The First to Die for Christ

Stephen’s death (Acts 7:51-60) is probably the most significant chapter in the life of the Church since Pentecost. He is the first believer whose blood was shed in Jesus name, and I don’t believe its significance is fully appreciated in the Church today. It may come as a surprise to know that he was probably stoned on the Day of Atonement 3 ½ years after Jesus’ crucifixion and comes at the culmination of the second half of the 70^th week of Daniels 70 Weeks Prophecy. The first half of that week incorporated Jesus’ public ministry which ended in his crucifixion in the “midst of the week” (cp. Daniel 9:26-27). Both halves equal 7 years or the 70^th Week beginning on the Feast of Trumpets in 27 CE and ending on the Day of Atonement or 10^th day of the seventh month in 34 CE.

 

Setting Dates Sells Books!

I wonder if anyone has noticed that many of the books on prophecy become best sellers because they feed the flesh rather than the spirit. Most Christians would like to prove Christianity correct, but as Paul found out in Athens, it can’t be done. Rather he wrote to the Corinthians (the next community he visited) that instead of coming to them with wisdom of words (i.e. Paul the philosopher, which he tried to do in Athens) he would know only Christ and him crucified (1Corinthians 2:1-2).

 

Can the Great Tribulation be Shortened?

In Matthew 24:21 Jesus foretold a time of great tribulation. It is from here that we get our modern doctrine of “The Great Tribulation.” In Revelation believers are warned to repent or they would go through “Great Tribulation,” and then in Revelation we find that many did repent while going through “Great Tribulation.” Whether all these Scriptures refer to the same period is uncertain as far as the texts are concerned. There doesn’t seem to be any real evidence to tie them together.

 

Fixing the Date of Stephen’s Death

Fixing Stephen’s death (Acts 7:51-60) to an exact day involves using prophecy, which if true, will offer not only an element of certainty to this study but also a degree of importance of his death. That is, Stephen’s death would have particular significance for the new body of believers and for the kingdom of God. As I hope to show, Stephen’s death is tied up in the 70 Weeks Prophecy of Daniel 9. This prophecy identifies the Messiah. That is, it points to him beyond all doubt and identifies Jesus as the long awaited Son of David, the Anointed of God.

 

Jesus Came to an Unprepaired Nation!

As I consider the fact that the royal visit of the magi to Jerusalem, I have to wonder about how little the Jewish nation was prepared to meet their Messiah. After all, Daniel had predicted the very day he would arrive upon the scene. If the very day of his arrival had been prophesied centuries earlier, why were the Jews so unprepared?

 

To Seal up the Vision and the Prophecy

I now come to the fifth work of God as prophesied by the angel in Daniel 9:24. Each work, thus far, we have found has been finished in Christ and there remains nothing more to fulfill at a later date, showing the future fulfillment of the final seven years of this prophecy is a false doctrine. By believing that there remains seven years to be fulfilled before completion of this prophecy has kept us from the truth that this prophecy reveals in Christ. We need to examine our understanding of these things to assure ourselves that what we believe is sound and taught by the original Apostles (cp. 2Corinthians 13:5).

 

Make Reconciliation for Iniquity

I am considering the angel’s prophecy found in Daniel 9:24 at this time. If one would read the prophecy it would be seen there are six works of God that must be fulfilled before one cold claim the 70 Weeks prophecy is fulfilled. I have already discussed the first two claims by the angel in three blogs preceding this one, showing that these works of God were fulfilled in Christ nearly 2000 years ago, and this third work is no different. The angel claimed “Seventy weeks are determined …to make reconciliation for Iniquity…” While sealing involved purchasing and hence ownership, reconciliation involved peace between enemies or offended parties. God desires love not forced servitude from his children, and he always makes the first move toward our salvation:

 

Rebellion and the Sin Principle

In this blog I am discussing the fulfillment of Daniel 9:24 or the 70 Weeks Prophecy. There were six works of God which the angel said must be fulfilled before the end of the 490 years. It is my understanding that the 70 Weeks Prophecy stands fulfilled, the final or 70^th week occurring during the ministry of Jesus and proceeding to the time of Stephen’s death. If the six works of God are complete, so is the 70 Weeks Prophecy and to look for a fulfillment of the final week in our time or some future age would be futile.

 

To Finish the Transgression

In Daniel 9 the angel told Daniel that it would take 490 years (70 weeks of years or 10 jubilees) in order to accomplish six works of God in Israel (Daniel 9:24). If these six works of God are complete, then the prophecy must be complete no matter how we think end time prophecy should develop. But, if any are lacking, then the 70 Weeks Prophecy remains to be fulfilled in our day or perhaps sometime in a distant future age. I hope to take each of these six works in its own blog or blogs in an effort to show the 70 Weeks Prophecy is fulfilled, proving today’s eschatology believed by most evangelicals is in error.

 

The Coming of Ezra

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The Temple was completed in the sixth year of the king of Persia as is stated in Ezra 6:15. This occurred in Adar, the 12^th month of the Jewish year. In the following month during the Passover season the Jews dedicated the Temple. Chapter seven of Ezra begins with the words: “Now after these things…” Obviously, this refers to what occurred after the completion of the Temple and its dedication, namely, Ezra gained a release from the king of Persia in the seventh year of his reign. It all seems to fit – the seventh year always follows the sixth year – but the rub is that traditional thought would have us believe that because Darius is the king in chapter six and Artaxerxes is mentioned in chapter 7, that these are two different kings. Can this be true? No! This is another case of vain tradition making the word of God of no effect. There is direct continuity intended here as we shall see.

 

God Sends in the Prophets

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Haggai and Zechariah the prophets began preaching after Nehemiah was sent back to Persia and the work on the Temple and the city was halted. After the death of Artaxerxes and two years into the reign of his son, Darius the Persian (Xerxes), they preached the word of God to the Jews; and the aging Zerubbabel and Jeshua, as examples before the people, led them to begin rebuilding the Temple and the city walls (Ezra 5:2). They were challenged by their local gentile rulers in Ezra 5:3. Notice the words of the gentiles:

 

Dating the Events of Ezra and Nehemiah

It has been said that Cyrus lived too early to be the king who gave the order to ‘restore and rebuild Jerusalem’, yet the book of Ezra records his command to build the Temple, and one would not build a Temple of worship and leave the city that surrounds it in ruins. God said it would be Cyrus who would give such a command that would not only include the rebuilding of the temple but the city as well (Isaiah 44:24-28). The fact is: the only reason one would not regard Cyrus as the person to whom Daniel 9:25 refers is the current chronology based upon the alleged observations of Claudius Ptolemy for the placement of the Persian kings, and the word of God does not fit the chronology laid out by the experts!

 

Unlikely but True—The 490 Years Begin Here!

I apologize in advance for the long post, but we must set a date for the beginning of the Seventy Weeks Prophecy. I am not qualified to set a date by the stars. Nor do I have an infallible personal knowledge of ancient history. Let those who think they have such speak up, but I do not know of any whether in theological circles or secular historians. All have based their knowledge upon the false foundation of the works of Claudius Ptolemy, the second century astronomer. Therefore, I must count backwards from the times of Jesus, the Messiah. Since the prophecy pertains to his coming, we can find the date by counting 483 years back to the first year of Cyrus, the king of Babylon. This means, of course, that the significance of the second part of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy pointing to the time and arrival of the Messiah is placed in serious jeopardy. However, I am confident that Daniel did not place all his eggs in one basket. There is enough information that can be gleaned from the surrounding chapters to show who Messiah is and that he came on time.

 

Seventy Years of Babylonian Rule

The traditional dates for the beginning of Jeremiah’s Seventy Years Prophecy and the return from captivity cannot be reconciled with the claims of the Bible. A seventh century captivity is at odds with our using Cyrus as the king who issued the decree to release the Jews to rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple. In such a case Bible students have sought to reconcile this error by using Artaxerxes instead of Cyrus, but all Artaxerxes did was reaffirm what Cyrus had written in the beginning. Daniel’s prophecy clearly points to Cyrus as God’s agent in this matter (cp. Isaiah 44:28; 45:1), but the chronology of current ancient history forbids our using him for this purpose. Nevertheless, I intend to continue on the assumption that Cyrus is this figure and that future blogs will show reasonable evidence that this is the correct choice.

 

Messiah Was Expected to Atone for Sin

From yesterday’s blog one could understand from the context of Isaiah 53 that it was expected that the Messiah would atone for sin. Yet, modern Judaism repudiates the idea of human sacrifice. Certainly there is some truth in this, but is the doctrine itself wrong or has history abused the idea of human sacrifice, by taking one’s own children or an innocent virgin from the community to sacrifice to a supposed god of whom favor was sought? This type of human sacrifice is, indeed, wrong, but is the teaching wrong? Didn’t the death of the High Priest atone for sin? Didn’t his death permit all who were exiled to the cities of refuge for such sins as manslaughter go free? Let’s take another look at Isaiah 53 to see what the prophet says: