Principalities

High Priest - G0749 archiereus From:
High (G0746 arche: chief, beginning, corners, first, magistrate, power, principality, rule).
Priest (G2409 hiereus: a priest (from G2413 - hieros: sacred, holy see: 2 Timothy 3:15 & 1 Corinthians 9:13)).

Priest craft

Yet they shamelessly cheat widows out of their property and then pretend to be pious by making long prayers in public. Mark 12:40.

Behold, we go up to Jerusalem and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes and they shall condemn him to death. Matthew 20:18

After two days was the feast of the passover and of unleavened bread: and the chief priests and the scribes sought how they might take him by craft and put him to death. Mark 14:1.

And Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve, went unto the chief priests, to betray him unto them. And when they heard it, they were glad and promised to give him money. And he sought how he might conveniently betray him. Mark 14:10-11.

And the chief priests and all the council sought for witness against Jesus to put him to death; and found none. Mark 14:55.

False witnesses & shameful abuse

But neither so did their witness agree together. And the high priest stood up in the midst and asked Jesus, saying, Answerest thou nothing? what is it which these witness against thee? But he held his peace and answered nothing. Again the high priest asked him and said unto him, Art thou the Christ, the Son of the Blessed? And Jesus said, I am: and you shall see the Son of man sitting on the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of heaven. Then the high priest rent his clothes and said, What need we any further witnesses? Ye have heard the blasphemy: what think you? And they all condemned him to be guilty of death. And some began to spit on him and to cover his face and to buffet him and to say unto him, Prophesy: and the servants did strike him with the palms of their hands. Mark 14:59-65.

The chief priests align with Rome

And it was the preparation of the passover and about the sixth hour: and he (Pilate) said to the Jews, Behold your King! But they cried out, Away with him, away with him, crucify him. Pilate said to them, Shall I crucify your King? The chief priests answered, We have no king but Caesar. John 19:14-15.

When we consider all these verses we can then make sense of Daniel 12:7.

The power of the holy people

... and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. Daniel 12:7. Here we learn of a "holy" people whose power Christ must scatter. From this we can discern that it is an earthly power that is in opposition to God's power. The fact that they have to be scattered suggests that the source of their power is through assembly and being of one mind and accord (the Synagogue of Satan). The people behind this power claim themselves to be a holy people, that is, sacred and use this to assume authority over others through deceptive means and by force. It is a repeating pattern throughout the ages where certain people groups whom having acquired certain advantageous knowledge begin to think themselves to be more than just mortal men. These men throughout the ages prefer the ultimate disguise, being that of a priest 'hiereus' which comes from the word 'hieros'; meaning sacred, holy which they wear like a cloak to hide their agendas. They infiltrate the highest positions of power where they can have the most influence over kings, princes their counsels and nations. It is the priesthood that wields the real power often rising to a priest-king status (church and state in one man). A feudalistic system of tyranny is formed, vassal kings who serve the one priest-king, a king of kings who sits at the top of a pyramid structure of power resulting in a confederacy of city states and nations who eventually conspire to go to war against God and his people. Nimrod the first monarch and the tower of Babel being the first major post flood revolt against the power and authority of heaven.

God chose Abraham to make a spiritual nation. Abraham being obedient to God's precepts, and choosing to get along with his neighbours rather than warring against them, and desiring to rule over them. It was to Abraham whom God said "I will bless those who bless you and curse those who curse you; and all the families of the earth will be blessed through you." as we read in Genesis 12:3, it was not to Israel which had not yet been conceived, neither was it to those who do not follow in Abraham's example. The seed of Abraham is the beginnings of a spiritual seed not a genetic seed, where simply saying "we have Abraham as our father" is a get out of jail card to do evil. By the time of Christ's prophetic visitation on Israel, the character of the nation resembled nothing of what God saw in Abraham. Instead of being a light to all the pagan nations, the rulers, and teachers had become a people who percieved themselves as holy, superior and God's chosen elect, following oral traditions whilst neglecting the precepts of God. Their was great injustices and the poor were forgotten. Pride and arrogance had took root, they had lost the plot to the point where many were expecting a militaristic messiah figure who would destroy all their enemies, someone who would fight their battles as in the days of Samuel when the people desired a king. The nation of Israel wanted to rule over the world and to be top of the earthly power heirachical pyramid.

The Greatest Law

When asked what is the greatest law, Jesus said, Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’The second is this: ‘Love your neighbour as yourself.’ No other commandment is greater than these.” Mark 12:30-31, Matthew 22:37, & Luke 10:27.

The root of Israel's Apostacy

Of the thousands of people that God brought out of the land of Egypt only two of the original people actually crossed over the Jordan into the promised land, that being Caleb and Joshua. In the account of the apostle Stephen, he recalls to the Sanhedrin the heritage of Israel ending in a exposé that traces the nation's apostacy all the way back to the forty years when Israel wandered in the wilderness where the nation of Israel in it's infancy forsook God's precepts turning to idolatry (see Acts 7). This powerful revelation would cost Stephen his life when the Jewish counsel had him stoned to death.

As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: Romans 3:10.

Church & State craft

It was the Herodian dynasty who first tried to destroy Christ when he was but a baby by murdering all the infants of two years and under in Bethlehem. The Herodians were Idumaean, that is Edomites, the descendants of Esau the brother of Jacob (patriarch of the tribes of Israel). Herod I ruled over Judea as a vassal king of Rome. It is recorded that Herod installed his own priestly class removing the hereditary Levitical priesthood thus giving Herod religious law and state law control over Jerusalem and Judea under Rome's authority. It was Herod Antipas, a son of Herod I, who murdered John the Baptist by beheading. In the book of Acts 12:2 we read that James, the brother of John was also killed by Herod Antipas with the sword.

Is Daniel 11 the prophecy of the Herodian rise to power and the first Emperor? Compare with the historical view visit worldhistory.org/Herod_the_Great/

Rulers of the darkness of the age

We learn from the gospels that during Christ's advent there was an infiltration of extraordinary oppressive spiritual power in Jerusalem and Judah, the monarchy and the priesthood infiltrated, a twisting of the laws of Moses by the Pharisees and the scribes who enforced the rules but did not keep them themselves. The ruling class mere imposters in costume assuming authority. Jesus called them hypocrites which means actors playing a part. Christ's ministry was an attempt to see if the tree could bring forth good fruit but the rulers despised him. Jesus exposed them to the common people in an attempt to wake them up to the inevitable destruction that was on the horizon. Power was being consolidated, church and state working in tandem to crush the people. The whole region was in the grip of cruel, lawless and corrupt minds who conspired in secrecy. Herod, a brutal vassal king of Rome who was prepared to do whatever it took to maintain power. The high priests living in their palace whilst the people starved under the heavy burden of taxation, the temple infested with money lenders (bankers) and those who sold animals to be slaughtered by the thousands in meaningless sacrificial rituals. The servants of the priesthood armed with staves and knives who spat on the righteous. The Roman soldiers reduced to a pack of cruel savages mocking, spitting and gambling for the spoils of a dying man nailed to a tree. The power of Rome which supposedly represented something higher was exposed for it's lack of righteous judgment in the case of Christ and the putting to death of the innocent. Pilate, who was governor over all these things and knowing the innocence of Jesus yet unable to resist the manipulation and accusations of Herod's high priest's for fear of an uprising and losing his status. These events are a testimony to the earthly powers and authorities of men who operate in darkness, that is, shadiness, secrecy. The fig tree (Israel) and all the other trees with there tender branches putting forth leaves, a sign that it was near, even at the doors.

The kings of the earth stood up and the rulers were gathered together against the Lord and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou has anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together, Acts 4:26-27

When I was daily with you in the temple, ye stretched forth no hands against me: but this is your hour, and the power of darkness. Luke 22:53.

Christ leaves a way of escape

For those who had eyes to see and ears to hear: Jesus gave signs to watch for:

And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judaea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. Luke 21:20-24.

The Roman armies came and surrounded Jersusalem but then unexpectedly turn back presenting a window of opportunity to escape for those who had kept the words and sayings of Jesus Christ. Jewish factions followed the armies of Rome and began to pick off Roman soldiers on their retreat enraging the rulers of Rome. The armies are ordered to turn back to Jerusalem resulting in a siege of the city and a bloody war between Jews and Romans ending with the sacking of Jerusalem and the temple's destruction in 70AD. In 71 CE, a triumph was held in Rome to celebrate the victory. It is commemorated on the Arch of Titus, which depicts Roman soldiers carrying away their spoils from the temple.

Fulfillment of prophecy

Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham and whosoever among you feareth God, to you is the word of this salvation sent. For they that dwell at Jerusalem and their rulers, because they know him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him. Acts 13:26-27.

The fullness of the Jews

For the people who lived in the days of Herod it must have been like a huge mountain was in the way. But for those who kept their faith in Christ and trusting in His words that mountain was removed. Jesus prophesied the destruction of the temple and in 70AD, this was fulfilled with the power of the holy people scattered and the nation of Israel was no more. The nation of Israel was meant to be a light to all the other nations, to set an example of God's righteousness on earth. The Jewish rulers and their followers rejected Christ the Prince of Peace for a pagan military leader (Caesar). Jesus said they could predict the weather but could not discern the time of their visitation. The oracles of God that were entrusted to the Jews were given over to the people of the Gentile nations until it too as the Apostle Paul says, "reaches its fullness".

Christ is our High Priest

For there is one God and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; 1 Timothy 2:5.

This verse assures us that we no longer need to confess to an earthly priest. The covenant prophesied in Daniel 9:27 was confirmed with many when Christ gave himself to be the sacrifice to end all sacrifices. Christ ascended to the right hand of the Father opening up a new way for us to commune with the Most High. We no longer need man made religions that always end up being infiltrated by corrupt men. We pray in the name of Jesus Christ, and worship in the spirit with surety that our prayers are heard by the Father.

And they sang a new song: “Worthy are You to take the scroll and open its seals, because You were slain, and by Your blood You purchased for God those from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God, and they will reign upon the earth.” Revelation 5:9-10.

The kingdom of God is within us. By accepting Jesus Christ as our personal saviour and high priest and by applying His word and precepts into our lives we enter into a spiritual priesthood. However, we must take heed from history that we do not end up thinking ourselves to be sinless, holy, righteous, chosen or any better than anyone else. We are all sinners born of a sinful nature and by acknowledging these truths we light up the path that leads to Christ. It was Christ's sacrifice on the cross and His blood that covers our sins.

This age we were born into appears to be heading in the same direction as the age of the Jews. It came to a close with the rulers of darkness gathered and assembled against Jesus and against truth. Secret keepers, bad actors who plotted and schemed to maintain their earthly power and prepared to do whatever it took to rule.

The blessed hope

Fear not, Christ has been given all power and authority over heavenly and earthly powers. He sees into the hearts of everyone and there is nothing hidden that will not be made known. We are told to watch and pray that we are worthy of His salvation. Comfort others who do not understand the things that are taking place. Do all things with patience, humility and compassion. Cling to Christ and his teachings and He will give us strength to endure until the end.

He that overcomes, the same shall be clothed in white raiment and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father and before his Angels. Revelation 3:5.