There is so much historical documentation for us to research for Daniel's 70-Week vision, making this series very long, but hopefully it is answering questions you have pondered for years. When we were last together I had just begun to reveal the multiple warning signs God had provided Israel before His judgment fell on them for rejecting Jesus Christ as their Messiah.
As we explained in the last blog many of these supernatural signs occurred during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. The eastern gate of the inner court was made of brass and iron. It was so heavy it required 20 men to open and shut it. At the 6th hour, on the day of the feast, this gate opened of its own accord. What makes this supernatural event so significant?
When Jesus was dying on the cross, darkness covered the land at the 6th hour, lasting until the 9th hour of His death...Matt. 27:45. This darkness symbolized error, revealing that a specific miscalculation had been perpetrated by the religious leaders of Israel, when they rejected Jesus as their Messiah - resulting in His death.
Because the horrible suffering - beating/torture - of Jesus precipitated His 6th-hour darkness, then death, the priests of the temple were given a 6th-hour sign to let them know that the same darkness of suffering and 9th hour death will enter their inner court, resulting in their own horrific death during the "great tribulation" that Jesus Christ warned them was coming during the 70th week of Daniel's vision.
Another phenomenon occurred during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. About the time of dusk, a menacing sign was seen in the sky. Eyewitnesses to this heavenly event reported seeing apparitions - ghostly figures - in the form of chariots and armed troops high in the sky, interacting with each other in the midst of the fluffy clouds over Jerusalem, and surrounding cities...II Kings 6:17.
These savvy temple priests must have known that this supernatural revelation in the sky was a portent of war. Collectively, all of the omens and supernatural signs were a forewarning to the priests that they were no longer secure in their temple. The citizens must have been frightened, because they received no answers to their questions about these ominous signs from the silent religious hierarchy. There is no evidence the priests warned the populous, nor did they explain these omens.
Did Jesus warn Israel about the events of the 70th week of Daniel's vision? Luke, who was a physician and disciple of the Lord, recorded in his gospel what sign they should watch for that would prompt them to flee Jerusalem before the "great tribulation" descends upon them.
Luke recorded...when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near...then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her...for these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled...Luke 21:20-22.
Luke describes the coming war as the days of vengeance, which means there will be retribution against Israel for rejecting her Messiah. Jerusalem surrounded by armies will fulfill the first objective in Daniel 9:26 - He shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming.
God will destroy Jerusalem and the temple with the prince that is coming - Commander Titus Vespasian - a prince of Rome.
The second objective in Daniel 9:26 - and they shall be cut off with a flood - describes how Commander Titus and his army of 6,000 men will surround Jerusalem and cut them off from the outside world - no escape from the Wrath of the Lamb...Rev. 6:16
The third objective in Daniel 9:26 - he shall appoint the city to desolation - was accomplished by Commander Titus. As the war was ebbing, Commander Titus ordered what was left of the city to be destroyed by his army.
How do we know that Titus is the fulfillment of the predictions in the 70th week of Daniel's vision? We have the personal testimony of Titus himself as he fulfills all of Daniel 9:27. Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
When we were last together I introduced you to Jesus, son of Ananus, an emissary from God who walked the streets of Jerusalem beginning in 63 A.D., speaking one message...a voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against the whole people.
Jesus, son of Ananus, spoke this prophetic warning for 7.5 years to the end of the war of 70 A.D. What caused God to send this humble prophet and what happened to Jesus, son of Ananus?
When Herod suddenly died in 4 B.C. he had not completed his reconstruction plan to rebuild Jerusalem - wall and streets were not rebuilt. Beginning in 64 A.D. this last portion of his grandiose project was finalized, fulfilling Daniel 9:25...and the street shall be built and the wall.
By 66 A.D. Roman General Vespasian arrived in Jerusalem to set up his fortifications outside the city. This was the beginning preparations for fulfilling Daniel's 70th week of his vision. What happened to Jesus?
At the end of the war of 70 A.D. on the day of his last woe, Jesus provided a twist to his usual lamentation. He deliberately climbed up on the wall where he became a perfect target for the Roman army, and declared loudly, "Woe, woe unto Jerusalem and woe, woe unto myself!" Suddenly, a flying rock propelled from a Roman assault engine, struck him with a mortal wound. Jesus, son of Ananus, was obedient to the call of God unto death - mission accomplished.
In his lamentation Jesus said...a voice from the four winds. What did he mean? In Blog 5 - Part 73 of Riddles, Enigmas & Esoteric Imagery of Revelation - I explain in detail. In Rev. 4: 8, the 4 winds are the 4 living creatures - Seraphim - around the throne of God who cry...holy, holy, holy Lord God Almighty, who was and is and is to come! God's voice...
Besides the lamentation by Jesus, son of Ananus, did God provide other signs and wonders to warn the people of their impending doom? Let's take a look at what historians have provided for us.
A year before this horrific war began, a comet was seen and a star - appearing over the city shaped in the form of a sword. A sword symbolizes war. For one year everyone in Jerusalem could see this sword in the sky, day and night, a continual reminder that death and destruction would be coming to their city. They did not know the exact time, but this supernatural sign promised that war would definitely arrive soon.
Another sign provided by God occurred during the Feast of Unleavened Bread. At this time, a priest was leading a heifer to be slaughtered for the sacrifice, when suddenly in the midst of the temple, the heifer gave birth to a lamb. The priest must have been overwhelmed with mystification as he witnessed this shocking phenomenon - maybe even scared. Why is this phenomenon an important sign?
The priests of Israel continued to offer animal sacrifices for the sins of the people, mocking the blood sacrifice of God's Son on the cruel Roman cross. By allowing the heifer to give birth to a lamb, God vividly expressed His disdain for their continual animal blood sacrifices - the Lamb of God provided a permanent blood sacrifice for the sins of all mankind - the only sacrifice now accepted by God.
Is it possible that this priest had a flashback to the time he heard John the Baptist call Jesus Christ...the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world? I wonder if he remembered hearing Jesus say in the market place...I am the bread of life...signaling that the purpose for the Passover - Feast of the Unleavened Bread has already been fulfilled? History does not answer my questions, but it is clear that God was visually conveying a clear message of warning to the people.
There are many more exciting supernatural signs warning Israel of their coming destruction - what have historians recorded? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
So far in this series we have defined 69 weeks - times - of Daniel's vision of 70 weeks, revealing when they were fulfilled. Last blog we listed 3 objectives that must be fulfilled in Daniel 9:26...And after the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment in Him: and He shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming: they shall be cut off with a flood, and to the end of the war which is rapidly completed he shall appoint the city to desolation.
Before this portion of Daniel's vision can be fulfilled - one week (70th) - the last half of Daniel 9:25 must be fulfilled...and then the time shall return and the street shall be built, and the wall, and the times shall be exhausted.
After the 7 weeks (times) and 62 weeks (times) edicts have been fulfilled by 30 A.D., the time - week - will return and the street shall be built and the wall. Time will return means the final week of Daniel's 70 week vision will be ready to be fulfilled. What date does historical documentation reveal for the time to return?
The time would return near the end of 63 A.D. Before any Roman armies arrive, we find the city of Jerusalem peaceful and prospering. Yet, in the midst of their tranquility, a puzzling situation develops in the streets of Jerusalem. An ordinary farmer, called a husbandman in those days, appeared on the streets of Jerusalem upending their peace. God sent this unobtrusive humble man to be His voice of warning, so that the citizens of Jerusalem could prepare for His soon coming judgment on them for rejecting His Son, as their Messiah. Who was this voice of warning from God?
What I do know, you have not heard about this prophetic voice, because the modern end-time doctrine embraced by all Christian denominations, leave out portions of history that might contradict their narrative.
Maybe you don't know that Jesus was a commonly used name in this generation, as was James and John. This ordinary farmer was named Jesus, who was the son of Ananus. He was a plebian, a member of the lower class, distinguished from a patrician of the Roman upper class. Yet, God called him to be His emissary, by walking through the streets of Jerusalem crying aloud His urgent warning. What was the warning?
Jesus went through the streets of Jerusalem saying, "A voice from the east, a voice from the west, a voice from the four winds, a voice against Jerusalem and the holy house, a voice against the bridegrooms and the brides, and a voice against the whole people." This message clearly delineates an indictment against the people of Jerusalem, launching the beginning of the fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel's vision.
Historians record that Jesus, son of Ananus, walked through the streets of Jerusalem moaning this dirge for seven years and five months. This scripture that he spoke over and over for this long period of time was a prophetic warning that God was against this people. How do I know that Jesus was speaking scripture?
Many centuries before this time, this same prophetic warning was spoken through the prophet Jeremiah, when he tried to persuade the people of Israel to repent for disobeying the Sabbath Rest. He warned if they did not repent they would be punished...Jer. 25:6-11. They did not heed the warning, they did not repent, so were taken captive into Babylon for 70 years.
While chanting his prophetic dirge throughout the streets of Jerusalem, day in and day out, Jesus, son of Ananus, was hit and kicked daily by enraged citizens and religious leaders. Surely the religious leaders knew that Jesus was quoting the prophet Jeremiah, but now this scripture was indicting them - and they were angry. Rather than repent, they vehemently rejected Jesus and his warning, stirring up the people against him.
One day the monotonous dirge enraged them so much, they violently whipped him until his bones were laid bare - yet he shed no tears. In fact, he seemed unaware of his surroundings, as if in a trance. Even a Roman procurator proclaimed that Jesus, son of Ananus, was a madman. Yet, he was unmoved by the daily assaults he endured as a voice of warning for God.
What happened to Jesus, son of Ananus? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
So far in this study of Daniel's vision of 70 weeks, we have defined the meaning of the weeks (times). We have also learned how and when the 7 weeks edict and the 62 weeks edict were fulfilled. Last blog we began to research the 1 week edict - the 70th week of Daniel's vision. Yes, historical documentation proves this week has already been fulfilled.
The last portion of Daniel 9:25...and then the time shall return and the street shall be built, and the wall, and the times shall be exhausted...begins our research to understand the 70th week of Daniel's vision. What does "time" shall return and "times" exhausted mean?
Last blog we described King Herod's grandiose reconstruction project of Solomon's temple and the city of Jerusalem. But he died before he completed the whole plan. What didn't he complete? Herod did not complete the reconstruction of the wall and the street before he died in 4 B.C., neither did anyone else complete it. In fact, the wall and the street will not be built until the "time" (weeks) returns. Don't you love a good riddle - especially one we can solve?
First let's recap what we have learned. The 70 weeks are the measurement of an ecclesiastical indictment (edict) pronounced upon Israel. Each set of weeks (times) have been set apart as a time of specific significance to judge sin - necessitating vengeance or forgiveness - 70 x 7.
And after the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment in Him: and He shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming: they shall be cut off with a flood, and to the end of the war which is rapidly completed he shall appoint the city to desolation...Dan. 9:26 (Septuagint translation).
The first sentence of this text reveals - after the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One shall be destroyed. Blog 10-11 reveal that the Anointed One is Jesus Christ. The angel is telling Daniel that the culmination of the 62 weeks edict is the death of the Anointed One - Jesus Christ in 30 A.D. The text further states there is no judgment in Him because He knew no sin, so was not destroyed for Himself, but for the sins of all mankind.
The balance of our text Daniel 9:26 provides objectives that will be accomplished during the third measurement of weeks - one week - 70th week of Daniel's vision. What are these objectives?
1. He (Jesus) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince (Titus) that is coming.
2. They (Jerusalem) shall be cut off with a flood.
3. He (Titus) shall appoint the city to desolation.
These are the players in the one week edict of Daniel's vision - 70th and final week to be fulfilled in the war of 70 A.D.
The He that shall destroy the city and the sanctuary is Jesus. Remember, we described this action earlier in our study as the Wrath of the Lamb...Rev. 6:16. The coming war is the Lamb's vengeance upon Israel for rejecting Him as their Messiah.
The prince that is coming is Titus, a prince of Rome, who later became emperor. Titus is the prince that Jesus Christ will use to destroy the sanctuary, and the city of Jerusalem.
The they that shall be cut off with a flood - overflowing of soldiers - are the inhabitants of the city of Jerusalem. As we will learn in our research, Titus and his army will surround the city, preventing anyone behind the walls from escaping. We will be studying the detailed accounts of this war recorded by the historian Josephus, proving how Titus knew God had appointed him as the prince that would bring the city to desolation.
The first objective to be fulfilled in Daniel 9:26 is - He (Jesus) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince (Titus) that is coming. Before Titus destroys the temple and the city of Jerusalem, Herod's reconstruction of the street and the wall must be completed - "times" shall return. 69 weeks of Daniel's vision was fulfilled by 30 A.D. The "weeks" shall return to fulfill the 70th week of the vision. The "time" will return on what date according to historical documentation? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
When we were last together in this series, 483 years had passed since King Cyrus had released the Israelites to rebuild Jerusalem and Solomon's temple. After Jesus was anointed for ministry in 26 A.D. He reprimanded the religious leaders for making His Father's house a house of merchandise. They wanted a sign from Him.
He told the religious leaders...destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. The religious leaders countered...it has taken 46 years to build this temple, and you will raise it up in three days?...John 2:19-20. Why would they say the temple took 46 years to build - meaning the last 46 years - when history records how the temple took 7 years to rebuild - completed about 435 B.C.?
In order to correctly define the events of Daniel's 70th week the following historical documentation is pertinent.
Herod the Great, the Roman who ruled over Israel when Jesus was born, didn't like the rebuilt temple of long ago because Solomon's original dimensions were not followed - it was too small and not tall enough. In order to ingratiate himself with the Jewish people, who despised him, in 20 B.C. Herod launched a grandiose reconstruction project to enlarge the temple and improve its appearance - eventually rebuilding the streets and the wall. It is this remodeled temple the religious leaders are referring to when they mocked Jesus.
Herod died in 4 B.C. the year after Jesus was born without finishing his reconstruction project - the streets and the wall still needed reconstruction...Dan. 9:25. As we continue our research we will find that the streets and the wall will be reconstructed during Daniel's 70th week - but I am ahead of myself.
Forty-six years after 20 B.C., the beginning of Herod's reconstruction project, brings us to 26 A.D. when Jesus was telling the religious leaders how His temple would be destroyed in three days. They did not understand that He was referring to His own body as the temple of God whom they would destroy by crucifixion, and God would raise up three days later.
After Jesus Christ was rejected by Israel and crucified in 30 A.D., God in His infinite mercy allowed the Jewish people 40 more years to change their mind about Jesus as their Messiah, and repent, before retribution was exacted upon their nation. Their temple rituals and animal sacrifices continued after Jesus Christ became the supreme sacrifice for their sins, just as they had for centuries - nothing changed in their hearts and minds.
God could not force these religious leaders to accept His Son as their Messiah - the final blood sacrifice for their sins - but He will mandate the cessation of the animal sacrifice which became a stench in His nostrils. He will stop the animal sacrifice for sins in the 70th week of Daniel's vision.
Long ago in 1533 B.C., the Israelites were miraculously delivered out of the idolatrous nation of Egypt. After experiencing many miraculous interventions by God, many still rebelled against Moses and God by returning to idol worship. For punishment they wandered aimlessly in the wilderness for 40 years, until the idolaters died, and the remaining people were humbled enough to surrender their allegiance to God alone.
Centuries later, after the resurrection of Jesus Christ, God allowed Israel 40 years to repent. In this era, He was giving them ample opportunity to hear the witnessing of His apostles, who confirmed the gospel of salvation with signs and wonders, proving that Jesus Christ was their Messiah. Why 40 years in both of these historical events?
The number 40 symbolizes a probationary period of testing during the Wilderness experience. Another probationary period of 40 years was provided for Israel after the death of Jesus - a final opportunity to seek salvation, separation, and consecration to Him through Jesus Christ before the Wrath of the Lamb descends upon Jerusalem during Daniel's 70th week edict - fulfilled in 70 A.D.
Part of Daniel 9:25 has been fulfilled...and thou shalt know and understand that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the prince there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. The last portion of this prophecy will begin to be fulfilled during the 40 year probationary period of time...and then the time shall return and the street shall be built, and the wall, and the times shall be exhausted.
What does "time" shall return and "times" exhausted mean? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
When we were last together we began to dissect the instructions that the angel Gabriel gave to Daniel in 9:25...thou shalt know and understand that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the prince there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. I asked, "What actual dates comprise this period of time?"
The dates I use in my blog are obtained from "The Wonders of Bible Chronology" by Philip Mauro, published in 1922. This reference book is a summarized version of "The Romance of Bible Chronology" by Dr. Martin Anstey of London, published in 1913. This is a two-volume extensive chronology based entirely upon statements from scripture alone. Modern dates for Bible events are derived from many outside sources.
In blogs #9-10, we explained how Christ the Prince fulfilled the 62 weeks portion of Daniel 9:25. God's command for the building of Jerusalem to Christ the Prince was 459 B.C. to 26 A.D. (His anointing). This time period would fulfill seven weeks and sixty-two weeks of the edict (judgment).
In 457 B.C., two years after Daniel received the vision, they were released from captivity...but in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon, the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God...Ezra 5:13. In 456 B.C. the building of the second temple began in Jerusalem.
While still in captivity in Babylon, Daniel and his people experienced the demise of King Nebuchadnezzar, ruler of the Babylonian Empire, and the eventual rise of the renown Persian Empire with King Cyrus at the helm. The first year of King Cyrus' reign concluded the seventy years of captivity for the Jewish people.
King Cyrus providentially found and read a book of prophecies left behind by the prophet Isaiah. In this book, he found one prophecy written 150 years before Solomon's temple was destroyed by King Nebuchadnezzar, taking the people of Israel captive to Babylon. Isaiah revealed in his book how this prophecy was spoken to him in a secret vision. What did the prophecy say?
My will is that Cyrus, whom I have appointed to be king over many and great nations, will send back My people to their own land and build My temple...Isaiah the Prophet. King Cyrus was astounded by the divine directive in this ancient prophecy naming him, a pagan ruler, to release the Jewish captives to go home and rebuild their temple at Jerusalem. Propelled by the accuracy of this ancient prophecy, he immediately began a plan of repatriation of the Jews to their homeland.
King Cyrus sent a proclamation throughout his kingdom to all of Asia -- Thus saith Cyrus the King: Since God Almighty hath appointed me to be king of the habitable earth, I believe that He is that God which the nation of the Israelites worship; for indeed He foretold my name by the prophets, and I should build Him a house at Jerusalem, in the country of Judea.
During the first decree of Daniel's vision - seven weeks - Solomon's temple at Jerusalem was rebuilt...from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem...shall be seven weeks...Dan. 9:25.
Altogether, from the time of the command to rebuild Jerusalem, it took 70 years to rebuild the city of Jerusalem, including the 7 years to rebuild the temple - same amount of time they were held captive in Babylon. Because of their repentance, humbling themselves before God, God was merciful and restored their lost 70 years.
The first decree of seven weeks was now fulfilled, restoring the seven-times blood sacrifice offered by the Priest in the Holy of Holies. Seven weeks is a religious decree of specific significance to the Israelites regarding sin, resulting in immeasurable forgiveness.
By 26 A.D. - the anointing of Christ the Prince - Jesus was baptized for ministry and 483 years had passed since King Cyrus's command to rebuild Jerusalem. By 30 A.D., the death of Jesus Christ fulfilled the sixty-two week edict - resulting in immeasurable vengeance. Does God's immeasurable vengeance on Israel take place during the one week edict - 70th week of Daniel's vision? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
In blog #9 of this series we began to dissect Daniel's vision of 70 x 7 weeks -- Seventy years have been determined upon thy people and upon your holy city, for sin to be ended, and to seal up transgressions, and to blot out the iniquities, and to make atonement for iniquities, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal the vision and the prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy...Dan. 9:24. We found five objectives in this verse that only Jesus Christ can fulfill. We itemized those objectives, defining the first 3 in the last blog.
The fourth objective in this edict is to seal the vision and the prophet. The word prophet means a God-inspired, or God-anointed human being. Besides Daniel, there were many other prophets who prophesied the birth, death, and resurrection of the Messiah.
The word seal in this reference means: to make an end to. But make an end to what? The birth, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ would fulfill all prophecies regarding His arrival to earth. At His anointing (including His death), Jesus will seal - make an end to - the 62 week edict of Daniel's prophecy. Jesus fulfilled - made an end to - all prophecies regarding His birth, death and resurrection.
The fifth objective to be fulfilled is to anoint the Most Holy. The word anoint means: to rub with oil. In the days of ancient Israel there was an anointing that came with the office of a king, priest, or prophet. God would send His messenger who would pour oil on the head of the person He had called to a specific office. The oil symbolized that the power and authority of God was upon this individuals life. This act assured the person that God's anointing was upon him to fulfill his calling.
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him...Acts 10:38. At the public baptism of Jesus in the river Jordan, God sent the Holy Spirit - in the form of a dove - to rest upon Him, symbolizing that God's power and authority was upon Him to fulfill His calling...Matt: 16-17.
Before His death, while He ate in the home of a Pharisee, a sinner wept as she poured oil on Jesus, prompting Him to say to the Pharisee...you did not anoint My head with oil, but this woman has anointed My feet with fragrant oil...therefore I say to you, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much...but to whom little is forgiven, the same loves little...Luke 7:46-47.
Christ means: Anointed One. After God anointed Jesus with the Holy Ghost, Jesus became the Christ - the Anointed One. This title explains how God was with Him to do good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil. Jesus Christ is the one who fulfilled the 5th objective in Dan. 9:24 - Anoint the Most Holy.
God not only sent His Son to the earth to save men from their sins, but to be a hand-on, in-the-flesh personal representative of God's immeasurable and unconditional love and mercy...I Tim. 3:16. We know this to be true, because Jesus said...he who sees Me sees Him who sent Me...John 12:45. This leaves us with the question, "Now that God has gone to such great lengths to prove to mankind of His existence, forgiveness, and mercy will we finally surrender our total allegiance to Him?
The next verse in Daniel's 70-week vision is Daniel 9:25 where the angel Gabriel tells Daniel...thou shalt know and understand that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the prince there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks.
Gabriel is explaining the span of "real time" that must take place before the fulfillment of the edicts measured by 7 weeks and 62 weeks will be accomplished. These weeks do not measure a sequential period of time, but rather measure 70 ecclesiastical years (judgments) on the Jewish people for their faithlessness - immeasurable vengeance or immeasurable forgiveness - their choice.
What actual dates comprise this period of time? Stay tuned...
God's sheep question the doctrines of men...sheeple follow without question~~~
