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When contemplating their own mortality, most people neglect to factor in the Bible’s teachings about life and death. Consequently, they go through their daily life unaware of the two disparate realities that together define their existence: one temporal, the other eternal.
The temporal reality encompasses the material world situated in space-time, easily accepted as real without question because it can be perceived with the physical senses, such as sight, sound, and touch. In contrast, the eternal reality is more challenging to discern since it is intangible. It manifests as an inner spiritual connection between an individual and the supernatural, bridging the gap from the temporal world to a realm that can only be perceived by the spirit.
The Bible teaches that death marks the conclusion of our dual existence. After death, the physical body stays here and returns to dust, while the spirit moves on to another dimension. The notion that the spirit does not perish with the body may seem counterintuitive and is admittedly unprovable, but it gains credibility by mirroring universal law. For instance, the law of conservation of energy states that energy cannot be created or destroyed, only transformed. The Bible expands on that material law by positing that a person’s spiritual ‘energy’ is not annihilated by physical death but is freed from the constraints of space and time, transitioning into eternity intact.
The Bible reveals that God’s purpose in creating man was to establish a reciprocal bond of love—to love and be loved. To ensure that man’s love was voluntary and not coerced, God bestowed upon each person the gift of free will, making affection for Him a matter of choice. That gift allows individuals to decide during their lifetime whether to commit for all eternity to the God of love or not, thereby determining their eternal destination after death. The crucial distinction lies in the fact that one choice leads to eternal life in the presence of a loving God, while the other choice results in the unending loneliness and agony of eternal separation from God’s favor.
The Bible emphasizes that a loving relationship between man and God is founded on faith. Biblical faith is portrayed as a deeply ingrained belief in the absolute goodness of an omnipotent God, a conviction so deep that it can endure even without tangible evidence. It is sustained by trust, serving as the means through which individuals rest their hope for salvation to everlasting life on the promises and faithfulness of the living God. However, in the process of creating humans with free will, an all-knowing God knew from the beginning that granting choice to mankind would open the door to doubt and disobedience, breaking the bond of love. To address the estrangement, God provided prophecies that, with their fulfillments, are intended to restore man to belief and fellowship in faith.
There are two main types of Bible prophecy: predictive prophecy and descriptive prophecy. Among the predictive prophecies, the most explicitly stated ones are the chrono-specific prophecies in the Book of Daniel, exhibiting precise fulfillments easily verified from the pages of history. Regarding the descriptive prophecies, particularly those concerning the person and mission of the Messiah of Israel, the most defining ones are found in the Books of Daniel, Jeremiah, and Isaiah. Both types affirm that the Bible is the accurate expression of the mind and will of God. They achieve that validation through the testimony of fulfilled prophecies that come true 100% of the time. No other sacred text or religious tradition can make such a definitive claim.
The predictive prophecies recorded in the Book of Daniel are unique in Scripture. They are time-specific prophecies that were sealed away from interpretation and complete understanding by command of God when the prophecies were revealed more than twenty-five hundred years ago. According to the biblical text, those prophecies were intended to remain sealed until the time of the end: “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end; many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased” (Dan. 12:4) and “Go thy way, Daniel; for the words are shut up and sealed till the time of the end” (Dan. 12:9).
The promised end-time increase in knowledge leading to the unsealing and accurate eschatological understanding of the prophecies in Daniel was initiated by an event that occurred in Israel in 1967 during the Six-Day War. That war witnessed the walled Old City of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount platform, both referred to by the word ‘sanctuary’ in the biblical text, return to Jewish control.
The liberation of the sanctuary from Islamic possession and authority, with the word ‘sanctuary’ referring specifically to the Temple Mount, along with its restoration to permanent Jewish sovereignty, is acknowledged by today’s Bible-believing expositors as the fulfillment of the chrono-specific prophecy in Daniel, chapter 8, verses 13-14.. Furthermore, the modern unsealing of that previously sealed prophecy and its subsequent interpretation serves as a divine signal that the entire Book of Daniel should now be considered open for accurate interpretation and understanding.
Following this introduction, two prophecies recorded in the Book of Daniel will be expounded using excerpts from commentaries previously published by your author. The first excerpt is from the book Proof of God, explaining the prophecy in Daniel, chapter 8. The second excerpt is from The Messiah Prophecy, explaining the prophecy recorded in Daniel, chapter 9.
Those prophecies hold particular significance for this skeptical age since they provide detailed God-given proof texts that support two foundational biblical claims. First, they affirm that the God of the Bible does indeed exists as described in the sacred writings, and that, as the omnipotent living God, he is providentially overseeing the affairs of mankind. Second, they assert that Jesus of Nazareth, a historical Jewish figure, was and is the prophesied Messiah of Israel who confirmed the New Covenant foretold by the prophet Jeremiah. Additionally, selected writings from the Tanakh and B’rit Hadashah that bolster the claims made by the Daniel prophecies are provided.
As you delve into the remaining pages of this book, keep in mind that its primary objective is to address any doubts you may haveabout the universal sovereignty of the God of the Bible over heaven and earth, and about the identity of Jesus as the promised seed of Abraham sent to be a blessing to the world. Your author appreciates your willingness to evaluate the exposition and arguments presented herein, ideally doing so accompanied by an open Bible and an open mind. The hope is that your pursuit of truth will be rewarded with new insight into the mind of God and his purpose for your life.
CONTENTS
Introduction . . . page 1
Proof of God
The Prophecy Given . . . page 7
The Prophecy Fulfilled . . . page 11
The Messiah Prophecy
A Longed-for Messiah . . . page 21
His Appearing in Time . . . page 27
His Identity Revealed . . . page 41
The New Covenant . . . page 61
From the Tanakh
Yesha´yahu 53 . . . page 79
Yirmeyahu 31 . . . page 80
Dani´el 8 & 9 . . . page 81
Commentary
Sefer Yochanan . . . page 89
Sefer L´ ivrim . . . page 133
One and Three . . . page 151
A Temple of Flesh . . . page 153
Do Jews Need Jesus? . . . page 161
Conclusion . . . page 165
