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| The Hiding of the Hidden-Time |
of the Book of Daniel make it very clear that the Kingdom of God, Israel's messianic kingdom, would begin when God's judgment brought an end to the rule of the fourth empire over their promised land (beginning from Daniel's time under the Babylonian empire). In other words, the Kingdom would come in ending the rule of Rome over Palestine (Judea, Samaria, Galilee).
2:44 – 4 metals,
7:27 – 4 animals.
Why?
knowing the incredible inspiration of the Old Testament prophecies about this coming of the Kingdom, have defined this apparent 'lack' as being simply because the Old Covenant prophetic-perspective saw the coming of Messiah like seeing two mountains in the distance in which an intervening valley between (the Church Age) could not be seen (OT perspective deficiency), and so the first and second coming of Israel's messiah were blended and erroneously seen as one event in history. This is not so! There was no error in the Old Testament prophetic perspective!
The Prophetic
Consciousness
New Testament makes it very clear that this Hidden Time, the time (so-called Church Age) between the coming of Christ and His end-time return in glory, was deliberately hidden from all previous generations, including even all angelic beings.
| This Hidden Time |
| "...according to the revelation of the mystery that was kept secret for long ages but has now been disclosed..." |
| "...to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God who created all things, so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places [angelic beings]." |
| "...to make the word of God fully known, the mystery hidden for ages and generations but now revealed to His saints." |
Ephesians 3:9-10.
Colossians 1:25-26.
of perspective!
There is certainly no deficiency in the prophetic perspective of the Old Testament whatsoever!
It was the same Spirit of God who inspired all Holy Scripture through God's prophets to both theirs and following generations. There was no deficiency in the prophetic perspective.
completely off guard!
God's word to Daniel through His angel Gabriel, giving him the 490-year time-frame of Seventy Sevens (from the end of Israel's first captivity with the rebuilding of Jerusalem's defences until the full spiritual and physical restoration of their nation, simply did not happen as believers had expected, because its division of the final Seven (Dan.9:27), enclosed an indeterminate split of this final Seven into two parts (hinted at in the Abomination of Desolation) which thus leaves its last 1260-days (the 3½-years of Daniel 12:7) still in our future as Christ's Body.
See Rev.11 & 12.
In the inspired structure of Old Testament prophecy two themes were kept completely distinct from each other and never connect in any way whatsoever, even by implication. These two separate prophetic themes were –
• God's Anointed [Messiah/Christ] to deliver from oppression and restore Israel, who is described as God's son; and,
• God's Servant who would suffer unjustly in his faithfulness to God.
• God's Anointed [Messiah/Christ] to deliver from oppression and restore Israel, who is described as God's son; and,
• God's Servant who would suffer unjustly in his faithfulness to God.
Incompatible
Prophecies
| 'Son of God' | Suffering Servant | |
| Anointed Ruler, Divine Deliverer, Davidic King! | The Prophet, or the Nation, or...? | |
| "I will tell of the decree: The LORD said to me, 'You are My Son; today I have begotten you. ...You shall break them with a rod of iron and dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel.' Now therefore, O kings, ...Serve the LORD with fear, and rejoice with trembling. Kiss the Son, lest he be angry, and you perish in the way, for his wrath is quickly kindled. ..." (Psalm 2:7-12). |
"Behold My servant, whom I uphold, My chosen, in whom My soul delights; I have put My Spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations. He will not cry aloud or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street; a bruised reed he will not break, and a faintly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice." (Isaiah 42:1-3). |
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| "Who has ascended to heaven and come down? Who has gathered the wind in his fists? Who has wrapped up the waters in a garment? Who has established all the ends of the earth? What is His name, and what is His Son's name? Surely you know!" (Proverbs 30:4). |
"The Lord GOD has given me the tongue of those who are taught, that I may know how to sustain with a word him who is weary. Morning by morning he awakens; he awakens my ear to hear as those who are taught. ...I gave my back to those who strike, and my cheeks to those who pull out the beard; I hid not my face from disgrace and spitting..." (Isaiah 50:4-10). |
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| "For to us a child is born, to us a son is given; and the government shall be upon His shoulder, and His name shall be called Wonderful Counsellor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over His kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will do this." (Isaiah 9:6-7). |
"Behold, My servant shall act wisely; ...his appearance was so marred, beyond human semblance, and his form beyond that of the children of mankind ...Out of the anguish of his soul he shall see and be satisfied; ...and he shall bear their iniquities. Therefore I will divide him a portion with the many, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong, because he poured out his soul to death and was numbered with the transgressors; yet he bore the sin of many, and makes intercession for the transgressors." (Isaiah 52:13-15 and 53:11-12). |
when he organised
the crucifixion!
John 13:27.
our New Testament makes it plain that prophecies of the coming of the Messiah as personal Saviour are carried throughout the Old Testament Scriptures, these were to be understood only after their fulfilment in Jesus of Nazareth, and very deliberately not before! This was the necessary and deliberate hiding of the Hidden Time of which our New Testament repeatedly speaks in the above quotes from Paul's letters to churches.
These two themes were brought together for the very first time in God the Father's words to the Lord Jesus after His water baptism under John's ministry.
The first part of this declaration of God to Christ, 'My beloved Son', is drawn from the theme of Israel's messiah as Son of God in Psalm 2:7.
The second part of God's statement, 'with you I am well pleased', is drawn from Isaiah's prophecy of the Servant of the Lord in 42:1, thus bringing these two separate prophetic themes together for the first time in history.
Although the Lord Jesus Christ referred to John the Baptist with "Truly, I say to you, among those born of women there has arisen no one greater than John the Baptist" (Matt.11:11), this same John simply did not understand why Jesus had not taken power as Daniel's prophecy had required of Him (see above) and so John sends his disciples to Jesus to even query Christ's messianic identity (Matt.11:3) though he had himself been an eye-witness of it. But John was not to be blamed! The Hidden Time had not yet been revealed. That only happened after the gift of the Holy Spirit was given at Pentecost.
Not only was this greatest of the prophets completely unaware of the Hidden Time (in this split of Daniel's final Seven), but even Satan himself, a fallen angel described as having been an "anointed cherub that covers [guard of the Presence]" (Ezek.28:14), believed as evidenced by his behaviour that using Judas Iscariot to get Christ crucified (Jn.13:27) would stop God's plan as laid out in divine prophecy, namely taking political authority to deliver and restore the nation Israel.
Apart from His own disciples, Christ's unique and indescribable atonement for sin, completed judicially before God on His cross before His physical death,
caught Satan completely off-guard, and is forever the basis for the victory of every believer over the works of Satan in any form!
caught Satan completely off-guard, and is forever the basis for the victory of every believer over the works of Satan in any form!
The hidden aspect of Messiah had now begun and would soon be revealed by the Holy Spirit to all those who follow Him.
