The Precision of Prophecy

Daniels 70 Weeks

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. {69 X 7 X 360}
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.)

You can calculate the dates of Daniel's prophecy for yourself. Here's a handy guide:
Starting Point:
March 14, 445BC.
62 + 7 = 69 weeks of years.
69 x 7 = 483 biblical years of 360 days each.
483 x 360 days = 173,880 days in Daniel's prophecy.
445 + 31 = 476 modern years between March 14, 445BC and March 14, 32AD. Note that there is only 1 year between 1BC and 1AD.
476 x 365 = 173,740 days. We'll allow for leap years next.
173,740 + 116 leap days = 173,856 total days Mar 14 to Mar 14.
173,856 + 24 (Mar 14 to Apr 6) = 173,880 days.

Precision!

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 16, 32 A.D.⁹

http://endtimepilgrim.org/70wks11.htm

The Precision of Prophecy

When we examine the period between March 14, 445 B.C. and April 16, 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!

How were Daniel’s prophecies sealed

https://creationconcept.wordpress.com/2011/08/05/how-were-daniels-prophecies-sealed/

The prophecies of Daniel were sealed up, so they would not be understood until the end of the age, according to Daniel 8:17, and Daniel 12:4, 9.

In Daniel 8:17, an angel says to Daniel, “Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision.”

In verse 27, Daniel says of the vision described in that chapter, “I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it.”

In Daniel 12:4 an angel said, “But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end.” In verse 9 he said, “Go thy way, Daniel: for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end.”

The vision of chapter 8, and other prophecies in the book, were to remain sealed till the end time.

Several of the incidents described in Daniel illustrate that the Spirit given to Daniel enabled him to explain dreams and visions that had stumped the wise men of Babylon. They were unable to explain Nebuchadnezzar’s dream in chapter 2, or the writing that appeared on the wall at Belshazzar’s feast in chapter 5. One of the purposes of the 70 weeks prophecy was to seal up the vision and prophecy. [Daniel 9:24] The 70 weeks prophecy has certainly been one of the most controversial prophecies in the Bible.

Daniel’s prophecies were written in such a way that only the wise would understand them.

Daniel 12:10
Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried; but the wicked shall do wickedly: and none of the wicked shall understand; but the wise shall understand.

The 70 weeks prophecy seals up other prophecies in various ways. It consists of three sections: 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and 1 week. Almost all commentators have assumed that the units in all sections are the same. They insist that the 70 weeks are weeks of years, for a total of 490 years. But that assumption is simplistic, and seems inconsistent with the role of the seventy weeks prophecy, as one that seals up other prophecies, and one that would be understood only by the wise.

Assuming that the weeks in all sections of the prophecy have the same units, and that the weeks are weeks of years, the period spanned by the first two sections of the 70 weeks does not fit the time from the decree of Cyrus to the Messiah. It is not even close. Either it ends too soon, or another decree must be found to begin the prophecy. Expositors usually select one of several minor rulings, or letters of permission, by kings that followed Cyrus, that were intended to implement some portion of the objectives of the original decree given by Cyrus. The scripture mentions several of these.

In the nineteenth century Sir Robert Anderson (1841-1918), an ultradispensationalist, and a detective at Scotland Yard, resorted to “prophetic years” of 360 days, to obtain an exact fit for the first two sections of the 70 weeks, between the 20th year of Artaxerxes Longimanus in 445 BC and the alleged year of the crucifixion of Christ. Anderson claimed Nehemiah had received an edict from Artaxerxes on March 14, 445 BC, and 173,880 days later, which was 483 prophetic years of 360 days, was 10 Nisan 32 AD. He claimed this was shortly before Christ was crucified. But other evidence indicates Christ was likely crucified in 30 AD, not 32 AD.

Anderson claimed that the 70th week is yet future, which removes the crucifixion of Jesus, his resurrection, the coming of the Spirit, the end of oblations and sacrifices, the destruction of the temple, and the entire church age from the scope of the 70 weeks. But Daniel 9:27 says, “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.” This plainly says that the termination of sacrifices and oblations was to occur in the midst of the final week. A critique of Anderson’s work by Bob Pickle has exposed several flaws.

Preterists also have difficulty understanding the prophecy. They say the entire 70 weeks were fulfilled in the first century. If so, it must have happened without the knowledge of the apostles! None of the apostles acknowledged that it had been fulfilled, in their writings of the New Testament. The preterist interpretation is unlikely to be true, since Daniel’s prophecies were not meant to be understood till the end time.

Preterists disagree about when the 70th week was fulfilled. Some say it began with the ministry of Jesus, and ended seven years later. Others invoke a gap, and say it ended at the destruction of Jerusalem. Yet the 70 weeks were about the duration of the desolations of Jerusalem, and so their fulfillment ought to bring peace and joy to Jerusalem, not desolation! Obviously the preterist interpretations of the 70 weeks prophecy are flawed.

If the units in the three sections of the prophecy differ, what might they be? The first two sections span the time from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, to the appearance of the Messiah. This decree was given by Cyrus in the first year of his reign, which is believed to be the year 538 BC. The prophet Isaiah said the Cyrus would be the one to give the word to build Jerusalem and the temple. [Isaiah 44:23-28]

If the units in the first seven weeks are taken to be leap years, the first section consisting of 49 leap years would be 133 years. Leap years, in the ancient Hebrew and Babylonian calendars, were years of 13 months. These occurred about every second or third year, and seven leap years occurred in 19 years. Taking the units in the second section to be sabbatical cycles, the second section is 62×7, or 434 years. Thus the first two sections together span 567 years, which fits the time from the decree of Cyrus to the coming of Christ in 28 AD precisely. But this simple solution has eluded the attention of the Bible scholars.

Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy has indeed sealed up prophecy, since although it has been scrutinized for centuries, it has not been fully understood. In particular, the 70th week has been misunderstood. It is the week when Christ confirms his covenant with his saints. This covenant is the New Covenant of the gospel. The 70th week is not a literal seven years, but it corresponds to “seven times.”

The interpretation of the 70 weeks requires that we consider the four periods of “seven times” mentioned in Leviticus 26. Daniel stated in his prayer of confession which is the prelude to the 70 weeks prophecy that the curse of the law of Moses had been poured out upon Israel. The exile must have fulfilled the first of the four periods of seven times, which was poured out on the Jews during their captivity in Babylon. The three sections in the prophecy of the 70 weeks correspond to the other three periods of “seven times” mentioned in Leviticus 26. In the last of these, God had promised to remember his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Israel would become reconciled to God. This promise that God would remember his covenant with Abraham is mentioned in a prophecy given by John’s father Zacharias, when his son was born. [Luke 1:72]

The 70th week corresponds to the last of the four periods of “seven times” of Leviticus 26.

The 70th week is when Christ “confirms the covenant with many.” Paul identified God’s promises to Abraham with the gospel in Galatians 3:8. The week when Christ confirms the covenant began when he was baptized by John the Baptist.

We can be confident that there can be no gaps in the 70 weeks, such as the one proposed by dispensationalists, since the four periods of “seven times” in Leviticus 26 correspond to the duration of the curse, and in Daniel, they can be viewed as an extension of the 70 years of Jeremiah’s prophecy. Thus they correspond to the duration of the desolations of Jerusalem. Any gap would imply a lapse in the curse, and would also require that God was temporarily reconciled to his people. But that has not happened; any reconciliation between God and his people must be permanent.

Daniel 9:27 shows that the abolition of sacrifices and oblations would happen “in the midst of the week.” It occurred as a result of the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. But the last half-week continues, as Christ still confirms his covenant with us. The final half of the 70th week is the “time, times, and a half,” and is symbolic, and includes the entire time of the church, in which the gospel goes to the world. It is the duration of the age in which we are now.

Other prophecies in the Bible refer to the “time, times, and a half.” It is mentioned in Revelation 12:14, where the woman, who represents the church, flees to the wilderness for that period of time.

The same chapter refers to a period of 1,260 days, which is also mentioned in Revelation 11:3. And the references to 42 months in Revelation 11:2, and 13:5, seem to apply to the same prophetic time period.

In Daniel 12:11-12, Daniel mentions two time periods, of 1,290 days, and 1,335 days. The 1,290 days is associated with the duration of the abomination of desolation. When we compare these to the 1,260 days mentioned by John, there is obviously a progression, as if the remaining time was decreasing. Such is the nature of time. John’s 1,260 days is the smallest, and in Revelation 11:9 and 11 he even speaks of three days and a half, indicating a period very close to the end of the age.

All of these numbers have units of days, and they apply to the remaining time of the church. There is a contrast between these numbers, and those given in units of months, which apply to the forces of evil; the time that Gentiles trample the holy city, and the time that the beast persecutes the saints. These are of the night, rather than the day, and so their times are given in months, which are associated with the moon.

The reason the time periods related to the church are given in days can be seen from Paul’s statement, “Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day: we are not of the night, nor of darkness.” [1 Thessalonians 5:5]

Also, there may be an allusion to the story of Jacob and Rachel. [Genesis 29:20] Jacob’s seven years of labor “seemed unto him but a few days, for the love he had to her.” The seven years were a pattern or type of the week for which Christ confirms his covenant with his church, which is his bride.

The intermediate period of 1,290 days is the time remaining after the abomination of desolation is set up. This must have been after the final half-week had begun, when Jesus ascended to heaven. It must also occur before the beginning of the 1,260 days, which is the time of the ministry of the two witnesses, and the time the church flees to the wilderness. The antichrist spirit, mentioned in John’s epistles, which was established in the church before John wrote the Apocalypse, corresponds to the abomination of desolation. These are some of the ways that Daniel’s prophecy of the 70 weeks seals prophecy. Properly understanding the 70 weeks opens up other prophecies which were previously obscure.

Prophecy; End Times

Sunday, December 10, 2017

How Precise Prophecy Is

The Precision of Prophecy

Daniels 70 Weeks

Daniel & The Seals

How were Daniel’s prophecies sealed