Deuteronomy 34:1-6

Then Moses went up from the plains of Moab to Mount Nebo, to the top of Pisgah, which is opposite Jericho. And the LORD showed him all the land, Gilead as far as Dan, all Naphtali, the land of Ephraim and Manasseh, all the land of Judah as far as the western sea,  the Negeb, and the Plain, that is, the Valley of Jericho the city of palm trees, as far as Zoar.  And the LORD said to him, “This is the land of which I swore to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, ‘I will give it to your offspring.’ I have let you see it with your eyes, but you shall not go over there.”  So Moses the servant of the LORD died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the LORD,  and he buried him in the valley in the land of Moab opposite Beth-peor; but no one knows the place of his burial to this day.

So it was Mount Nebo shown in the map below.

View Mt Nebo in a larger map
The view would have looked something like this.

Now his parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of the Passover. And when he was twelve years old, they went up according to custom. And when the feast was ended, as they were returning, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem. (Luke 2:41-43)

So it seems likely that Jesus also went to the feast in Jerusalem every year. But we aren’t specifically told anything of these visits apart from the above occasion when he was 12 years old, and of the three Passover feasts during his ministry: John 2:13; 6:4; 11:55.

Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. (James 4:8)

Since we have these promises, beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from every defilement of body and spirit, bringing holiness to completion in the fear of God. (2 Corinthians 7:1)

Similar examples may be found in Acts 15:9; 2 Corinthians 6:17; 2 Thessalonians 2:21; Hebrews 10:2,22; 2 Peter 1:9; 1 John 1:7-9 and Revelation 21:27.

Exodus 25:17-22 (TNIV)
Make an atonement cover of pure gold—two and a half cubits long and a cubit and a half wide. And make two cherubim out of hammered gold at the ends of the cover. Make one cherub on one end and the second cherub on the other; make the cherubim of one piece with the cover, at the two ends. The cherubim are to have their wings spread upward, overshadowing the cover with them. The cherubim are to face each other, looking toward the cover. Place the cover on top of the ark and put in the ark the tablets of the covenant law that I will give you. There, above the cover between the two cherubim that are over the ark of the covenant law, I will meet with you and give you all my commands for the Israelites.

The translation notes for the NET give the following information:

The noun is כַּפֹּרֶת (kapporet), translated “atonement lid” or “atonement plate.” The traditional translation “mercy-seat” (so KJV, ASV, NASB, NRSV) came from Tyndale in 1530 and was also used by Luther in 1523. The noun is formed from the word “to make atonement.” The item that the Israelites should make would be more than just a lid for the ark. It would be the place where atonement was signified. The translation of “covering” is probably incorrect, for it derives from a rare use of the verb, if the same verb at all (the evidence shows “cover” is from another root with the same letters as this). The value of this place was that Yahweh sat enthroned above it, and so the ark essentially was the “footstool.” Blood was applied to the lid of the box, for that was the place of atonement (see S. R. Driver, Exodus, 269-270).

The atonement cover was where the blood was sprinkled on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16:14-15). In the New Testament, Jesus Christ is described as our “atonement cover” using the same word as was used in the Greek translation of Exodus 25:

God publicly displayed him at his death as the mercy seat accessible through faith. This was to demonstrate his righteousness, because God in his forbearance had passed over the sins previously committed. (Romans 3:25 NET)

(Strangely, the NET uses the traditional “mercy seat” here and in Hebrews 9:5 but not in any Old Testament passage.)

Translators struggle with this passage because it presents Jesus as both the source of the blood and the place where the blood was sprinkled. The ISV makes the mixed metaphor obvious:

Romans 3:24-25 ISV:
By his grace they are justified freely through the redemption that is in the Messiah Jesus, whom God offered as a place where atonement by the Messiah’s blood would occur through faith.

May God do so to me and more also, if the head of Elisha the son of Shaphat remains on his shoulders today. (2 Kings 6:31)

These words were spoken by the King of Israel during the Syrian siege of Samaria — the capital city of Israel at that time. The name of the King of Israel is not given but in the flow of the book it would appear to be Jehoram the son of Ahab (2 Kings 3:1). He is also known as Joram (2 Kings 8:16).

There was a terrible famine in besieged Samaria — and the inhabitants had even resorted to the extreme of cannibalism (2 Kings 6:28-30). The King of Israel was pushed over the edge by news of this and wanted Elisha dead.

Prophets’ lives were often at risk and they were seen as the cause of national trouble (1 Kings 18:17). Similar words were spoken by Jezebel (Jehoram’s mother) about the prophet Elijah (1 Kings 19:2) who was Elisha’s predecessor.

Elisha had previously made it very clear to Jehoram that he wanted nothing to do with him (2 Kings 3:13-14). Jehoram saw the siege and famine as being from God (2 Kings 6:33) and so wanted Elisha, the man of God, dead.

There was another occasion prior to this when a King wanted to deal harshly with Elisha. The King of Syria had been at war with Israel and Elisha was sending messages to the King of Israel warning him about the position of the Syrian enemy (2 Kings 6:9). As a result of this, the King of Syria (probably Ben-Hadad, 2 Kings 8:7) wanted to seize Elisha (2 Kings 6:13-14).

In both of these occasions God ensured Elisha’s safety and deliverance. We are reminded of how God works in the lives of those who love him.

If God is for us, who can be against us? (Romans 8:31)

There are indications that there will continue to be children (from the mortal population) during the Millennium (cf. Isaiah 11:6). When this age comes to an end and God is “all in all” then we may expect all procreation to cease.

To the married I give this charge (not I, but the Lord): the wife should not separate from her husband (but if she does, she should remain unmarried or else be reconciled to her husband), and the husband should not divorce the wife. (1 Corinthians 7:10-11)

This passage reiterates the guidance God has given in regards to marriage and divorce. For further reading on this topic in the Bible please see Genesis 2:24, Matthew 19:1-12 (parallel account; Mark 10:1-12) and Ephesians 5:22-33.

Jesus gives a clear message about divorce, “What therefore God has joined together, let not man separate.” (Matthew 19:6) but also recognises that there are situations when people may divorce due to the sexually immoral behaviour of a spouse (Matthew 5:32 & 19:9).

Sexual immorality is probably one of the reasons behind the mass divorce recorded in Ezra 9 & 10. The people of Israel had returned from Persian captivity and intermarried with people of the surrounding nations. The Old Testament records that the surrounding nations practiced idolatry (Deuteronomy 7:25), sexual immorality (Numbers 25:1-9) and even child sacrifice (Deuteronomy 12:30-31). God supported this divorce (Ezra 10:11) and does not want his children to be subject to such abusive and destructive behaviour.

Paul gives the following advice to people who have an unbelieving spouse:

To the rest I say (I, not the Lord) that if any brother has a wife who is an unbeliever, and she consents to live with him, he should not divorce her. If any woman has a husband who is an unbeliever, and he consents to live with her, she should not divorce him…But if the unbelieving partner separates, let it be so. In such cases the brother and sister is not enslaved. God has called you to peace… (1 Corinthians 7:12-15)

Peter in his first letter provides further advice to those in a marriage relationship that involves a spouse who does not obey God’s word. It is directed to wives but also applies to husbands:

…wives, be subject to your own husbands, so that even if some do not obey the word, they may be won without a word by the conduct of their wives — when they see your respectful and pure conduct. (1 Peter 3:1-2)

In conclusion, God wants married couples to stay together. He also acknowledges that separation does occur (particularly mentioning sexual immorality as a reason for this) and that sometimes it may be best for a person’s safety or spiritual well being.

Daniel 9 (ESV)
24 “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing. And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed. 27 And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”

Daniel 9 (NKJV)
24 “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. 25 “ Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times. 26 “ And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.”

In chapter 9, Daniel is reading the letter from Jeremiah predicting that the Jews would be in captivity for seventy years (Jer 29). Daniel realises that the time is nearly up. He has lived to see Babylon captured by the Persians and so he must have realised that the time was nearly up and soon the captivies would return. So he prays, as Jeremiah predicted they would. Daniel confesses the sins of the people and asks God to be merciful to his people. In response to his prayers Daniel is visited by an angel (Dan 9:20-23) but instead of predicting the end of the captivity in Babylon (which did come to an end just as Jeremiah predicted), the angel talks to Daniel about a different sort of captivity – captivity to sin. Instead of seventy years, there are to seventy weeks (literally seventy “sevens”) between the restoration of Jerusalem and its ultimate desolation. At towards the end of that period the Messiah will be anointed (v25), will be “cut off, but not for himself” (v26) and so “make reconcilation for iniquity” (V24). This should remind us of Jesus.

The text of Daniel, particularly these last verses, is difficult and so translations do vary regarding the wording (compare ESV and NKJV). However we can work break down the time periods. The period begins with the “command to restore Jerusalem”. There were several edicts about the Jews returning to Jerusalem but the relevant one is the command Artaxerxes that allowed Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the walls (Neh 2:5-9; cf. “the wall” Dan 9:25). This occured around 447 BC. There are two periods until the anointing of the Messiah, seven “sevens” and sixty-two “sevens”. that is 483 years in total. Now we have to do a little bit of recalculating. This prophecy refers to 483 years of 360 days, whereas our calenders use years of 365 days. If we do the calculation (483 x 360 / 365), we arrive at a total of 476 years. And if we count forward from 447 BC, remembering there is no year 0, we arrive at around 30 AD, the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. Around three years later Jesus was crucified, or “cut off”, in the middle of the “week” to “bring an end to sacrifice and offering” (v27).

We should note that there are slight disagreements about the dating of these events, by a year or two. But in any case it is a remarkable “coincidence” that this period fits. In this Daniel 9 confirms that Jesus was the Messiah.

NOTE: Some scholars would disagree with this interpretation, because they do not believe this is a prophecy but history written after the fact. They identify the “anointed one” with Onias III, a priest who was murdered “cut off”. I would object to this proposal on three counts. 1) The book of Daniel was written significantly before Onias III; 2) Onias III probably wasn’t murdered at all but is likely to have lived out his years in Egypt; 3) it is impossible to make the seventy “sevens” fit into this period. In sum, this proposal by scholars feels like an attempt to deny the truly prophetic nature of this chapter. (For more information on the scholarly interpretation see T. E. Gaston, Historical Issues in the Book of Daniel, 134-143).

Revelation 13:11-12
Then I saw another beast rising out of the earth. It had two horns like a lamb and it spoke like a dragon. It exercises all the authority of the first beast in its presence, and makes the earth and its inhabitants worship the first beast, whose mortal wound was healed.

Revelation is one of the most difficult books of the Bible to understand. This is partly because it is symbolic, and partly because some (if not all) of its prophecies have not yet been fulfilled. We should be cautious about presenting any interpretation dogmatically.

Some interpreters identifiy the Beast of the Sea with the Papacy. This is because this Beast has ten horns, which associates it with Daniel’s fourth beast (i.e. Rome), but has crowns on its horns, which might indicate that it represents a later stage of the Roman Empire. If you see the Papacy as a direct successor of the Roman Empire then you might equate the Beast of the Sea with the Papacy.

Some interpreters identify the Beast of the Land with Islam. This is because the Beast of the Land is sometimes equated with the “false prophet” referred to elsewhere in the book (Rev 16:13). Since Christians do not accept the utterances of Mohammed as revelation from God, some may identify Mohammed as this false prophet and so identify Islam with the Beast of the Land.

However, as the questioner points out, these two interpretations cannot easily be reconciled as there is no sense in which Islam causes mankind to worship the Papacy. Therefore it is likely that either one or both of these particular interpretations is false.