Sermon Tone Analysis

March 20, 2012

By: John Barnett

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Revelation 11:1-2 /"Then I was given a reed like a measuring rod.

And the angel stood, saying, “Rise and measure the temple of God, the altar, and those who worship there.2

“But leave out the court which is outside the temple, and do not measure it, for it has been given to the Gentiles.

And they will tread the holy city underfoot for forty-two months."/

*IS THE TEMPLE THE CHURCH?*

Revelation 11 takes us to a Temple in Jerusalem.

There are Jews carrying on Old Testament sacrifices just like Jesus, Daniel, Paul and now John promised it would be.

If this is the church and it is one in Christ why are Jews and Gentiles segregated?

And how is it that the worldwide church is localized to Jerusalem?

And why are we back to a Temple and altar?

No, it is a yet future event as Chapter 11 opens in Jerusalem.

Something has happened that would start a World War if it happened this week.

• Daniel said so: Open with me to Daniel 9!

The Book of Daniel is actually one of the most authenticated books of the Old Testament, historically and archaeologically, but this is a convenient short-cut for our purposes here.

It is critical to realize that the Book of Daniel existed in documented form almost five centuries before Christ was born.

Daniel, originally deported as a teenager (now near the end of the Babylonian captivity), was reading in the Book of Jeremiah.

He understood that the seventy years of servitude were almost over and he began to pray for his people.

The Angel Gabriel interrupted Daniel's prayer and gave him a four-verse prophecy that is unquestionably the most remarkable passage in the entire Bible: Daniel 9:24-27.

These four verses include the following segments:

• 9:24 The Scope of the entire prophecy;

• 9:25 The 69 Weeks;

• 9:26 An Interval between the 69th and 70th Week;

• 9:27 The 70th Week.

*THE SCOPE*

9:24: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy Place."

The idiom of a "week" of years was common in Israel as a "sabbath for the land," in which the land was to lie fallow every seventh year.

It was their failure to obey these laws that led to God sending them into captivity under the Babylonians .

When did the Messiah present Himself as a King?

On one specific day, Jesus arranges it!

Note that the focus of this passage is upon "thy people and upon thy holy city," that is, upon Israel and Jerusalem.

(It is not directed to the church.)

The scope of this prophecy includes a broad list of things which clearly have yet to be completed.

*THE FIRST 69 WEEKS*

A very specific prediction occurs in 9:25: "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times."

This includes a mathematical prophecy.

The Jewish (and Babylonian) calendars used a 360-day year; 69 weeks of 360-day years totals 173,880 days.

In effect, Gabriel told Daniel that the interval between the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem until the presentation of the Messiah as King would be 173,880 days.

The "Messiah the Prince" in the King James translation is actually the Meshiach Nagid, "The Messiah the King."

(Nagid is first used of King Saul.)

*A PROPHETIC BULL'S EYE!*

The commandment to restore and build Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus on March 14, 445 BC .

(The emphasis in the verse on "the street" and "the wall" was to avoid confusion with other earlier mandates confined to rebuilding the Temple.)

But when did the Messiah present Himself as a King?

During the ministry of Jesus Christ there were several occasions in which the people attempted to promote Him as king, but He carefully avoided it.

"Mine hour is not yet come."

(John 6:15)

*THE TIMELY TRIUMPHAL ENTRY*

Then one day He meticulously arranges it.

On this particular day he rode into the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey, deliberately fulfilling a prophecy by Zechariah that the Messiah would present Himself as king in just that way:"Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass."

Zechariah 9:9.

Whenever we might easily miss the significance of what was going on, the Pharisees come to our rescue.

They felt that the overzealous crowd was blaspheming, proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah the King.

(Luke 19:39) However, Jesus endorsed it!

"I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out."

Luke 19:40 This is the only occasion that Jesus presented Himself as King.

It occurred on April 6, 32 AD

*THE DIVINE PRECISION OF PROPHECY*

When we examine the period between March 14, 445 b.c. and April 6, 32 AD, and correct for leap years, we discover that it is 173,880 days exactly, to the very day!

How could Daniel have known this in advance?

How could anyone have contrived to have this detailed prediction documented over three centuries in advance?

But there's more.

*THE INTERVAL*

There appears to be a gap between the 69th week (verse 25) and the 70th week (verse 27): 9:26: "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined."

The sixty-two "weeks" follow the initial seven, so verse 26 deals with events after 69th week, but before the 70th.

These events include the Messiah being killed and the city and sanctuary being destroyed.

There is a remaining seven-year period to be fulfilled.

Revelation 6-19 is essentially a detailing of that climactic period.

As Jesus approached the city on the donkey, He also predicted the destruction of Jerusalem: For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.

Luke 19:43-44

The Messiah was, of course, executed at the Crucifixion.

"But not for Himself."

The city and the sanctuary were destroyed 38 years later when the Roman legions under Titus Vespasian leveled the city of Jerusalem in 70 a.d., precisely as Daniel and Jesus had predicted.

In fact, as one carefully examines Jesus' specific words, it appears that He held them accountable to know this astonishing prophecy in Daniel 9! "Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."

*THE 70TH WEEK*

There is a remaining seven-year period to be fulfilled.

This period is the most documented period in the entire Bible.

The Book of Revelation, Chapters 6 through 19, is essentially a detailing of that climactic period.

The interval between the 69th and 70th week continues, but it is increasingly apparent that it may soon be over.

The more one is familiar with the numerous climactic themes of "end-time" prophecy, the more it seems that Daniel's 70th Week is on our horizon.

Have you done your homework?

Are you and your family prepared?

• Christ said so: Matthew 24:15-16 / “Therefore when you see the ‘abomination of desolation,’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place” (whoever reads, let him understand),16 “then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains."/

• Paul said so: 2 Thessalonians 2:4/ "who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God or that is worshiped, so that he sits as God in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God."/

This Temple they spoke of is coming and that is why Jerusalem is such a hot piece of real estate to God and to Satan.

Scholars of prophecy do not agree on all the details of future events.

But the following summary is a fair representation of what many prophetic scholars believe as to the order of events:

1.

The Rapture of the church (1 Cor.

15:51–58; 1 Thes.

4:13–18).

This can occur at any time.

2. The leader of the ten European nations makes a seven-year agreement with Israel (Dan.

9:26–27).

3.

After three-and-one-half years, he breaks the agreement (Dan.

9:27).

4.

He moves to Jerusalem and sets up his image in the temple (2 Thes.

2:3–4; Rev. 13).

5.

The Antichrist begins to control the world and forces all people to worship and obey him.

At this time God sends great tribulation upon the earth (Matt.

24:21).

6.

The nations gather at Armageddon to fight the Antichrist and Israel, but see the sign of Christ’s coming and unite to fight Him (Zech.

12; Rev. 13:13–14; 19:11ff).