I remember when I first became a Christian. I thought that the Second Coming and the arrival of the "kingdom of God" was imminent. As I looked around at the events that were happening in the world, I felt sure that we were living in the "last days".

I still think that Jesus is coming soon. But after studying and reflecting on what the Bible says about the "last days" and the "kingdom of God", my perspective has changed. I have come to recognize that the kingdom of God was; in some sense, ushered in nearly 2000 years ago. I have also come to recognize that the "last days" began at the time of Christ.

Eschatology, which is the study of the last things, has been of great interest to the church at large for the last two centuries. Any study of this subject must be handled with the utmost objectivity in light of the predisposition of men to make themselves and their contemporary situation the center of prophetic interpretation and fulfillment. As we consider the biblical evidence, and as we endeavor to find out what the Bible says on this subject, we will be struck with the large amount that is available and the clarity of it. This is a major New Testament doctrine.

As we consider the New Testament, we need to understand that we are not looking at a large group of unrelated events and teachings. It is important to discern God’s overarching purpose amongst the details.

As we will see, there is a link between the last days, the atonement, the kingdom of God and the Sanctuary. By way of review, let us consider the function and purpose of the Sanctuary in the old testament.

The Sanctuary is a tool in God’s hands that He uses to teach us spiritual truths and illustrate spiritual realities. These spiritual truths find their fulfillment in Jesus Christ.

It was at the Sanctuary depicted in the old testament that God met with His people. It was the place where God provided a way of access to Himself. Fellowship with God took place at the Sanctuary. The Sanctuary was the place where God dealt with sin. At the Sanctuary, sin was transferred to the substitute. At the Sanctuary, sin was judged, atoned for and forgiven. It was the place of worship. It was here that God made peace with His people. It was a place of rest, refreshment, and security. God’s name and God’s presence was in the Sanctuary. The children of Israel found their identity at the Sanctuary.

The covenant people were the ones who continued to approach God at the Sanctuary. The covenant people are therefore the ones who have a relationship with God. His purpose, as illustrated by the Sanctuary, is to dwell among His people. This is repeated again and again throughout the bible in the covenant catch phrase. "I will be your God and you will be My people".

The Sanctuary of the old testament never achieved or completely fulfilled its ultimate purpose. It was a shadow, a type, a symbol for the time then present. (Heb.9v8,9)

God’s house, God’s sanctuary, was intended to be a house of sacrifice, worship, and prayer for all peoples. Isa.56v6-8 The limitations of human frailty and sinfulness, however, disqualified it from fulfilling its purpose. Through the old testament era, Gentile kings defiled the temple. Yet it was not only outside influences that profaned the Sanctuary. The kings and priests of Israel brought their abominations into God’s house. Ezk.8

When we move from the old testament to the new, we find ourselves in a new era, in a new age. The hope of the old testament prophets and the righteous ones was that the Messiah would come. This Messiah would come at the end of time. He would come in the last days. In His role as Messianic King, He would set up His kingdom. He would act as a Savior for Israel and be a champion for them by putting down all their enemies. As the son of David, he would build the Sanctuary of the Lord. All the nations would stream into it and worship the Lord.

There is a close relationship in the old testament between the Sanctuary and the city of Jerusalem. The Sanctuary stood in the middle of the city, in the middle of God’s people, in the middle of God’s kingdom. (Ezk.37v26-28; Rev.21v21, 22v2, 1v13, 2v1, 7v17, 5v6, 21v3, 22.)

The old testament prophets looked forward to the ultimate Son of David who would build and restore the Sanctuary to its rightful state as the center of worship in the midst of God’s people at the end of time. Zech.6v12-15; 8v3,8,9,22; 9v16; 14v10.

It is important to ask inductive questions like "who", "what", "when", "where", "how", and "why" when we study scripture.

We know "what" God’s purpose is. It has been revealed to us in the Sanctuary. We know "how" God would bring His purpose to fulfillment. He would accomplish it in His Christ. We know "why" God has acted in the Sanctuary. It is because He loves us. He wants to dwell in the midst of His people because He wants fellowship. God has revealed "who" He is and "who" we are in the Sanctuary. In part three, we will consider ‘where" God would bring His purpose to fruition. But "when" would He bring His purpose to pass?

This question leads us to the heart of this section. When would Christ, the promised Messiah, set up His kingdom, and restore the Sanctuary to its rightful state and rule as King in the midst of His covenant people? When would the last days come upon the world and the kingdom of God be ushered in?

It may come as a surprise to you, but from the perspective of the new testament prophets, the kingdom of God was, in some sense, ushered in nearly 2000 years ago. This means that the last days and the time of the endbegan nearly 2000 years ago. How many articles or books have you read that speak of the time of the end either being in the future or starting within the last 200 years? This can easily happen when we get caught up in man’s typical tendency to make their own generation the center of prophetic fulfillment. The question to ask is this; what does the bible say? As we study it out we will be stuck with the large amount of evidence on the subject and the clarity of it.

The kingdom of God is the rule of God. The rule of God marks the beginning of the last days. Jesus Christ came as the last Adam (the second Adam), as the embodiment of the nation of Israel, and as the Messianic King for the purpose of dethroning Satan. The Bible calls Satan the prince of this world. Jesus engaged Satan in mortal combat and won. Through His victorious life, His substitutionary death, His resurrection, and His ascension to heaven where He has taken His seat on the throne as King at the right hand of the Father, Christ has legally destroyed Satan’s kingdom and inaugurated His own. Christ the King has began to rule. (Rev.12v10 & 11)

When did Christ accomplish this? He accomplished it nearly 2000 years ago at the time of the Christ event. In light of Christ’s victory, the Kingdom of God has been a present reality since that time and the citizens of this planet have been living in the last days and the time of the end for the last 2000 years.

The revelation that Jesus Christ now sits at the right hand of God as King is prominent in the new testament.

I quote Acts 2v29-36: "Brethren, I may confidently say to you regarding the patriarch David that he both died and was buried, and his tomb is with us today. And so, because he was a prophet, and knew that God had swore to him with an oath to seat one of his descendants upon His throne, he looked ahead and spoke of the resurrection of Christ, that He was neither abandoned to Hades, nor did His flesh suffer decay. This Jesus, God raised up again, to which we are all witnesses. Therefore having been exalted to the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, He has poured forth this which you both see and hear. For it was not David who ascended into heaven, but he himself says: the Lord said to My Lord, sit at My right hand until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet. Therefore let all the house of Israel know for certain that God has made Him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified."

The establishment of the King on the throne and the rule of Christ was a present reality when Peter spoke on the day of Pentecost. This passage in Acts 2 contains the key elements which we are considering. The word "Christ" in v36 means "Messiah" or "Anointed One". Jesus is the Son of David. God promised, covenanted, or you could also say; swore an oath to David that He would establish David’s descendant (literally seed) on the throne of the kingdom forever. Acts chapter 2 has recorded the fulfillment of that promise.

Let us consider the old testament passages in which God promised or you could say covenanted to do this. Second Samuel 7v12,13, & 16 state: "When your days are complete and you lie down with your fathers, I will raise up your descendant after you, who will come forth from you, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build a house for My name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom forever. And your house and your kingdom shall endure before Me forever; your throne will be established forever."

Psalm 89v3,4,19,20,27-29&34-36 state: "I have made a covenant with My chosen; I have sworn to David My servant, I will establish your seed forever, And build up your throne to all generations. I have exalted one chosen from the people. I have found David My servant; With My holy oil I have anointed him. I also have made him My first-born, The highest of the kings of the earth. My lovingkindness I will keep for him forever. And My covenant shall be confirmed to him. So I will establish his descendants forever, And his throne as the days of heaven. My covenant I will not violate, Nor will I alter the utterance of My lips. Once I have sworn by My holiness; I will not lie to David. His descendants (literally seed) shall endure forever, And his throne as the sun before Me."

The connection between the passages quoted is clear. Peter and the apostolic church saw Jesus Christ as the descendant of David who would take up His seat on the throne of God and rule over His people forever. The kingdom of God is the rule of God. It was after His resurrection and ascension that Christ began to rule.

The rule of Christ marks the beginning of the last days. This is the context of Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost. The birth of the new testament church and the recognition of Christ’s rule took place at Pentecost. Jews from around the know world had gathered in Jerusalem for the feast. It is on this occasion, at prime time, that Peter preached the gospel to the huge crowd who was gathered. The powerful manifestation of the Holy Spirit testified that this event was in fulfillment of prophecy. Peter stated in Acts 2v16 & 17 : "but this is what was spoken through the Prophet Joel; And it shall be in the last days, God says, That I will pour out My Spirit upon all mankind". There is a clear link between the "kingdom of God" and "the last days".

The writer of Hebrews also links the last days with the coronation of Christ. I quote Heb.1v1-3: "God, after He spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets in many portions and many ways, in these last days has spoken to us in His Son, whom He appointed heir of all things, through whom also He made the world. And He is the radiance of His glory and the exact representation of His nature, and upholds all things by the word of His power. When He had made purification (cleansing) of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." In this passage, we see God fulfilling the Davidic covenant. We see God recognizing the Son, the Heir. Because of His fidelity to the covenant, God anointed the Son and handed Him the scepter of rulership. (Gen.49v10) He has taken His seat at the right hand of God signifying His authority. The man, the God man, the Christ, now rules as co-regent with the Father. His kingdom will last forever. Heb.1v8,9, & 13 state: "But of the Son He says, Thy throne O God is forever and ever, and the righteous scepter is the scepter of His kingdom. Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness; Therefore God, Thy God hath anointed Thee with the oil of gladness above Thy companions. But to which of the angels has He ever said, sit at My right hand, until I make Thine enemies a footstool for Thy feet."

The term "Christ" means the "anointed one". Nowhere in the new testament do we see the anointing of the temple. What we do see in Hebrews chapter one is the anointing of Jesus as the Christ. In Matt.3v16 & 17, we see the Spirit of God coming upon Jesus. We hear the Father addressing Him: "This is My beloved Son." We know that the name "David" means "beloved". In Luke 4v18, we hear Jesus reading from Isaiah as He initiated His ministry. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, because He has anointed Me…" In Matt.17v1-9, we hear the Father again addressing His beloved Son. The vision of Moses and Elijah, representative of the Law and the Prophets, faded and they saw no one but Jesus. Before His death, we see Mary anointing Jesus. The climactic points in the gospels is when Jesus is recognized as the "Christ". The title "Christ" (the Anointed One) is used over 500 x in the new testament. The anointed King, His kingdom and His house will stand forever.

As the book of Hebrews goes on to explain, the Son is a Priest-King after the order of Melchizedek. (Hebrews chapter 7) The concept of Priest-King comes to us from the book of Zechariah. I quote Zech.6v 12 & 13: "Then say to him, thus says the Lord of hosts, "Behold, a man whose name is Branch, for He will branch out from where He is; And He will build the temple of the Lord. Yes, it is He who will build the temple of the Lord, and He who will bear the honor and sit and rule on His throne. Thus He will be a priest on His throne, and the counsel of peace will be between the two offices." As King, he rules. As High Priest, he has made atonement for sins. Heb. 1v3 states: "When he had made purification (cleansing) of sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high." The point is this. The work of cleansing and atonement for sins is linked with the coronation and anointing of the Christ as King and both are in the context of the last days.

As King-Priest, the Lord’s Christ has acted in such a way as to bring about the defeat of Satan, death, and has decisively dealt with sin. I quote Heb.2v14,15,17&9 : "Since the children share in flesh and blood, He himself likewise also partook of the same, that through death He might render powerless him who had the power of death, that is, the devil and might deliver those who through fear of death were subject to slavery all their lives. Therefore He had to be made like His brethren in all things, that He might become a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation (atonement) for the sins of the people. But we do see Him, who has been made for a little while lower than the angels, namely, Jesus, because of the suffering of death crowned with glory and honor."

The term "propitiation" means to righteously turn away the wrath and judgment of God. Jesus is both the High Priest and the sacrifice. The ritual of the "Day of Atonement" was the climax of the Hebrew sacrificial system. It was the day of judgment. Jesus Christ, who is "better" in every way, is revealed in the book of Hebrews as the fulfillment of all the old testament types. His key role is to destroy Satan’s kingdom and to set up His own. He has decisively acted to deal with sin and the consequences thereof by making atonement for it. The book of Hebrews is saturated with Day of Atonementlanguage. By His action 2000 years ago, Christ brought the judgment forward in time. Because the new has come, the old has been superseded. Heb.9v26 states: "But now, once, at the consummation of the ages, He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself". (NASB) The NIV renders it: "He has appeared once at the end of the ages…" Heb.10v2 states: "But He, having offered one sacrifice for sins for all time, sat down at the right hand of God". As Christ, as anointed King-Priest, Jesus has broken into history and forever changed the world.

Revelation chapter 5 is another witness of the same truth. In this passage, we see the sacrifice of Christ revealed in the Lamb that was slain and is now alive standing before the throne as priest. The Father holds the book of life in His right hand. The destiny of mankind has shifted from the prince of this world to the Lord and His Christ. The kinsman Redeemer, the only One worthy to approach the Father, has received the scepter, the kingdom, the dominion, from the right hand of God. The right hand is symbolic of authority and rulership. The Lion of Judah, which is the kingly tribe of David, has overcome Satan, sin, and death. By His victory, He has purchased and redeemed mankind. The atonement made on earth has satisfied the Father in heaven. The kingdom under the King has arrived. The dominion has been restored to the Israel of God. What follows in the 7 seals is the outworking of that sacrifice and coronation as Christ uses His church to taken dominion and place everything under the dominion of God’s feet.

It is important to study Revelation chapter 5 in its entirety in light of this concept. For the sake of brevity, I will quote Rev.5v10 & 13 and Rev.1v6. We will see how the kingdom has been a present reality since the ascension of Christ. I quote: "And Thou hast made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth. And every created thing which is in heaven and on the earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all things in them, I heard saying, "To Him who sits on the throne, and to the Lamb, be blessing and honor and glory and dominionforever an ever. And He has made us to be a kingdom, priests to His God and Father; to Him be the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.

We will now consider the apostle Paul’s perspective regarding the last days. I quote 1Cor.10v11: "Now these things happened to them as an example (type), and they were written for our instruction, upon whom the end of the ages have come. Paul is here putting the old testament into perspective for us. In the context of magnifying Christ as the Lord of the old testament, he warns us (at the end of the ages) that the same consequence in terms of punishment that the nation of Israel received will be ours if we do not flee idolatry. For Paul, the end of the ages had come.

I now quote Ephesians 1v20 & 21: "which He brought about in Christ, when He raised Him from the dead, and seated Him at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this age but in the one to come." We need to think about what Paul is saying here. Christ is now far above all other rulers and authorities and rulers in this age. The reign of God has broken into this age. The kingdom has been inaugurated. We nevertheless still look forward to the consummation.

Let us consider 2 Tim.1v9,10: "God, who has saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace which He granted us in Christ Jesus from all eternity, but now has been revealed by the appearing of our Savior Christ Jesus, who abolished death, and brought life and immortality to light through the gospel." Did you notice the "but now?" Salvation and eternal life are in the Now for those who trust in the Savior. Paul has used the past tense to state what was an accomplished fact at the time that he wrote it.

"Now" is one of Paul’s favorite terms. Romans 8v1 states: "There is therefore now no condemnation for those who are in Christ. (Paul means that there is no condemnation in judgment.) Justification is a term that comes to us from the law courts. It is Paul’s favorite term to describe the work of Christ for us. The term has eschatological implications. Simply put, it means to have a verdict of acquittal in the final judgment now. This status is a present reality for all those who are in Christ. No wonder that the gospel means "good news".

Romans 5v9 states: "having now been justified by His blood"

Ephesians 2v13 states: "But now, in Christ Jesus, you who were formerly far off have been brought near by the blood of Christ."

By His blood, Christ has destroyed Satan’s kingdom and has established His own kingdom of grace.

Colossians 1v13 & 14 state: "For He (has) delivered us from the domain of darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of His beloved Son, in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins." Notice the verb tense. Because of the monumental achievement of Christ and Calvary, the new testament writers have taken a whole new perspective in regards to the last days and the end of time.

Lets consider Peter’s perspective. I quote 1Peter 1v20: "For He was foreknown before the foundation of the world, but has appeared in these last times for the sake of you." The margin literally renders it, "at the end of times". Notice that he states this in the context of the cross. Verses 18 & 19 state: "knowing that you were not redeemed with perishable things like silver or gold from your futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with precious blood, as of a Lamb unblemished and spotless, the blood of Christ". Verse 21 speaks of the resurrection of Christ. I Peter 4v7 states: "The end of all things is at hand". This is reminiscent of Mark 1v15 which says, "The time is fulfilled and the kingdom of God is at hand." Jesus said these words, as recorded by Mark, before His death. Peter clearly believed that he was living in the last days and at the end of time because the kingdom of God had been ushered in at the cross. This demonstrates that the kingdom of God and the end of all things occur at the same time from the perspective of the new testament prophets.

In light of this perspective, Paul expected that the return of Christ was imminent in his day. He expected to be alive when Christ returned. I quote 1 Thess.4v15-17 to demonstrate this: "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ will rise first. Then we who arealive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord.

James also expected that Christ’s return was in his near future. I quote James 5v3 & 7-9 : "Your gold and silver have rusted; and their rust will be a witness against you and will consume your flesh like fire. It is in the last days that you have stored up your treasure. Be patient, therefore, brethren, until the coming of the Lord. Behold the farmer waits for the precious produce of the soil, being patient about it, until it gets the early and late rains. You too be patient; strengthen your hearts, for the coming of the Lord is at hand. Do not complain, brethren, against one another, that you yourselves may not be judged; behold the judge is standing right at the door.

In Acts 2v17 & 33, we remember reading about how the promise of the Father, the Holy Spirit, would be poured out in the last days. Hebrews 6v4 & 5 records how the new testament believers in Jesus Christ have been enlightened, have tasted of the heavenly gift, have been made partakers of theHoly Spirit, have tasted the good word of God and experienced the powers of the age to come.

The age to come, the kingdom of God, has broken into this age. But Christ obviously has not returned from heaven. It is as if we have been sitting on the threshold for almost 2000 years. Theologians call this inaugurated and consummated eschatology. The kingdom has come, but not in the fullest sense. When Christ came, He set up His kingdom of grace. For the last 2000 years, those who have believed have entered the kingdom of grace. When He returns, He will bring about the consummation and set up the kingdom of glory. A biblical way to describe this perspective regarding the kingdom of God is the "even now" and the "not yet". 1 John 3v2 says: "Beloved, evennow we are (present tense) children of God, and it has not yet (future) appeared what we shall be.

Let me summarize the characteristics of the "even now", the kingdom of grace that Christ has already inaugurated and brought into the present.

1. God has soverignly acted in Christ to fulfill His covenant promises to the fathers. Atonement, judgment on sin, and reconciliation has taken place. God in Christ has broken down the barrier between God and man and has Himself established peace.
2. Satan, sin, and death are defeated foes.
3. Believers in Christ have now been transferred into the kingdom of God.
4. Believers in Christ now possess the verdict of acquittal in the final judgment. Based on the work of the cross, justification and peace are present realities.
5. Life, eternal life, and spiritual life is now a present reality.
6. We have the first portion of our inheritance, which is the Holy Spirit dwelling in our hearts. We are now sons of God.

We have eternal life, but we still die.

Satan is a defeated foe, but he is still running around trying to kill and destroy.

We are in the kingdom of God, but the kingdoms of this world still exist.

We have been delivered from the penalty of sin but the power of sin still torments us. We look forward to being removed from the presence of sin. We have tasted the Spirit, we have the first portion of the Spirit, but we want the fullness.

We have immediate access to God, but we still do not see Him face to face.

We live in the "even now". We wait in the hope of the "not yet", the coming King and His kingdom of glory.

As we have considered how the new testament prophets used the terms "last days" or "last times" or the "end" or the "consummation", we need to ask ourselves where they got this concept from. I would like to suggest that they got it from the book of Daniel. (Dan.8v17,19; 11v2735,40; 12v4,6,9,13.) As we have already seen, there is a link between the last days, the atonement, the king, the kingdom of God and the restoration of the Sanctuary. It is important to recognize that these concepts are at the very core of book of Daniel.

The theme of the book of Daniel is the kingdom of God. And what is a kingdom without a king? The Messianic King, who was to come and dispose of all other kings and all other kingdoms and set up His own kingdom is central to the book of Daniel. Also central for Daniel was the concept of the "time of the end" and the "end of time". In order to deliver His people, God would judge the enemies of Himself and His people. The deliverance by God of His people included atonement, bringing in everlasting righteousness and restoring the Sanctuary in the midst of His people. Daniel saw only one mountain, one event, in the future. He saw the coming of the Messianic King who would depose the enemies of God and His covenant people and thereby set up His own kingdom at the end of time with a restored Sanctuary in its midst as one single event in the future.

At this juncture, let us consider the prophet Daniel. Let us examine the evidence. Does Daniel indeed link the Messianic King, His kingdom, the overthrow of the enemies of God and of His people, atonement for sin, and the restoration of the Sanctuary at the timeof the end? I quote Dan.8v9-11: "And out of one of them came forth a rather small horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east and toward the Beautiful land. And it grew up to the host of heaven and caused some of the host and some of the stars to fall to the earth, and it trampled them down. It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice from Him, and the place of His Sanctuary was thrown down." The "it" is the antichrist power, the abomination that makes desolate, the little horn. Daniel 11v31 & 36 speak of the same power. I quote: "And forces from him will arise, desecrate the sanctuary fortress, and do away with the regular sacrifice. And they will set up the abomination of desolation. Then the king will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods, and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done."

What we need to recognize is that Satan is the enemy of God. He has inspired evil men including kings and even nations to fight against Christ, Christ’s people, and Christ’s truth, throughout the ages. The faces of these pawns in Satan’s hands may change but the spirit and the principle is the same. As we have just seen, this antichrist power would cause some of the stars to fall to earth. In Revelation 12v4, we see the dragon, who is Satan the devil. We saw how he swept away a third of the stars, which are angels, from heaven to earth. The point is this: we must remember that Satan is behind the attacks on God’s people, God’s truth, and God’s Sanctuary asrecorded in the book of Daniel. The deposition of the enemies of God and of His people must deal with more than the agents of evil. It must deal with Satan himself. In the explanation of this small horn that follows in Daniel 8v21-23, we see that a manifestation of this antichrist power comes out of the Grecian empire. I quote: " The shaggy goat represents the kingdom of Greece, and the large horn that is between his eyes is the first king. And the broken horn and the four horns that arose in its place represent four kingdoms which will arise from his nation, although not with his power. And in the latter period of their rule, when the transgressors have run their course, a king will arise insolent and skilled in intrigue." Daniel 8 goes on to relate how this king would magnify himself, oppose the Prince of princes, and destroy God’s people.

This king that came up in the latter part of the rule of the Grecian empire is none other that Antiochus Epiphanes. This evil king, who in his own name saw himself as a manifestation of deity, did tremendous damage to the people of God. He slaughtered 80,000 Jews. He entered the temple, defiled it, trampled it down, made a desolation of it. He carried off its sacred pieces. He stripped the gold plating from the temple. He issued a decree that the Jews were to abandon their laws, customs and religion on pain of death. The Jews were forced to sacrifice to idols and to profane the Sabbath. Swine were offered in sacrifice. Circumcision was outlawed. The ones who went along were spared but the ones who refused were put to death. His purpose was to hellenize Israel and to strip the Jews of all their riches.

But we must look deeper to see the power behind the scenes that motivated Antiochus Epiphanes. This evil king, that was to come up at the end of the reign of Grecian kings, was clearly in the future from Daniel’s perspective. We must also remember that Daniel was given a vision and a prophecy about the Messiah who was to come and set up His own kingdom. When we take these facts into consideration, we begin to see how important it was for Satan to intervene and pre-empt God’s plan by acting through an evil pawn. Satan’s purpose was to decimate the people of God and eradicate their religion so that there would be no people for the Messiah to come from or to come to.

It has been argued that Antiochus Epiphanes could not be greater than the two world ruling kingdoms of the Babylonians or the Medes and Persians. The key is to understand that the significance of the small horn power is to be judged, not by the grandeur or extent of the previous kingdoms, but in terms of its antagonistic relationship to the Lord God and His people. The prophecy of an evil king who would surpass all of his predecessors in the book of Daniel by magnifying himself against the God of heaven, as revealed in his desecration of the temple, his banning of God’s laws and covenant signs, and his trampling down and genocide of God’s people was fulfilled by none other than Antiochus Epiphanes. In the context of Dan.8v20-23, he fits the text. The significance to the Jews of the evil perpetrated by this man must not be underrated. They continue to memorialize their deliverance from this evil man’s domination in the feast of Hanukkah.

We need to remember that Daniel saw the end of the age and the coming of the Messiah, who would provide the ultimate deliverance for his people, and set up His kingdom, as one event in the future. He did not see over 2000 years of time following the coming of the Messiah. To superimpose a papal fulfillment as the only explanation and fulfillment of this prophecy in Daniel chapter 8 at the expense of denying its immediate historical fulfillment is problematic. Some want to deny Antiochus Epiphanes as having any importance. Others want to make him the only fulfillment. His real importance for our purpose is to see him as a clear and major type, in a long line of antichrist powers that have flowed through time, of the final and fullest manifestation of the antichrist.

What we need to see is that this prophecy had the potential for multiple manifestations in terms of its fulfillment. I use the word "potential" because the Jews could have received Jesus as their Messianic King and the history of the world would have been radically different if they had have. What God wants us to understand is the underlying principles that are behind the scenes. Let us consider what the apostle John said about this spirit and this principle. I quote 1John 2v18 & 4v3: "Children, it is the last hour; and just as you have heard that antichrist is coming, even now many antichrists have arisen; from this we know that it is the last hour. And every spirit that does not confess Jesus is not from God; and this is the spirit of the antichrist, of which you have heard that it is coming, and now it is already in the world." From these verses we can ascertain that there have been multiple manifestations of the antichrist spirit revealed in antichrist powers in the past. We can know them by their fruit and their characteristics. A careful examination of the characteristics of Antiochus Epiphanes reveals not only a recognizable evil fruit, but identifiable principles. These principles have been manifested in the various pawns of Satan through time. A careful reading of I Maccabees sheds light on the antichrist of 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. God uses the language of the past to tell us what will happen in the future. Those who know the Lord and are acquainted with the scriptures will recognize the final manifestation of the antichrist for who he is.

We can also know that the apostle John believed that he was living at the last hour and that the second coming of Christ was imminent. This sheds light on the statement of Jesus in Matthew 24v15: "When you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet". Many people would use this as an argument to state that the abomination of desolation was in the future. This point can hardly be disagreed upon. But what it fails to recognize is that the people of God were already prepared to recognize the abomination of desolation because they had already, in the recent past, seen a clear manifestation of it in Antiochus Epiphanes. In the distant past, the evil Pharaoh of Egypt that refused to acknowledge God and prevented God’s people from worshipping Him was also a previous manifestation of the abomination of desolation.

In John’s own day, the apostate nation of Israel had taken the role of antichrist. The faithful city had become a harlot. Isa.1v21 The nation not only "did not confess Jesus", they had collaborated with the political (beast) power to murder the Christ. They then began to persecute Christ’s followers. This sheds light on our interpretation of the "Babylon" of Rev.18 that is fallen. "And in her was found the blood of prophets and of saints and of all who have been slain on the earth". Rev.18v24 Matt.23v35 & 37. The nation of Israel reaped the fruit of their infidelity when her coconspirators sent their armies to destroy Jerusalem without the expected intervention and rescue of God. If you want to recognize who the particular manifestation of the abomination of desolation is at any time in biblical history, you just need to pay attention to the ones who God is desolating in His retributive judgment. What one sows is what one reaps. Surely the Jerusalem that rejected and crucified Christ and that was later desolated by God is a manifestation of the abomination of desolation. This principle is helpful in understanding what meaning Rev. 18 had for those to whom John initially wrote it and for us today. Writing after 70 A.D., John now utilizes the crisis of Jerusalem as a type of the end of the world. With the death of approximately 1 million Jews in 70 A.D., we are seeing an intensification with each manifestation of the antichrist power.

A problem in our interpretation of the book of Daniel arises when we neglect to recognize that the book must first be considered in the light of everything in the old testament that precedes it. The Pentateuch, the first five books of the old testament must be brought to bear. We must pay particular attention to the law, the covenants, the exodus, the sanctuary system, and the building of the temple by David and Solomon as recorded in Kings and Chronicles. We must also consider the historical context into which Daniel was writing. What meaning would the prophecies of Daniel have for his contemporaries? How would the Jews have naturally understood the message of Daniel?

It is interesting to note that modern critical scholarship is practically unanimous in its rejection of the book of Daniel as a 6^th century B.C. document. For a number of reasons, I would disagree with their conclusion. Nevertheless, it would be almost impossible to dispute that the Jews and the apostolic church saw AntiochusEpiphanes as the antichrist power depicted in Daniel. The accounts of what he did in Daniel chapters 8 & 11 are so exact and conclusive that critical scholars believe that at least part of the book of Daniel must have been written by another author after the fact. One only has to read I Maccabees or the writings of Josephus to see how prominent the desolation of the Sanctuary by Antiochus Epiphanes was in the mind of the Jews.

I will now move on farther into Daniel chapter 8 as we investigate the actions of this antichrist power. I quote Dan.8v11-19: It even magnified itself to be equal with the Commander of the host; and it removed the regular sacrifice, and the place of His Sanctuary was thrown down. And on account of transgression the host will be given over to the horn along with the regular sacrifice; and it will fling truth to the ground and perform its will and prosper. Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to that particular one who was speaking, "How long will the vision about the regular sacrifice apply, while the transgression causes horror, so as to allow both the holy place and the host to be trampled?’ And he said to me, "For 2300 evenings and mornings; then the holy place will be properly restored." And it came about when I, Daniel, had seen the vision, that I sought to understand it; and behold, standing before me was one who looked like a man. And I heard the voice of a man between the banks of the Ulai, and he called out and said, "Gabriel, give this man an understanding of the vision." So he came near to where I was standing, and when he came I was frightened and fell on my face; but he said to me, "Son of man, understand that the vision pertains to the time of the end." Now while he was talking with me, I sank into a deep with sleep with my face to the ground; but he touched me and made me stand upright. And he said, "Behold, I am going to let you know what will occur at the final period of the indignation, for it pertains to the appointed time of the end."

I now quote Dan.8v26 & 27: "And the vision of the evenings and mornings which has been told is true; But keep the vision secret, for it pertains to manydays in the future. Then I, Daniel, was exhausted and sick for days. Then I got up again and carried on the king’s business; but I was astounded at the vision, and there was none to explain it".

What have we seen here? Daniel has received a vision. The vision pertains to the time of the end. (Dan.8v17) It pertains to many days in the future. (Dan.8v26) But Daniel didn’t understand it. (Dan.8v27) When did the new testament prophetsplace the time of the end, the last days, the consummation? We have already seen that the new testament prophets uniformly placed the last days and the end of time in the context of the Christevent. Christ’s death, resurrection, and ascension to take His seat as King at the right hand side of God marks the last days. Where did the new testament prophets even get the concept of "the time of the end"? They got it from the book of Daniel. Dan.8v17 & 18; 11v27,35,40; 12v4,6,9,13. The Messianic King had come. He had deposed Satan. He had set up His kingdom. He had made atonement and reconciliation. He had restored the truth that the Sanctuary represented. As we will also see, in His own Person, He had restored the Sanctuary to its rightful state. It is no wonder that the new testament prophets understood that they were living in the last days.

How would Daniel have understood the last days? If we are going to be able to understand the bible, we need to get into the heads of the prophets who wrote it. We need to get in touch with their historical, cultural, philosophical and theological perspective. Consider the situation that Daniel is in. He is in Babylonian captivity with his people. Jerusalem has been attacked, the city and the temple have been destroyed, and God’s people have either been killed, or taken to Babylon as slaves. From outward appearance, they had been wiped out as a nation. As we will see, in Daniel’s mind, the arrival of the Messianic King, the deposition of the small horn; which is the abomination that desolates, the restoration of the Sanctuary, and the time of the end would occur simultaneously. This is also how the new testament prophets understood it.

In Dan.8v17, Daniel was told to "understand" that the vision pertained to the "time of the end". From Dan.8v27, we know that he didn’t understand it. The explanation of the vision, which included the explanation of the restoration of the Sanctuary, and by inference the vindication of God’s people (Dan.8v13) and therefore the putting down of the antichrist power is explained in Daniel chapter 9.

Let’s consider the verses that indicate that Daniel chapter 9 contains an explanation of the vision in Daniel chapter 8 that Daniel did not understand. I quote Dan.9v21-23: "While I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, (Dan.8v15-19) came to me in my extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering. And he gave me instruction and talked with me. And said, "O 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 understandingof the vision". Gabriel had already given Daniel an explanation of the vision that he had received in Daniel chapter 8. The special scene in the vision regarding the restoration of the Sanctuary was the part of the vision that Daniel didn’t understand and needed further enlightenment on. What follows in Dan.9v24-27 is one of the most concentrated and powerful portions of predictive prophecy in the bible.

There are some factors that are important to recognize as we seek to interpret and understand this passage. Daniel chapter 9 is saturated with covenant language. The term "covenant" is explicit in Dan.9v4. The basis and stipulations of the covenant can be seen in the reference to God’s voice and God’s law in Dan.9v10 & 11.We see that God has confirmed His words (as revealed in the covenant) by pouring the covenant curse out on of His people. Dan.9v11,12 The people of God had sinned, rebelled, rejected the words of the prophets, and by implication broken the covenant. Dan.9v5,7,8,10,11. The chief sin of the Israelites was revealed in unfaithfulness and idolatry. Dan.9v7. The term "righteousness" or "righteous" is used 4x in Daniel chapter 9. Dan.9v7,14,16,24. It is a covenantal term. It speaks to the relationship that God purposes to have with mankind according to prescribed parameters. Besides the covenantal and relational implications, there is also a judicial link with the term "righteousness". We need to recognize that there is a connection between the "sedeq" of Daniel chapter 9 and the "nitsdaq" of Dan.8v14. This verbal link helps us to understand that Daniel chapter 9 is the explanation of Daniel 8, and especially Dan.8v14.

Daniel recalls that the Lord was the God of the "fathers" and the "prophets". Dan.9v6,8,16. This helps us to understand that the information contained in Daniel chapter 9 is not an island unto itself or that it is the first revelation on this subject. We must consider the information that precedes it in the old testament in order to understand what is going on. In Daniel chapter 9, Daniel is praying for his people. The basis that he holds out as an expectation of receiving a favorable answer from God for his request is the compassionate forgiving character of God, as especially revealed in Exodus chapter 33 & 34. This passage in Exodus is the first mention in the bible that God forgives sin. In the context, we see Moses renegotiating the covenant with the Lord. In Daniel 9, we see Daniel recalling the Lord’s acts of redemption in the past. It is on this basis and the Lord’s sworn promise of faithfulness to His covenant that Daniel implores Him to soverignly act for the sake of His holy name. Jerusalem, His city, His people, and His Sanctuary are all the possession of God by nature of His covenant. A prayer for the restoration of the Sanctuary is a prayer for the renewal of the covenant. We also need to remember the close relationship between Daniel’s prayer and Solomon’s prayer of temple dedication as recorded in 1 Kings 8 and 2 Chron.5,6,7. Besides using the same language, these passages contain the same concepts as Daniel 9. A major key to understanding the enigmatic "2300" is found in this passage.

Daniel is a type of Christ. As we will see, the realization of this Spirit inspired internal key has given us the information necessary to recognize and come to grips with the themes that are integrated within the book of Daniel. Let us consider Daniel. He is a man with no revealed sin in his life, yet he closely associated himself with the guilt of his countrymen. He is highly esteemed by God. He is addressed as "Son of Man". He has acted faithfully as God’s servant. He is a virgin totally dedicated to the will of the Lord. He finds himself in a foreign country amidst the captivity of his people whom he loves. He was of the kingly line, yet took the form of a servant. In due time, he was exalted to the place of leadership over the entire kingdom. In time of trial, when a group of jealous and evil men conspired to put him to death, he remained faithful and continued with prayers and supplications for his people as a priest. He is willing to pay the ultimate price. He is willing to die rather than deny his God or to forsake praying for his people. Even in the lion’s den with a sealed stone over the mouth of the pit, Daniel was rescued from certain death because of his innocence. It is interesting to note that the time frame of Daniel’s prayer, that inevitably got him thrown into the pit, was the same as his prayer of intercession for his people that we find recorded in Daniel chapter 9. In his time of intense supplication and extreme weariness, at the time of the evening sacrifice, Daniel is visited by an angel. Where would the people of God be today if Daniel hadn’t been willing to do his Father’s will at all costs?

Daniel was zealous for the Sanctuary and the continual sacrifice; which is a picture of the gospel. He was also filled with love for his people. This is revealed in his fervent prayer of supplication for the restoration of the Sanctuary. Daniel used the language of Solomon’s prayer found in his dedication of the Sanctuary that he had built for the glory of God. In that prayer, advice regarding restoration of a broken covenant was made available should the occasion arise and the contingency be needed. That Spirit filled prayer of dedication that looked down through time was the very precedent that Daniel needed to command an audience with the Lord. Truly, Daniel is a type of Jesus Christ. In his own person, Daniel has given us a revelation of the themes that stand at the core of his prophecy. This in itself is a major key to understanding the way Jesus Himself would later communicate. Jesus doesn’t just prophecy. He is prophecy. His passion is a type of the end of the world in miniature. It is into this context that we will proceed with our interpretation of Dan.9v24-27.

I now quote Dan.9v24: "Seventy weeks (seventy sevens) 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." When you boil it down to its essence, the nation of Israel was not rejected as God’s servant because they were unable to fulfill this prophetic command. They were cut off because they rejected their Messianic King who did all these things for them.

The western mind is captivated by numbers. When we think of numbers, we think of mathematics. The Hebrews, on the other hand, sawnumbers as having symbolic and spiritual significance. Chapter 4 will also deal with and expound on the scriptural use of numbers. Seventy weeks or seventy sevens is 490. This number had deep spiritual significance for the Jews. The Jubilee is symbolized in the number 49. Forty nine is seven times seven. Seven is the number of perfection and completion. It also denotes a cycle; and signifies rest. Forty-nine times ten is representative of the Jubilee of Jubilees. The number ten symbolizes Divine order and judgment. The important thing to remember is that the spiritual realities that the symbolism of the numbers points to is the main thing. The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.

The Jubilee was ushered in on the Day of Atonement. (Lev.25v8-11) This passage in Leviticus chapter 25 incorporated the sabbatical principle in the formula for determining when the Jubilee was to take place. Daniel 9v24 is saturated with Day of Atonement language. A comparison with Leviticus 16 reveals the commonality of such concepts as making atonement for sin, the (most) holy place, the number seven, the symbolic finality of the ceremony, and the separate and righteous status of the worshippers. The genius of God was able to communicate the concepts of the last Jubilee, the final day of Judgment/Atonement, and the ultimate Sabbath Rest; along with all the spiritual connotations that each of these possessed by using the number "490".

The prophecy of Dan.9v24-27 is the answer to Daniel’s prayer and is the explanation of the vision in Daniel chapter 8 that Daniel didn’t understand. And as we have seen, the prophecy has focused on the Jubilee and the Day of Atonement. What we are seeing here is the Lord’s promise to soverignly fulfill His covenant to redeem His people by vindicating them and delivering them from their enemies. The outcome will be a newly restored covenant and a renewed relationship in a newly anointed Most Holy Place.

The fulfillment of the prophecy of Dan.9v24 is found in the Christ event. In Luke 4v18 & 19, Jesus saw Himself announcing the release of the poor and the captives. This is Jubilee language. He has provided rest for the weary and heavy laden. Jesus saw His own death in terms of making atonement for the sins of His people. So also did the new testament prophets. "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression". At Calvary, just before He died, Christ cried out: "It is finished". (John 19v30) Here we see the new Samson tearing down the pillars of Satan’s kingdom which are sin and death. The "finishing" speaks of finality. This is the once and for all time sacrifice of atonement.

"Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin". It was at Calvary that the Messiah would make an end of sin. The writer of the book of Hebrews explains the atonement made by Christ in this way in Heb.9v26: "But now, once, at the consummation (at the end of the ages), He has been manifested to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself." This powerful verse once again states that the last days must be identified in light of the cross.

"Seventy 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". It was at Calvary that Christ made atonement for sin. Romans 3v25 records how "God presented Him as a sacrifice of atonement". Hebrews 2v17 records how Christ "made atonement for the sins of the people". The entire book of Hebrews, saturated as it is with Day of Atonement language, declares that Christ, our High Priest, has made atonement once and for all time thereby fulfilling the types, shadows, and prophecies of the old testament.

"Seventy 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". At Calvary, Christ brought in everlasting righteousness. As we have seen, the term "righteousness" come from the Hebrew word "sedeq". It is used 4x in Daniel chapter 9 in v7,14,16 & 24. There is a clear link between this word and the Hebrew word "nitsdaq" that is found in Dan.8v14. The point is this. Daniel chapter 9 and especially Dan.9v24 is an explanation of Dan.8v14. The term "righteousness" has legal (judicial), relational, and covenantal implications. As we have already seen, Daniel chapter 9 is saturated with covenant terminology. Simply stated; in light of His eternal covenant promise to redeem man, God has soverignly acted in such a way as to change man’s legal status and even his heart, that He might have an everlasting relationship with man and might dwell among His people forever.

The book of Romans is Paul’s systematic explanation of what God in Christ accomplished for mankind on Calvary. In the heart of Romans, the acropolis of the Christian faith is found in Rom.3v21-26. Paul used four metaphors to describe the work of Christ for us in the book of Romans. They are "redemption", "justification", "propitiation", and "reconciliation". The term "redemption" comes to us from the slave market. It means to buy or purchase back those who are in bondage. The term "justification" comes to us from the law courts. It means to have possess the verdict of acquittal in judgment. It doesn’t speak to character but to status. The English words "justification" and "righteousness" both come from the root of the same Greek word. The term "propitiation" comes to us from the shrine. It speaks to the spiritual realities that are behind the rituals. A righteous God will only be satisfied when justice is done and sin is punished. It is only then that His wrath is turned away. The term "reconciliation" comes to us from family relationships. It speaks to the restoration of relationships that have been broken by sin. It involves the participation of both estranged parties in order to be successful. The first three metaphors of redemption, justification, and propitiation are clustered together in Rom.3v24 & 25. Before he considers reconciliation, which is described in Romans chapter 4 and explicitly stated in Romans chapter 5, (revealing man’s response to the atonement), Paul first deals only with what Christ has worked out for us.

Paul doesn’t have one good thing to say about us in Romans chapter 3. There is none who is righteous. We not only have all sinned in the past but we all continue to fall short of the glory of God. We are all guilty before the judgment bar of God. There is no excuse for any of us whether we are Jew or Gentile. It is into this pit of human hopelessness that Paul interjects with the "But now" of God .(Rom.3v21) We are seeing here the sovereign act of God in light of His covenant promise. The metaphors that Paul uses are tools in his hands that he uses to describe the "righteousness of God" and the "righteousness that is from God". Both are correct and both need to be considered.

A question that we need to ask ourselves is this. Where did Paul get the theology that he systematically stated in the book of Romans from? Where did the concepts of salvation, the gospel, atonement, justice, redemption, propitiation, reconciliation and the righteousness of God come from? As we begin to think about this question, we realize that they didn’t come from the vivid imagination of a very bright mind. These concepts all came from the old testament. Three times the most important question that a person could ask is asked in the ancient book of Job. "How can a man be just/righteous before God? (Job 4v17,9v2,25v4)

The gospel prophet Isaiah built a case for the "righteousness of God" beginning in Isaiah chapter 40 and continuing down to the apex and climax of his argument in Isa. 53v11 and afterwards where it says, "My Servant will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities." In these chapters beginning at Isaiah 40, we see the terms "judgment, justice, law, case, argument, and witnesses" that come to us from the law court. The terms "righteousness, salvation, and justice" are linked together. (Isa.51v4,5) The wonderful point that rolls through Isaiah is that God Himself has promised His people that He will take on their adversary who has challenged their right to salvation and God’s right to provide it. God will contend for His people. Isa.54v17 states: "No weapon that is formed against you shall prosper; and every tongue that accuses you in judgment you will condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, and their vindication/righteousness (tsedaqah, from tsedeq) is from Me". The terms "redeemed" and "redeemer" are used 22x from Isa. 40 through to Isa. 63. If we were to compare the number of times that these terms were used elsewhere in the old testament, we would see that there is a disproportionate use of them in Isaiah. The concept of redemption is central in Deutero-Isaiah. The wrath, chastening, and judgment of God fell on His Servant. Herein we see propitiation and expiation.

The "righteousness of God" that is revealed in the book of Romans is the fulfillment of God’s sovereign covenant promises. When this fact is brought to the conscious level, it becomes apparent that the book of Romans is saturated with covenant terminology and covenant theology. Salvation from God for His people is in light of His covenant promise to act on their behalf. Covenant theology relates to all of the terms that Paul uses to describe the salvation of God. Paul’s favorite term is justification/righteousness. He uses it more than any other term.

As we have already seen, Daniel chapter 9 is also saturated with covenant terminology. We have seen that the term "righteous" or "righteousness" is used 4x in Daniel chapter 9. We have seen that the prayer of Daniel that is answered in Daniel 9 is in regards to the restoration of the regular sacrifice and the Sanctuary that has been trod under. We know that the sacrifice and the Sanctuary are the gospel in symbol. What we need to see is the connection between the revelation of God’s righteousness in the gospel of salvation (Rom.1v16-18) that Paul systematically laid out in the book of Romans and the promise of the bringing in of everlastingrighteousness stated in Dan.9v24. Paul not only got his concept of the righteousness of God from the old testament in general or from Job and Isaiah in particular. He got it from Daniel chapter 9. In the two verses of Romans 3v24 & 25, we have seen the salvational metaphors of justification, redemption, and propitiation. In the two verses of Daniel 9v15 & 16, we see these same three concepts. I quote: " And now, O Lord our God who hast broughtThy people (redemption & covenant language; see Exod.6v6,7) out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand and hast made a name for Thyself, (God’s sovereignty) as it is this day – we have sinned, we have been wicked. O Lord, in accordance with all Thyrighteous acts, (justification) let now Thine anger and Thy wrath turn away (propitiation) from Thy city Jerusalem, Thy holy mountain;" Daniel is herein petitioning God to act and to bring in everlasting righteousness. The explanation of Dan.8v14 by Gabriel in Dan.9v24 reveals the sovereign promise of the covenant keeping God of Israel to do this. The apostle Paul saw the cross of Christ as God’s fulfillment of the promise and the book of Romans is the explanation thereof.

We should notice that not only "righteousness" will be brought in. It is "everlasting" righteousness. The Hebrew word "olam" is translated into the English word "everlasting" 112x in the old testament. It is also translated into the English word "forever" 201x. The word "olam" is translated "forever"8x in 2 Samuel chapter 7. This passage, along with Psalm 89, as we have already seen, speaks of the Davidic covenant that found its fulfillment in the person of Jesus Christ and the kingdom and Sanctuary that He would build.

The book of Daniel is written in Hebrew and Aramaic. The Aramaic section goes from Dan.2v4-7v28. The Aramaic word "alam" which sounds very much like the Hebrew word "olam" is translated into the English word "everlasting" in Dan.4v3,34 & 7v14,27. In each case, it is used to describe the dominion and kingdom of God. In Daniel 9v24, where it speaks of the Messiah who would "bring in everlasting righteousness", we are seeing a reiteration and explanation of the earlier uses of the term "everlasting". To "bring in everlasting righteousness", therefore means to bring in or to establish the everlasting kingdom of God. As we have already seen, the prophecy regarding the inauguration of the kingdom of God found its fulfillment at the time of the Christ event.

The term "righteousness" is a multifaceted term. It also speaks of the right or righteous principles that stand as the basis, the understanding, the covenant stipulations and conditions that undergird a just society. I do not wish to overcomplicate the matter. Nevertheless, it should be stated that Jesus Christ saw Himself as God’s unique Son. He is the embodiment of Israel and of the kingdom of God in His person. When a descendant, when The Descendant, (Seed) came who would keep the covenant, who would keep the Father’s commandments, the kingdom of righteousness had come. We remember the passage in Hebrews chapter 1 which speaks about the coronation and anointing of Jesus Christ as King/Priest at His ascension to the right hand of God after His work of atonement in the time context of the last days. On what basis do we see the Father coronating Jesus? I quote Heb.1v9: "Thou hast loved righteousness and hated lawlessness, Therefore God, Thy God, hath anointed Thee".

From 2 Samuel chapter 7, we have seen that the confirmation of the covenant and the establishment of the kingdom forever is in the same context as the establishment of the tabernacle (house) forever. All these promises have found their fulfillment in Jesus Christ. They are inseparable. It can only be said that everlasting righteousness has been brought in when God dwells (tabernacles)as King in the midst of His people. This occurred nearly 2000 years ago. Nevertheless, we still look forward to the consummation.

Seventy 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". The vision is to be sealed up for 70 weeks. We have already seen that Dan.9v24-27 is an explanation of the part of the vision that was not understood; the vision that pertained to the end of time. We know that the words of the book of Daniel were sealed up until the end of time. (Dan.12v4,9,10) A purpose of this chapter and study of the "end of the age" has been to prove that the new testament prophets uniformly believed that they were living at the end of the age. The last days began at the time of the Christ event. Are the words of Daniel still sealed up? By no means. They have found their fulfillment and explanation in Jesus Christ.

The last apocalyptic book and final presentation of prophecy is found in the book of Revelation. The term "Revelation" means the very opposite of sealed. The very word "revelation" comes from the Greek word "apokalupsis" which means unveiling or uncovering. Let us consider what John the revelator wrote in approximately 94 A.D. in Rev.22v10. I quote: "And he said to me, "Do not seal up the words of the prophecy of this book, for the time is near.

When John wrote Revelation, Christ had come, died, rose from the dead, and ascended to the right hand side of God to take His seat on the throne as King. The blood of the Lamb, which is John’s favorite term for Christ, had been shed. In his mind, the end of time had come and the kingdom of God had arrived. John believed that the return of Christ in glory was imminent. Rev.1v1 & 3 state: "show to His bond-servants the things which must shortly take place"; "heed the things which are written in it; for the time is near". Three times in Revelation chapter 22, Jesus said, "I am coming quickly". See also Rev.22v6,6,10, 12 & 20.

The last phrase in Dan.9v24 refers to the anointing of the "Most Holy". The word "place" has been supplied because it is implied. I quote: "Seventy weeks have been decreed for you 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." Our entire argument has been leading up to this point. Every phrase and statement in this verse has been shown to have had its fulfillment in light of Calvary and the work of the cross. Therefore, the "most holy" or the "most holy place" must also be understood in light of the cross.

Jesus of Nazareth is the "Christ". The term "Christ" means the anointed One. The entire new testament is an explanation of this verse. We know that the new testament addresses Jesus as the "Christ" over 500x. As we have already seen, it was Jesus who was anointed in the new testament. When God spoke to David in 2 Samuel chapter 7, He said that because David desired to build Him a house (Sanctuary), that He was going to build a house (dynasty) for David. Herein we see God shifting the emphasis from a building to a person. This is exactly what we are seeing again in Daniel chapters 8 & 9. Daniel looked forward to the restoration of the Sanctuary by God. The promised fulfillment given in Daniel 9v24-27 far exceeded his expectations. God will restore everything that the Sanctuary, and therefore all the things that the old testament types and shadows pointed to in a Person. This "Person" is none other than the Messiah mentioned in Dan.9v25-27. This Person is none other than the Christ of the new testament.

Daniel’s desire and prayer was that God would fulfill His covenant promises to the fathers and restore the Sanctuary, because only then would the functions and the purposes that the Sanctuary performed for God’s people be restored. Only then would God once again dwell in the midst of His people. As we have seen, the covenant keeping God of Israel answered Daniel’s prayer in remarkable way. He would send His Son, the Anointed One, who in His Person would fulfill all the functions, purposes and Himself provide the blessings that came from the Sanctuary.

In Daniel 9v17 we hear Daniel crying out to God: "O Lord, let Thy face shine on Thy desolate Sanctuary". In 2 Corinthians chapter 3, the key word is "glory". The context is the new covenant. As the glory on the face of Moses was fading away, so also the old covenant with all its inadequacies, was fading away. The new had come. The restoration of the knowledge of God and an intimate spiritual relationship with God are not to be seen or to be found in the building which was the Sanctuary anymore. I quote 2 Cor.4v6: "God…is the One who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge (gospel) of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ". The glory of God, seen in the face of Jesus far exceeds any manifestation of the glory of God that the Israelites were able to see in the Sanctuary. The glory is on the face of the Son. Heb.1v2,3

In Daniel 9 in verse 25-27, we see that God would bring about all these blessings in the person of the Messiah. The term "Messiah" is used in verses 25 & 26. These two verses in Daniel are the only place where the title "Messiah" is explicitly used. It can be argued that the term "anointed" from which we get "Messiah" is used in other old testament passages typifying Christ. Agreed. Nevertheless, this is without doubt the premier old testament passage that speaks of the coming Messiah. In Dan.9v25, we have the announcement of the Messiah. In Dan.9v26, the Messiah is cut off. In Dan.9v27, "he" makes a firm covenant with the many.

We can make ourselves aware of the various interpretations of the "he" of Dan.9v27 but our conclusion must be driven by the context. In the context of Daniel 9, and everything that has been said, the "he" can be none other than the "Messiah". We have already shown that Daniel chapter 9 has found its basis on what precedes it in the old testament and that it is saturated with covenant terminology and covenant theology. All the covenant promises made by men in the old testament have been broken. The only way for a covenant to be a firm covenant or an everlasting (forever) covenant is for God Himself to soverignly act on behalf of His people. He did this in Christ, in the Messiah. The covenant is with "the many". Herein we see the universal scope of the covenant. The "many" in Dan.9v27 is the "many" of Isa.53v11. "My Servant, will justify the many, as He will bear their iniquities". At the celebration of the Passover with His disciples, just before His death, Jesus reinterpreted the feast in terms of covenant ratification. I quote Matt.26v28: "this is My blood of the covenant which is to be shed on behalf of many for the forgiveness of sins." Daniel’s prayer has been for God to "forgive" and to "act". (Dan.9v19) We are seeing the action that God took in order to bring about this forgiveness. We are seeing the explanation of this action that would bring about forgiveness by Jesus Himself.

Paul, in his covenant theology laden, systematic interpretation and explanation of the achievement of Christ on the cross, in Romans chapter 5, speaks not only of reconciliation, of peace with God, of justification and the concept of propitiation through the blood of Christ; but of the scope of its effectiveness. After stating what we have inherited in Adam. Paul goes on to talk about what all (potentially) v18 have inherited in Christ. I quote Rom.5v19: "For as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the One, the many will be made righteous." He is speaking in the categorical sense in terms of status. The imputation of Christ’s righteousness becomes a personal reality when a person by faith receives the free gift. (v16,17) The point for our purposes is this. The substitutionary obedience of Christ in His life and in His death has fulfilled the demands of the covenant and has placed all, or you could say "the many" in line for the blessing of the covenant if they will only believe in Jesus the Christ.

Covenants in the Bible, are blood covenants. Blood is the symbol of death. When blood is shed, the result is death. God’s righteousness (justice) demands that sin be punished and dealt with publicly. We see this in the statement of Dan.9v26: "the Messiah will be cut off". It is at Calvary that the Messiah fulfilled all the purposes of God that were stated in Dan.9v24, on behalf of His people.

Christ bore the curse of the old covenant that He might establish a new covenant. Daniel’s prayer for the forgiveness of his people and the restoration of the Sanctuary necessitated a new and better covenant that was soverignly established by God. For God to fulfill the purposes of the covenant catch phrase, "I will be your God and you will be My people", He had to unilaterally act in the Person of Christ. In Christ, God provided a better High Priest who offered a better sacrifice. This High Priest made atonement once and for all time by the blood of His cross, and then sat down at the right hand of God as King. As Christ, as Messiah, He is the ultimate Son of God, He is the "Seed" to whom all the covenant promises have been made. He is the "Israel" of God. He is the faithful "Remnant". He is the "New Creation". He is the "Kingdom" of God. He is the "Promise" of the Father. Because He was obedient in life and in death, He alone was able to fulfill all the functions and purposes of the Sanctuary. Therefore, He now, in His Person, has superseded the Sanctuary in every way. Daniel’s prayer, and the prayer of God’s people who have cried out down through the ages has been answered. God has come down to tabernacle amongst His people. His original plan of the universal access of all mankind has been brought to fruition. The Sanctuary has been restored to its rightful state. The foot of the cross has become the door to the Sanctuary and the gateway to God.

At this juncture, we need to shift gears and briefly consider another concept that is pivotal to our understanding. It is the concept of conditionality.

You may well be asking yourself a question. If the kingdom of God was inaugurated nearly 2000 years ago; if the "last days", the "end", and even the "last hour" describes the time that people were living in 2000 years ago, why hasn’t Christ returned? Why the long wait?

Are we waiting for the Sovereign action of God according to His personal timetable or are we waiting for the church to act in such a way as to precipitate Christ’s coming?

If Daniel saw only one mountain looming on the horizon, why didn’t the Lord come and set up His glorious kingdom here on earth at the time of the Christ event? Remember, Daniel saw the arrival of the Messianic King who would judge the enemies of God and of His people. The Son of Man would receive the dominion and set up the kingdom of God. He would restore the desolate Sanctuary and restore it to its rightful state thereby vindicating the people of God.

We have seen that the nation of Israel was given the opportunity to receive their King and to thereby benefit by all that He could have done for them as a nation. Their option is made apparent in the statement of Daniel 9v24; "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city…" But they rejected Him. They were in turn cut off. As Daniel 9v26 states; "the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the Sanctuary". In light of the fact that Daniel chapter 9 is saturated with covenant terminology and covenant theology, is it surprising to us that Israel had a choice?

When we consider the Olivet Discourse of Matt. 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21, the connections with the book of Daniel are obvious. What many have not seen or recognized, however, is that Matthew has incorporated two different possible scenarios into his gospel. He incorporated the Daniel scenario in which "not one stone of the temple is left on another". The abomination of desolation would bring on a great tribulation. He also incorporated the Zechariah scenario in which God would return at the crisis and Himself fight for and defend the holy city.

What made the critical difference? The nation of Israel would not corporately repent and receive their King. Nevertheless, God’s plan from before the foundation of the world to send His Son to die for the sins of the world and to set up His kingdom was not to be thwarted. Christ has achieved this, but in a manner that was not originally expected. We therefore, look forward to the fullest revelation and consummation of the kingdom in the future.

We have already seen that the kingdom of God has been inaugurated. We have already seen that the prophecies of Daniel have found a fulfillment. We have seen that the kingdom was taken from the Christ rejecting nation of Israel and placed in the hands of the church. We have understood that the covenantal principle of conditionality in regards to repentance and the reception of the King has been pivotal. On this basis, we need to ask again some important questions regarding the coming of Christ and the final manifestation of His kingdom of glory.

What does the new testament say will precipitate the final manifestation of the kingdom of God? Are there identifiable principles that will lead us to sound conclusions? What light do the old testament prophecies shed on the coming of Christ?

As we wrap up this chapter, let us briefly consider some of the factors that relate to the matter at hand.

In Jeremiah 18v5-12; we see that the fortunes of nations and of men hinges on there willingness or lack thereof to repent and turn to the Lord.

In Luke 19v41-44; Jesus wept over Jerusalem, because they had rejected their Messiah and hadn’t been willing to recognize the time of their visitation. In v42, Jesus said: "If you had Known". The word "if" suggests at least two alternatives. "If" they had accepted Jesus, and they could have, everything would have turned out differently.

We recognize that the new testament moves us from taking a local and literal perspective of prophecy to a worldwide and universalized approach. The enemies of Israel have been replaced with the enemies of the church. The hub of prophecy is no longer the literal Jerusalem but is the church. The new testament prophets all not only spoke of the last days in terms of the Christ event 2000 years ago, they all recognized that the people of faith in the Messiah constitute the true spiritual Israel of God.

The ones who believe the gospel are the ones who preach the gospel. From the perspective of Jesus, the gospel must be preached to the whole world first and we must see the final manifestation of the abomination of desolation before the end comes. Matt.24v14 If the nation of Israel had received her Messiah, 70 A.D. could have been the end. In light of the fact that she didn’t, the destruction of Jerusalem has become a type of the end. Through the principle of multiple fulfillment, we can expect to see other pawns of Satan warring against the people of God until the final manifestation of the worldwide abomination of desolation, which I believe will be a counterfeit second coming perpetrated by none other than Satan himself.

Is it possible for the church to hasten the coming of the Lord? From Peter’s perspective it is. 2 Pet.3v12 If it is possible to hasten Christ’s coming, what does this tell us about a fixed date of return in the mind of God?

Is it possible for God to take swift action according to His Sovereign purpose? Rom.9v28 Is Paul, writing before 70 A.D. still hopeful that his nation will repent and receive Christ or is this a glimpse into the distant future or is it both?

If we were to concede that everything in the new testament except Revelation and the gospel and epistles of John was written before 70 A.D., we could accept the possibility that there were two possible fulfillments in regards to the time and manner of the second coming and the final manifestation of the glorious kingdom of God. This point might be a major hurtle for some, but I believe that it is reasonable. The next step is to see Revelation as being written in approximately 94 A.D.; and especially after the fall of Jerusalem. John, after the irrevocable choice of Israel and the resulting destruction of Jerusalem, as the last remaining apostle, was given the task by God, to recast the vision of the future for the people of God. He will tell us about the end. He will bring the spiritual principles together and utilize them to give us a window through which to see the final consummation of the kingdom of God.

John will use the language of the past and the principles of the past to give us a clear predictable view of the future. He will incorporate a revelation of Jesus Christ as the primary key through which he will interpret and strain all the old testament information. The language of covenant will once again be the sure basis of interpretation. The blessing and the curse run through Revelation. The messages to the 7 churches is to "repent or else". The words of Jesus in the first three chapters establish the themes and concepts that will follow in the rest of the book.

The major players in the Revelation are Christ and His church. What happened to Christ in microcosm will happen to the church in macrocosm. When the antichrist attacks the bride of Christ on a worldwide basis, then the final end will come. In the meantime, the church is to preach the gospel to the whole world.

In the next chapter, we will see how Jesus has restored the Sanctuary to its rightful state in His own Person.