Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy
PROVES
Jesus Is the MESSIAH!
not
only identifies WHO the Messiah is, but also plainly tells us
WHEN He would come to
the earth! It clearly speaks of His coming
TWICE – once to be “cut
off” and killed – and then later to usher in
the
Kingdom of God and to rule all nations as a King!
This prophecy, together
with the Bible Codes, and other prophecies,
describe
vividly the terrible state of immorality and world conditions
at
the close of this present age, and the last seven years of this present
generation
leading up to the coming of the Messiah!
It tells us about
the
“Road Map” to peace and the critical year 2006.
Here is the
astonishing
PROOF Jesus Christ truly is the Messiah,
and that He is
SOON coming again to
this earth in our lifetime!
The world is watching the
One of the most amazing and
intriguing prophecies of all the Bible is found in Daniel 9:24-27. Throughout the ages men and women have
puzzled over the meaning of this cryptic passage. It has stumped theologians, baffled scholars,
and puzzled Christians
and Jews alike for thousands of years. Very few understand just HOW this passage in
the book of Daniel, written in about 500-600 B.C., relates to the coming of the
Messiah, AND the prospects of “peace” in our generation!
Let us carefully review this entire
prophecy, and see how powerful and awesome it is, deserving
to be studied by ALL people – Christian, Jew, Muslim, and unbelievers as well!
First of all, let’s read the passage
in the King James Version:
“SEVENTY WEEKS are determined upon thy
people and upon thy
holy city, to finish [margin, to restrain] the
transgression, and to make
an end [margin, to seal up] 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.
“Know therefore and understand, that from
the going forth of the
commandment to restore and rebuild
again
threescore and two weeks:
the street shall
be built again, and the wall
[margin, breach, or ditch], in troublous times.
“And
after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be CUT OFF, but
not for himself [margin, and shall have nothing]: 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 unto the end
of the war
desolations are determined [margin, it shall be cut off by
desolations].
“And
he shall confirm the covenant with many for ONE WEEK: and
in the midst of the WEEK he shall cause the sacrifice and
the oblation
to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations [margin,
and upon
the battlements shall be the idols of the desolater], he
shall make it
desolate, even until the consumation, and that
determined shall be
poured upon the desolate [margin, desolater]” (Dan.9:24-27).
What a strange prophecy! It outlines strange events to occur in and
around
In Numbers 14:34 God told the
Israelites, “After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even
forty days, each day of a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even
forty years . . .” Each day of the
prophetic 70 weeks, then, is a year in being fulfilled!
Ezekiel confirms this same
principle. God told Ezekiel concerning
the punishment and siege of
To understand the 70 weeks prophecy,
one must realize each day of the prophecy equals a year being
fulfilled. Since there are seven days in
a week -- or a total of 490 days in 70 weeks -- this prophecy involves 490
years. At the end of this time period,
the “Most Holy” -- the Messiah -- will bring in everlasting righteousness -- He
will become King of the whole earth and put a complete end to all man’s
rebellion. All nations will finally be
reconciled to Him.
However, this prophecy does not say
that this period of years is consecutive, from beginning to end. It is divided up into three distinct periods
– 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and a final week.
But how are these 490 years to be
understood? When do they
commence'? And what do the three periods
of time mean? And when do they end?
Notice.
“Know therefore,” Gabriel told
Daniel, “and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [the Messianic king]
shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks [a total of 69 weeks
or 483 prophetic years]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in
troublous times” (Dan. 9:25).
Which
Decree?
What commandment or decree was this? Daniel recorded this prophecy in 538-537 B.C.
History records that Cyrus reigned from 538-537 until 530-529. Cambyses followed Cyrus on the throne and
reigned for eight years, until 522-521.
He was followed by Darius I who reigned 36 years, until December 23,
486, when Xerxes took the throne. Xerxes
was the Ahasuerus of the Bible (see Finegan, Light From the Ancient
Past, p.238). Xerxes reigned from
486 to 465-464 when he was followed by his son Artaxerxes. Artaxerxes then reigned nearly 41 years,
until 424 B.C.
Which of these men made a decree to
“restore and to build Jerusalem”? Cyrus
made a decree in 536-535 regarding the rebuilding of the Temple in Jerusalem
(see Ezra 1: 1-2). This particular
decree was specifically to build the Temple -- the city is not mentioned. This decree, therefore, is not the one spoken
of by Daniel in chapter 9:25. The Jews
had opposition in building the Temple throughout the days of Cyrus, “even until
the reign of Darius king of Persia” (Ezra 4:4-5). Local Samaritans frustrated their purpose and
attempted to overthrow the project. Work
on the Temple ceased until the second year of Darius (521-485) (see Ezra 4:24).
Darius also made a decree and
ordered the construction of the temple to continue (Ezra 6:11-12). But, again, this decree was to build the
house of God -- not the city of Jerusalem.
The Temple, except for the finishing touches, was completed by the sixth
year of the reign of Darius (Ezra 6:14-15).
Therefore, the evidence is that neither of these two decrees was the one
spoken of by Daniel the prophet.
A third decree, however, was made by
king Artaxerxes I (464-423). Since the
Temple was already built, Artaxerxes' decree concerned another matter. In the seventh year of Artaxerxes, the Jewish
scribe Ezra came to Jerusalem, carrying a copy of a letter containing the
decree of king Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:1, 6, 12).
We read in the book of Ezra: “Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the
priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a
time. I make a decree, that all
they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm,
which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem . .
. Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king . . . to inquire concerning Judah and
Jerusalem according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand: and to carry
the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered
unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem, and all the silver and
gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon . . .” (see Ezra
7:11-26).
After this epochal decree, Ezra
prayed to God, saying: “Since the days of our fathers have we been in a great
trespass unto this day; and for our iniquities have we, our kings, and our
priests, been delivered into the hand of the kings of the lands, to the sword,
to captivity, and to a spoil, and to confusion of face, as it is this day. And now for a little space grace hath been shewed
from the LORD our God, to leave us a remnant to escape . . . to give us a
reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations
thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem” (Ezra
9:7-9).
Mark carefully -- this decree gave
Ezra authority not only to rebuild and beautify the house of God, but also to
repopulate Jerusalem, to set government in operation, and to rebuild the city
and the wall! The Jews had never been
given authority from the Persian kings to rebuild Jerusalem and the city
wall. However, early in the reign of
Artaxerxes, the Samaritans had accused the Jews of building the city once again
(Ezra 4:7, 11-12). The king issued an
order for the Jews to stop all such activity until further notice (vs.17-21). After a through investigation, Artaxerxes issued
another decree -- the decree mentioned in Ezra 7. This must be the decree
Daniel had reference to since it was the first one that clearly involved the
city of Jerusalem as well as the temple.
When, then, was the “seventh year”
of king Artaxerxes? To understand when
the seventh year of Artaxerxes occurred, we must find the year he ascended to
the throne.
Artaxerxes’ Seventh Year
Ctesias, a Greek physician at the court of Artaxerxes II,
and who undoubtedly had access to the Persian archives, relates that Artaxerxes
learned that Artabanus had killed his father.
Artabanus was slain, and Artaxerxes assumed the throne without fear of a
rival.
But when was Xerxes murdered?
Discoveries in Mesopotamia and Egypt
have thoroughly established the chronologies of the Neo-Babylonian and Persian
empires. The evidence of Ptolemy’s
Canon, the Saros Tablets, and papyri dated with two calendar systems, reveal
that Xerxes’ reign ended in his 21st year.
His 21st year then was counted from spring of 465 B.C. to spring of 464.
(The Persian civil year was reckoned from spring to spring). Artaxerxes’ first year thus began in the
spring of 464 B.C. Artaxerxes must have ascended to the throne sometime in the
year 465/64 B.C.
A document that was written during
the accession year of Artaxerxes has been found. It is listed as Aramaic papyrus (AP 6) and
was written from the Jewish colony of Elephantine in Egypt. The document was dated the 18th of Kislev or
the 17th of Thoth, ‘in the year 21, the beginning of reign when King Artaxerxes
sat on his throne.’ Artaxerxes I took the throne in the 21st year of
Xerxes. He must be the Artaxerxes in
question, since neither Artaxerxes II or III came to the throne in a year 21.
The 18th of Kislev or 17th of Thoth
dates the document as having been written the evening of January 2 or daytime
January 3, 464 B.C., since the Hebrews reckon a day from sunset to sunset. Therefore, by January 3, 464 B.C., Jews in
Egypt obviously knew that Artaxerxes had ascended the Persian throne. The document speaks of ‘the beginning of the
reign’ of Artaxerxes, or his accession year.
What does this mean?
As January 2/3, 464, is dated in the
accession year of Artaxerxes, his first regnal year -- according to the Hebrew
reckoning -- could not officially begin until Tishri 1, in the autumn of 464
B.C.! The Hebrew civil calendar began each year in the autumn with Tishri.
Since the first year of Artaxerxes,
according to the Hebrew civil year, did not begin until autumn of 464 B.C.,
seven years later would bring us to autumn of 458 B.C. The seventh year of
Artaxerxes, therefore, was from the autumn of 458 to the autumn of 457 B.C.
Fall-to-Fall Reckoning
But
do we have proof that the Hebrews still used the fall-to-fall reckoning for
their civil year after they returned from Babylonian captivity? Or did they adopt the Babylonian custom of
dating each civil year from spring to spring?
There is conclusive evidence that
during Nehemiah’s time the Hebrew civil calendar was still in use. Consider: in Nehemiah 1:1, Nehemiah said he
received bad news of Jerusalem in the month Chisleu, (November-December) in the
twentieth year of Artaxerxes. He
later mentioned that in Nisan (March-April), in the twentieth year of
the king, he gave wine to Artaxerxes (2:1).
Thus Nehemiah said Chisleu or Kislev preceded Nisan in the 20th regnal
year of Artaxerxes, showing he used a fall to fall reckoning.
Today, the Jews still reckon the
year from fall to fall, beginning the new year in the autumn. They celebrate Rosh Hoshana, or New Year’s
day, in the autumn, on Tishri 1. They have clung tenaciously to this practice.
According to the Hebrew calendar
used by Nehemiah, then, the seventh year of Artaxerxes fell from the fall of
458 to the fall of 457 B.C. Ezra's journey from Babylon to Jerusalem took place
from about late March to about early August (Ezra 7:8-9), 457 B.C. He carried
the decree of king Artaxerxes with him.
Therefore, the famous decree for the restoration of Jerusalem was
signed, sealed, delivered to Ezra, and went into effect as soon as he reached
Jerusalem -- in the late summer or early fall of 457 B.C.
Now we have dated the decree. Notice again Daniel was told that from the
issuance of the decree till the coming of the Messiah was to be “seven weeks,
threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even
in troublous times” (Daniel 9:25).
The re-settling and rebuilding of
the city of Jerusalem made rapid strides from the 20th year to the 32nd year of
Artaxerxes (Neh.5:14-16). The building
program continued into the reign of Darius II who succeeded Artaxerxes. During his reign the wall around Jerusalem
was finished (Neh.12:22, 27-30, 43). But
even after the wall was complete, many buildings within the city had yet to be
built (Neh.7:11, 14; 11:1-2). These were
“troublous times,” as Daniel foretold and as Ezra 4:5 summarized. Persecution and hindrances slowed progress. But after the first seven of the prophetic
weeks of the prophecy – a period of 49 years -- the city was rebuilt and the
temple restored.
Then Daniel mentioned “sixty two
weeks” were to follow-- or 434 more years were to pass -- until the
appearance of the Messiah. Thus a total
of sixty nine prophetic weeks -- or 483 literal years -- were to exist from the
commandment of Artaxerxes in 457 B.C. till the appearance of the Messiah.
457 B.C.
-- year-date of the decree
-483
years -- time to pass till Messiah would come
26 A.D.
+1 -- since there is no year “zero”
27 A.D. --
year the prophecy would be fulfilled!
Counting 483 years from 457 B.C.,
then, brings you to 27 A.D. This was the year the Messiah was prophesied to
appear on the scene.
Was this prophecy fulfilled? What happened in 27 A.D.?
Jesus’ Ministry and Death
The interesting fact is that Jesus Christ was born in 4
B.C., shortly before the death of king Herod (Matt.2:1-16). Jesus began His ministry when He was 30 years
old (Luke 3:21-23). Subtracting 30 from
4 B.C., we come to 26 A.D. But since
there was no year “zero”, we must add a year in going from B.C. to A.D.. Thus the year 27 A.D. was the very year Jesus
Christ began his ministry, and commenced preaching the Gospel of the coming
Kingdom of God (Matt. 3:13-17; 4:1-23; 9:35).
This represents the FULFILLMENT of
the 69 “weeks” of years of Daniel’s 70 week prophecy!
However, when He came, instead of
taking His crown and ruling as a great King, He was persecuted, afflicted,
abused, beaten, scourged, and CRUCIFIED by His enemies, the state, and the
jealous religious leaders of His day. In
this, too, He fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel 9! For we read:
“And AFTER threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be CUT OFF, but not
for Himself . . .” (Daniel 9:26).
The fact that the Messiah was to DIE
was not understood by the Jews and the religious leaders of that time. Yet Isaiah the prophet also foretold of this
tragic yet awesome truth. He wrote,
about 700 years before Christ, “Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried
our sorrows: yet we did esteem him
stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But He was wounded for OUR
transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: and the chastisement of our peace was upon
him; and with His stripes we are healed” (Isaiah 53:5).
Isaiah makes it plain that He was
not only to suffer greatly, but also to be killed as a “sacrifice” for our sins
– even as the nation of Israel in ancient times sacrificed sheep, bulls and
goats at the Temple of God to “atone” for their sins. The Messiah became our “Passover lamb” (I
Cor..5:7). He became a “sin offering”
for us (II Cor.5:21).
Isaiah puts it this way: “He is brought as a LAMB to the slaughter,
and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not His mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment
[He was judged, condemned, and imprisoned]:
and who shall declare His generation?
For He was cut off out of the land of the living” – that means
He, the Messiah being depicted here, was KILLED! “For the transgression of My people,” God
says, “was He stricken” (Isaiah 53:7-8).
“And He made His grave with the
wicked” (verse 9). Together with Him
others who were real criminals were also crucified. “And with the rich in His DEATH” (same
verse). He was buried in the grave
of rich man, Joseph of Arimathea
(Matt.57-60).
Do you see how Jesus fulfilled
these ancient Biblical prophecies, and Daniel 9? EVEN TO THE VERY EXACT TIME OF HIS MINISTRY
AND EXECUTION!
No one else has even come close to fulfilling this amazing divine prophecy!
Daniel also foretold what was to
happen to the Messiah. The Jews of
Jesus’ time thought that when the Messiah would appear he would restore the
Kingdom of Israel and deliver them from the Romans. They looked for a shining knight on a white
charger. But when Christ came as the
humble preacher from Nazareth, of all places, they did not understand
this. They were looking for a divine
King to rescue them from Roman oppression.
But when He did not, they in turn rejected Him. So they had Him put to death thinking that He
was a seducer, a false teacher, a false prophet – a charlatan and a
heretic.
After preaching the gospel for three
years, from the spring of 27 A.D. until the spring of 30 A.D., Jesus was
condemned by the Sanhedrin and the high priest, and put to death!
Did Daniel foretell that Christ
would die for our sins and reconcile us to God?
Notice again -- Daniel 9:26 – “And
after [the period of] threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off [that
is, killed], but not for himself . . .” Daniel prophesied that
the Messiah would be “CUT OFF.” The
Hebrew word here is #3772 in Strong’s Concordance. It is karath, a primitive root
meaning “to cut (off, down, asunder); by implication, to destroy or consume;
spec. to covenant (i.e. make an alliance or bargain, orig. by cutting flesh and
passing between the pieces.”
How would the Messiah be “cut
off”? What does this mean? He would be killed, destroyed, put to
death! But in so doing, He would “make a
covenant” -- the New Covenant -- in His own blood, reconciling sinners to
God! Thus He fulfilled the prophecy of
making “reconciliation for iniquity” (Daniel 9:24).
Most Jewish rabbis, to this date,
however, have not recognized this astonishing truth of the Scriptures. That is a sad fact. Yet even their own translation of the
prophecy in Daniel 9 provides us insight into this mystery. Notice the Jewish Tanakh translation of this
passage:
"Seventy weeks have been
decreed for your people and your holy city until the measure of transgression
is filled and that of sin is complete, until iniquity is expiated and eternal
righteousness ushered in; and prophetic vision ratified, and the Holy of Holies
anointed. You must know and understand: From the issuance of the word to restore and
rebuild Jerusalem until the [time of the] anointed leader is seven
weeks; and for sixty-two weeks it will be rebuilt, square and moat, but in a
time of distress. And after those
sixty-two weeks, the anointed one will disappear and vanish. The army of a leader who is to come will
destroy the city and the sanctuary, but its end will come through a flood. Desolation is decreed until the end of
war. During one week he will make a firm
covenant with many. For half a week he
will put a stop to the sacrifice and the meal offering. At the corner [of the altar] will be an
appalling abomination until the decreed destruction will be poured down upon
the appalling thing” (Dan.9:24-27).
Notice! The prophecy in Daniel 9 in the Tanakh says
in verse 26 that after the seven weeks, and sixty two weeks, “the anointed
one will disappear and vanish.” That
is a strange statement! The Jews
expected that the Messiah would appear on a white horse, as a national champion
against the Romans, and lead them to glory!
Yet that is not quite what God inspired Daniel to write! God said that the Messiah would DISAPPEAR --
VANISH!
After a ministry lasting three
years, Jesus Christ was crucified and buried.
And then He arose from the grave, and taught His disciples for forty
days, and then notice what happened.
After He gave them some final instructions, “He was taken up before
their very eyes, and a cloud HID him from their sight. They were looking intently into the sky as he
was going, when suddenly two men dressed in white stood beside them. ‘Men of Galilee,’ they said, ‘why do you
stand here looking into the sky? This
same Jesus, who has been taken from you into heaven, WILL COME BACK in the same
way you have seen him go into heaven’” (Acts 1:9-11).
Jesus literally VANISHED before
their very eyes!
How amazingly, wonderfully and
precisely this prophecy of Daniel was fulfilled! Jesus truly “disappeared and vanished,” just
as Daniel the prophet FORETOLD over 580 years before!
Some may think that the application of this
prophecy to the Messiah is contrived. In fact, most contemporary Orthodox
Rabbis deny the messianic application of this prophecy.
However, it’s well established that ancient
Jews believed that this prophecy pinpointed the time of Messiah’s coming. In
recent years, compelling evidence has been discovered that revealed the Qumran
community (the writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls) believed Daniel’s verses were,
indeed, a mathematical prediction of the time of Messiah’s coming. And they believed
they were living in the very generation to which this prophecy pointed.
One of the most ancient rabbinical
commentaries is the Talmud. In the Babylonian Talmud, compiled between 200-500
CE, ancient rabbis wrote extensively on the time of Messiah’s coming, as well
as Daniel’s 70-weeks’ prophecy.
Rabbi Judah, the main compiler of the Talmud
said regarding the times referred to in Daniel’s prophecy, “These times were
over long ago.” (Babylonian Talmud Sanhedrin.)
In the 12th Century AD, Rabbi Moses Ben Maimon
(Maimonides), one of the most respected rabbis in all of history, came on the
scene and wrote profusely on the Torah – he was a leading Jewish scholar who
rejected the Messianic claims of Jesus Christ.
He made a remarkable statement that many scholars believe is a reference
to Daniel’s 70-weeks’ prophecy. Declared
Maimonides, “Daniel has elucidated to us the knowledge of the end times.
However, since they are secret, the wise [rabbis] have barred the calculation
of the days of Messiah’s coming so that the untutored populace will not be led
astray when they see that the End Times have already come but there is no sign
of the Messiah.”
Why
did the rabbis forbid the calculation of the coming of the Messiah? Obviously, it is because the dates arrived
at, from Daniel’s plain prophecy, pointed to a time during the first century –
the very time Yeshua came on the scene – and they had already rejected Him! They did not accept Him as being the
“anointed one”! Nor did anybody else
come at that time who could have fulfilled the prophecy, so they forbad its
calculation under the rubric that it was a “secret.” How sad.
Rather than accept the plain evidence, they concluded the whole thing
was a “mystery,” a “secret,” and since a plain calculation would have pointed
right at Jesus Christ – they commanded the people not to try to calculate His
coming! So they IGNORED the plain
evidence in the book of Daniel the prophet!
They rejected GOD’S OWN SIGN!
Yet the evidence was so compelling, they chose
to ignore it. And as they did not want
the people to be “led astray” and accept Jesus as the Messiah, so they cleverly
decreed the calculations should be avoided.
To have accepted the calculations shown in Daniel, and to reject Jesus
as the Messiah, would have meant that the Messiah simply did not come when He
was prophesied to come, and this would have undermined the people’s faith in
Scripture. So since they rejected
Christ, they also felt compelled to reject the prophecy of Daniel! But in so doing, they just dug themselves
deeper into the pit, and their darkness increased.
Rabbi Moses Abraham Levi said, “I have
examined and searched all the Holy Scriptures and have not found the time for
the coming of Messiah clearly fixed, except in the words of Gabriel to the
prophet Daniel, which are written in the 9th chapter of the prophecy of
Daniel.” This being said, then why
didn’t he follow through to the natural conclusion – that is, that Jesus of
Nazareth, a man of signs and wonders, fulfilled the prophecies of the coming
Messiah?
But of course, they did not expect their Messiah would DIE! Yet many rabbis today expect that Messiah, son of Joseph, will be a Messiah who will be killed. They then look forward to the coming of Messiah ben David. What they fail to understand is that Jesus Christ combined both roles into ONE – He was both Messiah ben Joseph (Joseph was His legal “father”), and He was by direct lineage the anointed “son of David” as well!
Messiah to Come During Second Temple Times
Daniel wrote his prophecy at a time when the
Temple in Jerusalem was desolate. Destroyed in 586 BC, there was no indication
in Daniel’s day that it would ever be rebuilt.
However, Daniel states very plainly that the Temple was going to be
rebuilt, and also that the Messiah would come AFTER it was rebuilt! He then declared that “the prince of the
people who is to come” would destroy the Temple again (Daniel 9:26-27).
This shows plainly that the Messiah had to
come to the Second Temple sometime after it was built and BEFORE it was
destroyed.
The Second Temple was destroyed by the Romans under Titus in 70 A.D. So the Messiah had to come BEFORE that date, to fulfill the prophecy!
He
did. But the religious leaders and most
of the people simply didn’t buy it.
Jewish history reports that in the aftermath
of the Roman invasion of 70 CE, the people wept in the streets, crying that the
Temple had been destroyed, yet Messiah hadn’t come.
In the Babylonian Talmud, Rabbi Rabh stated:
“All the time limits for redemption (the coming of Messiah) have passed and the
matter now depends only on repentance and good deeds.”
The truth is, He had come – but they had
missed Him. They simply did not expect
Him to come as a humble carpenter, a meek and compassionate teacher, a miracle
worker, who healed the sick on the Sabbath.
Their traditions forbade healing on the Sabbath. But most of all, they were expecting a great
king who would then rule over them and conquer the Romans. When He did not at that time fulfill those
particular Messianic prophecies, they rejected Him as the promised Messiah –
and they completely missed the fact that He had indeed come, precisely as
Daniel the prophet had foretold – even to the VERY YEAR ITSELF!
Truly, the Messiah had come, and then the
Second Temple was destroyed, exactly as Daniel had foretold.
But this event occurred BEFORE the
fulfillment of the complete 70 WEEKS of the prophecy. Technically, only 69 weeks had gone by. One week of seven days – years – was left yet
to be fulfilled.
Let’s read the rest of this amazing
prophecy. Notice, Daniel had foretold
that the Messiah would do several things – at the end of the prophecy of the
seventy weeks, transgression would be “finished,” sins would be “ended,”
reconciliation for iniquity would be accomplished. Jesus Christ accomplished this in many ways
through His personal self-sacrifice in 30 A.D., dying for our sins and
transgressions.
However, the prophecy also stated
that at the end of the period of weeks, He would “bring in everlasting
righteousness” and “seal up the vision and the prophecy” and “anoint the Most
Holy” (verse 24). This means that one
week remains to complete the prophecy, and to bring in the Kingdom of God, to
complete the prophecy in the full sense, and to anoint the Messiah as
KING!
What happened after Yeshua was
crucified, and resurrected? After the
first 69 “weeks” of years? Notice:
“The army of a leader who is to come
will DESTROY THE CITY AND THE SANCTUARY, but its end will come through a
flood. Desolation is decreed until the
end of war. During one week he will make
a firm covenant with many. For half a week
he will put a stop to the sacrifice and meal offering. At the corner [of the altar] will be an
appalling abomination until the decreed destruction will be poured down upon
the appalling thing” (v.26-27, Tanakh).
In 70 A.D. Titus and Vespacian,
Roman generals, led the Roman armies in a conquest of Jerusalem because of
Jewish rebellion. Over a million Jews
perished in the war, and the city was burned and the Temple was razed.
However, many Bible prophecies show
that the invasion of Judea and conquest of Jerusalem are also predicted as
events leading up to the SECOND COMING of the Messiah! In the prophecy of Zechariah
we read: “Lo, a day of the LORD is
coming when your spoil shall be divided in your very midst! For I will gather ALL NATIONS TO JERUSALEM
for WAR: The city shall be captured, the
houses plundered, and the women violated; and a part of the city shall go into
exile. But the rest of the population
shall not be uprooted from the city.
“Then the LORD will come forth [from
heaven, where He has gone!] and make war on those nations as He is wont to make
war on a day of battle. On that day
He will set His feet on the Mount of Olives, near Jerusalem on the east; and
the Mount of Olives shall split across from east to west . . . And the LORD
my God, with all the holy beings, will come to you” (Zech. 14:1.5).
The leader of the army which will
come against Jerusalem will this time not be Titus or Vespasian, but the one
foretold by Daniel who would arise in the END TIME, one who “will be
extraordinarily destructive; he will prosper in what he does, and destroy the
mighty and the people of holy ones. By his
cunning, he will use deceit successfully.
He will make great plans, will destroy many, taking them unawares, and
will rise up against the CHIEF OF CHIEFS [the Messiah Himself!], but will be
broken, not by [human] hands” (Daniel 8:24-25).
This wicked king is also described
in Daniel 7. We read: “He will speak
words against the Most High, and will harass the holy ones of the Most
High. He will think of changing times
and laws, and they will be delivered into his power for a time, times, and half
a times [three and one half years]” (Dan.7:25).
The book of Revelation in the New
Testament describes this wicked tyrant as a “beast.” The apostle John writes: “The beast was given a mouth to utter proud
words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for FORTY-TWO MONTHS [three
and one half years!]. . . . He was given power to make war against the saints
and to conquer them” (Rev.13:5-7, NIV).
This beast, along with all the kings
of the earth, will gather at Jerusalem to fight against the Messiah at His
coming, at “the battle on the great day of God Almighty” (Rev.16:14). John says, “They will make war against the
Lamb, but the Lamb will overcome them because he is Lord of lords and King of
kings -- and with him will be his called, chosen and faithful followers” (Rev.
17:14).
John goes on to describe in vivid
prose the SECOND coming of the Messiah, as a conquering KING!:
“I saw heaven standing open and
there before me was a white horse, whose rider is called Faithful and
True. With justice he judges and makes
war. His eyes are like blazing fire, and
on his head are many crowns. He has a
name written on him that no one knows but he himself. He is dressed in a robe dipped in blood, and
his name is the Word of God [compare John 1:1-2,14]. The armies of heaven were following him,
riding on white horses and dressed in fine linen, white and clean. Out of his mouth comes a sharp sword with
which to strike down the nations. He
will rule them with an iron scepter. He
treads the winepress of the fury of the wrath of God Almighty. On his robe and on his thigh he has this name
written: KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF
LORDS. . .
“Then I saw the beast and the kings
of the earth and their armies gathered together to make war against the rider
on the horse and his army. But the beast
was captured, and with him the false prophet . . . The two of them were thrown
alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur” (Rev.19:11-20).
Thus the army of this world-ruling beast will be destroyed by Christ, and the beast himself slain in the lake of fire. As Daniel foretold, “its end will come through a flood. Desolation is determined until the END of the war” (Dan.9:27). The Messiah Himself will end the “appalling abomination” and the prophesied “decreed destruction will be poured down upon the appalling thing” (Dan.9:27).
The
Final Week of Daniel’s Prophecy
These things will culminate in the
final “week” of years of Daniel’s prophecy.
The last seven days or final week of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy refer to
the final seven years of this present age, which culminate in the return
of the Messiah.
In the end of this amazing prophecy
of Daniel, we read that a wicked leader arises, and he will “confirm the
covenant with many for one week; and in the MIDST of the week he shall
cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease” (v.27).
What is this strange-sounding
“covenant”? The Hebrew word berith
literally means “a cutting,” or a “compact, league, confederacy, treaty.” That is, he will “confirm” an agreement, treaty,
with the Jews and others, during the end-time of this age. What treaty is this? Could this be the so-called “Road Map to
Peace” now being foisted upon the Israelis by the “Quartet” of the United
States, Europe, Russia, and the United Nations?
Notice carefully! The word “confirm” in this passage is Strong’s #1396, the Hebrew word gabar, a primitive root meaning “to be strong,” that is, “by implication, to prevail, act insolently: -- exceed, confirm, be great, be mighty, prevail, put to more (strength), strengthen, be stronger, be valiant.”
Isn't this exactly what IS
HAPPENING, TODAY, in the peace negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon and the Palestinians?
The
world has striven to “force” its own brand of “peace” down the throats of the
Israelis, compelling them to accept a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West
Bank territories – a state which hates, abhors and detests them and which seeks
their annihilation! This process began
in 1993 with the pact between Arafat and Yitzak Rabin. It was pushed actively during the presidency
of William Clinton. Now it is being
pushed by George W. Bush. Originally,
these accords were designed to bring peace to the Middle East over a period of
seven years -- from 1993 to 2000 A.D.
But in the year 2000, the Palestinians initiated the present
“intifada,” with increased violence and suicide bombings. The Quartet now is striving to force peace
down the throats of the Israelis and there is talk of sending special European
troops to patrol the borders between Israel and the Palestinians. The “Road Map to Peace” is intended to create
a viable Palestinian state by the year 2005.
The prophecy states that a powerful
world “prince” of the “Romans” or end-time world government “will confirm a covenant
with many . . .” The word for
“many” in Hebrew in this verse is rab, meaning “abundant (in quantity,
size, age, number, rank, quality).” It
can refer to numbers, or even to a “captain, chief, great, lord, master,” or
even “archer.” Interestingly, the Hebrew in Dan.9:27 uses the plural of rab,
that is, rabbim. How similar to the last name of the Israeli
Prime Minister who began the peace negotiations at Oslo – Rabin! Is this a Biblical and prophetic “play on
words”? Hebrews often use similar-sounding
words as a “play on words” to teach a truth or to get a message across. This is often done with names of people. The word rabbim is very similar in
sound to the name Rabin -- that is, Yitzak Rabin, the Israeli Prime
Minister who first signed the Oslo Peace Accords in 1993, and who was
subsequently gunned down and assassinated while campaigning in Israel!
It seems very likely that the “treaty” mentioned in Daniel 9:27 could refer to the Oslo Peace Accords, which lasted “seven years” precisely. They have now been revived as the “Road Map to Peace.”
“And
in the MIDST of the Week”
Daniel goes on to say, “And in the midst
of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for
the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate . . .”
In the passage just quoted, the
subject of the entire passage, from verse 24 to verse 27, is the 70 WEEKS. As I have explained, we have seen the
fulfillment of the first 69 weeks, or 483 years, leading up to the first coming
of Messiah. The final week, then, must
refer to the seven years (last week of days) leading up to the climax of the
SECOND coming of the Messiah to inaugurate the Millennial rule of God upon the
earth!
Therefore, when the passage states,
“In the MIDST OF THE WEEK he shall cause sacrifice and oblation to cease,” this
would be a clear reference to the FINAL WEEK OF THE PROPHECY! The final week under discussion is not
necessarily the same week as the one just described, the “week” of the
confirming of a very important “treaty” or agreement on the world scene.
The 6,000 Year Plan of God
Notice! According to Jewish history and tradition,
and early Christian traditions and beliefs, God Almighty is working out a 6,000
year plan on this earth with humankind.
This plan began in 4004 B.C., according to the chronology of Archbishop
James Ussher. This plan of God is based
on the “seven day week.” According to
the apostle Peter, one day is with God as a “thousand years,” and a thousand
years as “one day” (II Pet.3:8-10). Thus
in God’s Plan, the first six days of the week picture the first 6,000 years of
mankind on earth. The weekly Sabbath, or
seventh day, pictures the Millennial kingdom of God (compare Rev.20:4;
Heb.4:4-11). Therefore, it will last 1,000
years! This indicates that the previous
six days would last 6,000 years!
However, according, to the book of
Jubilees, Jewish literature written by a Levitical priest during the
intertestamental period, about 150-200 B.C., there is strong reason to believe
that Adam and Eve did not sin, and forsake the ways of God, until seven
years had passed in the Garden of Eden.
For the proof of this, read my article “Are We Nearing the End of the
World?” Therefore, Adam and Eve did not come under the influence of Satan the
devil, and begin their “work” week, until 3997 B.C.
Although we cannot state with
absolute certainly, the indication from Biblical prophecy and Biblical
evidence, is that the 6,000 years from Adam and Eve should be counted from the
time they sinned, and were expelled from the Garden of Eden. That’s when the countdown began. The book of Jubilees tells us: “And during the first week of the first
jubilee Adam and his wife had been in the garden of Eden for SEVEN YEARS
tilling and guarding it. And we gave him
work and we were teaching him to do everything which was appropriate for
tilling. And he was tilling. And he was naked, but he neither knew it nor
was he ashamed. And he was guarding the
garden from the birds and beasts and cattle and gathering its fruits and
eating. And he used to set aside the
rest for himself and his wife. And what
was being guarded he set aside.
“At the END OF SEVEN YEARS which he
completed there, SEVEN YEARS EXACTLY, in the second month on the
seventeenth day, the serpent came and drew near to the woman” (Jubilees
3:15-17).
As we know, Eve and Adam both
sinned, were enticed into transgression, and banished from the Garden. This occurred most likely, therefore, seven
years after their original creation, in 4004 B.C. -- or in the year 3997
B.C. The seven years of idyllic paradise
should not be counted in the 6,000 years during which mankind has been subject
to the “god of this world,” Satan the Adversary (II Cor.4:4, Eph.2:2).
If
we count 6000 years from 3997 B.C., we come to 2004 A.D. Could this be the beginning of Daniel’s 70th
week – the last “week of years” before the coming of the Messiah?
In other words, 2004 plus 7 equals
2011. If we add one more year as the
“Day of the Lord,” the day of God’s direct intervention to punish mankind,
culminating in the return of the Messiah, then this would pinpoint His SECOND
coming as the year 2012 (2011 plus 1).
Will the Messiah return in the year
2012?
Of course, we don’t know for
sure. But consider this: According to the ancient Maya calendar, the
end of the fifth world age will occur in the year 2012!
And consider this: Prophecies in the book of Leviticus
concerning the Jubilee year, state that the Jubilee year is to be a “holy” year – a time to
“proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof”
(Lev.25:10). In the year of Jubilee
every man was to return to his possession and his family (same verse).
The apostle Peter declared that when
Christ returns, it will be at “the times of refreshing” (Acts 3:19). He added that the heavens must receive Christ
“until the times of restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21) – that is, a
grand, glorious JUBILEE!
The prophet Elijah also prophesied that the Messiah would come on a Jubilee year. We read in the book of Sanhedrin, in the Talmud, this notation “Elijah told Judah, the brother of Sala Hasida, ‘The world will endure not less than 85 Jubilees, and on the last Jubilee the Son of David will come’” (Talmud, Sanh.97b).
In the same reference, we read: “A sage of the school of Elijah taught a Baraita: ‘The world will exist for SIX THOUSAND YEARS: -- the first two thousand years – from the days of Adam to the days of the patriarch Abraham – the world was still in chaos, for the Torah had not yet been given. The next two thousand years – from the Torah to the Mishnaic period – was to be the period of the Torah. And the next two thousand years was to be the period of the Messiah. But because of our transgressions, which were so very many, the Messiah did not come at the end of the fourth millennium, and those years which have already passed have already passed.”
The fact is, the Messiah DID come at the end of the first 4000 years – He was born in 4 B.C., and began His ministry in 27 A.D. But “because of our transgressions, which were so many,” He was REJECTED by the leaders and majority of His own people, and fulfilled the prophecy of being SLAIN – CUT OFF – for our sins and transgressions!
He will
shortly return AGAIN, this time to usher in the Messianic Kingdom, at the end
of the sixth millennium. We are talking
about our time, our generation – TODAY!
When is the next “Jubilee” year to arrive?
Israel left Egypt under Moses in 1491 B.C. They wandered in the wilderness for 40 years,
because of their disobedience and lack of faith in God (Num.14:34). Therefore, they entered the Holy Land in 1451
B.C.
When Israel first entered the Promised
Land, they erected the Tabernacle at Gigal.
There it remained for 14 years – the time required for the people to
conquer and occupy the land. Once the
land was conquered and occupied, the counting of the Sabbath land cycles could
commence, and the counting of the Jubilee years. This means that if we count 14 years from
1451, we come to 1438 B.C., the year of settlement and the beginning of the
Jubilee count. The first Jubilee would
have been in 1388 B.C.
Now from 1438 B.C. to the year 2003,
the present year, we have had 68 theoretical “Jubilees,” if anybody had been
counting. The next or 69th Jubilee would
occur 3450 years from 1438 B.C. (50 X 69 = 3450 years). The 69th Jubilee would therefore occur in the
year 2012-2013 A.D. That is just ten
years from now!
Remember this passage from the Talmud, the words of Elijah the prophet! He stated quite clearly that the Messiah the Son of David will come ON THE LAST JUBILEE!
Just something to think about!
Speaking of these last days before the return of the Messiah, Christ Himself had some serious warnings to all of us who live today. He warned, “Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but he who stands firm to the end will be saved” (Matt.24:12, NIV). The Moffatt translation has this, “And in most of you love will grow cold, by the increase of iniquity; but he will be saved who holds out to the very end.”
The New Testament in Contemporary
English has this whole passage, “They are going to throw you to the wolves and
kill you, everyone hating you because you carry my name. And then, going from bad to worse, it will be
dog-eat-dog, everyone at each other’s throat, everyone hating each other. In the confusion, lying preachers will come
forward and deceive a lot of people. For
many others, the overwhelming spread of evil will do them in – nothing left of
their love but a mound of ashes. Staying
with it – that’s what God requires. Stay
with it to the end. You won’t be sorry,
and you’ll be saved.”
The Amplified Bible has this
passage: “And many false prophets will
rise up and deceive and lead many into error.
And the love of the great body of people will grow cold, because of the
multiplied lawlessness and iniquity. But
he who endures to the end will be saved.”
Interestingly, the Talmud in
tractate 97A also speaks of this end-time age of wickedness and
lawlessness.
We read: “Rabbi Yohanan said the following: In the generation when the son of David – the
Messiah – comes, Torah scholars will diminish in number, and as for the rest of
the people, their eyes will fail with pain and grief, and troubles will
increase, and harsh decrees will constantly be renewed, so that as soon as the
first evil decree has passed, the second evil decree will speedily come in its
place” (Sanhedrin 97A).
“It was taught in a Baraita: Rabbi Yehudah says: In the generation when the son of David will
come, the Academy where the sages once gathered for the study of Torah will be
used for prostitution, Galilee will be destroyed, the Galvan (the Bashan) will
lie desolate, people living along the border of Eretz Israel who flee from the
invading armies will go from town to town and not be shown mercy, the wisdom
of the scholars will become dull, those who fear sin will be despised by
the rest of the nation, the face of the generation will be like the face of
a dog, and the truth will be absent, as the verse states (Isaiah
59:15), ‘And the truth is absent, and he who departs from evil is despoiled.’
“The Gemara asks: What is the meaning of the words: ‘And the truth is absent’? The Sages of the School of Rav said: This teaches that the truth will be like
flock after flock that go to the wilderness to pasture. So, too, the people of truth will hide in
the desert from the rest of the wicked generation” (97A).
In the notes at the bottom of the
page, the Commentator says: “The
Academy will be used for prostitution. Alternatively:
the Messiah will not come until promiscuity increases so much that a public
gathering place will be set aside and designated for prostitution.”
For the passage that says “it will
become like a flock,” the Commentator says in the notes, “Some understand that
this alludes to the proliferation of ideas and factions in the pre-Messianic
period, with each group claiming exclusive possession of the truth” (vol.21,
Sanhedrin, part 7, 97A, p.5).
The Sanhedrin continues: “It was taught in a related Baraita: Rabbi Nehorai said: In the generation when the son of David
comes, youths will put the elders to shame, elders will stand up before youths
to honor them, daughters will rise up against their mothers, to insult and
humiliate them, and likewise daughters-in-law will rise up against their
mothers-in-law, the face of the generation will be like the face of a dog, the
people being filled with arrogance, and lacking all shame, and
sons will have no shame even before their fathers.
“It was taught in another
Baraita: Rabbi Nehemyah says: In the generation when the son of David
comes, arrogance will increase, high prices will corrupt people and turn them
into swindlers, the vine will yield an adequate supply of fruit, but wine will
nevertheless be expensive, because so many people will turn to drink, the
entire kingdom will turn to heresy, and nobody will accept rebuke.
“The Gemara notes that this Baraita
supports what Rabbi Yitzhak said, for Rabbi Yitzhak said: The son of David will not come until the
entire kingdom turns to heresy” (ibid., p.6).
Just how bad will the moral
condition of people become? Very
bad. The rabbis cite the verse in
Leviticus that speaks of leprous spots (Lev.13:13) that states: ‘It is all turned white; he is clean.’ Once the leprous spots cover all the leper’s
skin, he is declared ritually pure. So,
too, once the entire kingdom turns to heresy, the redemption will soon
follow.”
When
will the Messiah come?
“Our rabbis taught: The verse states (Deuteronomy 32:36): ‘For
the Lord shall judge His people, and repent for His servants, when He sees that
their power is gone, and there is none shut up, or left.’ The verse speaks of the time when the Lord
shall judge His people and bring them redemption. The words translated here as ‘when He sees
that their power is gone,’ can be explained in several ways. According to one explanation, the verse
teaches that the son of David will not come until the informers increase in
number, and ‘their power is gone’ and grown in strength. According to another explanation, the verse
teaches that the Messiah will not come until the Rabbinic students dwindle in
number, and their power to lead the people along the straight path is
gone. According to yet another
explanation, the verse teaches that the Messiah will not come until the last
coin is gone from the pocket. According
to still another explanation, the verse teaches that the Messiah will not come until
people utterly despair of redemption, as the verse states: ‘And there is none shut up, or left.’ They will be so cast down that they feel
as if the people of Israel no longer have anyone to support or help them” (ibid.,
p.7).
We are drawing very close to those
days, today. Iniquity is abounding and
increasing on every side. The Internet
is filled with pornography, sleazy sex shows, and wickedness and
turpitude. Society is filled with
teenagers practicing group sex and oral sex in their school classrooms, homes,
and nobody seems to care anymore. Judges
rule that students, even six-year-olds, will go to jail or prison if they so
much as pray in school, or cite the name of Jesus Christ. Homosexuality is “in” and “adultery” is
rampant, and faithfulness is regarded as foolishness and despicable. How much longer will Almighty God put up with
this WICKED generation?
Our end-time generation is likened
to the “aravah” – the willow branch which helps make up the “lulav” bundle used
to rejoice before God at the Festival of Tabernacles. It is one of the “four species” used in rejoicing before God’s Throne. The citron, which represents the heart, the
palm branch, representing steadfast righteousness, and the myrtle, representing
the eye of purity and wholesomeness. And
the final piece is the aravah, or willow branch.
The citron has both a sweet
fragrance and a good taste. The palm
branch has no fragrance, but provides dates, a wonderful fruit. The myrtle has a lovely frangrance. These species represent righteousness and
good works, and a heart of compassion and good deeds – Torah learning combined
with righteous deeds of mercy and love.
But the poor willow branch – it has no fragrance, and produces no good
fruit. It is lacking in Bible knowledge
and in good works and deeds. What does
it have, however?
The four species of the “lulav”
represent the four kinds of people of God – those with both good knowledge and
good hearts; those with good knowledge of God’s truth; those with good hearts
but little knowledge; and then those who have little of either – no knowledge
to speak of, and whose hearts are not filled with love and compassion. They are like the “aravah” or willow branch. Its only claim to fame is that it is shaped
like a “mouth” – and although it cannot take pride in good deeds, or a heart
filled with compassion, at least it CAN use its “mouth” to seek God in earnest,
fervent PRAYER! It can repent of its
nowhereness, and nothingness, and turn to God in abject misery and REPENT of
its past deeds, life, and lack of study, discipline, obedience, and
faithfulness!
Even so, this end-time generation is
like that “aravah” – it has no good works to claim as a merit; nor does it have
much knowledge of God’s truth and His laws.
It can, however, humble itself in prayer and turn to God in repentance
begging for mercy, insight, forgiveness, and God’s intervention and divine
help.
Surely, the signs we see all around
us show that we are the “aravah” generation.
Jesus Christ spoke of this generation when He declared, as He was being
led to His crucifixion: “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me; weep for
yourselves and for your children. For
the time will come when you will say, ‘Blessed are the barren women, the wombs
that never bore and the breasts that never nursed!’ Then they will say to the mountains, ‘Fall on
us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ For if men do these things when the tree is
green, what will happen when it is dry?” (Luke 23:28-31, NIV).
We are living in the “dry”
generation! A “dry” tree is one without
water, drought-stricken – and water is a symbol of God’s Spirit, and His holy
Word.
It is very interesting that the date
of 2012 AD is just five years after 2007 AD, which is exactly 40 years from
1967, the year of the “Six Day War” when Israel recaptured the Temple Mount in
Jerusalem, after it had been in Gentile hands for almost 2000 years – ever
since 70 AD when the Romans destroyed the Second Temple. The generation of 1967 lacked the faith and
obedience to God to begin rebuilding God’s House at that time. Defense Minister Moshe Dayan and the Labor
government in Israel allowed the Arab infidels to retain control of the Temple
Mount. That generation proved unworthy
of the task. Therefore, it appears that
God has allowed that generation to “wander in the wilderness” of political
confusion, terrorism, and national upheaval, for the forty years since that time.
The situation is reminiscent of the
Israelites who came to the doorstep of the Promised Land, under Moses – but
after the land was spied out by 12 spies, they revolted against Moses, lost
faith, and refused to enter the Promised Land.
They were afraid of the “giants” in the land and the walled cities with
armed defenders. God thundered to that
faithless generation, “The carcasses of you who complained against Me shall
fall in this wilderness . . . According to the number of the days in which you
spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one
year, namely forty years, and you shall know My rejection” (Num.14:29, 34).
From 1967 till now Israel has known
suffering, rejection, and mounting grief and terrorism. Life hangs for many by a thread. Will the next generation become more obedient
to the heavenly calling, and take up the task of rebuilding God’s House,
beginning in 2007 – after the 40 year punishment expires?
In another amazing prophecy
detailing forty years of besiegement upon the House of Judah – the Jewish state
– God Almighty thunders to His prophet Ezekiel, “You shall bear the iniquity of
the house of Judah forty days. I have
laid on you a day for each year. Therefore
you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem . . .” (Ezek.4:6-7).
Could this also be a prophetic
reference to the forty years from 1967 to 2007 – a time of besiegement of
modern Israel and Jerusalem, at the hands of the surrounding Arab nations and
the Palestinian terrorists under the leadership of Yasser Arafat?
Today, the House of God once again lies in ruins. Its place on the Temple Mount is horrendously occupied by a Muslim atrocity – the “Dome of the Rock” – where the pagan god Allah, whose sign is the crescent moon, is worshipped!
Almighty God thunders:
“For thus says the LORD of
hosts: ‘Once more (it is a little
while)
I
will SHAKE HEAVEN AND EARTH, the sea and dry land; and
I
will shake all nations, and they shall come to the Desire of all
nations,
and
I will fill this temple with glory,’ says the LORD of hosts. The
silver
is Mine, and the gold is Mine,’ says the LORD of hosts. ‘The
glory
of this latter temple shall be greater than the former,’ says the
LORD
of hosts. ‘And in this place I will give
PEACE,’ says the
LORD
of hosts” (Haggai 2:6-9).
History tells us that this message came to the Jews in the second year of Darius, king of Persia (Hag.1:1). This was 520 B.C. The Jews became excited, stirred up, and rebuild the house of God. It took them six years. We read in Ezra, “And they built and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel . . . Now the temple was finished on the third day of the month of Adar (the twelfth month), which was in the sixth year of the reign of King Darius” (Ezra 6:14-15). This was in 515 B.C.
The glory of that Temple was even greater than the glory of Solomon’s temple, with all its gold. Why? Because the Messiah came to that Temple! He taught in it! He revealed Himself to Israel in it! He brought the hope and promise of PEACE! But He and His message were rejected by a disobedient people, and they crucified Him, as prophecy foretold that they would (Isa.53:3-8; Dan.9:25-26). That temple was destroyed, as a result, in 70 A.D.
“BUILD MY
HOUSE”!
Zechariah declares, “Therefore thus says the LORD: ‘I am returning to Jerusalem with mercy; My house shall be built in it,’ says the LORD of hosts, and a surveyor’s line shall be stretched out over Jerusalem” (Zech.1:16, NKJV).
God is anxious for the people to return to Him, and to rebuild His Temple. God declares: “I have set watchmen on your walls, O Jerusalem; they shall never hold their peace day or night. You who make mention of the LORD, do not keep silent, and give Him no rest till He establishes, and till He makes Jerusalem a praise in the earth” (Isaiah 62:7).
God thunders, “Go through, go through the gates! Prepare the way for the people [who are to return]; build up, build up the highway! Take out the stones, lift up a banner for the peoples!” (Isa.62:10). In other words, get rid of the impediments in your own personal life, take out the road-blocks, and remove the sins, and lift up the banner of the LORD – Yahveh Nissi, the “Lord our banner”! Prepare the way for the return of the Messiah, who is coming soon!
God declares through the prophet Malachi:
“Behold, I send My
messenger, and he will PREPARE THE WAY before
Me. And the LORD, whom you seek will suddenly
come TO HIS TEMPLE,
Even the Messenger of the
covenant, in whom you delight. BEHOLD,
HE
IS COMING,’ says the LORD of hosts”
(Malachi 3:1, NKJV).
Isaiah prophesied:
“The voice of one crying in
the wilderness: ‘PREPARE THE WAY OF
THE
LORD; make straight in the desert a highway for our God. Every
valley
shall be exalted and every mountain and hill brought low; the crooked
places
shall be made straight [a plain] and the rough places smooth; the
GLORY
of the LORD shall be revealed, and all flesh shall SEE it together;
for the mouth of the LORD
has spoken it” (Isaiah 40:1-5).
Adam Clarke in
his Commentary points out that the Jews in Haggai’s time hesitated to go forth
with the work to rebuild God’s House, through dread of the world power in those
days, the Medo-Persian Empire, which was being politically seduced by the enemies
of the Jews, the Samaritans, who did not want to see God’s House rebuilt or the
Israeli state prosper. The prophets
assured them that this and all other world powers would fall before the
Messiah, and they should get on with the work of rebuilding God’s House!
Let’s notice two important prophetic facts. Zerubbabel and Joshua began their work on the Temple in 520 B.C., when Haggai’s message stirred their souls. The temple of Zerubbabel, the second temple, was completed in 515 B.C., in the sixth year of king Darius.
If we take the principle of 2,520 years or “seven times,” and apply it to the date they began building the House of God, it brings us to the fateful year 2001 – the very year of the incredible 9-11 catastrophe! It brings us to the year the Muslim terrorists attacked the Twin Towers in New York City, symbols of America’s economic might, and attacked the Pentagon, symbol of America’s military prowess. 2520 years from 520 B.C. is 2001 A.D. (Remember, there is no year “zero,” so a year must be added when going from B.C. dates to A.D. dates.)
The message came
from Haggai on the first day of the sixth month, Elul, of the Jewish year
(Hag.1:1), one month before the Feast of Trumpets. The Muslim terrorist attack on the U.S.
occurred on 9/11 2001, which was exactly one week before September 18, 2001,
the first day of the holy seventh month of the Jewish calendar (Rosh Hashana
or Yom Teruah). One could
deduce that the events of 9/11 were a WARNING from a loving God of what His
justice requires if we do not repent of our sins, and REBUILD HIS HOUSE, and
worship Him as He calls us to do!
Now,
let’s take another look at this prophecy.
If we take the principle of “seven times” prophecy, and apply it to
the date the Second Temple was completed, in 515 B.C., then COUNTING 2,520
YEARS, it brings us to the fateful year of 2006 A.D. – just over two years from
TODAY!
The time is coming SOON when God’s
Temple will be rebuilt!
2006
and the Broken Road Map to Peace
The Quartet of Nations – the United
States, Russia, European Union, and United Nations -- has drafted a road map
for an Israeli-Palestinian peace settlement – also by the year 2006. The new draft calls for the unconditional
endorsement of a Palestinian state with interim borders in 2003, to be followed
by a Palestinian state in 2005 with permanent borders. 2005 is seven years from 2012 – does this
point to Daniel’s 70th week beginning in 2006 and ending with the
coming of the Messiah in 2012?
Kofi Annan the present Secretary
General of the United Nations is scheduled to depart from office -- also in
2006. Will his departure pave the way
for the final “World Leader,” the Supreme Dictator of the New World Order – who
will come into power by hook or crook, flattery and cunning, in 2006 A.D.?
2006
and the “Bible Codes”
2006 is an interesting year. Michael Drosnin in his book Bible Code II strongly
suggests that the year 2006 is encoded in the Scriptures as a year to
watch. He states that the year 2006 is
encoded with the words “atomic holocaust” and “end of days.” In his fascinating
book Bible Code II: The Countdown, Drosnin
asserts:
“ ‘World War,’ and
‘atomic holocaust,’ and ‘End of Days’ are all encoded
with ‘in 5766,’ the
Hebrew year equivalent to 2006.
“I checked every year in
the next hundred, and only 2006 appeared with all
three warnings. It was a clear prediction that we might face
World War III
in just five years.
“I told Dr. Rips. He calculated the odds on the big computer at
Hebrew
University. He checked a hundred thousand random texts to
see if all the
greatest dangers might
appear by chance with the same year in any place
other than the Bible.
“ ‘It’s 100,000 to 1,’
Rips reported. ‘I looked in 100,000
random texts, and
these words appear
together only in the Bible. It could
not be by chance.
Someone intentionally
put this warning into the Torah” (Bible
Code II, page
21).
Drosnin then points out:
“It was beyond any
doubt. A hundred to one is the normal
test. A thousand
to one is the strictest standard ever applied by
mathematicians. A hundred
thousand to one is
decisive.
“According to the Bible
code, we might really face the ultimate danger, a
nuclear World War, in
2006” (ibid.).
Interestingly, the words “atomic
holocaust” are also encoded in the Bible with the year 1945, the year the first
atomic bomb was dropped on Hiroshima, Japan, ending World War II.
Toward the conclusion of his book,
published in 2002, Drosnin declared:
“The more closely we
looked at the warnings in the Bible code, the clearer
it became that the
ultimate danger centered on 2006. That
is the year most
clearly encoded with
‘ATOMIC HOLOCAUST’ and ‘WORLD WAR,’ and
also with the ‘END OF
DAYS’” (Drosnin, Bible Code II, page
235).
Interestingly, the Hebrew year 5766
(2006 A.D.) was encoded with “in the End of Days” in the passage in Deuteronomy
where Moses warned Israel of “the evil that will befall you in the End of
Days.” Eliyahu Rips, the Israeli mathematician
who discovered the Bible codes, says that this is not a prediction, however,
but in his view it is “a warning of what can happen, according to what we
do.” In other words, unless mankind
changes its ways, and repents of the direction in which it is going, this
“warning” could well become stunning “reality”!
It could well represent the beginning of GREAT TRIBULATION on the earth!
It is also interesting to note that Albert Pike, a top ranking Mason, stated that it would require three world wars before the Antichrist would be produced. We have had World War I, World War II, and are now in the midst of World War III. He stated that the first major part of the Third World War would begin between Israel and her Arab neighbors, and then spread to encompass the whole world. The intifada began against the state of Israel in the fall of the year 2000. Following this was the Muslim terrorist attack on America, for its support of Israel, on 9-11, 2001. This spread to the war in Afganistan, to suppress the major base of al Queida and Osama bin Laden. And the war against terrorism then spread to Iraq, a terrorist-sponsoring state which was – in the eyes of many – complicit in the attack on the World Trade Towers in 1994, and has had clear ties with al Queida.
The war in Iraq is clearly part of the Western world’s war against terrorism. Is it the beginning of the real End-Time conflagration prophesied in the Scriptures? The attack on Iraq went through the city of Basra in southern Iraq.
Why is Basra so interesting?
Strange as it
seems, science fiction author H.G. Wells in 1933 declared that World War III
would come from events to occur in Basra.
Dr. Dennis Cuddy wrote in The Globalist: The Power Elite Exposed:
“After the Second World War, the United Nations will be the second
attempt at World Government, but Wells understands that this attempt
will also not be successful. Thus, the plan for the ‘Modern World
State’ would succeed in the third
attempt. . . and would come out of
something that would occur in Basra, Iraq” (page 50).
All these things
are leading up to the “final week” of years of this present End-time age!
In the middle of this final week of
this age, the prince or mighty ruler who “confirms” this covenant will himself
move against the Jews, causing the Temple sacrifices to cease! This strongly implies that between now and
the end of this age, before the final few years, the Jews must rebuild the
House of God – the Temple – upon the Temple Mount!
In the final negotiations over
the city of Jerusalem, a provision will be established permitting JEWISH
WORSHIP ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT, which is now under absolute control of Muslim
authorities. This in turn implies that a
Temple or Sanctuary will be built atop the Temple Mount within the next few
years!
Now notice! The prince will cause sacrifice and offering
at the Temple to cease in the “midst” of the final week -- that is, in the
middle of the week (Daniel 9:27).
Half-way through a week is 3 ½ days.
Since this is a prophetic week, it refers to seven years. Thus the Temple offerings and sacrifices will
be terminated at the half-way point through the final “week” of years, or after
3 ½ years. The future “prince” or
Antichrist and his forces will “rule” over the holy city and its environs for
the last 3 ½ years of the final “week” of years. Notice how this coincides with the “beast”
being given authority to RULE the nations for a period of 42 months (Rev.13:5),
which equals 3 ½ years! This is the
same period of time “two witnesses” of God will prophesy in the streets of
Jerusalem (“forty two months” equals 1260 days -- see Rev.11:3).
This desecration of the newly
established Temple or Sanctuary is also mentioned in other prophecies in Daniel. We read in the Jewish Tanakh in Daniel 11 of
an ancient king by the name of Antiochus Epiphanes, who is a type or
forerunner of the end-time “beast”:
“Ships from Kittim will come against
him. He will be checked, and will turn
back, raging against the holy covenant.
Having done his pleasure, he will then attend to those who forsake the
holy covenant [apostate, renegade Jewish and Christian leaders]. Forces will be levied by him; they will DESECRATE
THE TEMPLE, the fortress; they will ABOLISH THE REGULAR OFFERING and set
up the appalling abomination [probably either a statue of the “prince” or
he himself sitting in the Temple – compare II Thess.2:3-4]. He will flatter with smooth words those who
act wickedly toward the covenant, but the people devoted to their God will
stand firm. The knowledgeable among the
people will make the many understand; and for a while they shall fall by sword
and flame, suffer captivity and spoilation.
In defeat, they will receive a little help, and many will join them insincerely. Some of the knowledgeable will fall, that
they may be refined and purged and whitened until the TIME OF THE END, for an
interval still remains until the appointed time” (Dan. 11:30-35).
This evil end-time tyrant will be
the head of a coming “New World Order” or modern version of the ancient “Holy
Roman Empire” of the Middle Ages. He
will “do as he pleases; he will exalt and magnify himself above every god, and
he will speak awful things against the God of gods. He will prosper until wrath is spent, and
what has been decreed is accomplished” (Dan. 11:36).
This flattering, smooth-as-silk,
“king,” this end-time political charmer, is also referred to in Daniel’s
prophecy as a “contemptible man” (Dan. 11:21) who will “come in unawares and
seize the kingdom through trickery” -- he will gain the leadership of the
coming New World Order by cunning wisdom and sleight-of-hand, using deceitful,
underhanded and devious means (Dan. 11:21).
He will most likely be the final head of the United Nations – the
Secretary General who will replace Kofi Annan.
This will be an age of savage and
brutal terrorism. It will be unmatched
in all the annals of the history of mankind.
Blood will flow in rivers.
Millions will die in manmade terror acts, and even billions will be
wiped out in massive thermonuclear and chemical-biological warfare. It will be a time of rank and utter apostasy
from the truth and laws of Almighty God – a time of incredible degradation and
lewd behavior.
Moffatt translates Daniel 9:27 as
follows: “For a week of years the main body of the people shall cease to
practice their religion; for half of that time sacrifice and offering shall
cease, and instead of this there shall be an appalling abomination,
till finally the appointed doom falls upon the sacrilegious abomination.”
What
Should We Do?
The prophecy of Daniel 9 and the
“seventy weeks” has been fulfilled, to the very year, thus far. There is no reason to think that the
remainder of this amazing prophecy will not also be fulfilled to the very
year! Even the 7-year Oslo Peace
Accords was prophesied! And the events
of the last “week” of years before the return of the Messiah are laid out for
us -- including a period of apostasy, rebellion, overthrow, terrible persecution
and travail among the nations.
This
would suggest that the “final week” of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy actually will
begin shortly – perhaps in 2005-2006. If
this is the case, then this time frame would be the beginning of the
final SEVEN YEARS of this age. These
final seven years will be seven years of unimaginable anguish, unparalleled
SUFFERING on the earth. Jeremiah wrote,
“Alas! For the day is great, so that
none is like it; And it is the time of Jacob’s trouble, But he shall be saved
out of it” (Jeremiah 30:7, NKJV).
Daniel says of these rapidly
approaching days: “And there shall be a
time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation, even to that
time. And at that time your people shall
be delivered” (Daniel 12:1).
Yeshua Himself warned us: “For then there will be great tribulation,
such as has not been since the beginning of the world until this time, no, nor
ever shall be. And unless those days
were shortened, no flesh would be saved; but for the elect’s sake those days
will be shortened” (Matt.24:21-22).
Jesus declared: “Watch therefore,
for you do not know what hour your Lord is coming” (Matt.24:36i-42, NKJV).
We don’t know the precise
details. But we do have multiple signs
that the END of this age is rapidly approaching. We should be on “high alert” from this time
forward! Jesus said to His disciples,
including those of us who live in this frightful generation, today: “And what I say to you, I say to all: Watch!” (Mark 13:37).
Turning
and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon
cannot hear the falconer;
Things
fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere
anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The
blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The
ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best
lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full
of passionate intensity.
Surely
some revelation is at hand;
Surely the
Second Coming is at hand.
The Second
Coming! Hardly are those words out
When a
vast image out of Spiritus Mundi
Troubles
my sight: somewhere in sands of the desert
A shape
with lion body and the head of a man,
A gaze
blank and pitiless as the sun,
Is moving its slow thighs, while all about it
Reel shadows of the indignant desert birds.
The darkness drops again; but now I know
That twenty centuries of stony sleep
Were vexed to nightmare by a rocking cradle,
And what rough beast, its hour come round at
last, Slouches
towards Bethlehem to be born?
-- W. B. Yeats