The following bible study should put an end to the 360 day year, so called "error". There is no error. And I hate to see Five Doves readers be led into error. Sir Robert Anderson was knighted for his mathematical proof to the very DAY of Daniel's prophecy of Christ's triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This was the first day that Christ would allow people to worship Him. This was a very particular day. The mathematical proof requires the use of the 360 day biblical year. Could Jesus have screwed up? Did He ride into town a few days too early because He was using the 360 day year rather than the 365 day year? I don't think so. The 360 day biblical year unlocked a lot of scripture. See the mathematical proof at the end.The Precision of Prophecy
Daniel’s 70 Weeks
As we reflect on the outcome of this year's election, let us all remember that, fundamentally, we are neither Republicans nor Democrats: we are Monarchists and we look forward to our Coming King... Question: when did Jesus ever present Himself as a King?Irrefutably Documented
To fully appreciate the remarkable significance of the following article, it is essential to realize that the Book of Daniel, as part of the Old Testament, was translated into Greek prior to 270 B.C., almost three centuries before Christ was born. This is a well-established fact of secular history.1
The Septuagint
After his conquest of the Babylonian Empire, Alexander the Great promoted the Greek language throughout the known world, and thus almost everyone - including the Jews - spoke Greek. Hebrew fell into disuse, being reserved primarily for ceremonial purposes (somewhat analogous to the use of Latin among Roman Catholics).
In order to make the Jewish Scriptures (what we call the Old Testament) available to the average Jewish reader, a project was undertaken under the sponsorship of Ptolemy II Philadelphus (285-246 B.C.) to translate the Hebrew Scriptures into Greek. Seventy scholars were commissioned to complete this work and their result is known as the "Septuagint" ("70") translation. (This is often abbreviated "LXX" and is so shown on the diagram.)
The Book of Daniel is actually one of the most authenticated books of the Old Testament, historically and archaeologically, but this is a convenient shortcut for our purposes here. It is critical to realize that the Book of Daniel existed in documented form almost three centuries before Christ was born.
Gabriel's Zinger
Daniel, originally deported as a teenager (now near the end of the Babylonian captivity), was reading in the Book of Jeremiah. He understood that the seventy years of servitude were almost over and he began to pray for his people.
The Angel Gabriel interrupted Daniel's prayer and gave him a four-verse prophecy that is unquestionably the most remarkable passage in the entire Bible: Daniel 9:24-27.
These four verses include the following segments:
9:24 The Scope of the Entire Prophecy;
9:25 The 69 Weeks;
9:26 An Interval between the 69th and 70th Week;
9:27 The 70th Week.The Scope (Dan 9:24)
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end 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 Place .
Daniel 9:24
The idiom of a "week" of years was common in Israel as a "sabbath for the land," in which the land was to lie fallow every seventh year.2 It was their failure to obey these laws that led to God sending them into captivity under the Babylonians.3
Note that the focus of this passage is upon "thy people and upon thy holy city," that is, upon Israel and Jerusalem. (It is not directed to the Church.)
The scope of this prophecy includes a broad list of things which clearly have yet to be completed.
The First 69 Weeks (Dan 9:25)
A very specific prediction occurs in verse 25:
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Daniel 9:25
This includes a mathematical prophecy. As we have noted in previous articles, the Jewish (and Babylonian) calendars used a 360-day year;4 69 weeks of 360-day years totals 173,880 days. In effect, Gabriel told Daniel that the interval between the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem until the presentation of the Messiah as King would be 173,880 days.
The "Messiah the Prince" in the King James translation is actually the Meshiach Nagid, "The Messiah the King." (Nagid is first used of King Saul.)
Bull's-Eye!
The commandment to restore and build Jerusalem was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus on March 14, 445 B.C.5 (The emphasis in the verse on "the street" and "the wall" was to avoid confusion with other earlier mandates confined to rebuilding the Temple.)
During the ministry of Jesus Christ there were several occasions in which the people attempted to promote Him as king, but He carefully avoided it: "Mine hour is not yet come".6
The Triumphal Entry
Then, one day, He meticulously arranges it.7 On this particular day he rode into the city of Jerusalem riding on a donkey, deliberately fulfilling a prophecy by Zechariah that the Messiah would present Himself as king in just that way:
Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Zechariah 9:9
Whenever we might easily miss the significance of what was going on, the Pharisees come to our rescue. They felt that the overzealous crowd was blaspheming, proclaiming Jesus as the Messiah the King.8 However, Jesus endorsed it!
I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Luke 19:40
This is the only occasion that Jesus presented Himself as King. It occurred on April 6, 32 A.D.9
The Precision of Prophecy
When we examine the period between March 14, 445 B.C. and April 6, 32 A.D., and correct for leap years, we discover that it is 173,880 days exactly, to the very day!
How could Daniel have known this in advance? How could anyone have contrived to have this detailed prediction documented over three centuries in advance? But there's more.
The Interval (Dan 9:26)
There appears to be a gap between the 69th week (verse 25) and the 70th week (verse 27):
And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: 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.
Daniel 9:26
The sixty-two "weeks" follow the initial seven, so verse 26 deals with events after 69th week, but before the 70th. These events include the Messiah being killed and the city and sanctuary being destroyed.
As Jesus approached the city on the donkey, He also predicted the destruction of Jerusalem:
For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Luke 19:43-44
The Messiah was, of course, executed at the Crucifixion..."but not for Himself."
The city and the sanctuary were destroyed 38 years later when the Roman legions under Titus Vespasian leveled the city of Jerusalem in A.D. 70, precisely as Daniel and Jesus had predicted. In fact, as one carefully examines Jesus' specific words, it appears that He held them accountable to know this astonishing prophecy in Daniel 9! "Because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation."
The 70th Week
There is a remaining seven-year period to be fulfilled. This period is the most documented period in the entire Bible. The Book of Revelation, Chapters 6 through 19, is essentially a detailing of that climactic period.
The interval between the 69th and 70th week continues, but it is increasingly apparent that it may soon be over.
The more one is familiar with the numerous climactic themes of "end-time" prophecy, the more it seems that Daniel's 70th Week is on our horizon.
Have you done your homework? Are you and your family prepared?
As the holiday season approaches, share with your family and friends this incredible demonstration of just who Jesus really is, and what the significance of all this is to every one of us!
Amazing grace, indeed!
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For a more complete exposition of this amazing passage, see our newly recorded briefing package, Daniel's 70 Weeks. This briefing is also available for the first time as an automated multimedia slideshow download!
Sources:
Anderson, Robert, The Coming Prince, Hodder & Stoughton, London, 1894. The classic work on the Seventy Weeks of Daniel.
Missler, Chuck, Daniel's 70 Weeks, Koinonia House, 2004. (Also, the newly recorded Expositional Commentary on Daniel, 16-session study with notes.)
Mathematical Proof:
Daniel 9:24-27 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end 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 to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: 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. 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 he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Commandment to Rebuild Jerusalem, March 14, 445 B.C.toThe Triumphal Entry, 10th of Nisan or April 6, 32 A.D.Do the Math:445 B.C. - 32 AD (476 yrs x 365) = 173,740 days (Note: 445 + 32 = 477, minus 1yr, due toMarch 14-April 6 24 days no year 0 between B.C. and A.D.Leap Years extra day 116 daysTotal 173,880 days
69 Weeks of Years = 69 x 7 x 360 = 173,880 days
Check it!One more point: The Last Week of Years (7yrs) of Daniel's PeopleDaniel's people (the Jews) were promised more than 69 weeks of years. They were promised 70 weeks of years. The last week of years of "Daniel's" people has been postponed for the past 2 thousand years. There has been a very pregnant pause in the fulfillment of this prophecy, to make room for the mystery of the Church age. The church age is about over, and when the AntiChrist "confirms" the peace treaty between Israel and Israel's enemies for 7 years, that will mark the point in time when Daniel's last week of years for the JEWS will begin again so the prophecy can be fulfilled.The church age is OVER, and the church has been withdrawn from earth via the rapture (1 Thes. 4 & 5).This last week of years (7 years) will be back under the law and the prophets. This is why the Temple will be allowed to be rebuilt, and the animal sacrifices are restored, and why God sends TWO Prophets (the two Witnesses) to the earth. The 144,000 evangelists are Jewish, with God even naming the Jewish Tribes they are from. Matthew 24 was very Jewish, with concern over people having to flee Jerusalem on the Sabbath. Jesus warned that they are to pray that it doesn't happen on the Sabbath. Why? Because these people are back under the law again. Daniel's people are under the Law and the Prophets.There was no church during Daniel's peoples dispensation, and there will be no church under the last week of years promised to Daniel's people. After chapter 4 of the Book of Revelation is in chronological order and there are NO references to the church again, except to describe them in Heaven!The judgments of the book of Revelation occur when Christ, the Lamb of God, opens the first seal! AntiChrist is the first rider of the 4 horsemen of the Apocalypse! The church will never see the AntiChrist, because the faithful followers of Jesus Christ will be evacuated at the same time the Holy Spirit is removed from this earth (2 Thes 2). These are ALL God's judgments! All the seals and the trumpets and bowl judgments constitute the Wrath of God. And we KNOW that the righteous are not appointed to God's wrath. The wrath of God is for the wicked, not the Bride of Christ!l-----69 weeks of yrs under the Law & Prophets------l___church age, 2000 yrs__l---7yrs L&P---lChrist will not return until the JEWS (not Christians) pray desperately for Him to come. And when they see His nail pierced scars, they will weep! The last 7 years are also to pressure Israel to turn to God with all their hearts and cry out for their Messiah. Jesus said He wouldn't come back until THEY did! Jesus wasn't talking to His followers here. He was talking to the unbelieving JEW.Mat 23:39 For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed [is] he that cometh in the name of the Lord.Zech 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for [his] only [son], and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for [his] firstborn.
One last important point: Jesus held the Jews accountable for not knowing the above proof, for not knowing THE DAY that Christ was to ride into Jerusalem riding on a donkey as there long awaited Messiah. God expects his people to rightly divide the word of God and know and understand Bible Prophecy. He expects that of us now too. We are not to go by feelings or dreams or pet theories UNLESS they line up exactly with scripture! What do the scriptures say? We are responsible for knowing them AND understanding them.Luk 19:42 And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Jesus held the Jews accountable. Look what has happened to them for the past 2000 years! He holds us accountable too. If your church is not teaching you how to correctly divide the Word of God, by omitting the teaching of Bible prophecy, then your church is not teaching the whole counsel of God. I'd find a better one that does. I learned the above the first month I became a Christian, 21 years ago. Paul spent 3 weeks in Thessalonica making new converts, teaching them the scriptures. The rapture of the church was taught to them during that first 3 week period of their walk with the Lord. The letters to the Thessalonians are REMINDERS of what Paul had already taught them during their first 3 weeks as Christians! What is your church teaching you?
Maranatha!
Deborah
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