cut flesh. I know of two times that scripture tells us Jesus was cut. Once when He was circumcised at 8 days of age and the other when He was tortured and then crucified. Either time we could say He had flesh cut. On the day of His crucifixion though I don’t know if given the chance to describe his flesh being cut I’d choose the words “cut off”. But that is a possible interpretation.
I would note that circumcision holds a special place as a spiritually significant event in the life of a believer. It represents the cutting away of the fleshly Adamic sin nature for a spiritual reality for when we later repent before being born again. Of course, Jesus had no reason to be circumcised, in fact a very good reason not to be circumcised. He did not inherit the fleshly Adamic sin nature. He had no sin to symbolically cut off.
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: … Daniel 9:26
It was not for himself, it was for us as an example to fulfill all righteousness. I’m sure the symbolism of that particular flesh being cut off to represent man’s fleshly nature is not lost on Christians and Jews alike.
And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. Matthew 5:29
Now I realize there were many Israelites who left Egypt behind that did not practice circumcision even though required by the law. But remember they all had be circumcised before they were allowed to cross over the Jordan into the Promised Land. Think of the symbolism of them getting partially wet or being anointed with water as they crossed the Jordan. Some of them may have even been completely immersed or baptized in the Jordan while they crossed over. Some are anointed as a child called Christening while some are water baptized as adults. Anointing and water baptism represent different spiritual realities of the depth of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling and then possible baptism as different events in the life of the Believer, very important spiritual events.
So one fundamental question to be answered is when did Jesus become anointed? That is the event which ends the 62 weeks just as we now know the anointing of the prince that was to come out of the broken apart Roman Empire, the feet of iron and clay, the head of the most powerful nation at that time, ends the 7 weeks, to the exact day.
Several events have been proposed in the life of Jesus for His anointing. For review, the word anointed in English is the meaning of the word Christ in Greek which is the meaning of the word Messiah in Hebrew/Aramaic.
One event proposed is when Jesus entered Jerusalem as the revealed Messiah on Palm Sunday and was apparently received as King or Prince by the Jews. Well, for a little while anyway. In the midst of that week He was crucified on Wednesday and then arose the end of the week/beginning of the next week.
Another event proposed for when Jesus became Messiah is when Jesus was water baptized, literally anointed with water, and more importantly, anointed with the Holy Spirit. No question Jesus was anointed. The question is whether He had already been anointed before this event. Was He already Messiah the Christ before He was water baptized and then anointed with the Holy Spirit at the beginning of His earthly ministry?
Since this event could have been around 3 ½ years before the scourging at the crucifixion, this could be considered a cutting off in the midst of a week of years. Of course, that begs the question as to whether we have any indication Jesus was supposed to have a week of years following His water baptism for His ministry. I know of no indication. We do have an indication that Man’s lease on this planet is one week of 1000 years with the last 1000 years being the seventh day or Sabbath rest with Jesus Christ on the Earthly throne. As recorded in scripture, with God a day is like a thousand years. And Jesus was cut off either at circumcision or scourging in the midst of these 7000 years.
The last two events proposed for when Jesus became Messiah the Christ are either at His conception or at His birth. At His conception the egg in Mary’s womb was ANOINTED with the LIVING WORD of God. At His birth He came out of water as in water baptism, rising to newness of life. Since His conception was the spiritual event, this would be to me the promised anointing to produce the God-Man.
So when in the life of Jesus does scripture start referring to Jesus as the Christ, the anointed?
Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Matthew 1:18
And when he had gathered all the chief priests and scribes of the people together, he demanded of them where Christ should be born. Matthew 2:4
For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:11
Scripture is very clear that the egg in Mary’s womb was “anointed” with the Word of God by the power of the Holy Spirit. Jesus was Christ before He was born. He did not have to wait till He was water baptized or till He was crucified to be Christ. The apparent reason some push Him “becoming” Christ near His death is to then add together the 62 weeks, 7 weeks, and possibly 1 week in some fashion to get back to a written decree by a ruler regarding Jerusalem.
There was a verbal command made by Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem just as there was a verbal command made by Moshe Dayan to restore Jerusalem to the Jewish people. Nehemiah’s command was not to restore Jerusalem to the Jewish people as it remained under the rulership of all of the empires in Nebuchadnezzar’s man statue until 1967.
Now a Jewish website points out the problems of some interpretations by Christians:
https://jewsforjudaism.org/knowledge/articles/daniel-9-a-true-biblical-interpretation/
Christians claim that the decree mentioned in Daniel 9:25 was issued by the Persian King Artaxerxes in the year 444 BCE, based on Nehemiah 2:1-8. These passages speak about the king giving Nehemiah “letters” (אגרות ~ Iggrot) for safe passage and permission to rebuild the Temple.
The building of Jerusalem was started and halted several times, and there are three additional decrees mentioned earlier in the Bible.
1) In Ezra 1:1-4, King Cyrus issues a proclamation (קול ~ Kol) and writings (מכתב ~ Michtav) granting the Jews permission to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the Temple.
2) Ezra 6:12-13, King Darius issues a decree (טעם ~Taam) granting permission to rebuilt the Temple.
3) Ezra 7:11-16, Artaxerxex, issues a decree (טעם ~Taam) granting permission to rebuilt the Temple. (Artaxerxex is a Persian title of royalty and can refer to different leaders. This is similar to the way Pharaoh is the title of rulers of Egypt)We will see latter that it is significant that in these verses there are four different words used to describe these proclamations, and none of them match the Hebrew word used in Daniel 9 which is (דבר ~ Devar) that means “word.”
We are matching up a spoken “word” not a proclamation or a decree.
Going on to the rest of the 70 weeks. So if the 7 weeks of Daniel just ended, when can we expect the last week of Daniel? It better be between the end of the 1,000 year reign of Jesus Christ and Eternity. Otherwise the Jewish people, Daniel’s people, as promised to Daniel, will perish off the Earth apparently before the White Throne Judgement, evidently before the end of the 1,000 year reign, possibly according to some interpretations right before the beginning of the 1,000 year reign. If this were true, God’s chosen people, the Sons of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob would perish before the 7000 years of man’s lease on Earth is up.
Now I can see that the true Messiah and the false messiah both could fulfill a week spoken of in Daniel 9:27 in two different contexts. The true Messiah confirmed His covenant with Man for 7000 years as for God a day is like a thousand years. In the midst of this week the sacrifices and oblations ceased in 70 AD with the destruction of the temple AND Jerusalem.
At the end of the 1000 year reign of Jesus Christ I can see the dragon being let out of the bottomless pit and confirming a covenant and leading a rebellion against Jesus Christ and God for 7 years. In the midst of these 7 years I can see him causing the sacrifices and oblations in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem that was used during the millennium to cease and the temple and Jerusalem to be destroyed for the last time.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. Daniel 9:27
So how does one deal with gaps between the 62 weeks and the 7 weeks and the 1 week to where this is not a continuous 70 times 7 year period of time? Well, besides the fact the 70 weeks are broken out into these three periods of time and told about specific events for each. Parallelism. We have parallels between the timing for Prince of Kingdom of Heaven to be anointed and the timing for a prince of the “free” world to be anointed, both dealing with specific events regarding Jerusalem. In Nehemiah’s time a commandment went out allowing the rebuilding of Jerusalem but never restoring Jerusalem to the Jewish people. In our time a commandment went out restoring Jerusalem to the Jewish people, to the sovereign nation of Israel not under the rule of any other country. More importantly, not under the rule of Rome.
It gives me goosebumps to realize that God considers 70 times 7 to not just be a counting up to 490. No, God considers 70 times 7 the amount of time He will forgive man and continue to forgive man throughout all time.
Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven. Matthew 18:21-22
God considers that He will forgive man for ALL of man’s 7000 year lease on this planet for ALL those who come to Jesus Christ and confess their sins and turn away from their wicked behaviors, cutting off of the old man, and accepting Jesus Christ into their heart.
Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me. Revelation 3:20
Shalom!
Ted Porter
9/3/2020