FACTORS WHICH DETERMINED THE OUTCOME OF DANIELS TWO SCENARIO SCHEME AND
SALVATION HISTORY AS WE KNOW IT Peter once asked Jesus the question: "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Up to seven times? Jesus replied: "I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven" (Matthew 18:21,22). The meaning of this verse has been firmly illustrated in history, in prophecy, and in parable. Recall
Gods "everlasting" covenant with the nation Israel. With it, God had given
His people an invitation to cooperate with Him in the setting up of a kingdom of
righteousness on the earth. Yet there was an obstacle. They continually resisted
Heavens grace. They persistently abused special privileges. They refused time after
time to heed the message of the prophets (2 Chronicles 36:15,16). Their opportunities to return
to God in order to fulfill the divine plan were always slighted. So they were punished
carried away to be slaves in Babylon for 70 years. Near the end of that time, the
probationary period of 70x7 years was given them (Daniel 9:24). This had no effect. The long
and protracted record of backsliding and rebellion did not change its course. We now study
the parables of Christ that present the conclusion to this never-ending rebellion.
At the Crossroads "A certain man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it, and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, Behold, for three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground? And he answered and said to him, Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in fertilizer; and if it bears fruit next year, fine; but if not, cut it down." Luke 13:6-9. This parable is unique. It is
the only one with a missing conclusion. We are not told whether the fig tree, a symbol of
the nation Israel, eventually bore fruit or not. The people were yet to decide their
future destiny. It was still an open question. Later, Jesus supplied an answer to this
question by means of an acted prophecy (Matthew 21:18,19 cf. Mark 11:13,14) just as other
prophets, who, on occasion, acted out prophecies of doom (Ezekiel 4, Jeremiah 19). We quote Matthews account: "Now in the morning, when He returned to the city, He became hungry. And seeing a lone fig tree by the road, He came to it, and found nothing on it except leaves only; and He said to it, No longer shall there ever be any fruit from you. And at once the fig tree withered." That this refers to a symbolic act seems evident from the fact that, as Mark recounts, "it was not the season for figs." We now study three later parables of Christ that elaborate on this one. Each lesson expresses the same thought: The Messianic kingdom could have come in the first century, but the Jewish leaders had rejected it. Isaiah 5:1-7 provides background for the following:
The Parable of the Vine Growers: "Listen
to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard and put a wall around it
and dug a wine press in it, and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers, and went
on a journey. And when the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the
vine-growers to receive his produce. And the vine-growers took his slaves and beat one,
and killed another, and stoned a third. Again he sent another group of slaves larger than
the first; and they did the same thing to them. But afterward he sent his son to them,
saying, They will respect my son. But when the vine-growers saw the son, they
said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and seize his
inheritance. And they took him, and cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?
They said to him, "He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out
the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the proceeds at the proper
seasons." Jesus said to them, "Did you never read in the Scriptures, The
stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief corner stone; this came about
from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes? "Therefore I say to you, the
kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and be given to a nation producing the fruit
of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls,
it will scatter him like dust." And when the chief priests and the Pharisees heard
His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. And when they sought to
seize Him, they became afraid of the multitudes, because they held Him to be a
prophet". Matthew 21:33-46, Mark 12:1-12, Luke 20:9-18. The Latter End of the Indignation The
Appointed Time of the End The Parable of the Marriage Feast: And Jesus
answered and spoke to them again in parables, saying, "The kingdom of heaven may be
compared to a king, who gave a wedding feast for his son. And he sent out his slaves to
call those who had been invited to the wedding feast, and they were unwilling to come.
Again he sent out other slaves saying, Tell those who have been invited, "Behold,
I have prepared my dinner; my oxen and my fattened livestock are all butchered and
everything is ready; come to the wedding feast." But they paid no
attention and went their way, one to his own farm, another to his business, and the rest
seized his slaves and mistreated them and killed them. But the king was enraged and sent
his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire. Then he said to his
slaves, The wedding is ready, but those who were invited were not
worthy. Go therefore to the main highways, and as many as you find there, invite to the
wedding feast. And those slaves went out into the streets, and gathered together all
they found, both evil and good; and the wedding hall was filled with dinner guests. But
when the king came in to look over the dinner guests, he saw there a man not dressed in
wedding clothes, and he said to him, Friend, how did you come in here without
wedding clothes? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants,
Bind him hand and foot, and cast him into the outer darkness; in that place there
shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. For many are called, but few are chosen."
Matthew
22:1-14. The Parable of the Dinner: But He said to
him, "A certain man was giving a big dinner, and he invited many; and at the
dinner hour he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, Come;
for everything is ready now. But they all alike began to make
excuses. The first one said to him, I have bought a piece of land and I need to go
out and look at it; please consider me excused. And another one said, I have
bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please consider me
excused. And another one said, I have married a wife, and for that reason I
cannot come. And the slave came back and reported this to his master. Then the head
of the household became angry and said to his slave, Go out at once into the streets
and lanes of the city and bring in here the poor and crippled and blind and lame.
And the slave said, Master, what you commanded has been done, and still there is
room. And the master said to the slave, Go out into the highways and along the
hedges, and compel them to come in, that my house may be filled. For I tell you, none of
those men who were invited shall taste of my dinner. Luke 14:16-24. Commentary Notice that everything was prepared and ready for the feast. It was the dinner hour, the appointed time to establish the Messianic kingdom. Similarly, in the parable of the vine growers, the time is represented as harvest time. Harvest time represents the end of the age (Matthew 13:39). Jesus Christ was to have this feast and harvest in the first century. But the invitation to the kingdom was ignored, the message of all the prophets rejected, and the Son of God murdered. The outcome of these parables was therefore realized: "The king was enraged and sent his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and set their city on fire." With the rejection of the Jews, others had been invited to the wedding feast. Unfortunately, the marriage supper of Christ had been delayed. If it was to occur as scheduled, there would be some who accepted the invitation who were not yet fitted with the proper wedding clothes. We must be wearing garments of salvation; We must be covered with robes of righteousness (Isaiah 61:10, 52:1, Zechariah 3:4). We are to put on the Lord Jesus and clothe ourselves with Him (Romans 13:14, Galatians 3:27). And when the church has made herself ready for the great banquet of Christ, and His soon return to earth, then that great and glorious day will come (Revelation 19:7-9). But notice: that day could have come in the first century. It could have been summoned by Gods specially chosen covenant people. Clearly, the outcome of history, as reflected in Daniels prophecy and as explained in Christs parables and teachings, is emphasized to be the result of the peoples decision, their blindness, and their impenitence: "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Behold, your house is being left to you desolate!" . . . . "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes. For the days shall come upon you when your enemies will throw up a bank before you, and surround you, and hem you in on every side, and will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not recognize the time of your visitation." Luke 13:34 cf. Matthew 23:37,28 Luke 19:42-44. From these impassioned words, we see that Jesus did not believe in the fatalistic view of prophecy. He did not shed false tears. The bitter agony was that, if the people only responded, He could have averted the catastrophe of the 70 weeks. He could have fitted His people with beautiful wedding clothes and sat down with them at a great feast. No doubt He believed it was possible; He held it out as a real possibility. So God is not responsible for the imagined failure of any prophecy; His people are. Everything was "determined upon" them (9:24 KJV).
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