Nation of Israel

The time of the end (part 2)

We are told in Daniel 9:23 that at the beginning of Daniel’s pleas for mercy the angel Gabriel was sent to him with a response from God. Gabriel described his message for Daniel as “a word.” The word that Gabriel used, dâbâr (daw-bawrˊ) conveyed “divine communication” (H1697). Daniel was first introduced to Gabriel when he sought to understand his vision of the ram and the goat which he was told had to do with the appointed time of the end (Daniel 8:15-27). When Gabriel came to Daniel the second time, Gabriel laid out for Daniel a high-level overview of God’s plan of salvation for the nation of Israel, which would take place over a period he described as seventy weeks, beginning with Cyrus’ decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24-27; Ezra 1:1-4).

Daniel 9:24-27 “is one of the most important prophesies in Scripture. Daniel had been praying about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the return of his people. God gave Daniel a time frame for all his dealings with Israel…The seventy ‘weeks’ refer to years. Some biblical scholars suggest that the sixty-nine ‘weeks’ until the Messiah would come began with the decree that was issued to Nehemiah in 445 BC and ended 483 years later on Palm Sunday (based on 360-day years; see Rev. 11:3; 12-6; 13:5)…There is likely a gap, a feature that is characteristic of some prophesies, between the sixty-ninth and seventieth ‘week.’ If this is the case, then the ‘prince who is to come’ refers to the Antichrist, who will make a treaty with the Jews and then break it” (note on Daniel 9:24-27).

Daniel’s prophetic revelation moved methodically through the time period leading up to the birth of Christ and then fast forwarded to the appointed time of the end. The shift is made obvious in Daniel 11:36 “by the fact that Antiochus was one of the ‘king[s] of the north’ (a Seleucid), while the Antichrist is attacked by the kings of the North and the South (Daniel 11:40)…Daniel 12:1, which continues the narrative from chapter 11, identifies the time frame as the ‘time of trouble,’ also know as the great tribulation (cf. Jeremiah 30:7; Matthew 24:21)” (note on Daniel 11:36). Daniel 12:1-4 states:

“At that time shall arise Michael, the great prince who has charge of your people. And there shall be a time of trouble, such as never has been since there was a nation till that time. But at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone whose name shall be found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever. But you, Daniel, shut up the words and seal the book, until the time of the end. Many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall increase.”

“This passage is one of the clearest Old Testament references to the resurrection of the dead…The implication is that the understanding of these visions would be made clear at ‘the time of the end’ (Daniel 12:4)” (note on Daniel 12:1-4). The Apostle Paul testified to his belief in the resurrection of the dead when he was on trial before Felix at Caesarea. Paul said, “But this I confess to you, that according to the Way, which they call a sect, I worship the God of our fathers, believing everything laid down by the Law and written in the Prophets, having a hope in God, which these men themselves accept, that there will be a resurrection of both the just and the unjust” (Acts 24:14-15).

Daniel 12:4 links the time of the end with the seventieth week of Daniel’s prophecy about the nation of Israel (Daniel 9:24-27). According to Daniel 12:1-4, the remnant of Israel goes through the great tribulation and Revelation 7:4 indicates there will be 144,000 sealed from every tribe of the sons of Israel. The seventieth week is expected to last seven years, but when he was asked, “How long shall it be till the end of the wonders?,” the pre-incarnate Christ, “swore by him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time, and that when the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be finished” (Daniel 12:7). The phrase “time, times, and half a time” appears in Revelation 12:14. Revelation chapter 12 describes the conflict between the nation of Israel, who is represented by the woman, and Satan, who is represented by the dragon. As the scene plays out, the woman escapes “into the wilderness, to the place where she is to be nourished for a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14),” indicating that the shattering of the power of the holy people will occur during the last three and a half years of the great tribulation.

Jesus said, “When the shattering of the power of the holy people comes to an end, all these things would be finished” (Daniel 12:7). I believe the things that Jesus was referring to that would be finished were the things associated with the Old Covenant that God established with the nation of Israel. The millennial reign of Christ marks the beginning of the eternal kingdom of God that was promised to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Jesus referred to this as the kingdom of heaven. Jesus told his followers, “many will come from east and west and recline at table with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, while the sons of the kingdom will be thrown into outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth” (Matthew 8:11-12). In this passage, Jesus distinguished between the physical descendants of Abraham who were under the Old Covenant and those who by faith received Christ.

The LORD’s Anointed

Old Testament references to Israel’s Messiah, Jesus Christ, are not always easily identifiable because the terminology that is used to distinguish him is sometimes applied to others. For instance, the Messiah is referred to as the king in Psalm 21, which was written by King David and could be applied to the writer also. Psalm 21 is one of the psalms referred to as Messianic (other examples of Messianic portions would include Psalm 34:20; 40:6-8; 41:9; 45:6, 7; 69:21; 72:8; and 118:22). Psalms are classified as Messianic based on one or more of the three following criteria. First, consider the testimony of the writers of the Old Testament. When other books, in the context of discussing the Messiah, contain quotes or wording very similar to lines from the psalms (e.g. Psalm 72:8, cf. Zechariah 9:10), it is a clear indication that a psalm is Messianic. Secondly, there are the citations from psalms that Christ applied to himself (e.g. Psalm 41:9, cf. John 13:18) or that New Testament writers identified as depicting Christ (e.g., Psalm 118:22, cf. Acts 4:11; 1 Peter 2:7). Finally, there are statements in the psalms that, while never specifically identified as such in the Scriptures, clearly point to Jesus Christ, (e.g. Psalm 22:1, cf. Matthew 27:46). It should be noted that within the ‘Messianic’ portions of individual psalms, some passages refer exclusively to Christ while others seem to also address a situation faced by the human writer” (note on Psalm 22:1-31).

Psalm 2 is one of the psalms that is identified as Messianic. In this psalm, Christ is referred to as the LORD’s Anointed, as well as, my Son. One of the well-known lines in this Psalm is found in verse 7, “The LORD said to me, ‘You are my Son; today I have begotten you.’” The Apostle Paul quoted this verse in a message he delivered at Antioch. After reciting a brief history of the people of Israel (Acts 13:16-25), Paul stated:

“Brothers, sons of the family of Abraham, and those among you who fear God, to us has been sent the message of this salvation. For those who live in Jerusalem and their rulers, because they did not recognize him nor understand the utterances of the prophets, which are read every Sabbath, fulfilled them by condemning him. And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed. And when they had carried out all that was written of him, they took him down from the tree and laid him in a tomb. But God raised him from the dead, and for many days he appeared to those who had come up with him from Galilee to Jerusalem, who are now his witnesses to the people. And we bring you the good news that what God promised to the fathers, this he has fulfilled to us their children by raising Jesus, as also it is written in the second Psalm,

“‘You are my Son,
today I have begotten you.’” (Acts 13:26-33)

Paul’s comment about the good news that was promised to the Israelites had to do with their Messiah not being recognized as the Son of God. Paul said the Jews living in Jerusalem and their rulers did not understand the utterances of the prophets, in particular that the verse he quoted from Psalm 2 was Messianic.

The title of Psalm 2, The Reign of the LORD’s Anointed, points to an event that was expected by the Jews at the time of Christ’s birth, but was largely misunderstood because it didn’t apply to the nation of Israel. The book of Revelation tells us that Christ’s reign will take place after a worldwide system of government is established that requires allegiance to one man, Antichrist who will rule over all the earth (Revelation 13:1-8). At the end of Antichrist’s 42 month reign, Christ will return to earth and will, “strike down the nations, and will rule them with a rod of iron” (Revelation 19:15). Psalm 2 begins with the question, “Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain?” (Psalm 2:1), referring to the rebellion against God that elicits Christ’s return. The psalmist states, “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the LORD and against his Anointed, saying, ‘Let us burst their bonds apart and cast away their cords from us’” (Psalm 2:2-3).

People’s attitude toward God when Christ returns will be one of complete disdain, which is why it will be necessary for him to rule with a rod of iron. In response to the world’s antagonism toward him, Christ will appoint judges to rule with him over the people on earth for a thousand years (Revelation 20:4-5), but when the thousand years are ended, Satan will be given one last opportunity to oppose Christ’s authority (Revelation 20:7-9). It says in Revelation 20:9 that fire will come down from heaven and consume Satan’s army. God’s rationale for a swift and decisive defeat of Satan is conveyed in Psalm 2:4-7. It states:

He who sits in the heavens laughs;
    the Lord holds them in derision.
Then he will speak to them in his wrath,
    and terrify them in his fury, saying,
“As for me, I have set my King
    on Zion, my holy hill.”

I will tell of the decree:
The Lord said to me, “You are my Son;
    today I have begotten you.

A decree is an official order issued by a legal authority. God’s decrees must be observed and by virtue of his divine authority, are like the laws of nature which cannot be broken. God’s statement, “As for me, I have set my King on Zion, my holy hill” (Psalm 2:6) implies that a decision was made at a particular point in time that determined Christ’s sacrifice for our sins would result in him becoming the individual who was given the power and authority to rule over God’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:4-16). Before Jesus was born, God said of the coming Messiah, “I will be to him a father, and he shall be to me a son” (2 Samuel 7:14).

The reign of the LORD’s Anointed is depicted as a period of harsh judgment. It says of the LORD’s Anointed in Psalm 2:9, “You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter’s vessel.” “The ‘rod’ mentioned here is not an emblem of a royal office but a rod of correction in the hand of the King. The fact that it is made of iron indicates the severity and harshness of the judgment that will be meted out by Christ at his return (Revelation 19:15). This harsh judgment is not inconsistent with the meekness and gentleness of Christ. Meekness does not exclude anger but simply means that one is angry for the right reasons and at the right time (John 2:13-17). Jesus could truthfully claim to be gentle without contradicting his claim to be the Judge (Matthew 11:28-30; John 5:26-30)” (note on Psalm 2:9). The Hebrew word that is translated break in Psalm 2:9, raʿaʿ (raw-ahˊ) means “to spoil (literally, by breaking to pieces)…The root of the word indicates breaking, in contrast to the word tamam (8552), which means to be whole” (H7489). Tamam has to do with something being complete or finished, “to conclude. At its root, this word carries the connotation of finishing or bringing closure” (H8552).

Jesus told his disciples before he was crucified that he was going to prepare a place for them (John 14:2). Jesus said, “And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and will take you to myself, that where I am you may be also” (John 14:3). In his Parable of the Ten Minas, Jesus explained that it was necessary for the LORD’s Anointed to go away in order for him to receive his kingdom. Luke tells us, “As they heard these things, he proceeded to tell a parable, because they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear immediately: (Luke 19:11). Luke 19:12-27 states:

He said therefore, “A nobleman went into a far country to receive for himself a kingdom and then return. Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten minas, and said to them, ‘Engage in business until I come.’ But his citizens hated him and sent a delegation after him, saying, ‘We do not want this man to reign over us.’ When he returned, having received the kingdom, he ordered these servants to whom he had given the money to be called to him, that he might know what they had gained by doing business. The first came before him, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made ten minas more.’ And he said to him, ‘Well done, good servant! Because you have been faithful in a very little, you shall have authority over ten cities.’ And the second came, saying, ‘Lord, your mina has made five minas.’ And he said to him, ‘And you are to be over five cities.’ Then another came, saying, ‘Lord, here is your mina, which I kept laid away in a handkerchief; for I was afraid of you, because you are a severe man. You take what you did not deposit, and reap what you did not sow.’ He said to him, ‘I will condemn you with your own words, you wicked servant! You knew that I was a severe man, taking what I did not deposit and reaping what I did not sow? Why then did you not put my money in the bank, and at my coming I might have collected it with interest?’ And he said to those who stood by, ‘Take the mina from him, and give it to the one who has the ten minas.’ And they said to him, ‘Lord, he has ten minas!’ ‘I tell you that to everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for these enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me.’”

Jesus indicated the citizens of the kingdom hated the LORD’s Anointed and did not want him to reign over them. At the end of the parable, Jesus spoke as though he was the one who was hated and said to those who were listening, “I tell you that everyone who has, more will be given, but from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. But as for those enemies of mine, who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slaughter them before me” (Luke 19:26-27). A couple of days later, in his Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Luke 20:9-18), Jesus revealed the people’s motive for being hostile toward the LORD’s Anointed. Jesus stated:

Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’ But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” When they heard this, they said, “Surely not!” But he looked directly at them and said, “What then is this that is written:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone’?

Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” (Luke 20:13-18)

When Jesus returns, he intends to judge those who have rejected him as the LORD’s Anointed. Jesus told his disciples, “Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel” (Matthew 19:28). The Greek word that is translated new world, paliggenesia (pal-ing-ghen-es-eeˊ-ah) refers specifically to Messianic restoration. “In the sense of renovation, restoration, restitution to a former state; spoken of complete eternal manifestation of the Messiah’s kingdom when all things are to be delivered from the present corruption and restored to spiritual purity and splendor (Matthew 19:28)” (G3824).

God’s restoration of the world will be similar to the spiritual rebirth that believers experience when they are born again. Paul explained in his letter to Titus, “But when the goodness and loving kindness of God our Savior appeared, he saved us, not because of works done by us in righteousness, but according to his mercy, by the washing of regeneration (paliggenesia) and renewal of the Holy Spirit, whom he poured out on us richly through Jesus Christ our Savior, so that being justified by his grace we might become heirs according to the hope of eternal life” (Titus 3:4-7). Paul used the phrase washing of regeneration to describe the cleansing that takes place at salvation (G3067). This cleansing is done through Jesus Christ, the Word of God. Revelation 19:12-16 tells us that when Jesus, the LORD’s Anointed returns, “His eyes are like a flame of fire, and on his head are many diadems, and he has a name written that no one knows but himself. He is clothed in a robe dipped in blood, and the name by which his is called is The Word of God. And the armies of heaven, arrayed in fine linen, white and pure, were following him on white horses. From his mouth comes a sharp sword with which to strike down the nations, and he will rule them with a rod of iron. He will tread the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God the Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has a name written, King of kings and Lord of lords.” The nineteenth chapter of Revelation concludes with the beast and the false prophet being captured and “thrown alive into the lake of fire that burns with sulfur” and the rest who made war against the LORD’s Anointed, “were slain by the sword that came from the mouth of him who was sitting on the horse, and all the birds were gorged on their flesh” (Revelation 19:20-21).

Psalm 2 concludes with a warning to the rulers of the earth to not contest the supremacy of the LORD’s Anointed. Psalm 2:10-12 states:

Now therefore, O kings, be wise;
    be warned, O rulers of the earth.
Serve the Lord with fear,
    and rejoice with trembling.
Kiss the Son,
    lest he be angry, and you perish in the way,
    for his wrath is quickly kindled.
Blessed are all who take refuge in him.

The Hebrew word that is translated blessed, ʾesher (ehˊ-sher) is “used to describe a person or nation who enjoys a relationship with God (Deuteronomy 33:29; Job 5:17; Psalm 33:12; 146:5)” (H835). Having a relationship with God means that you have access to him on a continuous basis. After he told his disciples he was going to prepare a place for them (John 14:3), Jesus said, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me” (John 14:6). Jesus referred to himself as the way, “the way of access, e.g., into the direct presence of God (Hebrews 9:8)” (G3598). Christ’s sacrifice opened the way for everyone to enter into God’s presence. Because of this, all who take refuge in him will be blessed and Jesus will rule over God’s kingdom forever (2 Samuel 7:4-16)

The nation of Israel

God’s promise to Abraham to make a great nation of his descendants was only partially fulfilled when the twelve tribes of Israel settled in the Promised Land. Abraham’s grandson Jacob was the father of the twelve men from whom the twelve tribes became established. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel after he was overpowered by him in an all-night wrestling match (Genesis 32:28). The name Israel means “he will rule (as) God” (3478). When the northern kingdom of Israel was destroyed by Assyria and its people sent into exile, it appeared that God’s effort to establish a nation from Abraham’s descendants had failed, but the nation of Israel was never intended to be a political institution. God wanted his spiritual kingdom to be manifested physically on earth.

A nation is similar to a body in that its individual members are considered to be a single unit that functions interdependently. The real purpose of a nation is to give its people a shared identity. When God changed Jacob’s name to Israel, he was giving him a new identity, one that would remain in tact until God’s kingdom was manifested on earth. In order for the nation of Israel to look like God’s kingdom, all of the twelve tribes had to be included. Speaking of the final outcome he was working towards, God told Jeremiah, “The fierce anger of the LORD shall not return, until he have done it, and until he have performed the intents of his heart: in the latter days ye shall consider it. At the same time, saith the LORD, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they shall be my people” (Jeremiah 30:24-31:1).

The issue that had to be resolved in order for Israel to be restored to a single united kingdom as it had been in king David’s day was its people had to turn away from their practice of idolatry. Isaiah described the situation as a covenant with death (Isaiah 28:15). God’s remedy was Jesus’ substitutionary death on the cross. He said, “Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation…And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand” (Isaiah 28:16,18). God’s love for his chosen people was so powerful that his grace became a way for him to turn them away from their idols. He said, “For I will turn their mourning into joy, and will comfort them, and make them rejoice from their sorrow… And my people shall be satisfied with my goodness, saith the LORD” (Jeremiah 31:13-14).

God’s restoration of the nation of Israel was identified as a “new thing.” Isaiah declared on behalf of the LORD, “Behold, the former things are come to pass, and new things do I declare: before they spring forth I tell you them” (Isaiah 42:9). The voluntary return of God’s people to their homeland was considered a new thing because they had rejected him over and over again. The only way to adequately describe the difference between the former things and the new that was expected to take place was a transformation of the heart. The once proud and rebellious people of the northern kingdom of Israel would become like an adoring bride (Jeremiah 31:22). All of Israel will one day embrace with tender and unfailing love the one they crucified.