12 The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting, “Hosanna!” “Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!” “Blessed is the king of Israel!” 14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written: 15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion; see, your king is coming, seated on a donkey’s colt.” 16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him. ~ John 12:12-16
We have now entered into the final week of life on earth for the Lord Jesus as recorded by the Apostle John. In fulfillment of the prophecy found in Zechariah 9:9, the crowd in Jerusalem cried out, "Hosanna!" meaning, "Save us now!" They saw the Lord Jesus as the political king of Israel come to deliver them from Roman rule. They wrongly thought politics rendered the answer for mankind's condition. Our hope comes from way beyond the powers of this world, our hope comes from the One who overcame sin and death.
John tells us in v.12, "The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem." These people who welcomed the Lord Jesus were not residents of Jerusalem. These were visitors who were in Jerusalem for the Passover. According to Matthew's account, the whole city of Jerusalem was stirred when they saw this procession coming down the Mount of Olives. But instead of joining in with the crowd, they suspiciously asked, "Who is this?" The crowd making up the procession had to inform them, "This is Jesus, the prophet from Nazareth."
The disciples of the Lord Jesus, also, did not understand this at first. They had been with the Lord Jesus in Galilee when the crowd had tried to crown Him king following the feeding of the five thousand, but He prevented it. Here, He is willing to be the center of the crowd's adulation. They did not know what this meant until after the Lord Jesus was glorified and they had been filled with the Holy Spirit.
Those who had been with the Lord Jesus when He called Lazarus to come out of his tomb were also present. They were attracted to the Lord Jesus because He had raise Lazarus from the dead. Here, also, was the amazed multitude, caught up with the exciting news that the Lord Jesus had raised a man who had been dead four days. They were all anxious to see the One who had done this amazing thing.
Then, there were the religious leaders who had decided not to take Jesus as prisoner during the Passover because they feared the reaction of the masses. But now, as they see the sweeping response of the people, they say, "You see that you can do nothing; look, the whole world has gone after him." Their plans were changing real fast.
All of these groups had incomplete views of the Lord Jesus. So do I. What helps us with our incomplete views of the Lord Jesus? Of course, the answer is the word of God and prayer. I am finding the more I invest in these two forgers of eternity in our souls, the more I see beyond the obvious.
In our text, the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 is unfolding before the eyes of all to see. In that prophecy there are 490 years predicted for the nation of Israel. Jeremiah 30:7 tells us that it is a time of Jacob's trouble. Jacob is Israel in unbelief.
Daniel 9:24-27 is a prophecy which begins with seventy "sevens" until the restoration of Jerusalem. The seventy "sevens" is a reference to a period of 490 years. It is divided into three sections: seven sevens (49 years), sixty-two sevens (434 years), and one seven (7 years).
The first period of time, seven sevens (49 years) began with the issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until the it's completion. The issuing of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem is recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8. It was 444 BC when King Artaxerxes issued the decree and Jerusalem was rebuilt in 395 BC. This 49 year period accounts for the first part of this prophecy.
The second period of time began with the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem til the coming of the "Anointed One" who would be "put to death". This Anointed One, of course, is the Lord Jesus. This period of time (7 times 7 years, plus 62 times 7 years) equals 483 years. When these 483 years elapsed, Messiah, would then be presented to the people. In fact, the very day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem was 483 years after the issuing of the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem!
Daniel 9:26 then speaks of prophecy following the time of Jesus' death on the cross. "The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. He will confirm a covenant with many for one 'seven.' In the middle of the 'seven' he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him."
Comparing this passage with prophecies in Revelation, the coming Antichrist ("the ruler who will come") will destroy Jerusalem and the sanctuary during the middle of the 70th seven or the middle of what most refer to the tribulation period. The Bible never refers to this seven year period as "the Tribulation". There will be a flood, war, desolations, and a covenant for one "seven" (seven years). He, Antichrist will desecrate the temple at the midpoint of the tribulation and ultimately be defeated at his "decreed" end.
Clearly, design is seen in these prophesied events. God truly is sovereign and is in control, even when it appears that He is not. He has the ability to work all things for the good for those who are learning to love Him. Therefore, we can trust Him. We should live every day henceforth with great excitement and anticipation, anticipating the life He has for us. This is real life, this is His life come to bear on ours. To realize His plan for and through our lives is a privilege because he has deemed that we play a role in what He is doing in this world.
