Covenant of Grace Church

Daniel's 70 Weeks

Sun, 09 Nov 2008 08:20:00 -0600

DANIELâS SEVENTY SEVENS AND THE COMING OF THE MESSIAH (DANIEL 9:24-27)

Â Â Â Â Daniel had studied the prophecies of Jeremiah and saw that the seventy years of the exile were about to be completed (Dan. 9:1-2).Â Danielâs response was to pray a prayer of confession and repentance for Israel/> (Dan. 9:3-15) and to ask God to restore Jerusalem/>/> (Dan. 9:16-19).Â While Daniel was praying, the angel Gabriel was sent to give Daniel an understanding of the future and period of time until the coming of the Messiah (9:20-27).Â Edward J. Young states the main idea of this messianic revelation:Â âA definite time has been decreed by God for the accomplishment of all that which is necessary for the true restoration of Godâs people from bondage.â³⁸Â This messianic prophecy is one of the few places in the prophets where the term âMessiahâ is used.

Â Â Â Â To understand this prophecy properly, it is crucial to place it in its immediate context and its larger biblical-theological context.Â Within the context of the book of Daniel, this passage parallels the prophetic message concerning the successive kingdoms of Daniel 2 and 7 which culminate with the coming of the Messiah.Â Daniel 2 prophetically sets forth the successive empires which lead to the Messiah:Â Babylon/>, Medo-Persia/>, Greece/>, and Rome/>/>.Â Daniel 2 climaxes with the âstone made without handsâ establishing a worldwide and eternal kingdom.Â Daniel 7 parallels Daniel 2 and climaxes with the coming of the Son of Man in the clouds.Â The Son of Man, the Messiah, establishes an eternal worldwide kingdom.Â Similarly, the âseventy-sevensâ of Daniel 9 cover the time period from the Medo-Persian empire to the coming of the Messiah.Â Therefore, the prophetic messages of Daniel 2, 7, and 9 span the same time period and culminate with the coming of the Messiah and the establishment of his eternal kingdom.

Â Â Â Â The immediate context in Daniel 9 is Danielâs prayer for the restoration of Jerusalem/>/> and the temple.Â Daniel 9:2 states that Daniel had been reading the prophet Jeremiah and came to an understanding that the seventy years of exile Jeremiah predicted were about to be completed.Â This opening reference to âseventy yearsâ (v. 2) is connected to the âseventy-sevensâ that anticipate the future (v. 24).Â A covenantal theme is obvious in this context.Â Danielâs prayer begins with a statement concerning Godâs covenant mercy:

And I prayed to the Lord my God and confessed and said, âAlas, O Lord, the great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and lovingkindness for those who love Him and keep His commandmentsâ (Dan. 9:4 NASB).

Â Â Â Â Gabrielâs answer also contains a covenantal theme.Â His answer looks forward to a time when God would restore his people and consummate the goal of his covenant of grace in the coming of the Messiah.Â Meredith Kline observes that Danielâs prayer (vv. 4-19) has a repeated use of the covenant name of God (Yahweh) along with the repeated use of adonay, the âcharacteristic designation of the dominant party in the covenant.â³⁹Â It is also important to note that Daniel repeatedly mentions that Israel/>/> had broken Godâs covenant and the covenant must be renewed.

Â Â Â Â The larger biblical-theological context is also important for the interpretation of the âseventy-sevens.âÂ The seventy years of Israel/>âs captivity was determined because Israel/>/> neglected the sabbatical-year principle.Â 2 Chronicles 36:20-21 states:

20.Â And those who had escaped from the sword he carried away to Babylon/>; and they were servants to him and to his sons until the rule of the kingdom/> of Persia/>/>.

21.Â to fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed its sabbaths.Â All the days of its desolation it kept sabbath until seventy years were complete (NASB).

This concept of the people being exiled until the land enjoyed its Sabbaths goes back to the covenantal curse given in Leviticus 26.Â Leviticus 25 set forth the pattern of the Sabbatic year and the year of the Jubilee.Â Every seventh year the land was to have a Sabbath rest.Â After seven cycles of this pattern, the fiftieth year was to be a jubilee year.Â In Leviticus 26, God warned that if the people neglected this sabbatical-year principle, then they would be exiled from the land until the land enjoyed the neglected Sabbaths.Â Leviticus 26:34-35 states:

34.Â âThen the land will enjoy its sabbaths all the days of the desolation, while you are in your enemies land; then the land will rest and enjoy its sabbaths.

35.Â All the days of its desolation it will observe the rest which it did not observe on your sabbaths, while you were living on it (NASB).

Leviticus 26:40-42 states that if the people confess their sins and humble their hearts, then the Lord will remember his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.Â Verses 44-45 mention that God will not reject them, but will remember his covenant with their ancestors when he brought them out of Egypt/>/>.Â Danielâs prayer of confession in Daniel 9:4-19 corresponds to the covenantal administration pattern and confession of Leviticus 26:40-42.Â The prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 corresponds to the covenant restoration of Leviticus 26:44-45.⁴⁰Â This biblical-theological context provides the larger context for understanding the terminology of the seventy sevens in Daniel 9.

Â Â Â Â In light of the larger Sabbath concept associated with the seventy sevens of Daniel 9, the terminology might be considered to be purely symbolic language.Â O. Palmer Robertson comments on this:

Indeed, the symbolic character of the number seven as an aspect of the Sabbath concept must not be ignored.Â The perfection of sevens as embodied in the âseventy sevensâ speak of the movement toward the final climax of the Covenant Lordâs redemptive work in the world.Â The Sabbath rest that remains for the people of God must be seen as the ultimate goal of the seventy sevens (Heb. 4:9).

Â Â Â Â At the same time, the context in which Danielâs prophecy is found inevitably points to an actual chronological ordering in the purposes of God.Â Jeremiah did not predict Israel/>/>âs banishment from the land to be, for example, twenty-three years or forty-one years in length - he predicted seventy years.⁴¹

Therefore, while there can be symbolical significance to the seventy sevens, the seventy years of captivity Jeremiah predicted which were reiterated in Daniel 9:2 indicates that the seventy sevens have some chronological meaning.Â A chronological interpretation also gives meaning for the structural pattern of the seventy sevens given in Daniel 9.Â The seventy sevens are structured in three periods consisting of seven sevens, sixty-two sevens, and one seven.Â A purely symbolic interpretation cannot explain this pattern that obviously has meaning in the Daniel 9 prophecy.Â The sevens are best understood through an inclusion of the symbolic with the chronological.⁴²

Â Â Â Â Since the pattern of the seventy years of captivity represent the seventy neglected Sabbath years, then the seventy weeks should be understood as years, thus equaling 490 years.Â This raises the question of where to begin the chronological count of the seventy sevens.Â The decree of Cyrus allowing the return of the Jews, which had a specific focus toward rebuilding the temple, occurred in 536 B.C. (Ezra 1:1-4).Â The specific language of the decree of Cyrus on the Cyrus Cylinder confirms the specific decree to rebuild the temple:

âI returned to (these) sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris/>, the sanctuaries of which have been ruins for a long time, the images which (used) to live therein and established for them permanent sanctuaries.Â I (also) gathered all their (former) inhabitants and returned (to them) their habitations.â⁴³Â

Â Â Â Â If 536 B.C. is the initiation point of the 490 years, then they only reach to 47 B.C., a date that has no significance.Â O. Palmer Robertson points out that Daniel 9:25 states that the decree is not just to return and rebuild the temple, but âto restore and rebuild Jerusalem/>/>.âÂ It was the decree of Artaxerxes in approximately 445 B.C. which allowed the rebuilding of Jerusalem/>/> (Neh. 1:1-3; 2:3-8, 17).Â He contends that 445 B.C. should be the chronological starting point of the seventy weeks.Â Using this date as the starting point, the first seven week period, or 49 years, ends at approximately 400 B.C.Â This date corresponds to the time when old covenant revelation concluded.Â The next period of sixty-two weeks, or 434 years, corresponds to the approximate time of the ministry, death, and resurrection of Jesus, the Messiah.⁴⁴Â However, the use of 445 B.C. as the starting date depends on an approximation of the dates.Â Taken in a more literal manner, the starting date of 445 B.C. makes the 69 weeks end at A.D. 38.Â If the starting date is associated with the coming of Ezra in 458 B.C. (Ezra 7:1-28), then the 69 weeks end in A.D. 26.Â If half the seventieth week is added to that, then the weeks predict the time of the crucifixion (taking the early and traditional date for the crucifixion).[1]Â This also fits with Daniel 9:27 that in the middle of the seventieth week, the Messiah will bring an end to sacrifice and offering.Â Through his work of atonement, all sacrifice was ended.Â While there are still some elements of approximation in the dates, the use of 458 B.C. as the starting point comes closer to the time of the crucifixion than 445 B.C. as the starting point.Â The starting date of 458 B.C. also fits the same pattern of the first 49 years ending at approximately the time Old Covenant revelation concluded.Â It also fits the general time period in which the restoration of Jerusalem/>/> as well as the temple occurred.Â The seventieth week is examined more fully below.Â Therefore, this is a remarkable and specific prophecy predicting the time of the coming of the Messiah.Â O. Palmer Robertson writes:

Â Â Â Â Obviously this kind of detailed anticipation of the course of human history cannot be entertained for one instant by modern negative criticism.Â In the contemporary context in which the idea that God has a plan for this world is totally denied, the inevitable conclusion must be that to the degree that this material describes the actual course of human history, it must have been composed after the event.Â But taken in the form in which it actually appears as a detailed, long-term prediction of the course of human events as they relate to Godâs purposes of redemption, the prophecy of Daniel concerning the seventy sevens is indeed remarkable.Â It by no means stands alone among biblical anticipations regarding the work of the coming Messiah.Â But it should call forth a firm, well-grounded faith in the God who orders the course of history so that it serves his greater redemptive purposes.46

Â Â Â Â Daniel 9:24 sets forth six works of redemption which will occur within the seventy sevens:Â âSeventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy placeâ (NASB).Â Six infinitives are used to express the purpose or goal of these works.

The first three of these redemptive works address the removal or atonement of sin.Â Danielâs prayer of confession in Daniel 9 acknowledged sin ten times (9:5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 14, 15, 16).Â This threefold description of Godâs redemptive purposes and work anticipate the substitutionary atonement of the Messiah (cf. Isa. 53).Â Christâs passive or penal obedience finished transgressions in that he broke the power and slavery of sin over his people (Rom. 6); his work of atonement on the cross removed sinâs condemnation (Rom. 3:25; 5:12-19; 8:1, 34).Â Christâs perfect and complete work met all the exigencies of the sins of his elect.47Â The complete removal of all iniquity will take place at the consummation of Godâs redemptive purposes in the second coming of the Messiah.

Â Â Â Â The second three items describe the establishment of righteousness:Â âto bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy placeâ (9:24b).Â This anticipates the Messiah fulfilling the offices of priest and prophet.Â As the great high priest, the Messiah brought âeverlasting righteousnessâ through his perfect obedience (Rom. 5:12-19) and his work of atonement.Â The sinner who is justified by faith in Christ alone (Rom. 3:21-28; 4:1-8; 5:1) has the righteousness of Christ imputed to him.Â The Messiah accomplished a perfect work of atonement (Heb. 10:10-18), anointed the holy place with his blood (Heb. 9:11-12) (this is best understood as being accomplished in his work of atonement), rose from the dead, and ascended into heaven where he makes intercession for his saints (Heb. 7:25; Rom. 8:34).Â The Messiah is also the final prophet.Â He spoke the final and definitive word from God to men (Heb. 1:1-2).Â Therefore, after his apostles and prophets transcribed and interpreted his word, no further need for additional vision and prophecy remained.Â The Scriptures are God-breathed, complete, and sufficient for faith and practice.Â Edward J. Young states that these things âare all messianic. . . .Â The termination of the 70 sevens coincides then, not with the time of Antiochus, nor with the end of the present age, the second Advent of our Lord, but with his first Advent.â48Â The six items mentioned in Daniel 9:24 depict the redemptive work of the Messiah.Â This is perfectly consistent with the previous visions in Daniel 2 and 7, each of which culminated with the Messiahâs coming and the establishment of his worldwide kingdom.

Â Â Â Â The last week is set apart from the previous sixty-nine weeks.Â This implies a unique quality to the seventieth week.Â This last week must be understood within the context of a broader biblical-theological perspective.Â Dispensational theology contends that the seventieth week is chronologically separated from the previous sixty-nine weeks.Â This temporal separation consists of the period between Christâs first coming and the last seven years before his second coming.Â This gap or separation between the previous weeks and the last week will last until the end of the church age.Â Dispensational theology points to the destruction of Jerusalem/>/> and the temple almost forty years after the death of Jesus and argues that this is too long of a time period for the last week.49Â However, Daniel 9:24-27 does not indicate any gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week.Â The language of this passage supports the idea a regular succession of the weeks with the seventieth week following the sixty-ninth.50Â James E. Smith writes:Â âThe existence of a gap of two thousand years is a strange intrusion into the text.â51

Â Â Â Â It is exegetically better to view the seventieth week as normally following the sixty-ninth week.Â However, the last week is divided into two halves.Â Daniel 9:27 states that in the seventieth week âhe will make a firm covenant with the many.âÂ What is the identity of the individual who will make this covenant with many?Â Dispensational theology argues that this individual is the antichrist who will make a covenant with national Israel/>/>.Â Meredith Kline comments:Â âThe whole context speaks against the supposition that an altogether different covenant from the divine covenant which is the central theme throughout Daniel 9 is abruptly introduced here at the climax of it all.â52Â The hermeneutical presuppositions of dispensationalism cause dispensationalists to insert a gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks and find a completely different covenant in verse 27.Â Â Â Â

Â Â Â Â An approach that is more consistent with the context of Daniel and the passage is to view the identity of the one making the covenant in verse 27 as the Messiah who was mentioned earlier in the passage.Â Verse 24 mentions a series of redemptive acts the Messiah will accomplish.Â Verse 26 states that the Messiah will be âcut off.âÂ The verb used to describe the Messiah being cut off is karat, which is the term used to describe the âcutting of a covenantâ in the ritual associated with the ratification of covenants.Â This covenant language of âcutting offâ connects the Messiah of verse 26 with the one making or confirming a covenant in verse 27.Â The term, karat, in verse 26 is the usual term associated with the making of a covenant.Â However, in verse 27, the verb, higebir (hiph. pf.), which means âto make strong, cause to prevailâ is used.Â This indicates that the covenant of verse 27 is not a different covenant from the one implied in verse 26, but is a confirmation of a previously existing covenant.53Â Therefore, the Messiah, in his work of redemption (v. 24-26) will confirm the covenant of grace established after manâs fall into sin.Â In fact, he will fulfill the old covenant shadows and types of the covenant of grace and establish the new covenant realities of the same covenant of grace.Â O. Palmer Robertson writes, ââMaking [a covenant] to prevailâ with âmanyâ in one seven by an âanointed oneâ (9:27a) does not introduce a different âanointed oneâ in addition to the one mentioned in the previous verse.Â Instead, the same anointed one strengthens his covenant with his people.â54Â This also speaks against the dispensational interpretation of verse 27 that it is the future antichrist that makes an entirely new covenant verse 27.Â E. J. Young writes:

. . . this entire passage is Messianic in nature, and the Messiah is the leading character.Â The general theme of the passage, introduced in vs. 24, is surely Messianic.Â The blessings therein depicted were brought about by the Messiah and they form their climax in the âanointingâ of a holy of holies.Â Furthermore, in vs. 25 the appearance of the Messiah is the great terminus ad quem of the 69 sevens.Â They lead up to Him, who is their goal. . . .Â In vs. 26 two principle themes are introduced:Â 1)Â the death of the Messiah and 2) the consequent destruction of the city and sanctuary by a people of a prince (not the prince) who will come.Â In this vs. therefore, the principle characters are the Messiah and the people â not the prince.Â As the exposition will endeavor to bring out, what is related in vs. 27 also has reference to the Messiah.55

Â Â Â Â Daniel 9:27 also states that the Messiah will âput a stop to sacrifice and grain offeringâ in the middle of the seventieth week.Â This corresponds to the accomplished work of the Messiah.Â He makes atonement for iniquity and brings everlasting righteousness (v. 24).Â The Messiahâs work of atonement was accomplished and complete and, therefore, once for all time.Â Because his work is perfect, all symbolic sacrifice of the old covenant became improper and ended (Heb. 9:23-28; 10:10-18).Â E. J. Young writes:Â

Â Â Â Â In what sense, however, may it be said that the Messiah causes a covenant to prevail for many?Â The answer to this question, it would seem, is to be found in the fact that the Messiah during His earthly ministry and by means of His active and passive obedience to the Law of God, did fulfill the terms of that covenant which was in olden times made with Abraham and his seed.Â Romans 15:8 speaks of this covenant as âthe promises made unto the fathers.â56

Â Â Â Â This action of the Messiah occurs half way through the seventieth week, or 3.5 years into that last week.Â This leaves a final period of 3.5 years to complete the seventy weeks.

This figure is used elsewhere in an eschatological context as a symbolic figure.Â O. Palmer Robertson writes of this use:

Â Â Â Â The figure of 3.5 years receives further development in the final chapter of the book of Daniel and even more extensively in the book of Revelation.Â In his final interview with the revealing person, Daniel overhears the question, âHow long will it be before these astonishing things are fulfilled?â (Dan. 12:6 NIV).Â The man clothed in linen takes a solemn oath that the period will be âfor a time, times, and half a time,â reflecting the same earlier measurement of the time that the saints will suffer at the hands of the little horn of the fourth beast of Daniel 7 (12:7; see also 7:25).Â This same measurement recurs in the form of 1,290 (or 1,335) days that are to expire between the time that the daily sacrifice is abolished and the abomination that causes desolation is set up (12:11-12).

Â Â Â Â The various ways in which this last half of the final week is designated suggest that the time measurement has been modified from the chronological/symbolical to the purely symbolical.Â The book of Revelation reflects the same diversity in referring to an identical period as a symbolical device:Â 1,260 days, 42 months, and âtime, times, and half a timeâ (Rev. 11:2-3; 12:6, 14; 13:5).Â The last half of the seventieth week of Daniel may thus be regarded as a different form of time measurement.57

Therefore, the last 3.5 years of the last week should be interpreted in a symbolical sense as representing an indefinite period.Â This period would extend from the Messiahâs work in ending sacrifice through his work of atonement until the end of the present age.Â Kim Riddlebarger writes:Â Â

. . . the forty-two months [of Revelation 13:5] are most likely a reference to the inter-advental age.Â Taken from Daniel 7:25 (âa time, times, and half a time,â see also Dan. 12:7), this same period of time appears in the preceding chapters of the Book of Revelation.Â In Revelation 11:2-3, the Gentiles are said to âtrample the holy cityâ (the church - i.e., the dwelling place of God in the new covenant) for forty-two months or 1,260 days.Â This is the same time period in which the two witnesses proclaim the gospel (Rev. 11:3).Â In Revelation 12:6, John refers to the time of the protection of the woman in the wilderness (the church) as spanning 1,260 days and then again later as âa time, times, and half a timeâ (Rev. 12:14).58

G. K. Beale, in commenting on Revelation 13:5 states:

Â Â Â Â Â Â Â That the âforty-two monthsâ is based on Daniel 7:25b (and 12:7) is evident from its close association with other allusions to Daniel and the clear allusions to the Danielic time period in Rev. 12:6, 14b and earlier 11:2-3.Â These three earlier references to the period show that the duration of the period spans the time from Christâs death and resurrection to the culmination of history.Â Likewise, the analysis of 12:12 and 13:3 above shows that the period in 13:5 covers the same time.Â 13:3 identifies the beginning of the figurative period as Christâs death and resurrection, which caused the beast to be âslain unto death.âÂ Our study of [Revelation] 12:7-12 confirms that it is Christâs redemptive work that dealt the fatal blow to the devil and his agents.Â Therefore, the events of 11:2-3; 12:6, 14b; and 13:5 are parallel in time.59

Â Further support of this position is found in the previous noted Sabbatical-year principle present in this passage.Â The seventy-sevens of Daniel 9:24-27 equal ten jubilee eras.Â An emphasis is placed on the ultimate jubilee after the 490 years were completed.Â This ultimate jubilee depicts the consummation of the messianic age.60Â Meredith Kline writes:

The last week is the age of the church in the wilderness of the nations for a time, a times, and half a time (Rev. 12:14).Â Since the seventy weeks are ten jubilee eras that issue in the last jubilee, the seventieth week closes with angelic trumpeting of the earthâs redemption and the glorious liberty of the children of God.Â The acceptable year of the Lord which came with Christ will then have fully come.Â Then the new Jerusalem whose temple is the Lord and the Lamb will descend from heaven (Rev. 21:10, 22) and the ark of the covenant will be seen (Rev. 11:19), the covenant the Lamb has made to prevail and the Lord has remembered.61

Â Â Â Â This prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 explicitly predicts the time of the coming of the Messiah and his kingdom into the world.Â It also predicts the atoning work of the Messiah which will put an end to sin, bring everlasting righteousness, end prophecy and vision, and anoint the heavenly most holy place with his blood (Heb. 9:12).Â It also anticipates the spread of his kingdom throughout the earth through all the ages until his return and the consummation of his kingdom and redemptive purposes.Â Finally, this passage demonstrates the supernatural quality of the inspired Scriptures in that it accurately predicts the exact time of the coming of the Messiah.

³⁸Young, The Prophecy of Daniel:Â A Commentary, 194.

³⁹Meredith G. Kline, âThe Covenant of the Seventieth Week,â The Law and the Prophets:Â Old Testament Studies Prepared in Honor of Oswald Thompson Allis, ed. John H. Skilton (Phillipsburg, New Jersey:Â Presbyterian and Reformed, 1974), 456-457.

⁴⁰Kline, âThe Covenant of the Seventieth Week,â in The Law and the Prophets:Â Old Testament Studies Prepared in Honor of Oswald Thompson Allis, 461.

⁴¹Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets, 339.

⁴²Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets, 340-341.

⁴³James B. Pritchard, ed., Ancient Near Eastern Texts Related to the Old Testament, 3d ed. (Princeton:Â Princeton University Press, 1969), 316.

⁴⁴Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets, 341-342.Â Some interpreters hold that a âyearâ in this prophecy should be based on a 360 day year.Â 483 years based on a 360 day year comes to approximately A. D. 32 or 33 if the starting date is 445 or 444 B. C.Â This would be holding the later date for the date of the crucifixion.

[1]For a defense of the early traditional date of the ministry and crucifixion of Jesus, see Hendriksen, New Testament Commentary, Exposition of the Gospel AccordingÂ to Luke,194-199.

46Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets, 342.

47Young, The Prophecy of Daniel:Â A Commentary, 199.

48Young, The Prophecy of Daniel:Â A Commentary, 201.

49John F. Walvoord, Daniel, The Key to Prophetic Revelation:Â A Commentary (Chicago:Â Moody, 1971), 230.

50Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets, 344-345.

51Smith, What The Bible Teaches About the Promised Messiah, 393.

52Kline, âThe Covenant of the Seventieth Week,â The Law and the Prophets:Â Old Testament Studies Prepared in Honor of Oswald Thompson Allis, 463.

53Kline, âThe Covenant of the Seventieth Week,â The Law and the Prophets:Â Old Testament Studies Prepared in Honor of Oswald Thompson Allis, 465.Â See also Young, The Prophecy of Daniel:Â A Commentary, 209.

54Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets, 346, n. 30.

55 Young, The Prophecy of Daniel:Â A Commentary, 209.Â

56 Young, The Prophecy of Daniel:Â A Commentary, 212.Â

57Robertson, The Christ of the Prophets, 345.

58Kim Riddlebarger, The Man of Sin:Â Uncovering the Truth About The Antichrist (Grand Rapids/>/>:Â Baker Books, 2006),97.

59Beale, The Book of Revelation in The New International Greek Testament Commentary, 695.

60Kline, âThe Covenant of the Seventieth Week,â The Law and the Prophets:Â Old Testament Studies Prepared in Honor of Oswald Thompson Allis, 459.

THE IMPORTANCE OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS

Sat, 01 Mar 2008 16:50:00 -0600

The Westminster Confession of Faith, Chapter 7:2 states:

The first covenant made with man was a covenant of works, wherein life was promised to Adam; and in him to his posterity, upon the condition of perfect obedience.

The term covenant does not appear in Scripture before Genesis 6:18.¹Because of this, some scholars have questioned whether the original relationship between God and man should be considered covenantal.For example, John Murray prefers to call the period the Adamic administration.He writes:

This administration has often been denoted The Covenant of Works.There are two observations.(1) The term is not felicitous, for the reason that the elements of grace entering into the administration are not properly provided for by the term works.(2)It is not designated a covenant in Scripture.Hosea 6:7 may be interpreted otherwise and does not provide the basis for such a construction of the Adamic economy.Besides, Scripture always uses the term covenant, when applied to Gods administration to men, in reference to a provision that is redemptive or closely related to redemptive design.²

THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 22:10:00 -0600

THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

Copyright Dr. Van Lees

One of the more important and central doctrines of Christianity is the doctrine of the Trinity. The concept that there is one God that subsists in three persons is essential to the Christian faith. J. Oliver Buswell, Jr., in his Systematic Theology of the Christian Religion states, "The doctrine of the Trinity is indispensable for the harmony and unity of other major doctrines in the Christian system" (p. 126). A good example of the essentiality of the doctrine of the Trinity is its relation to the incarnation of Christ. It would be impossible to conceive of God becoming man, dying for the sins of man, and rising from the dead apart from the concept of the Trinity.

WHY STUDY THEOLOGY?

Fri, 22 Dec 2006 21:10:00 -0600

WHY STUDY THEOLOGY?

Copyright Dr. Van Lees

Does theology really matter? That question is important in the present evangelical community because the systematic teaching of the Word of God is not present in many churches. Theology is said not to be connected with real life and, therefore, it is disparaged. David Wells, in his insightful book No Place For Truth addresses the lack of theology in the life of the Church: "The disappearance of theology from the life of the Church, and the orchestration of that disappearance by some of its leaders, is hard to miss today but, oddly enough, not easy to prove. It is hard to miss in the evangelical world - in the vacuous worship that is so prevalent, for example, in the shift from God to the self as the central focus of faith, in the psychologized preaching that follows this shift, in the erosion of its conviction, in its strident pragmatism, in its inability to think incisively about the culture, in its reveling in the irrational. And it would have made few of these capitulations to modernity had not is capacity for truth diminished. It is not hard to see these things; avoiding them is what is difficult. . . . The stakes are high: the anti-theological mood that now grips the evangelical world is changing its internal configuration, its effectiveness, and its relation to the past. It is severing the link to historical, Protestant orthodoxy. It is emancipating contemporary evangelicals to form casual alliances at will with a multitude of substitutes for this orthodoxy. And the reason for this is that what that orthodoxy had and what contemporary evangelicalism so often lacks is a theology at its center that defines the faith and prescribes the sorts of intellectual and practical relations is should establish in the world" (No Place For Truth, p. 95, 96). Dr. D. James Kennedy concurs with Wells and writes: "Ours is an era of malnourished church members who have been spoon-fed tapioca and cheesecake religion until their spiritual stomachs are bloated and their hearts are clogged with the cholesterol of meaningless 'I wanna be me' self-fulfillment" (How Do I Live For God? p. 9).

THE ORDER OF THE APPLICATION OF SALVATION

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 18:30:00 -0600

THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION SERIES - PART 1

THE ORDER OF THE APPLICATION OF SALVATION

I remember watching a program a few years ago in which a huge maze of dominos was assembled. Lines of stacked dominos ran every direction in a large warehouse. The dominos went up little ramps and crossed each other. It took over a month to construct the intricate rows of dominos. At a signal, carefully positioned cameras began to film and the first domino was pushed over into the second one in the row. A massive chain reaction took place as the rows of dominos began to fall. Some rows split into three and four rows that fell simultaneously. The room was filled with the loud clatter of falling domino tiles. In just a few minutes, every domino had fallen. The stunt was dramatic and illustrated how closely related objects affect each other.

MAN'S RADICAL CORRUPTION

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 18:20:00 -0600

THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION SERIES - PART 2

MANï¿½S RADICAL CORRUPTION

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ A favorite hymn of many Christians is Amazing Grace by John Newton. While this hymn is a favorite of many Christians, there are few Christians in the present evangelical community who know or understand the profound theology set forth in this hymn. The hymn proclaims the tremendous truth of God's divine initiative in our salvation.ï¿½ John Newton had been a slave trader who had been miraculously saved and became a minister. Because of his past, he understood well what he was writing when he penned the words: ï¿½Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost, but now am found, was blind but now I see. T'was grace that taught my heart to fear, and grace my fears relieved; How precious did that grace appear the hour I first believed.ï¿½ The words of the hymn emphasize that it is by God's grace that our hearts have an understanding of God, have a fear of God's justice and an awareness of our need, and that we are enabled to believe.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ In a study of the doctrines of salvation, an understanding of the doctrine of man's radical corruption in sin is an essential starting point. Understanding man's condition in sin and his need before God is the foundation for understanding and appreciating the grace of God in our salvation.ï¿½ Today, most Christians realize that it is by God's grace that they are saved, but they do not comprehend the depth of their sin and the extent of grace that has been given them in their salvation. It is only when we realize the degree of our fallenness in sin that we realize the degree of grace that has been given to us in our salvation.ï¿½ This doctrine is not only crucial for understanding the grace of God in our salvation, but also for understanding almost every doctrine associated with our salvation.

ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ï¿½ In historical theology, man's condition in sin has been called ï¿½Total Depravity.ï¿½ï¿½ This terminology, however, is easily misunderstood.ï¿½ It does not mean that every human being is a bad as they could possibly be; that would be ï¿½utter depravity.ï¿½ï¿½ The phrase ï¿½total depravityï¿½ is attempting to communicate that sin affects every aspect of man's being.ï¿½ Sin dominates every aspect of a person's thoughts, actions, attitudes, and desires.ï¿½ Because of the misunderstanding associated with the term ï¿½Total Depravity,ï¿½ many theologians prefer the term radical corruption.ï¿½ The term radical is derived from the Latin radix, which means ï¿½root.ï¿½ï¿½ Therefore, this term is saying that sin permeates the very core or root of man's being.

MAN'S MORAL INABILITY

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 18:00:00 -0600

THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION SERIES - PART 3

MANï¿½S MORAL INABILITY

In the first article of this series, we examined some of the aspects of man's radical corruption in sin. We observed that man is dead in sin (Eph. 2:1-3; Col. 2:13), represses the knowledge of God and creates idols (Rom. 1:18-25), does not do good according to God's law, and does not seek for God apart from the work of the Holy Spirit (Rom. 3:9-12). Because of the nature of man's sin, for a person to come to Jesus for salvation, God must take the initiative; God's divine initiative is the first step in anyone's salvation. The Bible's strong statements about the degree of man's corruption in sin and God's initiative in our salvation magnify the grace of God in salvation. This article continues this examination of man's corruption in sin which is classically called total depravity (meaning that sin affects man's total being) and God's divine initiative in our salvation.

EFFECTUAL CALLING AND REGENERATION

Wed, 20 Dec 2006 18:00:00 -0600

THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION SERIES - PART 4

EFFECTUAL CALLING AND REGENERATION

In the last chapter, we examined the nature of man's sin and the consequent necessity of God being the divine initiator of our salvation.We are now going to consider the process by which God makes us alive in Chirst.Ephesians 2:1-5 states:

And you were dead in your trespasses and sins, in which you formerly walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, of the spirit that is now working in the sons of disobedience.Among them we too all formerly lived in the lusts of our flesh, indulging the desire of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, even as the rest.But God, being rich in mercy, because of His great love with which He loved us, even when we were dead in our transgressions, made us alive together with Christ (by grace you have been saved. . . .

As we observed earlier, this passage proclaims that fallen man is dead in his sins and trespasses; he has no spiritual life or moral ability to respond to the gospel. His disposition and desires flow from a condition of spiritual death and, therefore, he does not desire God or have any inclination toward true faith and repentance.Verses 4 and 5 say that when we were in this condition God acted and made us alive in Christ Jesus:But God. . . made us alive together with Christ.There are two aspects to this work of God, calling and regeneration. Both are works of God that take place at the initial point of salvation in our lives and are closely linked together.The sovereign call of God is effective in that it produces the desired results.The term call implies that a person answers and responds to the call. This call of God is made effectual through the regenerating work of the Holy Spirit.¹The concept of regeneration addresses how the Holy Spirit changes the heart of fallen man so that he responds positively to the call of God. The person who is made alive in Christ, who is regenerated, acts according to a regenerate nature and responds positively to the gospel in faith and repentance.This chapter first examines effectual calling and then the concept of regeneration.

SAVING FAITH

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:30:00 -0600

THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION SERIES - PART 5

SAVING FAITH

The question has sometimes been raised about which comes first, faith or repentance. The two concepts, however, are really twins that are linked together. Our faith is a repenting faith and our repentance is a believing repentance.In Acts 20:21, in the middle of Paul's farewell address to the Ephesian elders, he states, . . . solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in our Lord Jesus Christ.Paul sees faith and repentance as concomitants. While they are linked together, they are different concepts.

REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE

Tue, 19 Dec 2006 20:20:00 -0600

THE DOCTRINES OF SALVATION SERIES - PART 6

REPENTANCE UNTO LIFE

In the last chapter, we considered that once a person has been made alive spiritually by the work of the Holy Spirit, his regenerate heart naturally believes and repents. We have also observed that faith and repentance flow out of regeneration; they are not the cause of regeneration.Faith and repentance are closely connected;neither has a priority, but are best considered as twins.D. James Kennedy writes:Repentance and faith are inseparable in Scripture.There can be no genuine repentance without faith. And there is no genuine faith without repentance.The two go together as heads and tails on one coin.¹John Murray concurs:

The faith that is unto salvation is a penitent faith and the repentance that is unto life is a believing repentance. . . . It is impossible to disentangle faith and repentance.Saving faith is permeated with repentance and repentance is permeated with faith. Regeneration becomes vocal in our minds in the exercises of faith and repentance.²

Paul connects faith and repentance in Acts 20:21:. . . solemnly testifying to both Jews and Greeks of repentance toward God and faith in ourLord Jesus Christ.