As I began this feature article, I couldn’t help but wonder this: If Israel had accepted Jesus as their Messiah, would Jesus have remained there as their King forever? Also, would He have conquered Israel’s enemies at the time in order to keep peace in the known world?
Make no mistake about it. Jesus had to die to meet the objectives outlined in Daniel 9:24. No one else in Heaven or on Earth could accomplish this. We can only imagine how different things would have been if they had accepted Him as their Messiah and let Him die for their sins so He could bring them into everlasting righteousness with His resurrection.
Far from just defeating Israel’s then current enemies, it would have ushered in the promised Kingdom that we know as the Millennium. It would also have completed the fulfillment of Isaiah 9:6-7, He will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. Through Israel, Jesus would have brought God’s salvation to the ends of the Earth (Isaiah 49:1-6) and there would have been no need for the Church.