The
traditional understanding of the “seventy weeks”
prophecy in Daniel was that it foretold when Messiah
would begin His ministry, and that He was “cut off”
in the “middle of the week” causing the
Temple “sacrifice
and the oblation to cease”. The
prophetic “week” is seven years, and half of seven
years is three and one half years. Then there was
a gap of close to forty years being one “generation” before the
Temple was made “desolate” in 70 AD;
thus completely fulfilling the “seventy
weeks” prophecy.
In the 1800's the validity of the book of Daniel
and all it contained was challenged, and a new
view of the “seventy
weeks” called the
pre-tribulation rapture theory began to take hold
in England and America in which the 70th week
became seven years of tribulation which believers
would be raptured from in which an “antichrist”
broke a covenant after 3.5 years starting 3.5
years of great tribulation. In order to attribute
the 3.5 year period to an “antichrist” some now
even challenge Christ's 3.5 years of ministry. I
provide an outline of Messiah's 3.5 year ministry
given in John's gospel, which I place from Fall 29
AD to Spring 33 AD.
Overview
of Seventy Weeks
The 1st of Tishri is the “memorial of blowing” called Feast of Trumpets and Rosh haShanah. Regnal years in the Bible are from Tishri to Tishri, like a school year which begins in fall, but our modern years are from January to January; hence the need to represent biblical years as two modern years. Artaxerxes Longimanus had a 9-year coreign with his father Xerxes beginning in 475/474 BC. In the 20th year of Artaxerxes' reign (455/454 BC), he made a decree to rebuild Jerusalem which began the 70 Weeks clock in Daniel 9 until “Messiah the Prince”.
“Seventy weeks are
determined on your people and on your 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 to the Messiah the Prince shall be
seven weeks, and three score and two weeks: the
street shall be built again, and the wall, even
in troublous times. And after three score 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 to the end of the war desolations are
determined. And he shall confirm the covenant
with many for one week: and in the middle 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 on the desolate.” (Daniel
9:24-27)
Though
Nehemiah and Ezra saw Jerusalem's wall rebuilt in
52 days, I assume that it took 7 “weeks” (49 years)
to fully restore the “streets” and to
return to business as usual by 406/405 BC. After
another 62 “weeks” (434 years)
the Messiah was introduced as the “Prince” or “Son of God” at His
baptism when He was about 30 years old. 434 – 406
= 28, but since there is no year zero, you must
add one year to make 29 AD the year of Christ's
baptism. Evidence points to Jesus being born on
the 1st of
Tishri in 3 BC. I believe Jesus was baptized on
the 1st of
Elul, a month before His 31st birthday.
Jesus was 1 year old in Tishri of 2 BC when the
magi began their travels to see “he that is
born King of the Jews” and
encountered king Herod (who died in Spring of 1 BC
when there was a full lunar eclipse, not in 4 BC).
Jesus was 2 in 1 BC, and He was 3 in 1 AD. 29 – 1
= 28. 28 + 3 = 31, but since Jesus was baptized a
month before His birthday, He was thirty years
old; and Jesus began His ministry of 3.5 years
when He was aged 31. The first half year of
ministry was from Fall 29 AD to Spring 30 AD.
Outline
of Four Passovers
1st Passover was after the miracle of changing the Water into WINE at Wedding in Cana.
Our
Bridegroom, Jesus, was in Jerusalem at Passover in Spring 30 AD.
“This beginning of miracles did
Jesus in Cana of
Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his
disciples believed on him. After this he went
down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, and his
brothers, and his disciples: and they continued
there not many days. And the Jews' passover was
at hand, and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. And
found in the temple those that sold oxen and
sheep and doves, and the changers of money
sitting: And when he had made a whip of small
cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and
the sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the
changers' money, and overthrew the tables; And
said to them that sold doves, Take these things
hence; make not my Father's house an house of
merchandise. . . . Now when he was in Jerusalem
at the passover, in the
feast day, many believed in his name, when they
saw the miracles which he did. ” (John 2:11-16,
23)
In the
winter of 31 AD, Jesus spoke with the woman at the
well in Samaria, and His disciples returned and
begged Him to eat.
“Jesus said to them, My meat is to
do the will of him that sent me, and to finish
his work. Say not you, There are yet four
months, and then comes harvest? behold, I say to
you, Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields;
for they are white already to harvest.” (John
4:34-35)
“And said to the woman, Now we
believe, not because of your saying: for we have
heard him ourselves, and know that this is
indeed the Christ, the Savior of the
world. 43Now after two days he departed there,
and went into Galilee. . . .Then when he was come into Galilee,
the Galilaeans received him, having seen all the
things that he did at Jerusalem at the feast: for they also went to the
feast. So Jesus came again into Cana of Galilee, where he made
the water wine. And there was a certain nobleman,
whose son was sick at Capernaum. When he heard
that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he
went to him, . . . Jesus said to him, Go your way;
your son lives. And the man believed the word that
Jesus had spoken to him, and he went his way. . .
. So the father knew that it was at the same hour,
in the which Jesus said to him, Your son lives:
and himself believed, and his whole house. This is
again the second miracle that Jesus did,
when he was come out of Judaea into Galilee.” (John 4:42-54 edited) [
v54 is the last in chapter 4]
“The feast” here refers
to Messiah's first passover. The barley harvest is
celebrated after Passover during First Fruits in
the month of Nisan. The wheat harvest is
celebrated two months later in Sivan. So Jesus
must have spent about six months in Judea before
returning to Cana of Galilee.
2nd Passover
after making a paralyzed man whole
“After this there was a
feast of the
Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. . . . And
a certain man was there, which had an infirmity
thirty and eight years. . . . The weak man
answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water
is troubled, to put me into the pool: but while
I am coming, another steps down before me. Jesus
said to him, Rise, take up your bed, and walk.
And immediately the man was made whole, and took
up his bed, and walked: and on the same day was
the sabbath.” (John 5:1-9 edited) [In other
manuscripts “a feast” is
translated “the
feast” or “passover”.]
3rd Passover
after the miracle of feeding BREAD to over 5,000
who wanted to force Jesus, the “Bread of Life”, to
be king near the Sea of Galilee in Spring 32 AD
“And Jesus went up into a mountain,
and there he sat with his disciples. And thepassover, a feast of the Jews, was near. . .
. There is a lad here, which has five barley
loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they
among so many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit
down. Now there was much grass in the place. So
the men sat down, in number about five thousand.
And Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given
thanks, he distributed to the disciples . . . he
said to his disciples, Gather up the fragments
that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they
gathered them together, and filled twelve baskets
with the fragments of the five barley loaves . .
.When Jesus therefore perceived that they would
come and take him by force, to make him a king, he
departed again into a mountain himself alone. And
when even was now come, his disciples went down to
the sea . . . and went over the sea toward
Capernaum. . . . And Jesus said to them, I am the
bread of life: he that comes to me shall never
hunger; and he that believes on me shall never
thirst. . . . I am the living bread which came
down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he
shall live for ever: and the bread that I will
give is my flesh, which I will give for the life
of the world. ” (John 6:3-17, 35, 51 edited)
John 7:2 is
the Feast of the Tabernacles which occurs in the
Fall.
John l0:22 mentions the Feast of
Dedication which is in Winter. 4th Passover
after Jesus, “the
resurrection and the life”, called
Lazarus back from the dead
in Bethany
prior to Christ's passion week in Spring 33 AD.
“Then said Jesus to them plainly,
Lazarus is dead. . . . Then when Jesus came, he found that
he had lain in the grave four days already. Now
Bethany was near to Jerusalem, about fifteen
furlongs off: . . . Jesus said to her, I am the
resurrection, and the life: he that believes in
me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And
whoever lives and believes in me shall never die.
Believe you this? She said to him, Yes, Lord: I
believe that you are the Christ, the Son of God,
which should come into the world. . . . Jesus
said, Take you away the stone. . . .Then they took away the stone from
the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus
lifted up his eyes, . . . he cried with a loud
voice, Lazarus, come forth. And he that was dead
came forth, bound hand and foot with grave
clothes: and his face was bound about with a
napkin. Jesus said to them, Loose him, and let him
go. . . . Then gathered the chief priests and
the Pharisees a council, . . . And one of them, named Caiaphas,
being the high priest that same year, said to
them, You know nothing at all, Nor consider that
it is expedient for us, that one man should die
for the people, and that the whole nation perish
not. And this spoke he not of himself: but being
high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus
should die for that nation; And not for that
nation only, but that also he should gather
together in one the children of God that were
scattered abroad. Then from that day forth they
took counsel together for to put him to death.
Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the
Jews; but went there to a country near to the
wilderness, into a city called Ephraim, and there
continued with his disciples. And the Jews'
passover was near at hand: and many went out of
the country up to Jerusalem before the passover, to purify themselves.” (John
11:14-55 edited)
“Then Jesus six days before the passover came to Bethany, where Lazarus
was, which had been dead, whom he raised from the
dead.” (John 12:1)Jesus, “the Lamb
of God who takes away the sin of the world”, died on
Nisan 14th before
sunset in 33 AD. I think He is returning as
the "Lion of Judah" on His birthday this
year, September 16th.