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Part 1

Seventy Sevens

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Decreed Goals

The seventy sevens decree is a plan God devised to build a Kingdom that includes God’s holy way of life. From God’s perspective this kingdom has to be agreeable with his moral precepts, love and compassion for life. As the ultimate authority God designated and anointed a specific person qualified to carry out his command. This decree was given to a person like himself to complete within a time frame that is still in progress.

The object of his plan was designed to recreate a stubborn and obstinate people into a city of people that will serve him of their free will. Presently they are a stubborn and obstinate people because they rebel from authority due to a sin nature.  These are people who are determined to ignore God by seeking the desires of their heart and the luxuries that make their life comfortable.  For the majority of people God’s plan of salvation is foolishness until they understand God’s plan and how it benefits their overall life.

You could easily say that “Seventy Sevens” is a plan to restore a people who have turned their backs on God and exiled into a land captive to sin. This land captive to sin is also the world we live in where almost everyone indulges in things that draw men away from God.  Yet there are some drawn to serve a compassionate God.

This decree has six distinct goals God wants to accomplish - they are; to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.

The first goal is to finish transgression which is a rebellion against God. The people of this world are aware of a Supreme Being known as God and can understand that he exists from what has been made, so that men are without excuse. Yet the people of this world are destroyed from lack of knowledge and have rejected the gospel story as foolishness. In ignorance they have thrown truth to the ground and have muddied the water others drink from.

Transgression is an offense to God by refusing to submit to his authority. By the same token it is rejecting the discipline of God and living as you see fit.  The rejection Jesus spoke of is the refusal to accept him as God’s anointed king.

Rebellion is defeated by the authority in power. When the allotted time is complete, there will be a consequence for sin. For the time being, God will grant the people in rebellion the desires of their heart.     

Sin is both deceptive and destructive so sin must come to an end. Sin is also deceptive to those who know God exists and do not pursue the knowledge to know what God expects of them. Sin is destructive in that it harms one another and has a domino effect that continues to harm until the act of sin is stopped. The attention we give God is the wisdom that teaches anyone willing to listen how to avoid sin. However, do we pay attention to God and make a special effort to listen to what God says?

Sin is lawlessness and a belief you do not need laws or rules to govern your life. However without any restraint to govern life we would live in chaos. Life to say the least would exist without having respect for the relationships of others because life would be downright miserable without being love and appreciated by others.  Ultimately sin separates you from God and the ability to have relationships with your fellow man. Sin reduces you a group of one with the overwhelming power to compel you to take part of its destructive nature. In our society the person whose habit is to violate the law are incarcerated. When sin is the way people choose to live God also has a permanent place to incarcerate them. The purpose is to shield those who live according to the law from those who conceive evil; shake their fist at God, fail to restrain their behavior or to have reverence and respect for the law. 

 When Christ harvests the earth he will sort the crop and keep the best of the crop for his own.

God prefers restore his relationship with man by forgiving sin rather than make sin unpardonable. God does not take away life; instead, he devises ways so that anyone separated from God may not remain at odds with him (2 Samuel 14:14). God’s plan devised a way to atone for the sin through the sacrificial system that restored his relationship with God. The Priest of the Old Testament passed the Sins of man on to a lamb by laying his hands on it and stating the sin committed. The blood of the Lamb sacrificed satisfied God as a substitute penalty for the life of those who sinned.

We learn in the New Testament that one of the Priests at his trial slapped the face of Jesus and called him blasphemer with a penalty deserving death.  Remembering Jesus Christ was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world. Sin separates mankind from God but for everyone who accepts Jesus as Lord also receives atonement for their sins and his relationship with God is restored.

Christ’s second coming will bring in everlasting righteousness. We are nearing the completion of God’s goal of building a eternal kingdom one that will endure throughout the ages. The thousand year reign of Christ will begin as planned and it could very well be a time of our Lord’s discipline and further refinement so we may live a life of holiness which ensures a lasting state of righteousness with God. The bible does not go into great detail to explain what life will be like in heaven but we can expect;

To seal up visions and prophesy maintains the validity of the expressed plans has for bringing this age to an end. Jesus spoke in parables to maintain the secrets of the kingdom but prophesy was sealed so he could reveal his plans (Amos 3:7) to his people so God may receive glory at his coming.

Sealing confines the matter of  prophesy and vision to assure its validity. The shipping industry seals its containers to insure the contents recorded on the bill of lading are exactly what is in the container being shipped. Canned Food is sealed and labeled to identify the contents of the package and it prevents spoilage or altercation until such time the seal is broken.  In addition Christians are sealed to preserve their relationship with God and guarantee a safe arrival in the kingdom of God. Looking at Revelation chapter six the seals of God’s plan are opened by the son of God revealing what has been prophesied. Looking into these seals in Revelation we find a summary of what has been expressed through God’s word. 

Knowing these and other prophesies may prevent you from becoming merry and putting God on the shelf. The scriptures are known to God’s holy people who search the scriptures seeking to know and understand what God expects of them. He has revealed his plans so you would know what the future holds for them and prepare for that day. It also helps you to discern the truth from the interpretations men have expounded on. What I am saying is there should be no guess work and no means to justify your beliefs without Scripture to verify the matter. God has called us to know and understand what his plans are and what he expects of us to prepare for.

There have been a number of ideas as to what anointing the most holy referred to. However the Most Holy always spoke of a place; the things set aside for service and the sacred instruments used for the worship of God. However the emphasis to anoint the Most Holy is an action.  In the Old Testament kings and prophets were anointed and set aside for specific tasks. Within the New Testament Paul spoke of a special anointing. 

John said;

That anointing guides you into all truth and has set you apart for God.   He has placed his spirit in you to preserve a strong relationship with him to move you to adopt his laws and live in his holiness. You have become the focus of his eye and a person who has been declared holy by God.  God verifies his promise in this manner;

In the Old Testament the sacrificed Lamb became Most Holy and whoever sacrificed the Lamb and ate the sacred offering became Most Holy. We now understand that Jesus Christ was God’s Lamb and died for the sins of the world. Rightfully taking part in the ordinance of communion we eat and drink the Most Holy sacrifice and have become Most Holy in God’s eye. However having communion with God demands time spentwith him.

 

Part  2

Seventy Sevens

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Daniel 9:25  The Time Table

 

The Angel Gabriel to make known that he wanted Daniel to be clear about the times of this decree by stressing the words to know and understand. The goals of this decree were established with two different time frames. First Jerusalem would be rebuilt and restored in seven weeks of time. Secondly at which time the anointed one the ruler comes in sixty-two additional weeks.  In other words at the end of these two time periods the temple would be rebuilt and the Anointed One would come on the scene.

The decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem came at the end of that time Cyrus reigned as king of Persia. The decree read as follows.

 It appears that Daniel gave the events concerning his life a great deal of thought including the decree of Cyrus the great. Throughout the time Jerusalem was restored a number of exiles were in positions to affect the decisions of kings regarding Judah and its people.

When exiled Daniel was placed in the king’s service and trained in the Babylonian sciences. When questioned Daniel proved to have wisdom and understanding ten times greater than all the magicians and enchanters in the Babylonian kingdom. After interpreting a dream, King Nebuchadnezzar placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men. At Daniel's request the king appointed his fellow exiles Shadrach, Meshach and Abednego administrators over the province of Babylon.

Daniel remained in the royal courts through king Nebuchadnezzar (Daniel 1:1); Nebuchadnezzar’s successor Belshazzar (Daniel 5:22), to Cyrus the Persian, (Daniel 6:28) and Darius the Mede (Daniel 5:31). Daniel was in a position to influence these kings regarding Jerusalem as he was still in the royal court during the time the temple was being rebuilt.  

In the first year of Cyrus, Zerubbabel a prince of Judah was sent to Jerusalem by Cyrus to govern Judea. Zerubbabel a prince of Judah led the first group of exiles to Jerusalem, accompanied by Jeshua the high priest, in addition to a considerable number of priests to restore the daily sacrifices and supervise the rebuilding of the temple.

When Zerubbabel declined the offer of help the enemies of Judah (known as Samaritans) set out to stop them and hired counselors to plan ways to make it impossible to complete the temple in a timely manner. Their tactics succeeded and the work on the temple was halted. No work was done in the remaining time of Cyrus and his successor until Darius’s second year (Ezra 4:24).  During this time the exiles built paneled homes for themselves and were living in comfort.

When the news that Darius reconfirmed the decree of Cyrus reached Haggai, he encouraged the Jews to be strong. Saying now is the time to restore the temple in all its glory for the Lord is with you. Because of their courage and hard work the temple was completed in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius (Ezra 6:15). 

    The influence of the exiles continued with the marriage of Esther to Xerxes, Ezra being in the court of Artaxerxes and Nehemiah being the cup bearer to Artaxerxes. We can only imagine the way they lived had a strong influence on the decisions Artaxerxes made to send them to Jerusalem to restore the walls and instruct the people in the law of God.

What I found interesting was what Jesus said to the Pharisees after he found selling and trading within his father’s temple. Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" the Pharisees asked what authority Jesus had. Jesus said destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days.  To this The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days (John 2:19-22). The words of the Pharisees confirmed Daniel’s prophesy of the seven sevens.

According to verse 25 the Anointed one the ruler was to comewithin the sixty-two weeks. This is the way the scriptures reveal how the one anointed one came as Savior; King of kings and Lord of Lords.

The scriptures confirm that Jesus came as the Savior of the world because God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. Jesus came to give evidence of God’s plan so that whoever believes in him may have life, and can have it abundantly. Yet glorified as the savior of mankind was the peoples of the world rejected him saying they would not have him as king.

 

Part 3

Seventy Sevens

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Daniel 9:26    The Anointed One

It’s important to understand the Anointed One will be cut off after the total of seven sevens and sixty-two 'sevens which would be within the seventieth seven. The idea expressed in making a covenant by cutting the flesh was rendered by using the word cut off. The words also reveal that Christ lived in two of these time periods. The Anointed One; the prince/ruler came but was cut off in the seventieth week not for himself but gave his life in exchange for forgiveness for the sins of the world.

He came to restore the relationship of God to mankind because they refuse to recognize God as their creator and pay attention to his commands. They had rebelled against the authority of God and were living as they saw fit.

Even today God’s people do not pay attention to the words of God. Some add their thoughts and make God’s word conform to their beliefs and others take away by ignoring the substance of the matter. The most popular interpretation of the people of the prince/ruler is that the prince/ruler is the Roman Government because they destroyed the city and the sanctuary in 70AD. For this reason the Roman government has become the Anti-Christ who will come. Although the Roman Government nor the Anti-Christ is mentioned in the book of Daniel.

According to the scriptures (Daniel 9:25) are clear; the Anointed One who will come is the prince/ruler. Therefore the people of the Prince/ruler refer to the nation of Israel. If we were to go beyond what is written, history tells us Titus a General of the Roman Empire was sent to quell the rebellion led by Jewish militants. During the siege the second temple was sacked and demolished. Thousands were killed and those who survived the siege were made into slaves. The people of the Prince/ruler never recovered from the Roman onslaught for at least six hundred years.

The end will come like a flood speaks of when the decree will reach its devastating but amazing completion. And it connects by laying a foundation for the next phrase where it speaks of a war that will continue until the end when all that has been decreed in verse 24 has achieved its purpose. That end will be overwhelming and be astonishing for your people when God reestablishes their right to inhabit the holy city.

The war decreed is in progress as we speak for spiritual warfare is only a prelude to end times when God pronounces judgment in favor of the saints. 

At the present time we are engaged is a spiritual war that is unseen by the average person but the child of God becomes aware of shortly after his birth into the kingdom of God. We wage war against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms through the power of prayer.  The weapons we fight with are not the weapons of the world but through faith in our God who fights our battles in the heavenly realms. When exercising our faith we have the power to demolish the arguments of the arrogant and those who think themselves to be superior to our God.  In due course God has given us the power to overcome the evil one.     

The devil will be hurled to the earth knowing his time is short. In the time allotted to him he will wage open warfare with those who obey God's commandments and hold to the testimony of Jesus.  He was not only given authority to make war against the saints but to conquer them and devour the whole earth. The spoils of his war included the sanctuary of God. He will gain control through deception through copying the miracles that God has done in the past to demonstrate his power and right to be a God. Then a statue of his image will be set up in God’s temple and will authorize it to speak like Balaam’s donkey to order those who refuse to worship his image to be put to death. When the number of God’s saints have been killed and when the power of the holy people has been finally broken, all these things will be completed."   

 

 

Part 4

Seventy Sevens

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Daniel 9:27  Goal Reached

According to the most popular interpretation of the rapture the person, He,  is the Anti-Christ. As previously mentioned the Anti-Christ is only spoken of in first and second John. However  interpreters think the person described fits the character of the Anti-Christ who will make a treaty with Israel. However Satan’s profile indicates he thrives in chaos and would take by force anything he couldn’t achieve through normal relations. From a grammar standpoint the only person mentioned within <a href="http://" title=""Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. After the sixty-two 'sevens,' the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."">Daniel 9:24-27 is the anointed one. From a scriptural standpoint Christ is the anointed of God who was assigned to carry out every specification of the decree.

The person referred as He will confirm a covenant several years later as prophesied at the turn of the century. The most popular interpretation defines in error the word “confirm” as to make when the word confirm actually speaks of validation that strengthens a previously known covenant. The covenant confirmed by He is compact by cutting and passing between pieces of flesh known as the “Beriyth”OT-1285. At the same time this covenant speaks of the sacrificial Lamb of God.

The word covenant (OT 1285) is used as covenant, league and confederacy in the Old Testament and rendered as Testament ‎(diatheke  NT1242). Diatheke is used to express a disposition, contract, will of God and rendered as covenant and testament. God uses covenants like a promise to form solid and lasting agreements. By the same token we have a covenant of the Old Testament and a covenant of the New Testament.     

The beriyth was also a covenant of blood specifically with the blood drained and sprinkled on the altar and at the base of the burnt offering. The life of the sacrificed Lamb was in the blood and sprinkled against the altar and poured out at its base to show the penalty for sin was paid and the blood at the base of the altar was trodden into the ground demonstrating contempt for breaking the covenant.

Christ’s blood was sprinkled over the streets of Jerusalem on his way to Golgotha and the people who followed treaded his blood into the ground. At Golgotha he was arranged and nailed to the cross and mocked by those who had him crucified. There he bled for humanity with his blood dripping to the base of the cross.  Christ was the life of the world but on the cross he gave his life to atone for the sins of mankind and to bring his people back into a covenant relationship with God.

This covenant was not for a few but for anyone who chose to receive Jesus as Lord. His death as the Lamb of God established a new Covenant where there was no more need for sacrifice because he was sacrificed once for all. The blood of Christ was poured out for the forgiveness of sins and for the countless number of people who have chosen to become children of God. Therefore because of Calvary God put an end to the needless slaughter of animals for a sin offering through obedience.

The sacrifice of the Lamb of God brings the seventieth week to a dividing point where the decree of God will bring his purpose to a final resolution. Perhaps God wants to know the sincerity of his elect so the second half of the seventieth week will be a time of testing to determine where the loyalty of man’s heart rests. Some of the wise will stumble and be refined, purified and made spotless but at the allotted time the decree will run its course and accomplish the goals of the decree.

The bible says there was war in heaven, Satan who leads the whole world astray, was hurled to the earth and his angels with him. Then a rebellion must occur and the man doomed to destruction will be revealed. He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God's temple, proclaiming himself to be God. (2 Thessalonians 2:2-4). Then another beast, came out of the earth who ordered them to set up an image on a wing of the temple of God in honor of the beast who was wounded by the sword and yet lived (Revelation 13:14). This abomination is a detestable idol made to look like the beast who leads the world away from God into the kingdom of darkness. In his effort to be like God he will deceive everyone with the same miracles God used to confirm his Deity.  His miraculous evidence will deceive those who do not know their God and bring about the desolation of man and the ruin of his soul. He will stamp out resistance for those who struggle over who is God will be ordered to worship him or be executed

Knowing his time is short Satan comes to steal kin and destroy. Defeated he is filled with rage and responding to being humiliated he decides to wage war against the saints.  If God had not cut short those days no one would have survived. The war will come to a sudden halt when the Anointed one comes and puts an end to transgression and those who sin of their free will.

The day will come when the thrones of God were set in place; Satan was stripped of power and thrown into Lake of fire. The Ancient of Days will take his seat and open the books that remind God of the deeds of men.  The dead were judged according to what they had done. The everlasting kingdom of the most high was handed over to the saints and to those who held to the testimony of Jesus.

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