"Know and Understand" | Daniel 9:20-27 | Pastor Keith

Daniel Chapter 9. We're going to look in depth at

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

the last four verses, but we'll start off.

Let's read from Daniel 9, verse 20.

Daniel 9:20

Now this is Daniel's prayer. So now while I was speaking,

praying and confessing my sin and the sin of my people,

Israel, presenting my supplication before the Lord my

God for the holy mountain of my God.

Yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I

had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly,

swiftly reached me about the time of the evening offering,

3:00 PM. And he informed me and talked

with me and said, Oh Daniel, here's the reason why he came.

I have now come forth why to give you what skill to

understand at the beginning of your supplications of your

prayers. The command went out.

God told Gabriel go. And I have come to tell you

firstly, God loves you. You're greatly beloved.

Daniel means beloved of God. Therefore, consider the matter

and understand what I'm about to tell you. 70 weeks are

determined for your people. That's Israel, for your holy

city, Jerusalem, to finish the transgression, to make an end of

sins, to bring reconciliation, for iniquity, to bring an

everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and

to anoint the most holy. And it should be to anoint the

most holy place, Jerusalem, the temple know therefore and

understand so he's told again, this is what you need to know

and understand. This is what I'm about to tell

you that from the going forth of the command to restore and build

Jerusalem until Messiah, the Prince, that's Jesus.

There shall be 7 weeks or and actually some of your Bibles

will have seven lots of seven years.

That's so that's 49 years and 62 weeks or 62 * 7 four, 134 years.

The streets shall be built. That's the streets of Jerusalem

and the wall, the walls of Jerusalem, even in troublesome

times. And after the 62 weeks, Messiah

and Jesus shall be cut off, but not for himself.

And the people of the Prince who is to come shall destroy the

city. This is Speaking of the Romans,

General Titus, and the sanctuary.

That's the temple. The end of it shall be with a

flood till the end of the war. Desolations are determined.

We're going to stop there because I will do the rest

Wednesday night. The title of this morning's

message is understand and know. People often think, oh, when you

go to church, what you do is is you come into the foyer, you

take out your brains and you put them over there and then you go

and sit down and just believe everything is told.

No, you and I need to know that as believers, we are to use the

intellect that's God has given us to understand and know and

give. We are given wisdom by the Holy

Spirit on what the Bible actually teaches us.

We didn't know it to which understand and know verse 22.

There's something about time that I'm learning so much more

as I get older. For all of us, it's very

precious. Isn't it time?

You know, you miss a birthday. You can't go back to that

birthday. If you miss a child's birthday

and you're working, you can't go back, can't have it again.

You miss an important meeting, you miss go.

Well, I was going to visit my dad and then he passed away.

I missed. You can't go back and re gauge

it. We can't.

Or just if I could just go back. Time is precious.

Here's the deal, you manage your time.

If you're saying you're too busy, don't blame anyone else.

It's not your, it's not your boss, it's not the environment.

If you're too busy for the things that are necessary,

there's only one person you need to look to.

You need to go and look at yourself in the mirror and go,

OK, you're too busy. You got to change some things.

You got to reorder some things. And don't wait until it's a

doctor's message that comes to you.

You've got three months or two weeks to live before you make

that change. Time for us is precious.

The older you get, the more valuable valuable it becomes.

Why? Because of the less of it that

you have. I've lived most of my life now.

I have a little bit at the end. Yet time is something we each

have been given. As I said before, we've been

given the same amount. When I talk to people, I say I'm

sitting in church for a while. Yeah, I've been too busy.

Well, actually, please don't say that.

I'm so thankful. God's never too busy for us.

For the first time in Scripture we find mention the first formal

mentioning of the term Messiah. It's referred to from Genesis

315 on seat of the woman. Yes, the Messiah, but for the

first time in Scripture, the formal mention of the term

Messiah is found in verse 25. God has given us this word, the

Bible, to know His plan for the world, and he has a plan.

And there are end dates for certain things to happen in

God's plan at certain times. We'll see that.

So this morning we're going to examine a period of time set

aside by God, a period of what's called 70 weeks.

It's literally 70 lots of seven years or 490 years.

Many of your Bibles will have that.

You and I in Australia and English world, we speak in terms

of 10s. You know, it's been so many

decades of this century. We took we we talked in in 10s,

but the Jews don't talk in 10s. They speak in periods of sevens.

It's actually the word heptad. The number 7 has long been

stamped on Israel from the beginning.

Seven days for the week. The Lord created everything in

seven days. Seven days for for the week.

On the 7th day, it's set apart the Sabbath for honouring God.

Also they had Sabbath of years in Leviticus 25 verse 2, give

Leviticus 25:2

the following instructions. The Lord said to the people of

Israel, when you've entered the land, I'm giving you the

promised land. The land itself must observe a

Sabbath rest before the Lord every 7th year.

So they were to farm and then in the 7th year, not farm, not do

anything, just leave it, rest, rejuvenate and rest.

There's a couple of reasons for them.

We'll look at that later. Daniel and verse 1 of Chapter 9,

remember has been reading the scriptures, particularly the

prophet Jeremiah, particularly at this time of that that he

goes to prayer from Jeremiah chapter 25 and Jeremiah 29.

Jeremiah 25 · chapter mention

In Jeremiah 25 verse 12, Daniel is reading.

Jeremiah 25:12

Then it will come to pass when 70 years are completed.

That's the period of captivity in Babylon that I will punish

the king of Babylon and that nation, the land of the

Chaldeans for their iniquity, says the Lord and I'll make it a

perpetual desolation. The Medes and the Persians came

and conquered after after that period.

In Jeremiah 29 verse 10, it says for thus says the Lord after 70

Jeremiah 29:10

years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my

good word toward you and cause you to return.

That is the people of Israel held in captive 70 years back

home back to Israel to Jerusalem.

For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord,

thoughts of peace and not of evil.

I want to give you a future and a hope.

It's the year 538 BC that Daniel is praying here in Chapter 9.

Daniel at this stage of age is in his mid 80s.

He's been in Babylon now for 67 years, since he was a teen taken

captive. And he's reading the Scriptures.

And as he's reading Jeremiah 25 and 29, he's gone.

We've been here 67 years. It's just three years and we'll

be going home. He took the Bible literally.

He didn't take it spiritually. Or what could this mean, man?

What does that actually mean? 70 years.

So he's got, we got three years and then we're, we're going

home. As Daniel reads this, he doesn't

just sit back and go, oh, I'll just wait for three years.

No, he's driven to pray. Here's what happens.

Daniel is a man of the word of God.

Daniel is a person who prayed. He prayed 3 times a day.

We found out about that. A praying person is a Bible

reading person. A Bible reading person is a

praying person. It's like a bicycle, the 2GO,

hand in hand. What happens is as you read, you

read things and you are driven to pray.

Oh, if they don't receive Christ as the Lord and Saviour, then

judgement awaits them. Actually, the judgement of God

sits upon them already. John 317 And so when I read

about people who don't know Christ, members of my family, I

am driven to prayer. It drives me to pray.

If I don't read it in the Bible and I don't care, then I don't

pray. Men don't say to another man,

I'm too busy or it's too hard to read the Bible.

Because I can guarantee if I go into your workshop, into your

tool chest, into your hobby or whatever else you have are into,

there's a manual, there's a set of instructions.

You'll be able to tell me in detail how this works, where

this part goes, it's an excuse. And if God can get a hold of the

man not to read the Bible and not to pray in the family, he's

got hold of the family. He's shaken the family.

I mean, Satan has got hold of the family and Satan is able to

shake that family. You say, well, my husband isn't

saved. God has a part for you ladies,

your job. One Peter chapter 3 tells you

you are to intercede. You're to love your husband,

treat him as Sarah did to Abraham and God's blessing will

flow through you and down through to your children.

Leave your husband to God. But men, I say it to you, man to

man, don't say you're too busy. Don't say I can't understand it.

Don't say those things because they're actually just excuses.

They don't. They don't work and God doesn't

take them on board. So 70 years, Daniel has driven

to prayer at 67 years, assisted, few years to go.

Why had Israel been captive in Babylon for 70 years?

Why that period of time? In Two Chronicles chapter 36,

verse 21, it's written so the message of the Lord spoken

through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its

Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the 70 years were

fulfilled, just as the prophet had said.

Leviticus 25, verse 3. Here's the commandment for six

Leviticus 25:3

years. He may plant your fields, prune

your vineyards, harvest your crops, but during the 7th year,

the land must have a Sabbath year of complete rest.

It is the Lord's Sabbath. Do not plant your fields or

prune your vineyards during that year.

You see, we sang and if you sang, we trust you.

We trust you. This morning I'm going to lay it

on you. If you said those words, I'm

going to lay it on to you. Now.

Do you trust God? Really?

Because if you sang those words, people, it's going to get

difficult. We see, you know, the RBA, the

Reserve Bank of Australia, rates aren't going to come down.

People saying it's getting more and more difficult.

You know who should stand out in the most difficult place?

Believers because as we continue to offer and give our first

fruits unto the Lord, as we continue to do that Malachi and

the Bible all through the Bible, Genesis to Revelation says I

will fulfil your needs. I will meet your needs.

It's not with things a bit tough, things are a bit tight.

It's that time that God says test me, try me.

Trust the Lord to meet your needs.

The bank's not going to meet your needs.

You're not going to meet your needs.

If you struggle in giving, remember giving is a sacrifice.

If you struggle in giving, then you struggle and trusting in

God. The children of Israel were not

to do their agrarian culture. This is it, a whole year, no

planting, no pruning. So they've got to rely upon what

they have to get them through the 7th year.

They didn't do it. God said you don't trust me,

I've given you. I mean look at all the things

that he's done. Put him in Egypt, looked after

him, got him out of Egypt. They got 400 years of back pay

into the promised land. They've got a land that's

already set up for them. All the crops and farms have

been done, sealed land flowing with milk and honey.

And they go, oh, yeah, I know what he says.

But, you know, I mean, things are tight.

If we don't farm this year, we're going to have nothing to

eat next year. You've missed the whole point if

you struggle in trusting God. How disappointed.

Well, well, I'll take, I'll take Jesus dying on the cross.

Yeah, I got that beer, so I don't want to go to hell.

But other areas I don't know if he comes up to scratch.

For 490 years, the nation Israel didn't trust God.

They disobeyed God and they ploughed and they cropped and

they ploughed and they cropped. And God said, you know what, I'm

going to intercede. I told you what to do.

You don't trust me. The land needs rest.

As the land gets rest, you get better crops, you get richer

soil. He says I'm taking back my 70

years of Sabbath for my land. I'll give it rest.

And so you, all of you are going to Babylon.

You can't farm. You can't put a crop in.

And for 70 years that's where you'll be until the land, my

land has had its Sabbath rest. But as Daniel is praying, his

prayer is interrupted as the Archangel Gabriel flew, it says

in verse 20, flew swiftly to speak to Daniel at the time of

the evening sacrifice, verse 21. Now we're aware of at least

three archangels in the Bible named Michael.

He seems to be the ones in charge of battles.

He's the soldier one. Lucifer was an Archangel.

He was at one time the worship leader in Heaven.

And Gabriel, he is the messenger of all things to do with

Messiah. It was Gabriel who spoke to John

the Baptist, Father Zacharias of the coming Messiah, whose

ministry his son John the Baptist would prepare the way

for. It was Gabriel who spoke to

Mary, a young teenage girl that you she said he's.

She was told by him that she would bring forth the child,

though a virgin, the Messiah. Now the timing of Gabriel's

visitation to Daniel is notable. It's the time of the evening

sacrifice, 3:00 PM. Now, even though there is no

temple, there's been no sacrifices since it was

destroyed some 67 years ago. Daniel, though in Babylon, still

keeps his clock, his world clock, by Jewish reckoning.

And that's where you and I need to swing our clocks.

Not by Greenwich, meantime by Daniel.

Meantime Jesus Christ, by the way, was crucified.

At what time? 12 noon.

He was placed upon the cross. And when did he breathe his last

breath? 3:00 PM, the time of the evening

sacrifice in Daniel 922. Gabriel informed me and talked

with me and said, Oh Daniel, I've now come forth to give you

skill and to understand. This is why Gabriel had come.

Gabriel said he had been sent to Daniel specifically to give

Daniel skill, to understand this prophecy.

Verse 23, at the beginning of your supplications, at the

beginning, as soon as you started praying Daniel, the

command went out. I was sent to come to you to

tell you I you're greatly beloved.

And therefore consider the matter, the word consider me,

discern, give heed, be attentive to the things that I'm about to

tell you and understand them. You got to know what what I'm

telling you. You see God's time, his world

clock, we shall see in this passage is linked to the nation

of Israel. In the Living Bible, new Living

Bible, it says a period of 7070 sets of seven has been decreed

for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion.

Verse 2470 weeks are determined for your people and your holy

city. It's Jewish.

Now it's interesting, the previous prophecies that Daniel

had in chapter 2 and Chapter 7, because Daniel is written in 2

languages, Aramaic and Hebrew. In Daniel chapter 2 and Daniel

Daniel 2 · chapter mention Daniel 7 · chapter mention

Chapter 7, the visions that Daniel had dealt with four

specific Gentile world powers. What are they?

You know them by now, Babylon, the Medes and the Persians, the

Greeks and the Romans. Those chapters are each written

in Aramaic. You want to know what Aramaic

is. If you've ever seen The Passion

of the Christ, Mel Gibson, they spoke Aramaic.

Jesus spoke Aramaic as well. And so those chapters deal with

the Gentile world. It was common language of the

Gentile nations. But in Chapter 9, the

translation goes back to Hebrew. Why?

Because the focus is back on the Jewish people.

Why is such a focus on the Jewish people?

Why? Why?

I mean, why is it that they cause so much mayhem?

Actually, they don't cause anything, do they?

They're just trying to live. Actually, they're trying to

survive. Literally, there are only

15,000,000 Jews in the world's population.

The entire world. That's less than 2/3 of 1%.

But this little country, this small group of people have the

attention of the world's focus upon them.

Which president hasn't want to bring peace to the Middle East?

Daniel verse 2470. Weeks are determined for your

people and your holy city, Jerusalem.

We read to finish the transgression, to make an

endless sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to

bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision

and prophecy, to anoint the most holy Bible prophecy as we read

it is through Jewish lenses 70 weeks are determined.

This is 70 weeks of seven years or 490 years.

God has laid out this plan to accomplish His purpose.

Our world's history is marching to the clock that the Lord has

set in place in Daniel Chapter 9.

Daniel 9 · chapter mention

We'll deal with the last seven year period on Wednesday.

The timepiece is not on a meagre or a Rolex.

It's Israel. 70 weeks are determined.

It's literally in the Hebrew, 70 weeks of seven years equals 490

years. Gabriel tells Daniel there are

490 years to accomplish these things that I'm going to tell

you about that you need to understand God's plan at the

moment in our current world, as we look at those things

mentioned in verse 24, there is no everlasting righteousness, is

there? We went through the Book of

Revelation. When is that going to happen?

At the second coming of Jesus, when he sets up the millennial

reign, and then when Jesus rules and reigns from Jerusalem,

everlasting righteousness, there is still no end of sin.

As I read the paper today, I just noticed Cambodia and

Thailand, now our war. That's a new war, didn't have

that one. We see events around the world.

We see Israel now trying to move into the most difficult part of

managing what's going to happen to Gaza.

Hamas still haven't laid down their their guns.

They weren't. As we read this, we see in verse

24, the holy city hasn't been set up.

There is no holy temple, there's no temple on the Temple Mount in

Israel at this moment. But there has one thing occurred

in verse 24. There has been a reconciliation

for iniquity and this happened at the cross of Calvary.

By Christ once and for all sacrifice to end all sacrifices.

God sent his Son into the world to be our politician, to be our

educator, to be our soldier. No, we needed what saviour?

Imagine being out in the ocean caught in a RIP and our bloke

comes a bloke and says I'm a mechanic, what do you need?

I need a mechanic. I need a lifesaver.

God sent his Son into the world to be our saviour.

The problem is Israel didn't accept him.

What did they do then? Kill him, Crucify him?

Crucify him. He came unto his own, and his

own received him not There will be another will come in his own

name. And who?

What? What will they do?

They'll receive him at the next last seven years.

Daniel verse 25 know therefore, which means now listen and

understand that from the going forth of the command to restore

and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince.

Notice Messiah and Princess in capitals there shall be 7 weeks.

That's 49 years and 62 weeks. That's 434 years.

Notice what is to be built. It's not talking about the

temple. The street shall be built again.

And the wall last Sunday night. If you missed it, you need to

watch it. Plus, Israel dealt in detail in

Nehemiah. Families went back and they

rebuilt the walls and they rebuilt the streets they rebuilt

in front of their homes. This is from exactly this

prophecy. Even troublesome times.

So 7 * 7 weeks of years is 49 years.

Those held in captivity, once the command has been given, will

return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city walls and the streets.

Add on to that 49 years. There are 62 lots of seven weeks

of years, which is 434 years. And that is when Messiah will

come. Verse 26 And after the 62 weeks,

Messiah shall be cut off, but not for itself, and the people

of the Princess to come shall destroy the city. 70 AD The

sanctuary, the temple destroyed, the end of it shall be with a

flood till the end of the war. Desolations are determined.

As I said, we'll get to verse 27 on Wednesday, the final week or

seven year period. For God's timing, all these

prophecies to kick off, there needs to be a starting point on

the wall. So where, where does this all

start? It took 49 years to repair the

walls and streets of Jerusalem, Nehemiah chapter 2.

Nehemiah 2 · chapter mention

So we must add the 49 years with the 434 years and add those two

together we get 483 years in total when Messiah will come.

So the starting point for these prophecies in verse 25 is

written down from the going forth of the command to restore

and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince.

It shall be 7 weeks and 62 weeks St shall be built again the

wall, even in troublesome times. So you should be able to

calculate the date of the appearance of the coming of the

Messiah to Jerusalem from the time the commandment was given

to restore and build Jerusalem. And remember, it's still three

years to go. Daniel was just reading about

this. This hasn't happened yet.

Not the Temple, but the streets shall be built again.

And the wall. So in Nehemiah, Pastor Israel

dealt with this. In Nehemiah.

Nehemiah. He's the cup bearer for King

Arxyxes. He comes in, he's a bit upset

and I exist. Hey, what's wrong with you, man?

No, no. What's up?

And he talks about he's heard about the ruins of the walls and

the streets of Jerusalem and Arxyxes on March 14th, 445 BC

gave Nehemiah the command to go back, restore, rebuild and start

the construction. That's the start date.

Fellow who calculated all this was an investigator with the

Scotland Yard. His name was Sir Robert

Anderson. He was an astronomer and a

brilliant mathematician. Now it says in verse 26, after

the 62 weeks, Messiah shall be cut off, but not for himself.

So Jesus comes and it says he'll come from that period, that

period of time, but he's going to be, he's going to be killed.

The word cut off in the Hebrew is the word carath or carath

KARATH, and it means to kill, to execute, to be given capital

punishment, and it means to Pierce one flesh.

So Messiah would come, Jesus, and when he would come he would

receive the death penalty. Jews couldn't give the death

penalty under Roman law. Only Pilot could give the death

penalty and be pierced and it was the Romans who carried out

the crucifixion and he would die, but it says notice, but not

for himself. The two thieves says we know

we're we're we can just judgement.

This man, he's done nothing wrong.

And Isaiah 53, verse 5, Isaiah wrote hundreds of years before

Isaiah 53:5

this was to occur. He was wounded for our

transgressions, He was bruised for our iniquities.

The chastisement for our peace was upon him, and by His stripes

we're healed. And remember, He was cut off

when at the time of the evening sacrifice.

But who would do this to the Messiah?

The prophecy tells us it says. And the people of the Prince who

is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.

The Romans. General Titus. 70 AD So if we

count 483 years from March 14th, 445 BC AG Xerxes.

Long Germanus says go Nehemiah and add that you arrive exact

exactly at the time of the Messiah to come.

Actually you can. You can even calculate to the

days 173,880 days. It's based on the Jewish

calendar, 360 days, not 365, a lunar calendar, which brings us

to a certain date, 483 years, 183,880 days from March 14th,

445 PC. It brings us to April 6, 32 AD,

something else in the Jewish calendar.

It's the 10th of Nissan, not Nissan Datsun, but Nissan period

of month, a month. Now on the 10th of Nissan, as a

Jewish family you would gather together, you would go down to a

place and you would select all from all the lambs that have

been passed by the priests. You would pick the lamb that was

to be killed would be your Passover lamb.

On that date the families gathered specific day select the

lamb which will be killed a few days later.

On that day of selection, the 10th of Nissan, April 6th 32AD

Jesus was with his disciples. He was on the Mount of Olives

according to Matthew chapter 21 and he said to them, hey guys,

Matthew 21 · chapter mention

go into the village OPS you and immediately you'll find a donkey

tied up on a cult with her. Loose them, untie them, bring

them to me. If anyone says anything to you,

you shall say the Lord has need of them and immediately He will

send them All this was done, then it might be fulfilled,

which was spoken by the prophet saying tell the daughter of

Zion, behold, the king is coming to you lowly sitting on a

donkey. A cult, the foal of a donkey.

How specific is that? Matthew 21 verses 1 to 5.

Matthew 21:1–5

Now what followed that day we call Palm Sunday.

Jesus is on a donkey, a cult never been ridden for the first

time, he allows himself to go into Jerusalem.

He's not stayed there one night at all to be exalted and praised

by the crowds of people gathered throwing palm leaves, and

they're closed down upon the street as he rides in.

And what did the crowd cried out as he rode into Jerusalem?

Luke 1938 saying Blessed is the king, capital K who comes in the

name of the Lord, peace in heaven, glory in the highest.

Jesus on that day made a deliberate claim publicly.

He declared He was the Lamb of God.

As John said, behold, the Lamb of God has come to take away the

sins of the world. As he wrote in, he was declaring

I am the Lamb of God, the sacrifice to end all sacrifices.

I am the Messiah. 483 years 173,880 days April 6th, 32 AD.

The religious leader said, hey, you got to shush the crowd.

No, Jesus said that the crowd was to be silent.

The very stones that I write on and cry, why God's plan will be

fulfilled. Man cannot stop God's plan.

But in Luke 19, we read on that day, verse 41, as Jesus drew

near Jerusalem, he saw the city and he wept over saying what if

you had known even you, especially in this your day, the

day, the things that make for your peace.

We used to sing a song chorus when I was first saved.

This is the day, this is the day, this is the day that Lord

has made. We will rejoice.

We were glad in it. That line is only actually

theologically correct for the day that Jesus wrote in to

Jerusalem, the day that was created, that was made.

It was that day that Jesus came riding into Jerusalem, but they

didn't recognise him. And Jesus went on to say and

that's why I was weeping. But now they are hidden from

your eyes, for days will come upon you just 30 plus years.

Enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you, close

you in on every side, level you and your children within you.

And they will not leave in you one stone upon another.

That's what he said. Remember on the Mount of Olives,

because, because, why? Because you did not know the

time of your visitation. You didn't know.

You should have known. So Jesus holds Israel

accountable. He had given them Daniel the

prophet the very day Daniel had said this is the day the Messiah

will come. They should have known.

They should have been ready this Christmas, 220 five, 2025, we

remember the coming and seeking of the wise men.

Remember. And they came across the first

person to reject Jesus Christ. You know who that was?

Harry. He's the first one in the Bible

who rejected Jesus. They came seeking the wise men.

We've come looking for the King born.

He is born king. The magic, They came from the

east and they travelled 1600 plus kilometres.

It was Daniel who had told them when this king would come and

why he would come. How can you say that?

For you remember back in Daniel chapter 2, who was in charge of

Daniel 2 · chapter mention

the magic? Daniel he was over all the wise

men and so they would have learnt all about Daniel 9's

prophecy. They knew when the king was

coming. It took a while to get there.

1600 kilometres. No Uber in those days.

The day Jesus came. I want to ask how many Jews were

ready reading the book of Daniel, knowing just before

Jesus came. I can name only two disciples.

They weren't sure a fellow called Simeon, all blood.

Luke chapter 2 verse 25 Joseph and Mary take take 2 turtle

Luke 2:25

doves because they're poor, they're carpenters, they're

taking Jesus. He's going to have his

circumcision, plus Mary's going to have the offering, the

sacrifice for her purification. After giving birth, they go to

the temple, and who greets them? A fellow called Simeon.

Simeon seized them. He's been waiting.

It says this man was just devout, waiting for the

consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.

And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would

not die before he'd seen the Lord's Christ.

He sees Joseph and Mary, he sees the baby Jesus and he grabs

Jesus, takes him in his arms, and he looks at the face of God

and he says these words. My eyes have seen your

salvation. I'm ready to go.

I'm ready to die. Instead of Simeon, he was

constantly expecting the Messiah to come.

There's another lady, Anna. She did Luke chapter 2, verse

Luke 2:36

36. There was 1 Anna prophetess, the

daughter of Faniel of the tribe of Asha.

She was of great age and had lived with her husband seven

years that he had died. And then this woman was a widow

of about 84 years who did not depart from the temple.

She served God with fastings and prayers, night and day coming.

In that instant, she spots Joseph and Mary and Jesus.

And she gave thanks to the Lord and spoke of him to all those

who look for redemption in Jerusalem.

Here's the Messiah, you see, you and I aren't just here to be.

Oh, I'm into, are you in the Bible prophecy?

I'm not really. Don't get into that sort of

stuff, sorry. That's not how it works.

You and I are called to understand this prophecy.

How much more should we today now with all the knowledge that

we know that we can look back that Jesus very soon is going to

call his church out called the rapture out of this world.

Paul says I don't want you to be ignorant of this concerning

those who've died as you sorrow as have those who have no hope

if you believe that Jesus died and rose again.

Even so Paul said God will bring with him those who sleep in

Jesus, those who've died and gone before us.

We're still alive for this. We say to you by the word of the

Lord, this is God's word, that we who are alive and so

believers are going to be taken out of this world, living at the

time of the rapture. We who are alive and remain

until the coming of the Lord will by no means go before those

who are asleep. For the Lord Himself will

descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of an

Archangel, with the trumpet of God, which we believers will

hear. The dead in Christ will rise

first. Verse 17.

Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with

them, where? In the clouds to meet the Lord?

Where in the air. Thus we shall always be with the

Lord, uncomfort one another with these words, Paul goes on to say

in chapter 5 of that passage. But you, brethren, you're not in

darkness, so that this day coming of the Lord, the rapture

of the church should overtake you as a thief.

You get caught out. You are sons of light, sons of

the day. We are not of the night nor of

darkness. In other words, we're not living

of and in in the way of the world anymore.

Therefore, let us not sleep that as others do, but let us watch

and be sober. That means live right before

God. For God did not appoint us to

wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.

So I wrapped this up to you all, Keith.

What's Daniel Nine got to do with me?

It's got everything to do with you because we've done 69 of

those weeks of seven years. The clock has stopped.

The sire has come cut off, rose from the dead, ascended into

heaven. The clock stopped.

There's still one week or one seven year period yet to happen.

When will that happen? At the moment the church is

taken out, raptured, the clock clicks on again.

Why? Because the focus from

Revelation 6 right through the 19 is upon the nation Israel.

It's all about Israel. It's just going to hot up even

more about Israel now. God has not sent you an Angel

today man. I'm far from that.

He hasn't interrupted your prayer, but he has spoken to you

the same way because today the Bible says in Hebrews chapter 1,

Hebrews 1 · chapter mention

how does God speak to us through his word?

So God has spoken to you today through his word.

He has said you need to understand and know what what

soon is about to happen. Peter says because I understand

and know this. How then should we Live Today?

That's a great time of the year because the world goes in chaos

at Christmas and Christians need to hold the line.

Glorify God, remember Christ, live as salt and light.

When you're mixing now in your work jobs, your work situations,

the the office parties and all those sorts of things, the end

of years when you're gathering with your family, they need you.

They don't know it, but they need you to be salt and light.

They don't need you to be a holy Bible bashing idiot.

They need to see in you. I want what you have.

I want the peace that you have. I want the calm that you have.

I want to know the God that you have.

The Romans used to have the gains, and they would throw all

the Christians in, let loose the hungry lions and the beasts, and

they would tear them apart as the Romans.

Yeah. And what would the Christians

do? As they'll do in the Colosseum,

They would stand together, families together, and they

would raise their hands. I would praise God, pray to God,

and glorify God. And the Romans couldn't fathom

that. And in the end, the Romans began

to climb over and jump in and join up with the Christians

being taken. Because if the God these

believers serve can do that under the greatest extreme

conditions, that must be the true and living God.

We're living in the most exciting time.

Is this going to be our last Christmas?

I hope so, but I don't know. We had a question on Friday

night from the Calvary kids. Why doesn't God given us the

date of the rapture? By the way, if anyone give you a

date of the rapture, move on. No man knows the day of the year

because God wants you to live godly, Yeah.