“… that from the going forth of the command
to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince …”
(Dan 9:25, OAV)
We often receive testimonies from Manna readers who find that that week’s teachings speak directly to an issue they are currently wrestling with God about. People often consider this mere coincidence, when actually God is orchestrating these events, even surprising those of us on the senders-end of the word, marveling at “God’s mysterious ways” (1 Cor 4:1, CEV). For instance – it is utterly amazing that today’s teaching includes the daily reading of Dan 9, an unplanned but divinely orchestrated alignment- clearly a serendipity. If you understand today’s teaching it will have an enormous impact on your spiritual life – I believe that God has brought this synchronization about to focus our attention on the issue at hand.
In the previous teachings we discussed how Israel, as a covenant people, had a specific position amidst the other tribes of the world. But with the promise of a new covenant – “Thou wentest forth for the salvation of thy people: for salvation with thy Christ.” (Hab 3:13, DRB), God’s plan with Israel had slowly evolved until it had reached “Messiah the Prince” (Dan 9;25), “to build up Jerusalem again, unto Christ” (DRB).
Ps 2:2 had prophesied – “The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together, against the Lord and against His anointed”. This indeed happened, as Peter and John, in Acts 27, refer to this Old Testament scripture, saying “For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together.” (Acts 4:27).
Although Jesus was called the Messiah this was only a prophetic designation, as He had not been anointed yet. It was only when Jesus was anointed that He was established as the Anointed One, the Christ. This is crucially important for you to understand – as the entire interpretation of God’s timelines are dependant on this matter. Dan 9:24 explains that everything that needed to happen to Israel, the covenant people, had to happen over the course of seventy prophetic weeks, “For your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.” JESUS FULFILLED ALL OF THESE THINGS – and the next teaching will expound on how this had come about. In Dan 9:25 it is then clearly stated – “ Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.”
This is indeed the first elusive element of the “mystery of Godliness” which we have traced since the teaching of Day 222 …
- Sela: To understand God’s divine orchestration on yet another level – the gematria of number 346 (the number of today’s teaching) is “the Fountain of Life”, Jesus!
- Read: Num 18; Dan 9; Ezek 10
- Memorize: Dan 9:24-25
