Jim’s post brings up many questions:http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/jan2005/jim119.htm
Along with CAPS reply:
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/jan2005/caps119.htm
Unfortunately, space may not allow explaining my own views regarding this subject to everyone’s satisfaction but I’ll give it a try.
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. Daniel 9:27
This may be the most misunderstood passage in the whole Bible. Whole eschatologies rest upon it. They all can’t be right. Consider though that the “he” is the Messiah the Prince of Peace which should be clear when read in context with the preceding three verses. Consider that He confirmed the covenant made with many when He died on the cross. Consider this covenant was made by God with many people, starting with Adam, to all who would believe. Jesus confirmed this covenant by paying the blood price. Consider this one week covenant is in God days.
But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. II Peter 3:8
This is the same 7,000 years, now including the millennium, that Jim’s post gives reference to. Consider that a proper understanding of this verse shows that the Bible teaches that God has made a covenant with man for 7,000 years. One does not have to refer to our early Church fathers or Barnabus. It’s in the Bible. Consider that in the “midst” of the week can be understood as being during the 4th day, or the 4th thousand years. Consider the 7 candle menorah. The middle candle is the 4th candle. The 4th candle is in the midst of the other candles. The 5th thousand years started at Pentecost. Take away the millennium and that leaves exactly 2 thousand years for the Church Age.
Jesus did not confirm or even make a 7 solar year covenant with many when He started His ministry. He did cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, starting with His death. The veil was rent in two and the sacrifices that the priests made were no longer acceptable unto God. The perfect sacrifice had already been made. The priest’s offerings were abominable in God’s eyes. The consuming of the sacrifices with the flames of fire which made it a burnt offering, the consummation, were abominable in God’s eyes. The wrath of God was poured out upon both the city of Jerusalem and the sanctuary which were utterly destroyed and made desolate in 70 AD, before the generation passed away, of Jesus’ rejection as Messiah (anointed) Prince, just as He had prophesied.
So what about the previous three verses:
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.Daniel 9:24
This is seventy week of years. My interpretation is that these are years made up of 360 days which follows Sir Robert Anderson’s interpretation in “The Coming Prince”. However, we should also watch years made up of 12 moons. This time is determined upon thy people, the Saints, the believers, the children of God, the many who are in a covenant relationship with God. It is also determined upon thy holy city, Jerusalem. It will finish the transgression of Adam and make an end of sins which will only happen after the millennium and after satan has been loosed for a short season. This will be the end of the seven thousand years as well and will make reconciliation for the iniquity of all the Saints that lived during these seven thousand years. It will then bring in everlasting righteousness. The vision and prophecy which encompasses the whole Bible will be complete and the most Holy will be anointed and reign for ever and ever.
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 foretells the exact length of time, I believe down to the day, for both comings or advents of Jesus Christ, when He comes as the Prince. He came as the Prince to Jerusalem first in, (again my opinion as to the year), most likely 32 AD but it could have been 34 AD. The count of both weeks starts from the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem. The first count of weeks given is seven weeks. The other count of weeks is threescore and two weeks, (62 weeks). The division into two counts of weeks is on purpose as there are two comings of Jesus Christ as the Prince. The first coming as Prince was after seven weeks plus threescore and two weeks from the command to restore and build Jerusalem which we know from the research of Sir Robert Anderson. The second coming as Prince/King will be (in my opinion) after seven weeks from the most recent command to restore and build Jerusalem, I believe both implicitly and explicitly, namely June 7, 1967. The Israelites have rebuilt the streets and even a wall that has been loudly protested by the non-Israeli’s. Yes, and it certainly has been during 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. Daniel 9:26
The first time Messiah came as the Prince of Peace he was rejected and crucified, cut off from humanity, cut off from life, cut off from even being looked upon by His father, when the sins of the world were set upon Him. But He was crucified not for himself as He was blameless. He was crucified for the “many” in Daniel 9:27. The verse states that it is after sixty two weeks that this happens. This is to let the reader in Daniel’s day know not to expect the Messiah the Prince after only seven weeks. After another 62 weeks will Messiah the Prince come. Although seven weeks is given followed by sixty weeks for the two advents, the seven plus sixty weeks is chronological for the first advent but the seven weeks stands alone for the second advent as the Messiah will not be cut off the second time. The people of the prince are the designated people of Messiah the Prince to exact judgment upon Jerusalem, which happened to be the Romans. Jesus warned the Christians to flee Jerusalem when they saw Jerusalem compassed about by the Roman army, who then by the grace of God left, which happened several years before 70 AD. This gave the Christians a chance to flee. Later, the Roman army returned and laid siege to Jerusalem and around Av 9-10 in 70 AD, Jerusalem and the sanctuary, the mighty temple built by Herod the Great, were destroyed. The end is said to have been like a flood with blood flowing in the streets according to some accounts up to a horses bridle. At the end of the war, Jerusalem was left utterly desolate which it remained for around 153*70*7*9 days or until the 20th century.
We know that seven weeks and sixty-two weeks are consumed by the Saints watching and waiting for His two advents as Messiah the Prince. But there is one more week left to bring in everlasting righteousness and seal up the vision and prophecy of the Bible to make up the last of the seventy weeks. Before everlasting righteousness is brought in we know that satan will be loosed for a “little season” at the end of the Millennium.
And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. Revelation 20:3
Hence we are being told that this “little season” will be seven years.
I could end right now but let’s go on to the application. Hopefully I don’t lose many people with the mathematics. Just read it slower than normal. The math is there to bear witness to the rest. Meanings of words can change but 2 + 2 always equals 4:
Keep in mind that Jesus came as a babe before He came as the Prince the first time. Likewise He will come (in my opinion) for His bride, the Saints, in the Rapture before He comes as the Prince the second time. In my opinion this will occur between 10 and 10 1/2 years before He comes as the Prince.
Taking a spreadsheet and entering April 14, 3032 which would have been the equivalent Gregorian day transposed 3000 solar years in the future that Jesus was crucified. He was crowned with the thorns and declared by the Roman ruler, King of the Jews. (Sir Robert Anderson uses Sunday in his calculation instead of Wednesday because he takes it from Jesus’ triumphal entry. He also assumes Jesus was crucified on a Friday instead of a Wednesday but that is another subject for a another time.) Now subtract from this cell, 360 * 69 * 7 days (69=7+62) and one comes to March 20, 2556. To convert this to BC subtract 2556 from 3000 which equals -444. This is considered the Gregorian year while taking off another year for no zero year in Julian gives 445 BC. We’re at the right year. And royal decrees and actually crowning of royalty occurred traditionally on the Spring Equinox which would have been around March 20th. (Maybe the crowning of the King of Kings will start a new tradition on the fall equinox in 2015? Maybe again, Jesus enters Jerusalem on a Sunday and is crowned Prince of Peace on a Wednesday, this time on September 23, 2015?)
But back to Jim’s question of the Christian era being 2,000 years. As I explained on page 20 of “Passion, Power, and Glory – Watching for the Return of the Prince of Peace” which is reprinted below:
After two days will he revive us: in the third day he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight.Hosea 6:2
Which together lend themselves to the belief, and was proposed as early as Barnabas, that the Church Age will be 2 "days" of 1,000 years.
To calculate His return day, some have added this 2,000 years to the birth day of Jesus. Yet the Church Age was not born till after His death. Some have added solar years to His death, yet prophetic years seem to be used prophetically throughout the Bible.
Some have used a standard 1,000 years for calculating His return day. Yet it has been noted that the Bible counts years in multiples of seven and 1,000 is not divisible by seven. However 1,001 is divisible by seven, (143 times).
It is not unusual when counting in any base system to call a thousand the closest number in that base system to 1,000. Take computers for example. Without going into too much detail, each piece of data is stored as either on or off, a bit, which makes everything stored in a base 2 system. Multiples of 2 are used to count which 2 raised to the 10th power is 1024, not 1000. Hence, what is generally referred to as a thousand bytes also called a kilobyte, is actually 1024 bytes.
Therefore this makes the calculation: 2 days * 1,001 Lord's years per day * 360 prophetic days per year = 720,720 days or 1973 solar years + 97 days.
Applying this to the Church which was born 7 raised to the 2nd power (49) days after Resurrection day, April 18th, 32 AD (Gregorian) or June 6, 32 AD. Adding 720,720 days brings one to September 11, 2005.
Took me a while to get to this point. And September 11th has taken on new meaning since 9/11. (Kind of like what day is the fourth of July celebrated on?)
Shalom!
Ted Porter