607 BCE, Jerusalem & the NAME : Jehovah's Witnesses blind to the prophet's priorities (Daniel 18)

Daniel chapter 9 is one of the most famous of Messianic prophecies. The 70 weeks till Messiah, however, is preceded by a personal prayer of Daniel which clearly sets out the prophet's priorities. Daniel brings his petition before his God on behalf of a specific people, a specific city and a specific way of worship. In these priorities, as John Walvoord notes, we see not only the Hebrew hope, but the direct connection of the book of Daniel to the future of Jerusalem and the Jewish people. As a sidelight -- but vital to Watchtower chronology -- we see just how Daniel views the 70 year period which, for JWs, is measured from the destruction of Jerusalem to the end of the exile.

[@yogi19581]

I love the way you make the deeper things of scripture simple, thank you for your work.

[@TimKollat]

The covenant God made with Abraham was not a conditional covenant based on whether or not Abraham's descendants obeyed fully or not. God told him it's an everlasting covenant and no one can stop it or steal it from them and say it's now changed to a spiritual one and anyone can grab this covenant from Abraham's line. I learned as a JW that God stripped his covenant from Abraham and abandoned Israel completely as a nation. I remember asking my mom when I was younger why do we believe this when Jesus said "your house is abandoned to you..UNTIL you say blessed is he who comes in Jehovah's name" I asked how is this possible when Jesus clearly didn't say forever but used the word until, and later in Romans Paul said that a dulling of senses has come upon Israel until (that word until again) the full number of the nation's comes in and then Israel will be saved.
I remember she had to go do research and my dad said she had watchtower mags and other watchtower publications strewn about the table in order to answer my question.
I already knew the watchtowers answer, which is basically them claiming that God wasn't telling the truth to Abraham and that they could steal the covenant being a part of the spiritual 144k.
Of course the watchtower doesn't say it like that but that is basically what they mean

[@davidvivianaspinall3498]

Well said. Many Christians, as well as cultists, are too cavalier in writing off the Abrahamic covenant and promises along with the Mosaic Law. They have to be cleanly separated if we are to understand the rest of the Bible. Paul, as you point out, does not confuse the 2 issues -- Christ IS the "end of the Law", but He is NOT the end of the Old Testament promises. Romans 15 is decisive as to Paul's position. Peter, in Acts 3, is also firm on this -- only when Israel nationally repents will Christ be revealed from heaven.

[@amc7568]

Micheal Heiser explains this very well. Why Antoni the holy name why the uses.