Greg Wilson (2 December 2018)

A 70 Year Countdown

 

Might the Lord our God expect Israel to consider the prophetic implications of a 70-year period following His "second recovery of the remnant of his people"? (Isaiah 11:11)

 

We know the first time He recovered the remnant of His people was in 536 B.C. following the 70-year Babylonian exile.

 

We know the second time He recovered the remnant of His people was in 1948/49 A.D. following the end of the Diaspora exile.

 

Should Israel expect the visitation of God following this second recovery?  After all, God promised to and did visit Israel following the first recovery. (Jeremiah 29:10)

 

Should Israel expect that God, having followed through on His restoration promises to the fathers', use the 70-year pattern of Babylon and, or the 70-year pattern of Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy, to commence Daniel's 70th week?

 

God is a God of patterns.  He fully expects Israel to understand the signs of the times. (Matthew 16:3-4)   God's prophets diligently inquired and searched the Scriptures with a view to determine what or what manner of time...the sufferings of Christ and the glory that should follow. (1Peter 1:10-11)  Certain men of the tribe of Issachar were given the gift of "understanding the times to know what Israel ought to do. (1 Chronicles 12:32)

 

God's plans are not concealed. (Amos 3:7) 

 

I am fully convinced that God will use this 70-year pattern in the context of Daniel's 70th week.

 

How would God measure this 70-year period?   It has now become clear that God did not use the Israel May 14, 1948 Declaration of Independence event to commence a countdown.   Daniel's 70 Weeks prophecy begs a counting of days and years.  It is preeminently a counting prophecy.

 

I believe we need to look to the Book of Joshua for instruction.   God gave the promised land to Israel, but with conditions.  God commanded them to make war and possess the land from its occupants.  He commanded a war of possession.  Jesus, as the Captain of the Host of the Lord, led Israel in the battles. (Joshua 5:13-15; Acts 7:45; Hebrews 4:8 KJB only)  The Lord is a man of war. (Exodus 15:3)

 

Based on my study of the Joshua pattern and the Conquest of Canaan 1.0, I believe that if God were going to use the 70-year pattern in the context of Daniel's 70th week, that He would commence His count following the conclusion of the 1948/49 Arab-Israeli War of Possession.  I will call this 20th century war the Conquest of Canaan 2.0.   It was a War of Possession after the pattern of Joshua's conquest of Canaan.  It was Israel's victory in this war which resulted in its May 11, 1949 admission to the United Nations.

 

Moses, the minister of the Law, could not get Israel into the promised land.  It took Joshua [Jesus] the minister of righteousness and grace to get Israel into the promised land.  Likewise, remnant Israel will only get into the promised land, the Millennial kingdom, by appropriating the testimony of Jesus. (Revelation 12:17, 14:12, 20:4-5)

 

Patterns, patterns, patterns...........dare we hope that 2019 will be the year of our blessed hope?