Dear Friends of "Dial Daily Bread,"
The only light that shone in the darkness of the ancient world was that from the prophets of the Old Testament. The God of heaven had endowed Abraham and his descendants with the only message of salvation ("in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed," Gen. 12:3). But Israel and Judah failed miserably, and became worse than the pagans whom they were sent to evangelize (Eze. 16). The honor of God as Creator and Redeemer of the world was dragged into the mire; Israel blocked His plan of salvation. In a desperate last chance to appeal to the hearts of His people and because of His love for the dark world, God permitted them to be dragged into Babylonian captivity.
Then it was that finally one of the captives saw God's plan of salvation made plain. But even Daniel could not "see" it until he grasped the principle of corporate guilt and repentance. When, like Jesus later at His baptism by John the Baptist, Daniel took upon himself personally the guilt of Israel (Dan. 9:3-20), the fog rolled away and he was able to receive "skill to understand" (vs. 22). Only then could he "see" what the Savior of the world would accomplish: (1) "finish the transgression, ... (2) make an end of sins, ... (3) make reconciliation for iniquity, ... [and] (4) bring in everlasting righteousness" (vs. 24). No superficial band-aids here!
Jesus would "condemn sin" "in the likeness of sinful flesh," get down to its roots and outlaw it forever (Rom. 8:3, 4). No more offerings of animals to only perpetuate egotism. No more Old Covenant blindness. Abraham's "Seed," that is, "One, ... who is Christ" (Gal. 3:16), would deliver the human race from the iron grip of egotism. God's New Covenant promise would no longer be sabotaged by rebellious Israel. The crucified Lamb would become "the Lion of the tribe of Judah" (Rev. 5:5, 6). But all that "the Lamb" accomplished in Himself must be demonstrated finally before the world and the universe in those who "follow the Lamb wherever He goes" (14:4).
The success of God's grand plan of salvation must ultimately depend on its final hour, and it is there that the "cleansing of the sanctuary" truth comes into its own. Christ must be able to demonstrate to the universe that He has indeed "finished transgression," "made an end of sins," "made reconciliation for iniquity" (not reconciled to iniquity--Satan's counterfeit!), and "brought in everlasting righteousness." God grant us grace to cooperate with Him!
--Robert J. Wieland
From the "Dial Daily Bread" Archive: March 11, 2001.
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