Taught 4/5/2009
Palm Sunday
Are you ready for the King?
Open your Bible to…
Luke 21:34 “But take heed to yourselves, lest your hearts be weighed down with carousing, drunkenness, and cares of this life, and that Day come on you unexpectedly.
Luke 21:35 For it will come as a snare on all those who dwell on the face of the whole earth.
Luke 21:36 Watch therefore, and pray always that you may be counted worthy to escape all these things that will come to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.”
Pray
Intro
√ Are you ready for the King?
Have you noticed that the news of late is filled with stories that call into question the validity of the Bible and that the number of people attacking the Bible and the Christian faith is growing?
20/20 ~ James Tabor, “The Jesus Dynasty” ~ claims Jesus was born of a human father, probably a Roman soldier named Pantara. Despite a lack of evidence to support his theory.
The Gospel of Judas ~ claims that Jesus told Judas to sell Him out. Despite the fact that the earliest date for the writing of the so-called Gospel is nearly 300 years after Judas’ death and therefore lacks all credibility for having been authored by Judas.
Who can we trust? Who’s telling the truth?
Thankfully God has provided objective evidence for the critical thinker through His prophetic word…
…telling us what will happen before it does!
Those who take the time to look at the prophecies in the Bible will find ample evidence to place their trust in Jesus!
Ex. Be encouraged ~ we’re getting through! Chase-a-roo’s Facebook note
√ Prophecy ~ the God test (Isa. 41:21-24)
Because fulfilled prophecy confirms that the Bible is in fact the word of God because by definition only God is omniscient and can predict the future.
The reality is that hundreds of prophecies in the Bible have already come to pass!
The only prophecies that haven’t yet been fulfilled are those that specifically speak of the events of the “End Times”, or “Last Days”.
Well, as we celebrate Palm Sunday we find that the events recorded in the Gospels tell how at least three Bible prophecies were fulfilled that day.
The formal presentation of Messiah to the Jewish people (Dan. 9).
The unusual choice of a donkey for the King to ride on (Zech. 9).
The praise of the people who acknowledge Jesus as Messiah (Ps. 118).
So, celebrating Palm Sunday is more than just remembering the special events of a day in the past.
It is also a reminder to us that as God because has faithfully fulfilled His promises in the past we can sure that He will bring to pass His predictions for the future!
This morning I hope to provide you with some exciting facts regarding some of the prophecies that predicted the events we celebrate today and thereby give you encouragement and hope for the future!
Palm Sunday ~ Prophecy Fulfilled (Luke 19:28-44)
Luke 19:28 When He had said this, He went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem.
Luke 19:29 And it came to pass, when He drew near to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mountain called Olivet, that He sent two of His disciples,
Luke 19:30 saying, “Go into the village opposite you, where as you enter you will find a colt tied, on which no one has ever sat. Loose it and bring it here.
Luke 19:31 And if anyone asks you, “Why are you loosing it?’ thus you shall say to him, ‘Because the Lord has need of it.’ ”
Luke 19:32 So those who were sent went their way and found it just as He had said to them.
Luke 19:33 But as they were loosing the colt, the owners of it said to them, “Why are you loosing the colt?”
Luke 19:34 And they said, “The Lord has need of him.”
Luke 19:35 Then they brought him to Jesus. And they threw their own clothes on the colt, and they set Jesus on him.
Luke 19:36 And as He went, many spread their clothes on the road.
Luke 19:37 Then, as He was now drawing near the descent of the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works they had seen,
Luke 19:38 saying:
“ ‘Blessed is the King who comes in the name of the LORD!’
Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”
Luke 19:39 And some of the Pharisees called to Him from the crowd, “Teacher, rebuke Your disciples.”
Luke 19:40 But He answered and said to them, “I tell you that if these should keep silent, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Luke 19:41 Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,
Luke 19:42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
Luke 19:43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side,
Luke 19:44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
√ Palm Sunday ~ prophecy fulfilled!
Luke records here the events that the Church has come to call Palm Sunday, or the Triumphant Entry.
So called because the crowds spread Palm branches along the path that Jesus traveled down the Mount of Olives, across the Kidron Valley, and into Jerusalem through the Eastern (or Golden) Gate.
“Triumphant” because Jesus entered the holy city to the praise and shouts of the multitudes who proclaimed Him King Messiah!
It was also the first day of the last week of Jesus’ earthly ministry before going to the Cross.
It was the day prepared for Him in eternity past at which He would publicly present Himself as Messiah for evaluation by the Jewish leaders.
Thus fulfilling one of the most important prophecies in the Bible.
What day? A very important day as Jesus indicates in vs. 42…
“If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.”
Turns out it was the exact day foretold by God through the prophet Daniel that the Messiah would come to Jerusalem!
The sad part, and the reason that Jesus wept over the city was that even though the multitudes praised Him on this day and proclaimed Him King…
…He knew that they would reject Him as their Messiah and by week’s end would cry out not for His coronation, but for His Crucifixion!
All because they missed the significance of “this day”…
“…because you did not know the time of your visitation.” ~ vs. 44
The lesson for us is that Palm Sunday is a reminder that we ought not neglect the words of prophecy in the Bible lest we too miss what God is doing in our generation!
Ap. Fulfilled prophecy
As we review the events of Palm Sunday and compare them with the prophecies in the Book of Daniel my hope is that you’ll see the astounding accuracy of God’s prophetic word.
The encouragement is that since God’s predictions regarding Jesus’ first Advent have come to pass just as He said they would…
…so then we can be confident that the prophecies concerning Jesus’ future return will also to come to pass!
Additionally, we want to learn from the mistakes of the Jewish people who did not rightly discern the events taking place before their eyes and thereby missed the arrival of their King!
How did they miss the significance of that day?
Because they did not discern the significance of the signs of the times being fulfilled all around them including the events of Palm Sunday.
Their lives serve as a warning to us lest we miss the prophecies being fulfilled all around us and thereby not be ready for Jesus’ return to retrieve His Bride, the Church.
The first and most obvious prophecy missed by those hailing Jesus’ ride into Jerusalem is that God had foretold the exact day that the Messiah would do so!
To see that prophecy we have to turn back to the prophet Daniel and look at the fascinating words spoken to him by the angel Gabriel.
We’ll move quickly through the scripture if you would like to do more research you might want to download my study of Daniel 9 from our website.
Palm Sunday ~ Prophecy Spoken (Dan. 9:24-27)
Dan. 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.
Dan. 9:25 “Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; (69 total)
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
Dan. 9:26 “And after the sixty-two weeks (69 total)
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan. 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”
√ Palm Sunday ~ prophecy spoken
The setting…
The first part of chapter 9 records Daniel’s prayer on behalf of the Jewish people.
His motivation to pray came from his understanding that their captivity in Babylon was almost over!
Daniel had been studying Jeremiah’s prophecy which predicted that they’d serve Babylon for 70 years, which was almost up!
Yet, when God answered Daniel’s prayer He reveals that the discipline of His people and His city would not be complete with their return to Jerusalem from Babylon!
There was more to come!
Not just 70 years of punishment in Babylon, but 70 times 7 years of discipline!
Ap. One of the greatest prophecy’s in the Bible!
Provides a framework to understanding God’s plan for the Jewish people.
The very day that Messiah would come to Jerusalem ~ Palm Sunday!
The promise of redemption through Messiah’s death.
The identity of the people from whom the Antichrist will come.
The promise that God would do away with all sin, and bring in a kingdom of everlasting righteousness!
In short, this one prophecy is sufficient to prove that God is real and that He speaks to human beings!
Ap. A lot to study!
We only have time to do an overview of this prophecy as it relates to Palm Sunday, so if you really want to dig into this you’ll want to acquire the book…
“The Coming Prince”
…written by Sir Robert Anderson (available as a PDF file), or “Daniel” by Arno Gaebelein – see the back of your handout.
√ The meaning of the message & how it relates to Palm Sunday
Dan. 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.
Vs. 24 ~ gives us God's time table
"70 weeks" literally “70 sevens”, in the common usage of the Hebrew " shabua" is used to mean years.
2) If "days" was meant Daniel would have written "of days" - see Daniel 10:2-3.
3) The context deals with years…
Daniel was thinking about the 70 years of Babylonian captivity (Dan. 9:1-2)…
…now God shows him another period of years, 7X70 (490 years) thus God was starting another era of time.
Vs. 24 ~ God's people
Note that Gabriel tells Daniel the prophecy is for…
"your people & your holy city" ~ vs. 24
…that is, Daniel's people and city, the Jews, and Jerusalem.
Vs. 24 ~ God's purpose
Is to finish all of God's work (plan of redemption) and bring to fulfillment all of His promises with the end of the 70th “week”.
Vs. 25 ~ prophetic clock
Dan. 9:25 “Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; (69 weeks)
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
Begins when the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem.
Stops when the Messiah is presented to Israel in Jerusalem.
Ex. God gave Daniel the date!
That is, if we knew when the command was given to rebuild Jerusalem and the walls…
…then we could count forward and know the day that the Messiah was supposed to show up!
We do know the date!
Artaxerxes issued the decree on March 14, 445 B.C. as recorded in Nehemiah and confirmed by archeology.
69 X 7 years = 483 years
483 X 360 days (Hebrew calendar) = 173,880 days
Add 173,880 days to March 14, 445 B.C. (taking into account leap years, BC to AD, etc., see notes on math) takes us to April 6, 32 A.D….
…the very day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the 1st Palm Sunday!!
Luke 19:42 “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day (ref. Dan. 9 ~ “your people, your city” the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes.
Vs. 26a ~ Messiah’s mission
Dan. 9:26a “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself…”
Gabriel tells Daniel that the Messiah shall be "cut off", literally the Hebrew "karath" means to be killed, or suffer the death penalty.
Fulfilled when Jesus was crucified.
Thus begins the period of time when God turns His attention from the Jewish people to the Gentiles…
…what we sometimes call the “age of Grace” creating a gap of time between the end of the 69th Week, and the beginning of the 70th Week.
Vs. 26b & 27 ~ The false Messiah – the Antichrist
Dan. 9:26b “…And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan. 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”
Gabriel gives us some useful information about the Antichrist’s short career!
Vs. 26 ~ He’s European
Gabriel identifies the people from whom the Antichrist will arise, note vs. 26b…
“And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.”
…the prince who is to come is the Antichrist, note that he will arise from the people who would destroy the Temple (which wasn’t yet rebuilt when Daniel wrote this!)
That would be the Romans! Thus, the Antichrist must arise out of a New Roman Empire or Roman Confederation.
Vs. 27 ~ His treaty begins the final 7 years
Note the word "Then" at the beginning of vs. 27, it signals the beginning of the final "week" or 7 year period of time of human history in which God turns His attention back to the Jewish people.
Begins with a seven-year peace treaty with Israel that the Antichrist breaks in the middle (3 & 1/2 years - see also Matt. 24:15; II Thess. 2:3-4; Rev. 11:2-6; Rev. 12:14).
Ref. “when they say ‘peace and safety’ then sudden destruction comes upon them…”
Vs. 27 ~ He puts an end to Jewish sacrifice
Jesus and Paul tell us that the future Antichrist will go into the rebuilt Temple in Jerusalem, sit himself on the Mercy Seat in the Holy of Holies and proclaim himself to be God (ref. Matt. 24:15 & 2 Thess. 2:3-4).
Palm Sunday ~ Foreshadowing the Future
(I Thess. 5:1-11)
1Th. 5:1 But concerning the times and the seasons, brethren, you have no need that I should write to you.
1Th. 5:2 For you yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so comes as a thief in the night.
1Th. 5:3 For when they say, “Peace and safety!” then sudden destruction comes upon them, as labor pains upon a pregnant woman. And they shall not escape.
1Th. 5:4 But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.
1Th. 5:5 You are all sons of light and sons of the day. We are not of the night nor of darkness.
1Th. 5:6 Therefore let us not sleep, as others do, but let us watch and be sober.
1Th. 5:7 For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk are drunk at night.
1Th. 5:8 But let us who are of the day be sober, putting on the breastplate of faith and love, and as a helmet the hope of salvation.
1Th. 5:9 For God did not appoint us to wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ,
1Th. 5:10 who died for us, that whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with Him.
1Th. 5:11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.
√ Palm Sunday ~ foreshadowing the future
Interesting that Jesus wept because the Jewish people failed to read the signs of the times that indicated that there was something special about…
“this…day” ~ Luke 19:42
And here in Thessalonians we find Paul warning Christians in vs. 4 to be alert so that…
“…this Day should (not) overtake you as a thief.”
The clear implication is that if we are not paying attention to the prophetic signs being fulfilled around us that indicate we’re nearing the final 7-year period of human history…
…that we could be taken by surprise and find ourselves unprepared to meet King Jesus!
I’m not suggesting that a Christian might miss the Rapture.
What I am saying is that we wouldn’t want to ignore or miss the signs of Jesus’ soon return and have Him find us either wasting time or walking in sin when He calls the Church to heaven.
Ap. Are there any indications that we are nearly that final 7 year period of time spoken of by Daniel?
Yes! In fact there are many more prophetic signs being fulfilled today as we anticipate King Jesus’ call than there were fulfilled that 1st Palm Sunday!
Israel restored as a nation ~ Ez. 37-38 & Matt. 24
A revived Roman Empire ~ Dan. 9:26 & Rev. 17
Jerusalem a heavy stone to the nations ~ Zeck. 12:3
Military alliance of Ezekiel 38 nations
Threat of war from Ezekiel 38 nations
One world currency ~ Rev. 13:17
Diminished role of USA ~ Ez. 38:13 (maybe!)
And that’s just a few of the many prophetic signs being fulfilled in our generation!
The point is that the signs that indicate we’re quickly approaching the beginning of that final 7-year period predicted by Daniel are coming to pass all around us!
The time of “Jacob’s trouble”
The Great Tribulation
Since that time looks to be right around the corner then the Rapture of the Church must be even closer because the Devil can’t play his hand…
…until the Church has been removed from the earth! (ref. 2 Thess. 2:7-8).
Close
Ap. The King is coming, are you ready?
As we celebrate Palm Sunday and the coming of the King to Jerusalem just as predicted by the Bible…
…then you can be sure He will come again as predicted by the same Bible?!
Are you ready for the King?
Palm Sunday is more than just a presentation of what is past…
…it is predictive of what is coming.
Make sure you’re ready…
If you’re not a Christian then give your life to the King today!
If you are a Christian then make sure you’re in the center of God’s will for your life.
Ap. No fear for the Christian!
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