Recreate Church, Pastor Michael Shockley—Service, Sunday, July 11, 2021

God turns Tribulation into Redemption.

Today Pastor Michael is back inside our church for the first time in well over a year, our last meeting was March 15, 2020!  So, we’re all pretty excited about that!  And we’re back!  Today, we’re talking tribulation; both the Great Tribulation in a continuum of our “End Times” series, plus the tribulations we live daily.  And today we’re talking about Daniel’s prayer and vision of the seventy weeks.  This prophesy is about Israel in the end times, the Tribulation.  Michael outlines the purpose of the Tribulation is six (6) examples, which are outlined below, in a section from MacArthur’s Notes.

(MacArthur Study Bible Notes (ESV)) This highly complex and startlingly accurate prophecy answers Daniel’s prayer, not with reference to near history, but by giving the future of Israel in the final end of the age. God promises two sets of three accomplishments each. First, those related to sin are: 1) finish the transgression, i.e., restrain sin and Israel’s in particular in its long trend of apostasy, as in v. 11 2) put an end to sin, i.e., to judge it with finality (cf. Heb. 9:26); and 3) atone for iniquity, signifies to furnish the actual basis of covering sin by full atonement, the blood of the crucified Messiah who is “cut off ” (Dan. 9:26), which affects the first two realities (cf. the fountain, Zech. 13:1). Second, those accomplishments related to righteousness are: 1) bring in . . . righteousness, the eternal righteousness of Daniel’s people in their great change from centuries of apostasy; 2) seal both vision, i.e., no more revelation is needed and God will bring these anticipations to completion by their fulfillment in Israel’s blessing as a nation; and 3) anoint a most holy place, consecrate the Holy Place in a temple of the future that will be the center of worship in the millennial kingdom (cf. Ezek. 40–48). Clearly this must be understood to sweep to the end of Gentile power and the time of Antichrist right before Christ’s return. Summing up, the first three are fulfilled in principle at Christ’s first coming, in full at his return. The last three complete the plan at his second advent.

So, it is a bit math centric and a bit complicated but the enduring message here is Daniel prayed in faith for the Lord to deliver Jerusalem.  And Gabriel’s message to Daniel was simple and striking. 483 years – that is, 69 units of seven years – would pass from the time of the command recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8 until the appearance of Messiah the Prince.  

Next week, we’ll be in Revelation where Pastor Michael will continue the series on the “End Times”.

Today’s bible verses are found in Daniel 9: 24-27 and 2 Peter 3: 11.