God, the Revealer of Mysteries
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We have been going through a series about Understanding Prophecy.
My goal through the series has been to help us understand key concepts which will help when looking at what the Bible says about future events.
If we understand these concepts, it will help us to properly understand and apply what God reveals about things yet to come.
We started our study by first examining what prophecy is.
Prophecy is a message from God meant to edify, comfort, encourage, or exhort.
Prophecy is a message from God meant to edify, comfort, encourage, or exhort.
We saw that all of scripture is God’s message to us. All of scripture is God’s apocalyptic literature. Remember, apocalyptic means revealed. It does not just refer to destruction at the end of time.
We interpret all prophecy in the normal sense.
We interpret all prophecy in the normal sense.
From there, we looked at interpretation. The way to interpret scripture is to read it for what it says, and look for the meaning that was communicated to the original audience.
When we look at all God has said about future events which have already occured, we see that God did what He said, literally. Therefore, we should expect the same to hold true for those things which are still to be fulfilled.
An example of this is in Daniel 2.
Covenants
Abrahamic Covenant - Proof that God loves with an everlasting love, and always does what He says, despite our failings.
Abrahamic Covenant - Proof that God loves with an everlasting love, and always does what He says, despite our failings.
Kingdom
The Coming Kingdom
Ruler - Jesus
Realm - The nations of the earth
Reign - Future, to everlasting
Day of the Lord
What is the Day of the Lord?
What is a part of the Day of the Lord?
Who is acting upon whom?
Why is this happening?
When is the Day of the Lord?
Rescued & Caught up
Rescued & Caught up
and to wait for his Son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead—Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath.
The Mystery of the Church
Two Types of Resurrections
Resurrection to Life
Resurrection to Condemnation
Procession of the Resurrection to Life
Christ, the first fruits
The Church (those that are His) as His coming
All other Saints at the end of the tribulation, when Christ is reigning
When? Matthew 24
What were the exhortations from Matthew 24?
Watch out - Matthew 24:4
Be on Guard - Mark 13:9
Witness, but do not worry about what to say - Mark 13:9-11
Pray - Matthew 24:20
Watch and be ready - Matthew 24:42, 44
Parables of the Kingdom, Matthew 25.
What does it take to be ready?
What does it take to be ready?
Be faithful. Act justly. Love Mercy. Walk humbly
Today we are concluding this series. The title today is from Daniel 2, when God revealed the meaning behind the dream that He gave to Nebuchadnezzar.
Daniel replied, “No wise man, enchanter, magician or diviner can explain to the king the mystery he has asked about,
but there is a God in heaven who reveals mysteries. He has shown King Nebuchadnezzar what will happen in days to come. Your dream and the visions that passed through your mind as you were lying in bed are these:
God reveals mysteries. He reveals what is unknown to us, as all the future is. The future is a mystery to us, but not to God. He is sovereign over all, and He is working out His purpose to redeem people to Himself, and to take them into His eternal kingdom on the New Earth where there will be no more sorrow, sin or suffering.
Why does God reveal the mysteries of the future?
As for me, this mystery has been revealed to me, not because I have greater wisdom than anyone else alive, but so that Your Majesty may know the interpretation and that you may understand what went through your mind.
He wants us to understand. He wants us to know and understand.
Since that is the case, we should not think that God has given revelation that is beyond our comprehension. We should not think that what God has revealed is something only the truly religious, or some religious leader or organization can figure out.
We need to simply read it for what God says, and take him at His word.
That is what Daniel did.
Today, as we wrap up Understanding Bible Prophecy, we are looking at Daniel 9, where God gives an overview of what He is going to do with Israel.
We will begin reading in Daniel 9:1.
In the first year of Darius son of Xerxes (a Mede by descent), who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom—
in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood from the Scriptures, according to the word of the Lord given to Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years.
So I turned to the Lord God and pleaded with him in prayer and petition, in fasting, and in sackcloth and ashes.
“ ‘But if they will confess their sins and the sins of their ancestors—their unfaithfulness and their hostility toward me,
which made me hostile toward them so that I sent them into the land of their enemies—then when their uncircumcised hearts are humbled and they pay for their sin,
I will remember my covenant with Jacob and my covenant with Isaac and my covenant with Abraham, and I will remember the land.
For the land will be deserted by them and will enjoy its sabbaths while it lies desolate without them. They will pay for their sins because they rejected my laws and abhorred my decrees.
Yet in spite of this, when they are in the land of their enemies, I will not reject them or abhor them so as to destroy them completely, breaking my covenant with them. I am the Lord their God.
But for their sake I will remember the covenant with their ancestors whom I brought out of Egypt in the sight of the nations to be their God. I am the Lord.’ ”
I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed: “Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps his covenant of love with those who love him and keep his commandments,
we have sinned and done wrong. We have been wicked and have rebelled; we have turned away from your commands and laws.
We have not listened to your servants the prophets, who spoke in your name to our kings, our princes and our ancestors, and to all the people of the land.
“Lord, you are righteous, but this day we are covered with shame—the people of Judah and the inhabitants of Jerusalem and all Israel, both near and far, in all the countries where you have scattered us because of our unfaithfulness to you.
We and our kings, our princes and our ancestors are covered with shame, Lord, because we have sinned against you.
The Lord our God is merciful and forgiving, even though we have rebelled against him;
we have not obeyed the Lord our God or kept the laws he gave us through his servants the prophets.
All Israel has transgressed your law and turned away, refusing to obey you. “Therefore the curses and sworn judgments written in the Law of Moses, the servant of God, have been poured out on us, because we have sinned against you.
You have fulfilled the words spoken against us and against our rulers by bringing on us great disaster. Under the whole heaven nothing has ever been done like what has been done to Jerusalem.
Just as it is written in the Law of Moses, all this disaster has come on us, yet we have not sought the favor of the Lord our God by turning from our sins and giving attention to your truth.
The Lord did not hesitate to bring the disaster on us, for the Lord our God is righteous in everything he does; yet we have not obeyed him.
“Now, Lord our God, who brought your people out of Egypt with a mighty hand and who made for yourself a name that endures to this day, we have sinned, we have done wrong.
Lord, in keeping with all your righteous acts, turn away your anger and your wrath from Jerusalem, your city, your holy hill. Our sins and the iniquities of our ancestors have made Jerusalem and your people an object of scorn to all those around us.
“Now, our God, hear the prayers and petitions of your servant. For your sake, Lord, look with favor on your desolate sanctuary.
Give ear, our God, and hear; open your eyes and see the desolation of the city that bears your Name. We do not make requests of you because we are righteous, but because of your great mercy.
Lord, listen! Lord, forgive! Lord, hear and act! For your sake, my God, do not delay, because your city and your people bear your Name.”
While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill—
while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.
As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:
“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
Units of Seventy based upon the Sevens
Every seven years they were supposed to give the land a “sabbath” rest.
“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.
After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
Have Nothing… executed as a criminal
After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.
Destruction of Jerusalem
He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Covenant made
Covenant Broken
Abomination
Who is this ruler?
“He gave me this explanation: ‘The fourth beast is a fourth kingdom that will appear on earth. It will be different from all the other kingdoms and will devour the whole earth, trampling it down and crushing it.
The ten horns are ten kings who will come from this kingdom. After them another king will arise, different from the earlier ones; he will subdue three kings.
Daniel 7
He will speak against the Most High and oppress his holy people and try to change the set times and the laws. The holy people will be delivered into his hands for a time, times and half a time.
“At that time Michael, the great prince who protects your people, will arise. There will be a time of distress such as has not happened from the beginning of nations until then. But at that time your people—everyone whose name is found written in the book—will be delivered.
Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake: some to everlasting life, others to shame and everlasting contempt.
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.
What about me?
What about me?
Homework:
Read Daniel 2.
Read Daniel 7.
Read Daniel 9.
Study the Charts, and all of the verses.
How does what God revealed encourage you?
How does what God revealed exhort you?
How does what God revealed give you warning?