The Kingdom of God -- Postponed for a "WEEK"?

Daniel 9:24-27

This study in Biblical prophecy is not being given by an expert. Someone defined an expert as "one who knows more and more about less and less, until they know nothing about everything!" Someone else said, "The Millennium is a 1,000 years of peace about which Christians constantly fight."

My particular understanding of Bible prophecy is not intended to attack, argue, or label fellow believers with derogatory terms, but to assert a theological position that I have come to a firm, but teachable, persuasion concerning (meaning there is a whole lot that I still don't understand!). I believe that all those who begin to interpret Scripture from this perspective that I have come to embrace will begin to be surprised, stunned, exhilarated and emboldened as they realize they see themselves as called to be co-partners in the Family Firm of Almighty and Sons, in Kingdom Enterprises Unlimited -- simply known as the Kingdom of God! Which is God's people in God's place under God's rule!

However, I am very much aware that the most popular, well-known, teaching on Bible prophecy in America is done from a position called dispensational premillennialism. This relatively new and novel interpretation (circ. 1830) has become so widely held and taught, that anyone who dares question it is given pejorative names such as "anti-Semitic,  replacement or super-cessationists teachers, robbers of Israel, etc. Hank Hanegraff commented from personal experience on this: "Those who dare question the notion of a pretribulational Rapture followed by a Holy Land holocaust in which the vast majority of Jews perish are shouted down as peddlers of godless heresy. The ultimate pejorative phrase has even been coined for those who deny the heart of dispensational eschatology. They are dubbed “replacement theologians” and are said to be guilty of spreading “the message of anti-Semitism.” Popular dispensationalists, such as John Hagee, are blunt and belligerent in their denunciations. He shouts, “Replacement theologians are now carrying Hitler’s anointing and his message.” These are indeed uncharitable remarks by those who say that God has two distinct people with two distinct plans and two distinct destinies, and two ways of salvation."

One dispensational website adds, “There is a demonic cancer coursing through the life blood of the Church of Jesus Christ and its name is REPLACEMENT THEOLOGY."

Pay close attention to what I am about to say. Next to the centrality and supremacy of the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ, "covenant and kingdom of God" are the two most important and all-encompassing truths of Scripture. Yet, both truths, especially those of the kingdom of God remains, the most misunderstood, misconstrued, misapplied, confused, and contested realities in Christianity. Most churches today rarely mention the kingdom, let alone teach and obey its established and present-day truths. For centuries, there has been much division over its presence or postponement, as well as its nature. All the confusion and differences have led to a number of responses, ranging from selling all an heading to the hills, to sitting back and doing nothing other than winning souls for heaven because the world is headed for hell by divine, prophetic decree!

Yet, the kingdom of God was the central teaching of our Lord Jesus Christ and at the heart of his earthly ministry. It was also central to his worldview and that of his first followers, the New Testament writers, and the early Church. From the first chapter of Acts (1:3) to the last chapter and verse (Acts 28:31) the message of the gospel of the kingdom of God was the very essence of New Testament Christianity.

But today, by far, the most popular view of biblical prophecy declares that the kingdom of God has been postponed, now for almost 2,000 years, waiting for the WEEK spoken of in the book of Daniel, Chapter 9 to be fulfilled. This is referred to as the 70th week of Daniel and is actually a week of years, or a 7 year period called by those who hold this position -- The Great Tribulation.

A majority of American evangelicals believe that Jesus' offer of the kingdom of God or heaven, to the Jews of His day was rejected outright. (Read John 6:15) When this happened the kingdom was postponed and only exists now in some sort of mystery form that is basically operative only in the hearts of believers and in heaven. Jesus is declared to be the soon coming King who will rule the world.

This view asserts that in order for the kingdom of God, or the kingdom of Christ, to be truly established and totally successful, we must await for the original plan of God to be put back into operation. The prophetic clock of the original plan of God for Israel -- the kingdom age -- is said to be stopped, and the kingdom put on hold since the Jewish nation rejected its offer by Jesus. As a result, there has been 2,000 years of an alternative plan supposedly unknown in Old Testament times.

This plan, or dispensation is referred to as the great parenthesis, called the Church Age. And as soon as the Church is used of God to save a number of souls for Heaven, and in the process, lets the world, (by its belief that the world is prophesied to be so) become increasingly and tragically corrupt, Jesus will suddenly and surprisingly rapture the Church. This will prepare the way for the big WEEK in which Antichrist will rule the world, make a peace treaty with Israel, then break it after 3 1/2 years of the 7 year tribulation. During this time millions upon millions of those left behind on this earth will die horrible deaths and the greatest holocaust yet for the Jews will occur.

A period in which two thirds of them will be killed. (This is based on a misinterpretation of Zech 13:8). At the end of this WEEK, Jesus returns and destroys the enemies of Israel at the battle of Armageddon, then implementing His original Plan of His kingdom reign, with the remnant of Israelis ruling with Him over the Gentiles. Oh yes, one other cameo, during this Big WEEK, he spares, saves and appoints 144,000 Jewish evangelists (Rev. 7), who, without the aid of the Holy Spirit, will do in 3 1/2 years what the Church couldn't do in 2,000. Then Christ will set up his Davidic throne in Jerusalem and rule with a rod of iron for 1,000 years.

This is what I was taught, and what I believed, preached and taught myself, for the first 20 years of my Christian life. I now believe that the kingdom postponement view of dispensationalism is an erroneous interpretation that has done more to harm to, and halted the progress of the gospel of the kingdom of God to impact the course and culture of the nations, than any other teaching.

Just one case in point out of 100's of similar examples comes from prominent dispensational author and pastor Dr. John MacArthur: “‘Reclaiming’ the culture is a pointless, futile exercise. I am convinced we are living in a post-Christian society -- a civilization that exists under God’s judgment.”  He also argues that “getting people saved is our only agenda. It is the only thing that we are in the world to do.”

Where does this idea of a WEEK , 7 years in length, come from? It comes from Daniel 9:27.

1. The Kingdom Has Been Established (Not Postponed) Definitively in History -- Daniel 9:24-27; 2:44

The chronology or timeline provided in Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks is a key player in the dispensational argument, although it is not crucial to any of the other millennial systems. Dr. John Walvoord, former president of Dallas Theological Seminary, comments that the “interpretation of Daniel 9:24-27 is of major importance to premillennialism as well as pretribulationism.” Being such, he goes on to say, "it is the “key” to prophecy and, consequently, “one of the most important prophecies of the Bible.” Dr. Alva J. McClain, the founder and first president of Grace Theological Seminary and Grace College, suggests that “no single prophetic utterance is more crucial.” Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost agrees with McClain that Daniel 9 gives us “the indispensable chronological key to all New Testament prophecy.” Thus, the importance of the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks in Dispensational teaching can hardly be exaggerated.

Dr. Kenneth Gentry writes, "The number seven is familiar to students of Old Testament sabbatic (Sabbath= seven) law. The prophecy of the Seventy Weeks is clearly framed in terms of sabbatic chronology (cf. Lev. 25). The very Hebrew word "shabua", which is translated “week,” literally means, “sevened.” This prophecy was given to Daniel in the first year of Babylon’s fall (Dan. 9:1), as he contemplated the soon conclusion of the seventy years captivity (9:2). The Babylonian Captivity was caused by Israel’s failure to observe Levitical Sabbaths for the land (Lev. 26:43; 2 Chron. 36:21). In his ninth chapter, Daniel wonders what the future holds for Israel, now that Jeremiah’s seventy years prophecy is about to be completed. God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer is the presentation of a new period of seventy that will issue forth in six primary results (Dan. 9:24). In this prophecy Israel is given a renewed period of time framed by the number seventy: a period of “seventy weeks.”

"The first phase of the Seventy Weeks is “seven weeks,” or (literally) “seven sevens” (Dan. 9:25). This period of “seven sevens” results in a value of forty-nine. This interval of forty-nine years (as we shall see), reflects the time-frame leading up to the Year of Jubilee (Lev. 25:8ff). This is of strong covenantal significance, and directly related to the redemptive meaning of the passage.

The total period of “seventy sevens” is also covenantal. Seventy represents ten seven week periods, thus ten jubilees. The imagery associated with the use of the number ten is generally conceded to be completion (accomplishing the full number of digits on a man’s hand). Thus, the seventy sevens (weeks) would appear to point to a complete redemptive Jubilee. It would appropriately point to Christ, who brings in that ultimate Jubilee (cf. Luke 4:17-21; Isa. 61:1-3; Matt. 24:31), and who is the leading feature of Daniel’s prophecy. Consequently, the time-frame revealed to Daniel defines the period in which “the Messianic redemption was to be accomplished.”

The grand theme of this Daniel 9:24-27 is not about what will be done at the 2nd Coming of Christ, but about what was done at the His 1st Coming. It's not about a covenant made by a future AntiChrist, but about a new covenant made effectual and operative by the Lord Jesus Christ. It is not about the rebuilding of a future Jewish Temple, but about the final destruction of the existing one in 70AD. It is not about Kingdom postponement for 2000 years and then after the WEEK, i.e. 7 years, the Kingdom is established for the Millennial or 1,000 year reign of Christ. An all of this has been done and continues to progress through the successful accomplishments of the Messiah's Glorious Work at His First Advent or Coming when His kingdom was established.

1. The Timeline of Christ's WEEK's Work -- Dan. 9:24-27
2. The Relatively New View -- The Dispensational Premillennialism View
3. The Standard Literal View for Centuries --

The Bible says nothing about an Antichrist in Daniel 9. Men have added this idea to the Scriptures.

The Bible does not say anything about a gap between the 69^th and 70^th week of Daniel. This gap thinking contradicts the consistency of the scriptures that deal with Israel’s 70 years of captivity in Babylon, of which Daniel used to determine the timeframe for his people’s freedom.

There is not one scripture that teaches the Lord God will ever reject grace and Jesus’ blood and return to His Law and animal sacrifices for the atonement for men’s sin, which was never the means of salvation for the Jews or any other person who has ever lived!

The Bible teaches in Galatians 3:19 that the Law was given because of transgressions till the seed [Christ] could come to whom the promise was made. This shows that the Law was the parenthesis in God’s plan for man, and not Jesus’ New Covenant.

There is not one scripture in the Bible for a pre-tribulation rapture of the church. The Bible teaches a last day resurrection of all.

There is not one scripture in the Bible for a future seven-year tribulation period, yet this period is the basis for most of the modern day teachings of prophecy. This time was created by putting a gap between the 69^th and 70^th weeks of Daniel’s prophecy and claiming it applies to a future time period of Law keeping.

1. The Two-fold Character of Christ's Work
2. The Overthrowing of Evil
3. "to shut up sin" -- Dan 9:27a -- "to finish the transgression" means in Hebrew to "shut up, hinder, or restrain." When Messiah finished His work, sin would be unable to exercise the power it once possessed. Sin shall no longer have dominion over us. He has broken the power of cancelled sin and set the prisoners free!
4. "to seal up sin" -- Dan 9:27b, "and to make an end of sins" -- Marginal reading = “to seal up.”

The idea in the passage before us is, that the sins of our nature will, as it were, be sealed up, or closed, or hidden, so that they will not be seen, or will not develop themselves; that is, “they will be inert, inefficient, powerless.” PTL! My sins not in part, but the whole, were nailed to the cross and I bear them no more!

c."to cover up sin" -- Dan 9:27c, "to make reconciliation for iniquity,"-- More literally, “and to cover iniquity.” The word which is rendered to “make reconciliation “ Hebrew word, "kaphar" - properly means “to cover” (from our English word cover); to cover over, to overlay, as with pitch or tar Gen_6:14; and hence, to cover over sin; that is, to atone for it, pardon it, forgive it.

Psalm 32:1, "Blessed is the one whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered."

2. The Setting Up of Righteousness
3. "causing to come an everlasting righteousness" -- Dan. 9:24d -- "to bring in everlasting righteousness." This is, “the righteousness, or righteous One, of ages;” that person who had been the object of the faith of all persons of true faith, and the subject of the predictions of the prophets through all the ages of the world. He has been made unto us Righteousness. His righteousness has been put to our account. We are clothed in His robe of righteousness. His robe of righteousness cannot be tarnished , torn, tattered or taken away from His own!
4. "authenticating all God had promised"-- Dan. 9:24e --"to seal up vision and prophecy,"

"Not to shut it up out of sight; rather to set a mark or an official seal, on it, by which it might be more clearly known; to consummate and fulfill it. All prophecy is sealed up in Christ, and by him; he is the sum and substance of it. The visions and prophecies of the Old Testament relate to him, and have their accomplishment in him. He is God's final word (Hebs 1:1) In Him all the promises of God find their yes and amen.(1 Cors 1:20).

1. "anointing the Most Holy." -- Dan 9:24f -- He came to anoint the most holy, that is, himself, the Holy One, who was anointed (that is, appointed to his work and qualified for it) by the Holy Spirit, that oil of gladness which he received without measure, above his fellows. Or it can meant to "anoint the gospel-church, his spiritual temple, or holy place, to sanctify and cleanse it, and appropriate it to himself (Eph_5:26), or to consecrate for us a new and living way into the holiest, by his own blood (Heb_10:20), as the sanctuary was anointed, Exo_30:25, etc. He is called Messiah (Dan_9:25, Dan_9:26), which signifies Christ-Anointed (Joh_1:41), because he received the anointing both for himself and for all that are his.

3. The Means of Accomplishing His Work --Dan 9:26a, "and after the sixty-two weeks (plus the previous 7) Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;" To be "cut off" in the OT meant to be killed violently.

Notice that this does not say “AT” but “AFTER” the 69 weeks that Messiah will be cut off. What is after 69? 70! This shows that this occurrence had to take place during the 70^th week. Scriptures and history agree with that for they show that Jesus was crucified after 31/2 years of ministry. That would have made Him cut off in the midst of the 70^th week.

In order to accomplish all the aforementioned, the Messiah must be cut off, must die a violent death, and so be cut off from the land of the living, as was foretold, Isa 53:8. Hence, when Paul preaches the death of Christ, he says that he preached nothing but what the prophet said should come, Act_26:22, Act_26:23. And thus it behoved Christ to suffer. He must be cut off, but not for himself - not for any sin of his own, but, as Caiaphas prophesied, he must die for the people, in our stead and for our good, - not for any advantage of his own, but to atone for our sins, and to purchase life for us, He was cut off.

1. The Two-fold Consequence of Christ's Work
2. Justification -- Dan. 9:27a --"Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;"

FULFILLMENT: “HE” refers back to the dominate noun, “MESSIAH,” not the subordinate noun, prince who is to come, JESUS ANNOUNCED THE NEW COVENANT WHICH IS THE “FIRM COVENANT” MADE WITH THE MANY. “MAKE A FIRM COVENANT”TRANSLATES AS “CONFIRM” OR “CAUSE TO PREVAIL” OR “STRENGTHEN” A COVENANT.

Matt 26:27-28, "And when He had taken a cup and given thanks, He gave {it} to them, saying, “Drink from it, all of you; for this is My blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for forgiveness of sins.

Heb 12:24, "and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant,"

Luke 1:72 [of Jesus Messiah’s coming ] To show mercy toward our fathers, And to remember His holy covenant,

Heb 8:6-9, "But now He has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also the mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. For if that first {covenant} had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second.  For finding fault with them, He says, “BEHOLD, DAYS ARE COMING, SAYS THE LORD, WHEN I WILL EFFECT A NEW COVENANT WITH THE HOUSE OF ISRAEL AND WITH THE HOUSE OF JUDAH;  NOT LIKE THE COVENANT WHICH I MADE WITH THEIR FATHERS..."

Hebrews 8:13, " When He said, “A new {covenant} ,” He has made the first obsolete. But

whatever is becoming obsolete and growing old is ready to disappear."

2. Judgment -- Dan. 9:27b, "But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

1. The destruction of Jerusalem and the Temple --9:26b -- "And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, And till the end of the war desolations are determined."
2. The cessation of the sacrifices -- 9:27c --"But in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering."
3. The abomination that makes desolate --9:27d, "And on the wing (or overspreading) of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, Even until the consummation, which is determined, Is poured out on the desolate."

And for the overspreading (or wing) of abominations,] i.e.,  For the abominable outrages committed by the seditious Jews, those zealots, as they called themselves, who filled the temple with dead bodies. Others, from Mat_24:15-16 cf. Luk_20:20-21, think the Romans to be meant, who set up their eagles (their ensigns) in the temple, together with the images, first of Caligula, and then of Titus, their emperors.

1. The King Has Been Enthroned (Not Awaiting Inauguration) Permanently and Victoriously -- Daniel 7

Dan 7:13-14, "I was watching in the night visions, And behold, One like the Son of Man, Coming with the clouds of heaven! He came to the Ancient of Days, And they brought Him near before Him. Then to Him was given dominion and glory and a kingdom, That all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion, Which shall not pass away, And His kingdom the one Which shall not be destroyed."

Psalm 110:1, "The LORD said to my Lord, 'Sit at My right hand, Till I make Your enemies Your footstool.'"

1Corinthians 15:25-28, "For He must reign till He has put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that will be destroyed is death. For "HE HAS PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET." But when He says "all things are put under Him," it is evident that He who put all things under Him is excepted. Now when all things are made subject to Him, then the Son Himself will also be subject to Him who put all things under Him, that God may be all in all."

III. The Kingdom is Being Extended Aggressively, Progressively, and Universally -- Daniel 2:34-35, "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces. Then the iron, the clay, the bronze, the silver, and the gold were crushed together, and became like chaff from the summer threshing floors; the wind carried them away so that no trace of them was found. And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth.

1. The Unshakeable Kingdom of Christ is Historical in its Establishment -- Dan. 2:44 --"And in the days of these kings the God of heaven will set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed; and the kingdom shall not be left to other people; it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."
   

1. The Unshakeable Kingdom of Christ is Supernatural in its Origination --2:44a, "the God of heaven will set up." 45a
   

1. The Unshakeable Kingdom of Christ is Eternal in its Duration -- 44b. "shall never be destroyed"
   

1. The Unshakeable Kingdom of Christ is Powerful in its Operation -- Dan 2:34, "You watched while a stone was cut out without hands, which struck the image on its feet of iron and clay, and broke them in pieces."
2. The Unshakeable Kingdom of Christ is Successful in its Outcome -- 2:35, "...And the stone that struck the image became a great mountain and filled the whole earth."
3. The Unshakeable Kingdom of Christ is Universal in its Extent -- 2:35, "filled the whole earth."

The kingdom postponement view has had and continues to have powerful effect because:

What we Expect from Future Life Determines how we Perceive Present Life, which Determines what we Receive and Achieve from Daily Life!

A major issue for our generation is does Jesus reign over the earth or is the devil in charge? Can His kingdom be powerfully present and Him not be sitting on a literally throne in Jerusalem?

If He has already established His kingdom and expects us to be His kingdom ambassadors and kingdom extenders, what are His expectations?

Is He expecting a harvest for His labors that will satisfy the price He paid on the cross? Isaiah 53:10-12 says, "…it pleased the Lord to bruise Him'… 'He shall see the travail of His soul and be satisfied'… and 'He shall divide the spoil with the strong…."

Is He expecting that Psalm 2 reveals what the Father had in mind?-- "I will declare the decree: The Lord has said to Me, 'You are My Son, Today I have begotten You. Ask of Me, and I will give you the nations for Your inheritance, And the ends of the earth for Your possession.” Jesus has asked and sits expecting to get what He asked for! For this reason we are to be:

Expecting with Great Expectations that are the Same as Those of Our Expecting King

Expecting an Increasing Measure of Kingdom Reality and Vitality Now

Expecting an Impacting Ministry of Kingdom Authority and Visibility Globally

Expecting an ever Increasing Enlistment of Kingdom Volunteers

Expecting an Enforcing Kingdom Victory as a Great Commandment People, Carrying Out the Great Commission Under Our Great Commander!

John Owens, chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, lived in violent and trying times, yet he was an expectant believer and his confidence was rooted in the assured promises of Scripture rather than believing the circumstances around him. Even in a time of death, disease, decline and despair, his confidence in the promise of God stood firm: “Though our persons fall, our cause shall be as truly, certainly, and infallibly victorious, as that Christ sits at the right hand of God.  The gospel shall be victorious.  This greatly comforts and refreshes me.”

Why don’t we see more kingdom authority demonstrated in our lives and churches in America. The reason is because we have truncated the gospel message from a proclamation to repent and be re-birthed into the triumphant, all-pervasive, God-big, kingdom of Heaven, where we learn how to reign in life as devotion-givers, disciple-makers, and dominion-takers, to a go-to-heaven-when-you-die-in-order-to-miss-hell type message that says the best you can expect losing in history; expect to be the tail and not the head; expect to be like a little band of soldiers of the cross who somehow manage to hold the fort until Captain Jesus comes back and kicks them all into hell! -- but remember, Heaven will make up for it; No wonder no one wants to join up! This is "rabbit-hole", fortress mentality type living, not kingdom living!

If we the people of faith, start believing the gospel of the kingdom, praying for it to come more fully daily, and proclaiming it with the same expectations that King Jesus has, we will begin to see greater works than he did happen around our world!