Purpose of 70 - 7's of Daniel
1) To finish transgression (the rebellion)
2) To make an end of sins
3) To make reconciliation
4) To bring in an age of righteousness
5) To cause a cessation of prophecy, i.e., to bring to fulfillment
6) To anoint the most holy place
The decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah, 444 BC (Neh 2:1-8). The fourth decree is the only one that gives permission to rebuild the city (7*7=49; 7*62=434; 49+434=483; gets to Mar 30, 33AD)
Jer 9:26 the end of the 69th seven?
o Jesus is cut off (crucified)
o In AD 70, 37 years later, the temple is destroyed as the Roman army comes and attacks. When flood is used symbolically, it refers to an Army
Olivet Discourse (Fruchtenbaum, 2002)
o Matt 24-25; Mark 13; Luke 21:5-36
o Final words of his public ministry are in Matt 23:1-39 where he denounces the leadership of Israel
· Matt 23:37-39 "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing. 38 Look, your house is left to you desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, 'Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord.'"
· Key: verses 37-39 lay down the precondition to the second coming
Basic Purpose:
o Answer the question: When and how would the Messianic Kingdom come into being
· Israel has rejected the offer so it will obviously be in the future
· His closing words of Mt 24 indicate the "when," but what will be the circumstances that cause this to happen?
o Need all three gospel accounts
· No one recorded the entire discussion
· Each author recorded only what was most relevant to his purpose or theme
· Basic presentation is chronological except where the text indicates otherwise
Setting: Luke 21:5-6; Matt 24:1,2
o Matt 24:1-3 Jesus left the temple and was walking away when his disciples came up to him to call his attention to its buildings. 2 "Do you see all these things?" he asked. "I tell you the truth, not one stone here will be left on another; every one will be thrown down."
3 As Jesus was sitting on the Mount of Olives, the disciples came to him privately. "Tell us," they said, "when will this happen, and what will be the sign of your coming and of the end of the age?"
o What sparks the discussion?
o Temple compound was begun in 20 BC and not finished to 64 AD
o Pretty impressive -- "Herodian" stones 10 to 12 feet in length and weigh several tons
o When the Romans burn the city down in 70 AD, the gold melts into the crevices, so literally the stones all have to be moved to get at the gold
Three Questions & Three Signs: Matt 24:3; Luke 21:7
o What are the three questions?
· Matt: Tell us when shall these things be?
§ These things meaning the destruction of the temple
§ Luke adds the question about the sign that this is to take place
· Matt: What shall be the sign of your coming?
· Matt: What shall be the sign of the end of this age?
§ Rabbinic theology spoke of two ages: this age and the age to come (the messianic age)
o Answers the questions out of order: #3, #1, #2
Characteristic of the Church Age: Luke 21:8-9; Matt 24 :4-6
o Matt 24:4-6 Jesus answered: "Watch out that no one deceives you. 5 For many will come in my name, claiming, 'I am the Christ,' and will deceive many. 6 You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come.
o Before really answering the #3, he answered it in the negative by giving characteristics of the church which are NOT signs
1. Rise of false messiahs (… whole history of false messiahs …)
2. Existence of local wars
o Neither of the latter two events have anything to do with the end of the age ("but the end is still to come")
The Sign of the end of the Age (third question): Luke 21:10-11; Matt 24:7-8
o Matt 24:7-8 Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. 8 All these are the beginning of birth pains.
o So what does Jesus say the sign is / are?
o Birth pangs describe the last days of the age
o Local wars are not a sign but "Nation against Nation, kingdom against kingdom" is a sign
· Phrase has Jewish origins and is a Hebrew idiom for "World War"
· A number of non-Christian Jewish authors who use the same definition
o Probably World War I (and II which really is a continuation of I) are the fulfillment of this prophecy
· Growth of the Zionist movement
· Establishment of Israel
Personal Experiences of the Apostle: Luke 21:12-19 ; Mark 13:9-13
o Key point: What are we talking about now? "BUT BEFORE ALL THESE THINGS …"
o Jesus stops and goes back in time to what the Apostles would experience
1. Rejection by the Jews
2. Rejected by the Gentiles
3. Undergo persecutions providing opportunities to testify
4. Would succeed in proclaiming the gospel everywhere
5. Not to worry, given divine utterance
6. Rejected by family
7. Hated by all men to the point of death
8. Salvation is assured
9. Succeed in winning many souls
Sign of the Fall of Jerusalem (first question): Only Luke 21:20-24
o Luke 21:20-24 "When you see Jerusalem being surrounded by armies, you will know that its desolation is near. 21 Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those in the city get out, and let those in the country not enter the city. 22 For this is the time of punishment in fulfillment of all that has been written. 23 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! There will be great distress in the land and wrath against this people. 24 They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all the nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.
o What is the sign?
o Sign: Jerusalem surrounded by Armies
o Jerusalem trodden down until the time of the Gentiles is fulfilled
o AD 66: First Jewish Revolt
· Roman General Cestus Gallus marched on Jerusalem and surrounded the city
· Could not escape
· Gallus inexplicably withdraws
· Christians escape to Pella in the Transjordan
o AD 68-70:
· Roman General Vespasian and son Titus besiege city
· AD 70: City destroyed. 1.1 to 1.4 M people died
· No Jewish believers died
The Great Tribulation (setup to the answer of the second question): Matt 24:9-27; Mark 13:14-23
o Wording is very similar to Luke 21:12-19 (what will happen to the apostles), but it doesn't mean he is talking about the same thing. They are sufficiently different to recognize that it is a different subject. Mark and Luke described events that will happen before the world war.
o Matt 24:9-27 "Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. 10 At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, 11 and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. 12 Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, 13 but he who stands firm to the end will be saved. 14 And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.
15 "So when you see standing in the holy place 'the abomination that causes desolation,' spoken of through the prophet Daniel — let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the roof of his house go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get his cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now — and never to be equaled again. 22 If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened. 23 At that time if anyone says to you, 'Look, here is the Christ!' or, 'There he is!' do not believe it. 24 For false Christs and false prophets will appear and perform great signs and miracles to deceive even the elect — if that were possible. 25 See, I have told you ahead of time.
26 "So if anyone tells you, 'There he is, out in the desert,' do not go out; or, 'Here he is, in the inner rooms,' do not believe it. 27 For as lightning that comes from the east is visible even in the west, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.
o Matthew uses the word "then" to describe events after the world war.
o First half (5 Events) Matt 24:9-14
1. Tremendous persecution
2. Rise of false prophets
3. Rise of sin (no restraint - II Thess 2:6,7 )
2 Thess 2:6-7 And now you know what is holding him back, so that he may be revealed at the proper time. 7 For the secret power of lawlessness is already at work; but the one who now holds it back will continue to do so till he is taken out of the way.
4. Jews who survive to the end will be saved
5. 144,000 Jews will preach gospel
o Second half (8 events) Matt 24:15-20
o Signs of the Second Coming (third question): Matt 24:29-30; Luke 21:25-27
· Matt 24:29-30 "Immediately after the distress of those days
"'the sun will be darkened,
and the moon will not give its light;
the stars will fall from the sky,
and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.'
30 "At that time the sign of the Son of Man will appear in the sky, and all the nations of the earth will mourn. They will see the Son of Man coming on the clouds of the sky, with power and great glory.
· So what is the third sign?
§ A total blackout of the earth
§ Luke says there will be a great amount of perplexity
All three signs have been given
o AD 66
o 1914
o End of tribulation
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