Thank you, Mark, for leading us. Good morning to everyone. It's a beautiful day. Praise the Lord for that. Finally getting warmer. We are continuing our study in the book of Daniel, spending some time here in verses 20 to 27. I didn't tell Mark this, but we're going to cover a lot this morning. And there's a lot of information and details, so I don't want anybody to be confused at the end of this. So we'll just have a brief time if you have like a burning question to sort out; we'll skip the last song and just do a brief time of questions. So if you have something along the way here, write that down or tuck it under your hat, and we'll handle that at the end.

I'd like to begin by asking you to turn to Acts 17 with me, please. Acts 17 at verse 10. Acts 17.10 says, "Then the brethren immediately sent Paul and Silas away by night to Berea. When they arrived, they went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were more fair-minded than those in Thessalonica in that they received the word with all readiness and searched the scriptures daily to find out whether these things were so. Therefore, many of them believed." 

So it says they were more noble because they received the word with readiness. That's what I'm asking you to do this morning—receive the word with readiness, and then search the scriptures to see if what I say is true. So that's what we need to do as we search the scriptures. Start with the words, understand them in their context, and strive to see what God is saying. 

We at Living Hope Church do not hold tightly to any system designed by men but are continually forming and tweaking our understanding of the whole by studying the parts and putting the pieces together. So I just want to begin by making the same point I've been making concerning our study here in Daniel 9. It's not a certain system that we hold to, but the dividing point for us is concerning our view of Israel. The question for us is this: does God have a future plan for national Israel, and is there a distinction between the church and Israel? I believe the scriptures are abundantly and overwhelmingly clear on these two questions. 

Therefore, we take the many scriptures of the Old Testament prophets as well as the New Testament passages concerning the end times and God's plans for the church and Israel for what they say. I believe they mean what they say in their context. And this is true of Daniel 9, for sure. Hopefully, we're going to see that in our text this morning.

So I think almost all Christians who hold the Bible as truth, as authoritative, would agree with the statement that we should believe what God says. But so many do not do this in practice. I think we often assume that a theological perspective is genuine or biblical because it is a developed and historic framework, or men who believe it are sincere. But the truth is that many of these systems of men start with a man. 

Think of these names: How about Joseph Smith? We have a well-developed historic system that comes from Joseph Smith called Mormonism with its own Book of Mormon. Or Muhammad; a dominant religious system came from this man, its name means submission, Islam. Augustine gave us the Roman Catholic Church with much of its dogma. Many very sincere men and people involved in these religious movements, but none of them start with the words of this book and seek to see what God says and form their theology solely from the scriptures. They all have well-designed systems coming from a man, and this framework guides their understanding and their interpretation and application of the Bible to varying degrees.

Let me give you a quick example before we get to our text. I gave you an additional handout beside your outline this morning, and that's just for those A students who want to look a little deeper. You can compare that. But I'm just going to briefly go over those four primary views of what we're studying, Daniel's 70 periods of sevens, and the events laid out in verses 24 to 27.

The first is the critical scholarship view, and this view rules out predictive prophecy. It sees the first 69 years as literally fulfilled up to the triumphal entry of Christ, but then the last seven-year period is symbolic of the ministry of Christ and includes the destruction of the temple in 70 AD, some 40 years later. That does not come from the words before us, my friends. If the 69-year sets of seven are literal, then why is the 70th week symbolic, spanning 40 years?

The next view is the historical messianic view, and this view also holds the first 69 sevens as literal years but starts a little earlier and places the end of the 69 sevens at the birth of Christ. They hold that the first half of the final week is Jesus' death and institution of the new covenant, and the last half of the final seven-year period is from 70 AD to 135 AD. I think that's 65 years, not 3 and ½ years. They see the kingdom as spiritual and inaugurated at the cross and an institution of the new covenant. Again, not sure why we have a literal 483 years fulfilled to the day, and then a spiritualized 70th week. I think Daniel understood the kingdom promised to Israel as a literal kingdom on earth, not a spiritual kingdom called the church.

The third view is called the symbolic messianic view, and this just gets worse. This view sees symbolic fulfillment of the 77s and sees the second half of the 70th week as the church age. I think Daniel would be confused by this, as I am. If it's symbolic, then who decides what it means? Maybe Mark has an idea of what it symbolizes, and I have an idea of what it symbolizes. Maybe it means what it says.

The last view is what is associated with dispensationalism. Now again, I want to reiterate, just to be clear, that for our purposes here, the dividing line is the distinction between the church and Israel and the fact that God has a future plan for Israel. That's as far as we take it. I don't know what the dispensations are. I don't know how many there are. I just know that the Bible teaches that God is going to keep His promises to Israel, and there's a ton of scripture teaching us that. So it's a dividing point. 

We see the full 490 years as literal, not partially literal and partially symbolic or spiritual. The last seven is yet to come and will be fulfilled in order to accomplish God's will for His people. So my brothers and sisters in Christ, I implore you to search the scriptures to see if what men say is true. Start with the words. Seek to know what God says, and He will teach you the truth.

We're about to consider one of the most debated and misunderstood, some would say complicated, texts in the Bible. But if we just follow the words in their context, I think we'll see that God makes clear what He's saying. Let's look at Daniel 9 together, beginning in verse 20 again. 

"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, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the 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, 'Oh, Daniel, I now have come forth, look at this, 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. Therefore, consider the matter and understand the vision.'"

Pay attention. Get this, Daniel. Consider it, ponder it, and understand. 

Here's our text today, verse 24: "70 weeks are determined for your people in your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up 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 62 weeks. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. And after the 62 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 till 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 abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate."

Well, I've given you five points on your outline. First, a time period. Second, specific purposes. Third, a starting point. Fourth, two princes. And fifth, the ultimate plan.

Well, first in our text, we see the time period given to Daniel for the completion of God's plans concerning Israel and Jerusalem. "70 weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city." We established last week that these 77 periods are years, 77s of years. This is universally understood among all evangelical Christians. I haven't found anyone who disagrees that these are years. So God has established a 490-year period to accomplish His will concerning Israel. 

We saw last week as well that this time period corresponds to the profaning of the Sabbath rests committed by the nation in violation of God's law concerning the resting of the land on the seventh year. We looked at 2 Chronicles 36. At verse 20, it says, "And those who escaped from the sword, he carried away to Babylon, where they became servants to him and his sons until the rule of the kingdom of Persia." That's where we are now, right? 

"To fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths. As long as she laid desolate, she kept Sabbath to fulfill 70 years." It would have taken 490 years for Israel to violate 70 Sabbaths for the land. And God says now, "There are 490 years prescribed for the future of Israel to accomplish His will, to accomplish specific purposes, six purposes that we see listed in our text." 

"70 weeks are determined for your people, your holy city, to do what? In this 490-year period, what's God going to do? He's going to finish the transgression. He's going to make an end of sins. He's going to make reconciliation for iniquity. He's going to bring in everlasting righteousness. He's going to seal up vision and prophecy or complete all prophecy. And he's going to anoint the most holy or the most holy place." 

So we see six specific purposes of God that will occur in this 490-year period and concern, again, contextually who? Israel and Jerusalem. The first three group together and are accomplished at the first coming of Christ at the cross. The second three look to the second coming and will be accomplished by Christ as He sets up His kingdom on earth and reigns physically on earth for 1,000 years and then brings the new heavens and the new earth.

The first two listed here are very interesting. Notice the words: to finish the transgression and then to make an end of sins and make reconciliation for iniquity. In Christ's death on the cross, and we've studied this at length in the New Testament, in his burial and resurrection, Jesus dealt with sin and He dealt with sins. He removed the guilt for sins committed under the first covenant, ending the law covenant of Moses and instituting the new covenant.

The language here points to a final end and a coming of the new. At the cross, Jesus instituted the new covenant in his blood. We see a pre-fillment of those Ezekiel 36 promises made to Israel now in the church, as we've discussed many times. The New Testament authors explain again and again that after the cross, in the new covenant, we experience regeneration. We experience a new heart, a new spirit, death of the old man in Adam, as Jesus dealt with sin. He made an end to the transgression. 

Romans 8, too, says, "For the law, the spirit of life in Christ Jesus has made me free from the law of sin and death. For what the law could not do in that it was weak through the flesh, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh. On account of sin, he condemned sin in the flesh." Jesus dealt with the transgression or sin, the principle of sin at the cross, and He also dealt with sins. He made an end of sins and brought reconciliation for iniquity.

His death in our place for our sins released us from the guilt and judgment, the wrath of God that we deserved. Turn over to Romans 3 with me. Let's look at that real quick. It's instructive to put these things together. Romans 3 at verse 24, Paul says, "Being justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God set forth as a propitiation by His blood through faith to demonstrate His righteousness." 

Look at this: "Because in His forbearance, God had passed over the sins that were previously committed to demonstrate at the present time His righteousness, in order that He might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus." Now let me ask you, when did these things become effective for you and for me? When did I experience regeneration and forgiveness of sins, justification, when I believed? Through faith, he says several times in that passage.

And this is basic. This is fundamental. But it is essential to my understanding of what we're studying. Our text and these first couple of points are in the context of God's plan for Israel. Jesus dealt with the sins previously committed under the old covenant law at the cross, demonstrating God's righteousness. He dealt with every sin, past, present, and future, in His completely sufficient sacrifice for sins, satisfying the wrath of God. 

God demonstrated that He was propitiated, that is, He was satisfied with the payment of Christ's one-time death by raising Him from the dead. The cross is the basis for the new covenant. The cross is the basis for our justification and regeneration in the new covenant. And listen now, the cross is the basis for the salvation of Israel that is yet to come. When is it that these promises will become effective for Israel as predicted in Ezekiel 36 and Jeremiah 31 and so many Old Testament prophecies? When will this become effective for Israel? 

This is very important for us to understand. When they believe Jesus. Zechariah 12 and 14 and Joel 3 and Isaiah and Romans 11, and on and on and on all tell us that this will occur during the 70th week of Daniel, culminating in the second coming of Christ. The Jews of Daniel's day who died in unbelief perished. The Jews of our day who die in unbelief perish, as well as all the Gentiles, right? But for those who believe Jesus, God gives them the right to become the children of God. 

When Israel as a nation looks on the one whom they pierced and mourns and turns in faith to their Messiah, they will be saved, and they will experience the new covenant blessings promised to them. This is what Paul's talking about when he says all Israel will be saved, and we'll look at that in a little bit. 

The assertion of the covenant theologian today is that when Israel crucified her Messiah, God cut them off, cast them away. That the church—this is critical; we talk a lot about replacement theology; I just want to be clear about that—most covenant theologians don't believe in replacement theology. What they believe is that the church is the spiritual fulfillment of all of these prophecies we are studying in Daniel and elsewhere, and that God is done with national ethnic Israel. 

It is the church that assumes her blessings promised throughout the scriptures, yet they never mention the curses. But Paul answers this question directly in Romans 11. Let's look at that, Romans 11 at verse 1. Paul asks this question explicitly: "I say then, has God cast away His people? Certainly not. For I also am an Israelite of the seed of Abraham and the tribe of Benjamin. God has not cast away His people whom He foreknew." 

Now go down to verse 11. "I say then, have they stumbled that they should fall? Certainly not. But through their fall, Israel, through their fall, to provoke them, Israel, to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. Now if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more their fullness?" 

Pay close attention to what Paul says here. Has Israel fallen to the point where they cannot get back up? Is God done with Israel? No, by no means. But through their fall, to provoke them to jealousy, salvation has come to the Gentiles. This is an amazing, enlightening, and I say humbling statement. Paul's saying that the setting aside of Israel for a time and turning to the Gentiles in this church age, in this, God has the very purpose in mind of saving Israel, accomplishing His will and purpose for His people Israel as promised, in order to provoke them to jealousy. 

Salvation has come to the Gentiles, and then he looks forward to this fulfillment. He says if their fall is riches for the world, and their failure riches for the Gentiles, how much more will their fullness be? He's looking forward to that. This is what the rest of the chapter's about. Look at verse 25 with me. Romans 11:25. "I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. And so all Israel will be saved, as it is written. The deliverer will come out of Zion. He will turn away ungodliness from Jacob, for this is my covenant with them when I take away their sins." 

Concerning the gospel,