Divine Theocracy, the Kinsman-Redeemer, and the Prophecy of Daniel 9

A true theocracy is the moral government of God established upon the earth where He is recognized as the supreme King and Author of lawTDC May 10, 1889, page 4.1+1. This divine rule is characterized by the implanting of Christ’s nature in humanity through the Holy Spirit, rather than through the legislative assemblies or courts of men John 1:12-13CHPA 67.1.

The Law of the Kinsman-Redeemer

In the land of Israel, the law of the next of kin, or goel, served as a fundamental pillar of God's social and spiritual orderBHOTV3 165.1. This law ensured that an inheritance lost through poverty or death could be redeemed and that a family name would not be extinguished from the tribes of Israel Ruth 4:3-10BHOTV3 165.1.

• The Right of Redemption: To act as a redeemer, one had to be the nearest of kin among those who were related Ruth 2:1GCB/GCDB 1895, page 265.2. Boaz, a kinsman of Elimelech, could only step into this role once a closer relative declined the obligation Ruth 4:1-8GCB/GCDB 1895, page 265.2.

• The Avenger of Blood: The kinsman-redeemer also held the responsibility of being the "avenger of blood" in cases of murder Numbers 35:21ETI Kinsman.4. While the law protected those who committed accidental homicide through cities of refuge, the intentional murderer was to be executed by the redeemer Numbers 35:25+1SBD Murder.2.

• A Living Inheritance: The union of Ruth and Boaz under this law demonstrates the beauty of the theocratic system, as it ultimately led to the lineage of David and the birth of Jesus Christ Matthew 1:1-16BHOTV3 165.1.

Christ as the Ultimate Theocratic King

The earthly theocracy and its kinsman laws were shadows of the greater kingdom of Christ 2 Peter 1:16ARSH June 13, 1854, page 153.8. Jesus fulfills every aspect of the redeemer's role, from the restoration of our lost inheritance to the final execution of judgmentEVRR674+1.

• Mighty to Save: Christ is the Kinsman-Redeemer who became flesh to be near of kin to us, paying the price for our redemption through His own blood Revelation 5:9EVRR674+1. He is the seed of the woman promised from the beginning to bruise the serpent's head Genesis 3:15.

• The Kingly Avenger: At His second coming, Christ lays aside His priestly garments for those of a King and Avenger Revelation 19:11-16EVRR674. He is the one who treads the winepress of the wrath of God, His garments stained with the blood of the unsaved who have despised His authority Isaiah 63:1-6EVRR674.

• Internal Governance: Unlike human imitations of theocracy that use force or the inquisition to compel outward compliance, Christ’s true theocracy governs the mind and heartTDC May 10, 1889, page 4.1. It is not established by civil law but by the gospel, which converts men inwardly so that their outward actions naturally conform to the divine law Matthew 15:1-9TDC May 10, 1889, page 4.1.

Distinguishing Divine and Human Rule

Confusion often arises when human governments attempt to merge church and state, creating a "papal" version of a theocracy that leads to oppressionTDC May 10, 1889, page 4.1+1. True theocracy requires leaving institutions under God’s direct leadership rather than seeking to consolidate them under human control4MR 441.1+1. Civil governments should focus on maintaining "civility" and prohibiting "incivilities," while leaving "morality"—which is conformity to the Ten Commandments—to God aloneTDC May 10, 1889, page 4.1.

By recognizing Christ as our only Lawgiver and Redeemer, we enter into His kingdom where we are delivered from the power of the enemy and restored to our rightful inheritance Daniel 12:1+1EVRR674.

Daniel 9

1 In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;

2 In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

3 And I set my face to the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:

4 And I prayed to the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;

5 We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from your precepts and from your judgments:

6 Neither have we listened to your servants the prophets, which spoke in your name to our kings, our princes, and our fathers, and to all the people of the land.

7 O LORD, righteousness belongs to you, but to us confusion of faces, as at this day; to the men of Judah, and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, and to all Israel, that are near, and that are far off, through all the countries where you have driven them, because of their trespass that they have trespassed against you.

8 O Lord, to us belongs confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against you.

9 To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgivenesses, though we have rebelled against him;

10 Neither have we obeyed the voice of the LORD our God, to walk in his laws, which he set before us by his servants the prophets.

11 Yes, all Israel have transgressed your law, even by departing, that they might not obey your voice; therefore the curse is poured on us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned against him.

12 And he has confirmed his words, which he spoke against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing on us a great evil: for under the whole heaven has not been done as has been done on Jerusalem.

13 As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come on us: yet made we not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand your truth.

14 Therefore has the LORD watched on the evil, and brought it on us: for the LORD our God is righteous in all his works which he does: for we obeyed not his voice.

15 And now, O Lord our God, that have brought your people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and have gotten you renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

16 O LORD, according to all your righteousness, I beseech you, let your anger and your fury be turned away from your city Jerusalem, your holy mountain: because for our sins, and for the iniquities of our fathers, Jerusalem and your people are become a reproach to all that are about us.

17 Now therefore, O our God, hear the prayer of your servant, and his supplications, and cause your face to shine on your sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord’s sake.

18 O my God, incline your ear, and hear; open your eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by your name: for we do not present our supplications before you for our righteousnesses, but for your great mercies.

19 O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, listen and do; defer not, for your own sake, O my God: for your city and your people are called by your name.

20 And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God;

21 Yes, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation.

22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give you skill and understanding.

23 At the beginning of your supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show you; for you are greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

24 Seventy weeks are determined on your people and on your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem to the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

26 And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and to the end of the war desolations are determined.

27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured on the desolate.

The accuracy of the seventy-week prophecy in Daniel 9 is established through a harmonious combination of biblical data, historical records, and the infallible testimony of astronomical eventsSTTHD 77.7+1. By identifying the specific starting point of the prophecy and the exact length of Christ's ministry, the dates of 27 A.D. for His baptism and 4 B.C. for His birth are mathematically demonstrated to be correctLJL 40.1+1.

The Starting Point: B.C. 457

The seventy weeks, or 490 prophetic days, begin with the "going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem" Daniel 9:25TTHDS 1.2.

• The True Decree: While there were three decrees regarding Jerusalem, the prophecy points to the decree of the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus in B.C. 457, as it provided the full civil and religious authority required for restorationDAR1909 231.2+1.

• Chronological Certainty: This date is fixed by the Canon of Ptolemy, which is verified by more than twenty eclipses, making it one of the most stable dates in ancient historySTTHD 77.7+1.

• Unity of Decrees: The decrees of Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes are treated as one single "commandment" in Scripture, reaching its completed form in B.C. 457 Ezra 6:14STTHD 75.1.

The 69 Weeks and the Baptism of Christ (27 A.D.)

The prophecy states that from the decree until "Messiah the Prince" there would be 69 prophetic weeks, which equals 483 literal years Daniel 9:25SYNPT 24.1.

• Mathematical Fulfillment: Starting from the autumn of B.C. 457 and adding 483 years brings us exactly to the autumn of 27 A.D.LUJ 197.6+1.

• The Meaning of Messiah: "Messiah" means the "Anointed One," and Jesus was publicly manifested as the Messiah at His baptism, where He was anointed with the Holy Ghost Acts 10:37-38SYNPT 24.1.

• The Fulfillment of Time: Immediately after His baptism in 27 A.D., Jesus began His ministry by declaring, "The time is fulfilled," referring specifically to the expiration of the 69 weeks of Daniel Mark 1:14-15DAR1909 226.1.

Determining the Birth Date (4 B.C.)

The date of Christ's birth is derived from the established date of His baptism in 27 A.D. and the testimony of LukeDAR1909 226.1+1.

• Age at Baptism: Luke records that Jesus "began to be about thirty years of age" at the time of His baptism in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar Luke 3:1, 23DAR1909 226.1.

• The Era Correction: The common Christian era (A.D.) was invented by Dionysius Exiguus, who mistakenly placed the birth of Christ in 753 U.C.DAR1909 226.1. However, history records that Herod the Great died in 750 U.C. (4 B.C.), and since Jesus was born before Herod's death, His birth must be placed between 3 and 4 years before 1 A.D. Matthew 2:1DAR1909 226.1.

• Logical Calculation: If Jesus was 30 years old in the autumn of 27 A.D., counting back 30 years leads directly to the autumn of 4 B.C.DAR1909 226.1+1.

The Midst of the Week and the Crucifixion (31 A.D.)

The final confirmation of this timeline is found in the events of the "seventieth week"SOTB 5.3+1.

• The Three and a Half Year Ministry: The prophecy declares that in the "midst of the week," the Messiah would cause the sacrifice to cease Daniel 9:27SOTB 5.3. Christ's ministry lasted three and a half years, spanning four Passovers, and ending with His death on the cross John 2:13+3ARSH January 10, 1854, page 201.21.

• The 31 A.D. Cross: Three and a half years from the autumn of 27 A.D. brings us to the spring of 31 A.D., the year of the crucifixion established by distinguished chronologists like Dr. HalesSOTB 5.3+1.

• End of the 70 Weeks: The remaining three and a half years of the prophecy end in 34 A.D., marked by the stoning of Stephen and the gospel being taken to the GentilesSOTB 5.3+1.

This prophetic chain provides an unalterable "key" to the 2300-day prophecy of Daniel 8:14 showing that if the 490 years ended in 34 A.D., the remaining 1810 years must terminate in 1844SOTB 5.3+2. 🕊️