May
we continually be
faithful to watch for our blessed redeemer and look up as we see our
redemption
approaching.
And
when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your
heads;
for your redemption draweth nigh.
Luke 21:28
Chapter
I
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/oct2009/tedp105.htm
Chapter
II
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/oct2009/tedp1012.htm
Chapter
III
http://www.fivedoves.com/letters/oct2009/tedp1019.htm
Chapter
IV
Stuart
had heard that
the author of the screenplay, “The Lawless One” was going to be at
rehearsals back at the theatre the next day. He had also
heard that the new
director did not have much use for the author. This was
beside the fact that
the consortium putting up the money to produce the play were paying the
author
to be there. Regardless, the author got paid whether the
director decided to
consult with him or not. So that meant that their small group
of five stood a
good chance of talking with the author and possibly for an extended
period of time.
They
talked among
themselves and agreed to meet the next day back at the
theatre. They were
anxious to find out how the author had originally envisioned his
screenplay.
Scene
IV
The
group mingled in the
lobby until all the five of them had arrived. They then went
upstairs and
found a larger room, rather bleak in its furnishings, white bare walls,
with
several large card tables, a small coffee bar, and a man sitting by
himself,
drinking a cup of coffee.
Stuart
asked, “Are
you the author of this screenplay?”
“I
sure am,”
replied the man, looking both surprised and happy to have
company. “How
can I help you?”
“I’m
Stuart,” replied Stuart. “And this is Virginia, Evelyn,
Obadiah,
and Dave”, introducing the rest.
“Hi,
I’m
Charles Gehrlein, but you can call me Chuck, everybody else does”
replied
the author.
“We
were just
curious about your screenplay,” began Dave. “For example,
what led
you to write it?”
“Well,”
began Chuck, “I’d really have to credit my father. I was a
young
lad at the time and it was the summer of 1967. We were
sitting at the kitchen
table and my father made an announcement with a certain air of
authority and
soberness that riveted me to my seat. He said that we were
witnessing
prophesied events unfolding before our eyes, in our
generation. He said that
we were the generation of destiny. He said that although
stopped for almost
2000 years, Daniel’s 70 week prophetic time clock had just
restarted.”
Chuck
paused a moment,
more like two moments, a pregnant pause, to see if his audience was
feeling
some the same anticipation he had felt 40 some years ago when his dad
first
uttered those words.
“What
did he mean,
it had just restarted?” asked Virginia.
“My
father,”
continued Chuck, “went on to explain how the tiny nation of Israel,
a
miracle in itself being born in a day as prophesied by the prophet
Isaiah. Now
where is that verse?” Chuck, had taken a well-worn Bible that
was
sitting in front of him and was paging through it. “Oh, yes,
here it
is,” as he read.
Who
hath heard such a thing? who hath seen such things? Shall the earth be
made to
bring forth in one day? or shall a nation be born at once? for as soon
as Zion
travailed, she
brought forth her children.
Isaiah 66:8
“Anyway,
where was
I?” asked Chuck, obviously enjoying the rapt attention from the five
seated around him.
“You
were talking
about Daniel’s prophetic time clock restarting,” replied Virginia
sounding
slightly impatient.
“Oh,
yes,”
replied Chuck, “The tiny nation of Israel
was surrounded by her
enemies ready to invade her. She was out manned, out gunned,
out everything,
and she in 6 days not only beat back her enemies but regained some of
her lost
territory from many years ago, most importantly Jerusalem, the city of
Peace,
her capital that had been so utterly destroyed by the Romans in 70
AD. The
date she regained Jerusalem
was June 7, 1967. Remember that date!
Have that date emblazoned on the back
of your mind.”
“Okay,
now let me
find Daniel’s 70 week prophecy,” as Chuck flipped through his
Bible. He then started reading.
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
“Well,”
began Chuck. “As my father explained, “thy people” is
obviously referring to the Jewish people who were in exile in Babylon
along with Daniel. He told me that
Daniel was carried into captivity around 606 BC. Notice how
“thy
people”, the Jewish people is married to “thy holy city”,
obviously referring to Jerusalem.
Daniel was anxious whether the Jewish people, his people, would ever be
back in
their own land or regain Jerusalem.
As my father explained to me, while this prophecy extends all the way
to
Judgment Day when an end will be made of all sins and everlasting
righteousness
will be brought in as eternity begins outside of time and space, there
are gigantic
gaps in time with these 70 weeks. The gaps are there for a
reason. This
prophecy only covers time involving both the Jewish people and their
holy city,
Jerusalem.”
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
“It
will be both
seven weeks and seven weeks plus 62 weeks, is my father showed me,”
stated Chuck. “Notice how the two time periods are
mentioned. We know now
that there are two comings of Jesus Christ as the Messiah the
Prince. They
didn’t back then.”
“Remember
that the
first coming was around 2000 years ago. The second coming is
in the future
when He returns to establish His millennial reign, His 1000 year
reign. After
His millennial reign the Bible says in Revelation that there will be a
short
season where satan will be allowed loose again before being cast into
the
bottomless pit for all eternity. The bottom line in all of
this is that there
are definitely two comings of Jesus Christ as Messiah the Prince.”
“Sure,
Jesus
Christ appeared many times throughout the Old Testament, wrestling with
Jacob,
talking with Abraham, and then when He was born and lived among God’s
chosen people for some 30 years. But there was only once that
He expressly came
and entered Jerusalem.
See Jerusalem
is the key, when He came as Messiah the Prince, riding on the back of a
never
before ridden donkey.”
“On
Palm
Sunday,” said Evelyn.
“Yes.
On the day
we celebrate as Palm Sunday, one week before First Fruits,” continued
Chuck. “And He will come again, landing again on the Mount of Olives, clefting the
rock according to Zechariah.
The
amazing thing is we
are told in this verse in Daniel, err, Daniel 9:25, exactly when his
two
comings as Messiah the Prince would and will occur.”
“Of
course back in
Daniel’s day they would not have been able to fathom two comings, so
the
second coming was concealed in the way the verse states the
time. They also
must have not paid too much attention to this verse back then either
because
they didn’t know the time of their first visitation, to their
shame. No
wait, it wasn’t just to their shame, it was to their
destruction.
God’s not kidding. God utterly destroyed all them, all of the
inhabitants of Jerusalem.
And He destroyed all of them within that generation by 70 AD.
Well, let me
read it:”
And
they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt,
and they
set Jesus thereon. And as he went, they spread their clothes
in the way. And
when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives,
the
whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a
loud
voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; Saying,
Blessed be the King
that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the
highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude
said unto him,
Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto
them, I tell you
that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately
cry out.
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.
Luke 19:35-44
Chuck
continued.
“People didn’t pay attention to Daniel’s 70 week prophecy
back then to know the time of the Messiah’s first coming just like
people
aren’t paying attention now to know the time of the Messiah’s
second coming. For those that see it though, it is clear as
day, but for
others it is totally concealed.”
Obadiah
spoke up,
“What do you mean by it being concealed?”
Chuck
continued,
“Remember how Jesus spoke in parables? Remember the reason
Jesus spoke
in parables?”
While
everyone was thinking
over these questions, Chuck turned a few more pages in his Bible.
Therefore
speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing
they hear
not, neither do they understand. Matthew
13:13
That
it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will
open my
mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from
the
foundation of the world. Matthew
13:35
“Well?”
asked Chuck.
Obadiah
answered,
“Jesus spoke in parables so the common people would not
understand. He
was telling them secrets but it was still hidden from their
understanding.”
“Exactly,”
replied Chuck. “But we have the advantage of time in knowing
the Messiah
has already come once, and that He himself promised to come
again. Are you all
familiar with Sir Robert Anderson?”
The
five looked at each
other with puzzled looks on their faces.
“I
gather
not,” replied Chuck. “Sir Robert Anderson, knighted by the
Queen
of England, was a very smart fellow who worked for Scotland Yard over
100 years
ago. He also wrote a book called, “The Coming Prince” whose
title
actually stands for the future coming of the lawless one.
Sort of like the
title of my play.”
“However,
that is
not the books main focus. The main focus is to show how the
first coming of
the Messiah as the Prince of Peace was exactly 7 plus 62 weeks of
prophetic
years from the beginning of the restoring of Jerusalem.”
Evelyn
spoke up,
“Okay, you just said “weeks of prophetic years.” Before you
get me completely lost, what do you mean by “weeks of prophetic
years?”
“Sorry,”
answered Chuck. “I get carried away sometimes. Just
stop me when I
start to lose you. Let me back up. A week is just
short hand for seven. It
could be seven of anything. In this case it is of prophetic
years which means
360 days. Sir Robert Anderson found that the timing works out
perfectly when
using years composed of 360 days.”
“But
there
aren’t 360 days in a year,” objected Virginia.
“I
know this
one,” answered Dave. “There aren’t 360 days in our calendar
year. But anyone reading Revelation can’t help but notice how
1260 days
and 42 months and times, times and half a time, or what I’ve thought
must
be 3 ½ years, seem to be talking about the same period of
time. Like the woman
in the wilderness.”
“Yes,”
answered Chuck. “Like the woman in the wilderness.”
Virginia
continued, “But why would God use 360 days in year? He
created this
world with 365 and a little under a quarter. Why wouldn’t He
use the
same time?”
“My
own
theory,” answered Dave, “Is that God created this World perfect
with 360 days for the earth to go around the sun and 30 days for the
moon to go
around the earth, from the earth’s perspective. Then sin
entered into
the World, causing decay. God would not use decayed time.”
“I
also read about
how before around 701 BC everyone used 360 days per year and 30 days in
a
moon. Then something happened. Some think it was a
close approach of a planet
like Mars or Venus. The year was lengthened by around 1.5%
and the month or
moon shorted by around 1.5%.”
“Anyway,”
said Chuck, “My point was to take the time from 445 BC when the decree
was made to restore Jerusalem
as Sir Robert Anderson points out. I like to think of the
number -444 since
it’s easy to remember and the math works out because there is no zero
year between AD and BC. Do you know why there is no zero
year?”
“Yes,”
replied Dave, Stuart, and Virginia in unison. Before anyone
else could take a
breath, Virginia
continued, “because there was no zero.”
“Very
good,
look’s like you already knew,” replied Chuck. ‘Well, to
repeat what Sir Robert Anderson found. If you take 32 AD and
you add 444 you
get 476 years. And he used days but it’s easier for me to use
years. If
you take 7 + 62 you get 69. Dave, if you could run this
calculation on your
laptop, that would be great. If you take 69 times 7 for the
weeks, times 360
days for the prophetic years and then divide by 365.2422 to convert
this all to
calendar years, what do you get?”
Dave
punched the numbers
into his laptop.
“476.06766,”
answered Dave.
“Just
over 476
years,” continued Chuck. “Which Sir Robert Anderson stated,
assuming this decree by the king to restore Jerusalem
was on the day reserved traditionally for Royal decrees, the spring
equinox,
this would bring one exactly to the day Jesus came to Jerusalem
as Messiah the Prince.”
Chuck
paused to let this
set in a moment.
“But
the best is
yet to come!” stated Chuck. “My father explained that we can
now
do the same thing as of June 7, 1967. We can know exactly, to
the day, when Jesus
Christ will come as Messiah the Prince the second time.
Except this time we do
not add the 62 weeks to the 7 weeks, we just use the 7 weeks.
The way this
prophecy was worded, not 62 and then 7 but 7 and then 62, we can be
confident
in taking the first 7. And notice God’s providence in that
had the Jews
accepted Messiah as Prince the first time, the prophecy was still
fulfilled.”
“I’ve
never
heard of this before,” stated Evelyn. “Is there anyone else
that
has figured this out?”
“Well,
we know Sir
Isaac Newton figured the 7 weeks out,” stated Chuck.
“You
mean the
famous scientist who discovered gravity?” asked Evelyn.
“The
same
one,” answered Chuck. “Except he did a lot more than just
discover
gravity. His work with optics and the laws of motion and
calculus and physics,
well he’s considered by many as the greatest scientist who ever
lived.
What they don’t tell you in the science books is that he wrote more on
the Bible and particularly prophecy in Daniel and Revelation than he
did
science. And one of the things he stated was that the first 7
weeks in
Daniel’s 70 week prophecy appeared to relate directly to Messiah’s
second coming.”
“My
father,”
said Chuck, “told me that the prophetic time clock countdown to the
Messiah started on June 7, 1967. We had only to count 7 weeks
of prophetic
years to know the exact date of our Redeemer coming as
Messiah. And guess
what, it works out to the most holy of all Hebrew days, the 10th
day
of the 7th month, the Head of the Year, the day
atonement is made
for the coming year, Yom Kippur.”
“My
father then
stated that we only had to count back from this date exactly one week
of
prophetic years to come to the exact date that the lawless one would
offer to
the world his covenant with many.”
“What
is this
covenant with many?” asked Stuart.
“Well,”
started Chuck. “A covenant is considered a binding agreement
between two
parties. This covenant with many is different in the sense
that it is an agreement
proposed between one person, the lawless one, to many people.
And many people
have to accept it. It is a two way street. The
lawless one will propose, my
father said, if you do this one thing for me, make me your king, I will
do this
one thing for all of you, bring peace to the world.”
“In
the Old
Testament, God made a covenant with Noah to never destroy the earth by
water
again. I always have to emphasize the water because God said
nothing about
destroying the earth by fire. Anyway, God also made a
covenant with Abraham to
greatly increase his seed. But this covenant in Daniel’s 70
week
prophecy will not be between God and man, or even between a man and
another
man. This covenant will be between the lawless one and many
people. And, my
father said, they will most likely even give him the Nobel Peace prize
for what
he promised to do. Imagine that! I thought he was
joking.”
“Where
does it say
all that in the Bible?” said Obadiah.
“Very
good!”
said Chuck. “Never accept anything anyone tells you about
prophecy
without checking it with the Bible. It doesn’t mention the
Nobel Peace
prize. That was based on speculation based on what it does
say regarding peace
and destruction before we get to Daniel’s 70 week prophecy.
And
through his policy also he shall cause craft to prosper in his hand;
and he
shall magnify himself in his heart, and by peace shall destroy many: he
shall
also stand up against the Prince of princes; but he shall be broken
without
hand.
Daniel 8:25
Continued
Chuck, “But
let’s get back to Daniel’s 70 week prophecy.”
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
Chuck
went on, “So
we see the 62 weeks are connected just with the Messiah being cut
off. The 7
weeks are not mentioned. This also lets us know that the
Messiah’s first
coming has both the 7 and the 62 weeks and that the Messiah’s second
coming does not have the 62 weeks because the Messiah is not cut off at
His
second coming. Then we see that the people of the prince that
shall come shall
destroy the city and sanctuary, which happened in 70 AD. This
again is the
reference to the lawless one, “the coming prince” and his people,
the most powerful empire in the world at that time, the Roman Empire
whose
people spanned through really all of Europe, part of Asia, south into
Africa,
and surrounded the city of Jerusalem.
Reading
on:”
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
“Okay,”
said
Obadiah. “Didn’t Jesus Christ confirm the covenant He made
with
all of Adam’s descendants to be the living sacrifice when He died on
the
cross? Didn’t He make this for covenant for 7000 years, which
could also
be called one week, as a day is like one thousand years to
God? Didn’t
He die in the middle of the 7000 years? Didn’t the sacrifice
and
oblation cease when the city and sanctuary were destroyed also in the
middle of
the week as just mentioned in the previous verse?”
“Well,
that’s all true,” said Chuck, “But you are changing the
meaning of a week in the middle of a prophecy. And how is the
Roman army under
Titus, the people of the prince?”
“Okay,
weren’t
we just told in the previous verses,” started Obadiah, “about
Messiah being the Prince? And aren’t we all the people of the
Messiah,
being created by Him, being used by Him in His providence to fulfill
His
will?”
“I’ll
concede that’s one completely valid interpretation,” stated
Chuck.
“I see nothing wrong with it apart from changing the meaning of a week
in
midstream. But as with most parables and prophecies there are
surface meanings
and then there are deeper meanings, can you concede me that?”
Everyone
in the room
nodded their heads.
Chuck
said, “So
let us continue. I’ve been talking about weeks of prophetic
years. And
I’m not talking about changing the meaning for any of these
weeks. Now
we have one week being set apart as starting out with a confirmation of
a
covenant. My father said this one week set apart is part of
the previously
mentioned weeks. You shouldn’t interpret it as the covenant
being for a
period of one week, that it ends after one week. That would
be like saying that
the agreement to bring peace to the world will end in seven
years. Then we can
have war. But instead it can be taken that the covenant
begins one week of the
previous 7 weeks. One of the 7 weeks that count down to the
second coming.
And what week of the previous 7 would you guess it starts?”
Dave
shot up his hand.
“The last week of the seven,” stated Dave.
“Very
good,”
said Chuck. “Pretty obvious though. That does seem
to make the most
sense.”
“In
fact,”
said Dave starting again, “I’ve thought that all we had to do to
figure out when the beast was to be revealed was to count back seven
years and
bingo. Then we should expect the beast to be making a
proposal for peace in
front of many people. With world-wide television and radio I
figured he could
reach the whole world with his proposal.”
“Yes,”
said
Chuck, and I was waiting. It has been many years since I
started writing the
“Lawless One”. But I knew I couldn’t allow it to be produced
until after I had confirmed what my father had told me. I had
to see with my
own eyes the proposal for peace being made to the many on that
day. And then I
had to see that it had been accepted by the many.”
“Okay,”
said
Dave. “I missed it somehow, when did this happen?”
“Well,
you
weren’t alone,” said Chuck. “Let’s just review the
dates my father gave me. Adding 7 weeks of prophetic years to
June 7, 1967
brings us to September 23, 2015, Yom Kippur, the Day of
Atonement. Subtracting
1 week brings us to October 29, 2008. And adding a half of a
week brings us to
the middle of this week which is April 11, 2012.”
Chuck
continued, “On
October 29, 2008, on that very date, just before what turned out to be
the last
game of the World Series of Baseball in the United States,
in prime time, one
person broadcast over three major networks and four smaller ones, a 30
minute
appeal, a proposed agreement. That agreement was that if the
people of the United States
make him the most powerful man in the world, leading the most powerful
nation
in the world, he would change the world, he would assure
peace. While his
predecessor had made war in Iraq,
he would bring peace, and he would bring Americans home.”
Everybody
sat around the
card table looking at each other.
“We
are doomed,”
said Evelyn.
“No
we’re
not,” said Obadiah. “satan can only do what God allows him to
do.
Jesus is still on the throne. Greater is He that is in me,
than he that is in
the world.”
“That’s
right,” said Chuck. “Let me find that in the Bible.”
Hereby
know ye the Spirit of God: Every spirit that confesseth that Jesus
Christ is
come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of
antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now
already is
it in the world. Ye are of God, little children, and have
overcome them:
because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world.
I John 4:2-4
©
10/25/2009 – Ted Porter