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 “When Shall These Things?" Matthew 24: Part 3…February 2008

We don’t know when, or who gave birth to the idea of God stopping the time clock at the 69^th week, and brought in 2000-plus years of Church history of which the prophets of old knew nothing. Let us take care of this error right away! “Surely the Lord will do nothing, but he revealeth his secrets unto his servants the prophets.” Amos 3: 7. We will no doubt say more about this later! All throughout the scripture we see that God establishes a pattern of how he does things, and he never deviate from that pattern, and this brings us to a more closer look at the idea of a “stopped time clock” which, among the clergy and religious experts and expositors is called “the parenthesis.” We believe that every “time-prophecy” that God uttered and later set in motion ran its course in consecutive years.

In Genesis 15: 13, God told Abram that his seed shall be a stranger in a strange land, and they shall serve them four hundred years.” Nowhere in the pages of history is it suggested that somewhere about three hundred years, God stopped counting the years, brought in another thousand years of bondage, then started counting again later on. The very idea is absurd, yet intelligent and well learned people in the church-world are doing this very thing in their explanation of Daniel’s 70 weeks. Galatians 3: 17 made reference to the fact that the children of Israel spent four hundred and thirty years in bondage and we must assume that the years ran consecutively. Before that, Joseph in Egypt told the king of the ensuing seven years of plenty, to be offset by seven years of famine. Again, there was no break, no interruptions of the years running in their proper sequence.

Listen to how specific the details of the Lord’s fulfilled promise is recorded! “And it came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt.” Exd. 12: 41. God fulfilled the prophecy to the day and left proof of his established pattern. Here is another real life experience for us to learn from! “And your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years, and bear your whoredoms, until your carcases be wasted in the wilderness. After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.” Num. 14: 33-34. By now we should be convinced that God’s Word should be taken to mean what it says, and we have no need to try and read “into it” what we want it to say.

The proponents of the “stopped time clock” scenario claim that when the Jews rejected Jesus and crucified him instead, God had no choice but to stop the clock, brought in the Church of which none of the prophets knew. How ridiculous can we get! Listen to Peter’s deposition on our salvation! “Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls. Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow. Unto whom it was revealed, that not unto themselves, but unto us they did minister the things, which are now reported unto you by them that have preached the gospel unto you with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into.” 1 Peter 1: 9-12. Are we still saying the prophets did not know of the forth coming Church?

What was Isaiah saying when he wrote: And an highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called The way of holiness; the unclean shall not pass over it; but is shall be for those: the wayfaring men, tough fools shall not err therein. No lion shall be there, nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there; but the redeemed shall walk there. And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away.” Isa. 35: 8-10. Wasn’t Isaiah speaking about the Church of the Redeemed of the Lord? “Who is he that cometh from Edom with dyed garments from Bozrah? Isn’t this Christ for the Church in view?

It seems ironic for us to suggest that the prophets knew nothing of God’s Church, when Stephen in Acts 7:38 called Israel of old, the church in the wilderness. It seems to me that God always had his church in mind, even back in the Garden when he said the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head. For us to suggest stopping the time clock so as to accommodate 200-plus years of church history, is to do injustice to the word of Gabriel to Daniel, and what he said to Daniel was to make him “understand.” “Therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city.”  Seventy weeks or 490 years are now brought into focus. This is what Gabriel said, and this is what Daniel is to “understand”. Where in Gabriel’s message did he slip in a secret 2000-plus years? And if he did, shouldn’t Daniel be made aware of it so he could “understand” the matter? Christendom at large has been taken on a wild goose chase, shooting at phantoms in the dark of men’s minds, believing things that God did not say and does not endorse. While we are playing hide and seek, God’s program for his people is moving forward just the way he destined it to be. Yet, if we will discard all the excess baggage that we managed to acquire over the years of listening and believing in blind leaders who in turn followed blind leaders, we will quickly see how all that God does, fit perfectly in his marvelous design.

Gabriel outlined a total of 490 years (seventy prophetic weeks) in which six events are to take place. If we see from scripture that each event was fulfilled as required by the word of Gabriel, then we have to conclude that all seventy weeks were fulfilled as foretold to Daniel. But! Alas! If we say that, the future antichrist, the great tribulation, that so many have used to make millions of dollars in the sale of their books are blown out of the water. Our intention is not to put down what others believe! We don’t want to go around waving at others and pointing out how wrong they are. Nevertheless, although one may be sincere, one can also be sincerely wrong, and we are called to promote the truth as the bible supports. Religious books are about what people believe the bible says and it does not necessarily mean that the ideas espoused by these writers conform to bible truths. We are going to take each event apart and determine if the fulfillment is yet future or if it was indeed fulfilled.

Here are the six events that are to be fulfilled within the time frame of 490 years or 70-weeks. First—To finish the transgression!  Second---To make an end of sins!  Third---To make reconciliation for iniquity!  Fourth---To bring in everlasting righteousness!  Fifth---To seal up the vision and prophecy! Sixth---To anoint the most Holy! It does not mean that the events will be fulfilled in the same order that they have just been listed. But if we see from scripture that each one was fulfilled, we are left to concede that the 70 weeks ran their course the way they should. For the purpose of this study, we will begin by studying number six first---“To anoint the most Holy.” This will bring us to the highlight of Dan.9,25. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince (of peace) shall be seven weeks (49 years) and threescore and two weeks (434 years) equals sixty nine weeks or 483 years.

Messiah means the anointed One and Jesus was not brought to the forefront as the Messiah until at his baptism in the Jordan as mentioned in the January newsletter. Listen to Luke’s narrative of Christ’s return from his days of temptation in the wilderness. “And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written; The spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, etc.” After his closed the book and gave it back to the minister and sat down, all eyes were fastened upon him. Then he shook them all by saying, “This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.” Luke 4,14-21. Yes, the most High was anointed and Messiah was revealed just as Gabriel had said to Daniel. “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:38. So as we mentioned in a previous letter, Jesus came preaching that the “time is fulfilled” and the kingdom of God is at hand. We believe that “time” to be the 62 plus 7 weeks, equals the 69 weeks of Daniel.

Before moving on to the next task to be performed within the allocated time frame, let us round off the subject of the anointing of the most Holy. Just who would this person be? Surely it could not refer to Caiaphas the high priest! It could not refer to Tiberius Caesar or Pontius Pilate, or Herod, tetrarch of Galilee, or Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene. In fact, it could not refer to any of Adam’s fallen race for “all have sinned and come short of the glory of God. There is none that doeth good, for all we like sheep have gone astray. So did Gabriel miss the mark, even just a little bit? You know, when we watch television showing the lifetime work and remarkable gifts of Jean Dixon, Nostradamus, and other seers and fortune tellers, they often have only a percentage of their predictions right. But when we search the prophecies of the ancient prophets, every word came true. To anoint the most Holy, there had to be such a person on the scene, and without any controversy whatsoever, Jesus was that person, and this truth is supported in scripture.

“Therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God.” Luke 1:35b. “For he hath made him to be sin for us, who KNEW NO SIN; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him.” 11 Cor.5:21. None of this grand description of pureness, holiness, and sinlessness can be ascribed to any other human being. Thus, the anointing took place in the Jordan as we said before, and Jesus went about ministering in the power of that anointing. Amen!

Let us go back to the top of Daniel 9:24. This will be task number two! “To finish the transgression.”  As Jesus confronted the Scribes and Pharisees he said to them: “Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers.” He knew that the words of Gabriel to Daniel had to be fulfilled in a timely fashion. Their transgression ran its course and culminated both in the crucifixion of Jesus and the stoning of Stephen. In fact Stephen laid it on the line in plain language: “Ye stiffnecked and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Ghost: as your fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers persecuted? And they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it. When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth.” Acts 7:51-54.

Why does it seem that God allow things to run amuck, like a stampeding herd of cattle, or like a run away train? And he seems not to take any notice or to intervene in any way? I think this verse answers the question well! “Rejoice, O young man, in thy youth; and let thy heart cheer thee in the days of thy youth, and walk in the ways of thine heart, and in the sight of thine eyes: but know thou, that for all these things God will bring thee into judgment.” Ecc.11: 9. It is obvious that God allows certain things to run their course as man desires them to, so that when he brings on judgment, they are just and correct. Man usually scream over God’s judgments while ignoring his various acts that brought the judgments in the first place. Indeed, they filled up the transgression when they asked for a murderer and condemned Jesus to be crucified! When they cried, “His blood be upon us and upon our children.” Matt.27:21-25. That part of Gabriel’s prophecy was fulfilled. So far, two tasks are now complete!

The next task is “to make an end of sins.”  Let us understand that making an end of sins should be viewed from God’s perspective and not from man’s, especially the church as we know it. Why? Because the tendency of the church is to hold man in a total state of “sin consciousness” thus having him live in an ongoing state of guilt and unworthiness. How often have we heard preachers on television announce that Jesus took care of all sin, past, present, and future? Gabriel was explicit in saying that Messiah was to “make an end of sins” and we are left to conclude that either he did just that, or he failed to complete his task. Thank you Jesus! Are you with me?

John saw Jesus coming along the banks of Jordan and announced; “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” John 1:29. We are left to conclude that he either did that as a part of his earthly mission, or he failed to do it, and must return to complete the task. But! Alas! The writer of Hebrews said that when he appears the second time, he will not be dealing with sin. Heb.9:28. J.B. Phillips puts it this way! “To those who look for him, he will appear a second time, not this time to deal with sin (because he already took care of all sin) but to bring to full salvation those who eagerly await him.” This means the salvation of the “whole man!”

We are told in no uncertain term the following truth about Christ our Savior: “Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed.” 1 Peter 2: 24. As if we are panning for gold in the foothills of the Sierra Mountains in Northern California, let us put this verse under the microscope for a more careful scrutiny. Let us take our eyes off the ladies of the night down in the Red Light District of any big city in America. Let us not dwell upon the human slave trade or the drug ring from Columbia. Setting all that aside, the question is: “Whose sins did Jesus take in his body on the tree?” Are you having trouble finding the correct answer because of the world around that seems to be a mess and in complete turmoil? Look at our complete answer to the question!

“For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for ALL, to be testified in due time (and NOW is the time for this truth to be told.) 1 Tim.2:5-6. So then, when Jesus gave himself a ransom for sin upon the tree, where he actually took our sins in his body, he took all sins, past, present, and future, and for ever, he settled the sin question, as far as God is concerned. This is a hard saying for those who continually live with a “sin-consciousness.” Is there a foundation in scripture for what I just said? I have made it my duty, not to say things I cannot find in scripture, but if I do, the onus is upon the reader to embrace the truth and not upon me. Here is my proof!

“And every priest standeth daily ministering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins (all sins, if you please) FOR EVER, sat down on the right hand of God.” Heb.10:11-12.  Usually, the priest stand when performing his duty, but because Christ’s duty was accomplished, he could afford to sit down, and to remain seated at God’s right hand, until his enemies be made his footstool. Hallelujah! See verse 13. In this broader context, Jesus indeed put an end to sins, and once again, we see that Gabriel’s word comes to complete fulfillment.

The next task as outlined by Gabriel, is for Messiah to “make reconciliation for iniquity.”  Paul’s gospel is jam-packed with the ministry of reconciliation. First of all, I have often heard notable, and highly recognized ministers say on television that reconciliation works this way: every sinner that comes to God in true repentance is reconciled unto God. Here is what I say to that view! Either the preacher is handling the word of God deceitfully, or he/she prefers to teach the old traditions of the elders and thus making the word of God of non-effect. It is amazing how we often try to tell God how we feel it should be, instead of teaching truth the way God says it is. It’s like some that teach predestination on this wise! God knew that Pharaoh was a man with a hardened heart so he chose him in the saga of the Israelites release from bondage. They totally ignore the fact that God hardened Pharaoh’s heart If God knew that a person would become a killer there is no need to bring in “predestination.” If God acts “after the fact” where does predestination come in? We are filled with the idea that God can only act upon what we decide or after we respond, and that gives us a feeling of satisfaction that we responded out of our own free will. Go ahead! Pat yourself on the back, but know for sure that God sets the terms and conditions, and we follow accordingly. Thank you Jesus!

Paul indicated in Romans 5:10, that while we were yet enemies (of God and the cross) we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son. He did not wait until we walked down the isle to the front of the altar and repeated the “sinners prayer” before we were reconciled. It does not matter who we were and what we were doing, when Jesus died, we were reconciled to God by his vicarious death. Unfortunately, the church will hardly preach it that way, because it leaves out the part we have to play. Yet, with the same breath we are told, “By grace are we saved through faith, and not of ourselves. Not of works lest any man should boast.” God came to earth to redeem man back unto himself, because he lowered man into this dimension of corruption (futility) not by our will, but the will of him who did this. To begin the task of complete restoration to our former glory, God came himself. Thank you Jesus! I like this! God did not hand the task to an angel! This act of redemption was something he had to do himself! And how did he set about to bring creation back unto himself? “God was in Christ, reconciling the WORLD unto himself. And how did he plan to accomplish this noble task? Was it by sending forth more preachers? Was it by promoting more revival meetings? It was by “not imputing their trespasses unto them” or not laying it to their charge or adding it to their account. 11 Cor.5: 19.

Many Christians have difficulty understanding how God deals with sin, because since they feel that for many years they have denied the world, struggled to live holy, others should not seemingly get a break. But let us examine how God deals with sinners over the many years gone by. In Zech.12: 10 God said that he would “pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications.”  Jesus said in John 4: 22 that “Salvation is of the Jews:” but when the apostles heard Peter’s defense for going to Cornelius, a Gentile, and how God poured out the Holy Ghost on them, Luke wrote: “And when they heard these things, they held their peace, and glorified God, saying, Then hath God also to the Gentiles granted repentance unto life.” Acts 11: 15-18. Obviously, the Gentiles could not repent before this time, while God through Jesus Christ was ministering to the Jews—all within the time period of 490 years.

So far, we see that the spirit of grace and supplication would be poured upon Jerusalem, and now God has granted the Gentiles repentance, but to take it one step further we read from Romans 11: 26-27; “And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sin.” This is a classic example of God not imputing their trespasses unto them: he simply cancels the debt, and for all of us, when we were justified by faith, God simply wipes the slate clean and it was as though we never sinned—that is how justification works and that is why we can have peace with God. Romans 5: 1. So we have observed the different methods God has used to put an end to sin and to make reconciliation for iniquity as Gabriel said. The next task is to “bring in everlasting righteousness. This is the fifth task allotted to the seventy-week period!

We are told in Isaiah 51: 8 that God’s “righteousness shall be for ever and his salvation from generation to generation.”  We read from Jer.23: 6; “In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS. (Jehovah-tsidkenu.) Christ is made unto us, wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption. 1 Cor.1: 30. We are told to seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and that “the kingdom of God is righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.” Rom.14: 17. We read from Ps. 119: 142; “Thy righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is truth.” “My tongue shall speak of thy word: for all thy commandments are righteousness.” Ps. 119: 172. The bible is chock full of God’s righteousness and Gabriel said it should be established by Messiah within the seventy-week period.

The last of six tasks based on the order that we have adopted in this study is to “seal up the vision and prophecy.” We cannot over-emphasize the fact that all six tasks were to be accomplished with 70 weeks or 490 years with no break imposed or suggested in scripture. This part of Gabriel’s outline to Daniel, seem to suggest God’s way of punishing Israel for their unbelief. “Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.” Isa. 6: 10. We read again from Isa. 29: 10-11; “For the Lord hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the seers hath he covered. The vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot for it is sealed.”

Jesus referred to these very scriptures when he argued with the Scribes and Pharisees who said how well they could see, and because you said you can see, you will die in your sins; but if you had said you were blind, then I could have opened your eyes. Paul, writing to the Romans on this very subject quoted David: “And David saith, Let their table be made a snare, and a trap, and a stumbling block, and recompence unto them. Let their eyes be darkened, that they may not see, and bow down their back always. For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in.” Rom.11: 9-10, 25. We believe that the scriptures submitted in this study have outlined, item by item, all that should have transpired within the seventy weeks, beginning with the anointing of Messiah in the Jordan, who later began his ministry by announcing that “the time is fulfilled” meaning the 69 weeks, and now he began the 70^th week in person and all six tasks were completed by Jesus himself by the time we got to the middle of the week—3 ½ years at which time Messiah was cut off.

To be continued...

Royce O. Kennedy

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