WHY THE EXILE?
The Exile of Israel is one of the most misunderstood events in the Bible. Even in Christ’s time it was not understood. This is clear in Acts 1:6-8 "So when the apostles were with Jesus, they kept asking Him, ‘Lord, has the time come for You to free Israel and restore our kingdom?’"
"He replied, ‘The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.’"
This was clearly out of Christ’s hands. Christ came to free mankind from sin and reproach. He did not come to undo the exile of Israel and the events that were already set in motion. The Father alone had the authority to do that. Christ’s ministry did not encompass that and had zero effect on Israel’s Exile and the Wrath that was to be poured out upon Israel as a nation. He did not come to restore Israel to her place and free her from the exile and the wrath that was to come. Christ DID, however come to take the wrath of God for mankind’s sin, to save mankind and restore the relationship between man and God. This is truly a hard thing to grasp, but if you add in a prophecy, then it puts it in perspective. If Israel’s exile and God’s wrath upon her were spoken of in Old Testament prophecy with a time period set in place that went beyond Christ’s time on earth and the time of His work on the cross, could Christ undo it? Absolutely not! Christ will not undo the Word of God. He will only fulfill it.
That was the whole point of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. There was a penalty for sin that had to be paid. Mankind could not pay it and God could not change His Word, so He sent Christ to die on the cross to fulfill His Word, pay the price and free mankind from the penalty of sin. He did not undo His Word. His Word and His Law had to be fulfilled, and it was fulfilled in Christ. The same applies to the Exile that was decreed in Daniel 9:26-27. I love how the New Living Translation phrases it. "After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One (Jesus Christ) will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. The ruler will make a treaty with the people for one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration (abomination of desolation), until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him."
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"He replied, ‘The Father alone has the authority to set those dates and times, and they are not for you to know.’"
This was clearly out of Christ’s hands. Christ came to free mankind from sin and reproach. He did not come to undo the exile of Israel and the events that were already set in motion. The Father alone had the authority to do that. Christ’s ministry did not encompass that and had zero effect on Israel’s Exile and the Wrath that was to be poured out upon Israel as a nation. He did not come to restore Israel to her place and free her from the exile and the wrath that was to come. Christ DID, however come to take the wrath of God for mankind’s sin, to save mankind and restore the relationship between man and God. This is truly a hard thing to grasp, but if you add in a prophecy, then it puts it in perspective. If Israel’s exile and God’s wrath upon her were spoken of in Old Testament prophecy with a time period set in place that went beyond Christ’s time on earth and the time of His work on the cross, could Christ undo it? Absolutely not! Christ will not undo the Word of God. He will only fulfill it.
That was the whole point of Christ’s death, burial and resurrection. There was a penalty for sin that had to be paid. Mankind could not pay it and God could not change His Word, so He sent Christ to die on the cross to fulfill His Word, pay the price and free mankind from the penalty of sin. He did not undo His Word. His Word and His Law had to be fulfilled, and it was fulfilled in Christ. The same applies to the Exile that was decreed in Daniel 9:26-27. I love how the New Living Translation phrases it. "After this period of sixty-two sets of seven, the Anointed One (Jesus Christ) will be killed, appearing to have accomplished nothing, and a ruler will arise whose armies will destroy the city and the Temple. The end will come with a flood, and war and its miseries are decreed from that time to the very end. The ruler will make a treaty with the people for one set of seven, but after half this time, he will put an end to the sacrifices and offerings. And as a climax to all his terrible deeds, he will set up a sacrilegious object that causes desecration (abomination of desolation), until the fate decreed for this defiler is finally poured out on him."
Click on the link below to go to the next section.