The vision God gave to Daniel in
answer to his prayer for his people.
I. An
astonishing revelation.
(1) All
liberal critics rejecting it as forgery, say written in 165 BC not 535BC.Say all the prophecies are not prophecies at
all, but history in apocalyptic mold.
Say written to encourage suffering
Jews who were in a death struggle against the king of Syria.
But:
(1) Prophecy
of destruction of temple, city.This
encourage?Unbelievably horrible to the
Jew.
(2) Prophecy
of death of Messiah, unthinkable to the Jew.
Compare: Matt. 16:20-23.
(2) The
exact date of Messiah’s death.
70 “heptads”, “sevens” of years for
the completion of God’s judgment upon the chosen nation, 490 years.
69 “heptads” till the death of
Messiah 483 years.
7 “heptads” for the rebuilding of
the wall and street of Jerusalem.49
years for the commandment to restore the city.Neh. 2 Nisan (month). Artaxerxes 445BC- 396BC.
62 “Heptads” to death of Messiah,
434 years.396BC-30AD Nisan.
(3) The
Nature of Messiah.
He is more than a mere man: “cut
off, but not for Himself.”
His death far more than that of a
patriot martyr.His death that of an
atoning victim, that sins may be removed, human nature restored from ruin, made
ready for the presence of God.
“Cut off”--evidence that He was a
man.
“Not for Himself”--evidence that He
more than a man.
His death different from ours.
It was His ignominy, shame, that He
was cut off.It was glory, victory, it
was not for Himself.
II. The
Unique Nature of His Heart.
1. Pre-determined
by divine counsel and decree.
Acts 2:23; 4:28
What God predetermined was not the
teachings of Jesus, miracles example.
Something unique, deliverance in
that death.
2. Voluntary.
We all are forced to die; somewhere,
someday.
Not Messiah.He chose to do it.Did not overtake Him by surprise.Predicted it.Purpose of
His coming.
John 10:18; Heb. 10:5-7
3. That
of a perfect, innocent being.
“not for Himself” nothing worthy of
death.
Pilate: “I find in Him no fault at
all.”
Judas: “I have betrayed innocent
blood.”
God: “This is my beloved Son, in who
I am well pleased.”
Sanhedrin, High Priest: could not
find in the conflicting testimonies of suborned and conflicting testimonies
anything against the Messiah.
Yet suffered the greatest agony of
any who ever bore a cross, an agony that no executed victim ever suffered.
4. Unique
Circumstances that accompanied His death.
Mystery of His cry of agony in the
Garden of Gethsemane.
There is a still deeper mystery of
the cry from the cross, “My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?”
No Christian martyr ever died like
that.The Lord said, “I will never
leave thee nor forsake thee.”
Darkness covered the earth from 12
noon until 3 in the afternoon.
Veil rent.
Earthquakes.
Old saints were raised and appeared
in the city.
Roman centurion, said that he had
never seen a man die like that.. “Truly this was the Son of God.”
III. The Meaning of His Death
The scriptures simply exhaust
language to describe and interpret the meaning of that death.It was for us.Huper, “for”, “in behalf of,” “instead of”.
“Atonement” a covering for our sin.
“Expiation” the purpose of it is to
take away sin.
“Propitiation,” a conciliatory
offering before God, a ransom in our behalf.
“Vicarious sacrifice” for some one
else “just for the unjust.”
“Idea of atonement inseparable from
the death of Christ.”
Justification, acceptance, forgives
all associated with His death.His
death not an example, how the Jews should patiently suffer, but an atonement.
When the apostles came to see it,
all Scriptures came to have new meaning.
1. The
Old Testament
His death the subject of extended
prophecy.
Ps. 22; Isa. 23--an exposition of
Dan. 9:26
So Acts 8 by Philip
So I Peter 2:22
Mosaic ritual “without shedding of
blood, no redemption.”
A transgressor, sinner.
A victim.
On the head of that innocent animal
the sinner placed his hand.
Sacrifice offered--Blessing poured
out.
2. The
New Testament.
(1) The
gospels, are largely of His death, events leading up to it, the story of this
noonday.
(2) The
evangel, the Good News.
We preach Christ crucified.I Cor. 1,2
Gal. 6:14 Does he glory in the
Virgin Birth?Does he glory in the
crown and the coming victory?Does he
glory in the Lord’s miracles and in His teachings? No, “God forbid that I
should glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
(3)The memorial supper
(Eucharist) celebrated in every sanctuary, to the end of time.What remembered?(His death).
(4)Apocalyptic song Rev. 1:5;
5:9
IV. The
Incomparable Meaning for Us.
“Not for Himself.”
1. It
is the intervention of God from heaven that we might be saved from the penalty
of our sins.
Sin, an eternal evil working out its
own perpetuity in death forever.Not
able to break the “chain” of the wages of sin. Then death.
Some holy intervention, from the
outside, beyond ourselves to save us.
2. It
is a gift bestowed upon us out of love.
Fastings, austerities, mutilations,
flagellation, persecutions of the flesh, not made us worthy of it, buy it.
We have not to climb any penitential
stairs in order to reach heaven.Groanings, remorseful days do not achieve it.It is a gift.We receive
it, take it.“Jesus paid it all.”
John 3:16; Eph. 2:8.
3. In
it is not only forgiveness, but acceptance, restoration.Could be, as a criminal, tolerated,
reminded, forever, judged, condemned.
(had rather be shut out, left out.)
But in Christ, we are a received
son, daughter.He has taken our
sins...judgment.
Compare: prodigal.The father’s house “This is my son.He was dead and is alive again.He was lost and is found.”
