The Bible study this morning was quite an adventure! When you observe Matthew 24 in relation to Daniel 9:24-27, you can see how Daniel's prophecy reveals so much concerning the first and second advent of our Lord. The 70 weeks of Daniel's prophecy (one week of 7 years x 70 weeks = 490 years) gives us a designated amount of time with which to see God's prophetic program come to fruition. Nehemiah 2:1-6 is critical to establishing when the 70 weeks began. Nehemiah received permission from Artaxerxes to go home to Jerusalem and rebuild the gate and the walls, fulfilling Daniel's prophetic statement concerning the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem. 483 years later was the 69th week, when Messiah was “cut off” or crucified. From this we understand that Jesus was born 450 years after the prophecy, because he died at age 33 in the 483rd year of the prophecy. Everything concerning the life of Christ was calculated on God's divine calendar. Matthew 1:19-23: Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a publick example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name JESUS: for he shall save his people from their sins. Now all this was done, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us. Galatians 4:4-5: But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law, To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. Matthew 24:6-21 and Luke 21:20-28 record the Olivet discourse from two perspectives, but they detail the events of Daniel's 70th week. We will continue our study of these critical and timely events in the prophetic calendar this coming Sunday. All that is occurring in Israel and the middle east today is merely a repositioning of the prophetic chess pieces that were in place at the time of Christ's crucifixion, burial, and resurrection. The 40 days he spent teaching his disciples in Acts 1:1-11 was all about them reaching out to Israel before his 2nd advent, which was to end the prophecy of Daniel with the kingdom. It is currently in “time out” until the dispensation of the grace of God is finished at the rapture of the Church Age saints. Remember, the prophetic program concerning Israel is in “timeout” during this dispensation of the grace of God, aka the mystery program. The prophetic program will resume when the mystery period closes at the rapture of the Church Age saints.
