Rabbi’s Reflections – Wednesday, June 27, 2018
Shalom!
It’s okay if you want to wish me a happy birthday. It’s true, I’m happy it’s my birthday. If I were furniture I would be an antique. I am antiquated but it’s not true that I was taking inventory of the animals at the Flood. If you’re not antediluvian, does that make you diluvian?
How fitting. We start a study on the book of Daniel exactly on the same day we started the Rabbi’s Reflection (one year ago today). By the end of this week (day 130) we will be exactly half way through the F260.
Rabbi Trail: For those of you who have not been with us from the beginning, we are using Robby Gallaty’s book Foundations. Go here to order your own copy. https://replicate.org/tag/foundations/ Order the green one unless you want the Foundations for Kids Edition. End RT.
Let’s begin today’s study with a question. “Who is ‘he?’” You may not immediately appreciate the profound nature of that question. In Hebrew, “Hu” means “he” in English, so “‘hu’ is ‘he’” is a true statement. However; the “Who” to whom I am referring is the “HE” mentioned in Daniel 9:27. (This is starting to sound like a Dr. Seuss book.)
To do this right, I’m going to break Daniel 9:27 down into 4 pieces and comment on each piece. We’re only dealing with the first two pieces today.
Daniel 9:27a Then he will make a firm covenant with many for one week…. (emphasis added)
To know who “HE” is we must study the context. There are two protagonists mentioned in the previous verse (Daniel 9:26). Mashiach (the anointed Christ – see the RT below) is mentioned by name. Then there is a reference to a Prince who will destroy the city. We believe the covenant making “HE” is Mashiach Yeshua. Mashiach means the Anointed One or the Christ.
Rabbi Trail: Technically, anointing is used for all priests or kings. Anointing is not only for the Anointed One, Messiah Yeshua, who is the only priest AND king. This begs the question, “Then how do we know this is referring to THE Messiah?” Answer: Which king or priest made a covenant with many? God is the one who makes covenants.
The Catholic Church (an error that many modern Protestant ministers accept, but true reformers rejected, wants you to believe that “HE” is the anti-Christ. The idea that there is a one person anti-Christ (rather than a spirit that infects many) is not supported in Scripture.
Daniel 9:27b but in the middle of the week HE will put an end to sacrifice and offering.
Yeshua went to the cross after a 3 1/2 year ministry (exactly 3 1/2 years to the day – and exactly half of seven). Once Yeshua was crucified, there was no longer any need for any other sacrifice and offering. Yeshua’s once for all time sacrifice put an end to sacrifice and offering.
The Catholic (and now Protestant) error wants you to believe this last week has not happened yet. Somehow we should be waiting on the anti-Christ to make a covenant with many for 7 years and be cut off after 3 1/2 years. This deflects attention from the spirit of anti-Christ which has been in the world for 2,000 years. (More on this tomorrow.)
Rabbi Trail: I know this sounds anti-Catholic. I am not anti-Catholic. (Every anti-Catholic says that, but I’m really not anti-Catholic.). There are many saved Catholics who are devout, Bible-believing followers of Messiah Yeshua. The same could be said of every denomination of the orthodox church, including Messianic Judaism itself. (The orthodox church is made up of all the denominations that believe and teach the Gospel.)
Note – here is a link to a pretty good explanation of the Gospel. Some of our readers are Jewish and the term Gospel is not something our rabbis were likely to teach us. https://www.gotquestions.org/what-is-the-gospel.html
The history of the Catholic Church is full of issues and events that I cannot endorse (and neither should you – even if you’re Catholic). So is American history and so is Jewish history. History itself is full of ideas and events that do not deserve our adoration.
Specifically, The Inquisition (which is not well understood by many people) was purposed to target new Jewish converts to Christianity (conversos). For more than 400 years, Jews who accepted Jesus as Savior were forced under threat of the inquisitor to leave all Jewish practice behind. No keeping kosher (in fact they were forced to eat pig), no Shabbat on Saturday, no Jewish holidays (even though the Bible calls them “feasts of the Lord.” So I ask, “Is decrying The Inquisition anti-Catholic?” Certainly not, and neither is pointing out the error of anti-Christ.
I’ll write more on Daniel 9:27 in the next RR. (Notice I didn’t say I’ll write “tomorrow.” That would be impossible because, as we previously noted, tomorrow never comes.
Week 26
Memory Verse: Daniel 6:27 I issue a decree that in all the dominion of my kingdom people are to tremble with fear before the God of Daniel. “For He is the living God, enduring forever! His kingdom will never be destroyed, His dominion will never end. 28 He delivers and rescues. He performs signs and wonders in the heavens and on earth. He has delivered Daniel from the power of the lions!”
126 6/25 Monday: Daniel 5-6
127 6/26 Tuesday: Daniel 9-10,12
* 128 6/27 Wednesday Ezra 1-2
129 6/28 Thursday: Ezra 3-4
130 6/29 Friday: Ezra 5-6
Question of the day: God used the heathen king (of the Persians – modern Iran), Cyrus, to begin the restoration. Why is Ezra 2 part of the required reading today?
Answer: I’m not at all sure why Robby Gallaty chose Ezra 2 for part of the reading today. That’s a lot of names.
The exiting take-away from chapter 1 is the order to rebuild the Temple. Just as it took an act of God to make it happen 2500 years ago, we can see today, for the order to go forth to rebuild (what will now be the third) Holy Temple will take an act of God.
Last week we had the rhetorical question asked twice, “What thing is hard for God?” The obvious answer is, “Nothing.” Neither will the decree to build the third Temple be hard for God.
Go forth in victory and have a great day today. Blessings. R. Michael.