Being Careful to Bless Israel

People and nations that speak and act inimically towards Israel do so at their peril. The peril derives not necessarily from the possible retribution of the nation or of individual Jewish people; it derives, rather, from the natural consequences attendant to defying the Word of God.

Note the following considerations in this regard:

1.        The Word of God is fundamental inasmuch as all things, including us, exist by the power of the Word of God (which is Jesus Christ).

a.         Deuteronomy 32:46-47a - [H]e [Moses] said to them, “Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, which you shall command your sons to observe carefully, even all the words of this law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed it is your life. [All quoted Scripture is from the NASB.]

b.         John 1:1-3 – In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.  He was in the beginning with God. All things came into being through Him, and apart from Him nothing came into being that has come into being.

c.         2 Peter 3:5b - It escapes their notice that by the word of God the heavens existed long ago and the earth was formed out of water and by water,

2.         The Word of God is alive and active.

a.         Hebrews 4:12 - For the word of God is living and active and sharper than any two-edged sword, and piercing as far as the division of soul and spirit, of both joints and marrow, and able to judge the thoughts and intentions of the heart.

b.         1 Thessalonians 2:13 - For this reason we also constantly thank God that when you received the word of God which you heard from us, you accepted it not as the word of men, but for what it really is, the word of God, which also performs its work in you who believe.

3.         We benefit from observing the Word of God.

a.         Psalm 1:1-2 - How blessed is the man who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked, Nor stand in the path of sinners, Nor sit in the seat of scoffers! But his delight is in the law of the LORD, And in His law he meditates day and night.

b.         Proverbs 30:5 - Every word of God is tested; He is a shield to those who take refuge in Him.

c.         Joshua 1:8 - This book of the law shall not depart from your mouth, but you shall meditate on it day and night, so that you may be careful to do according to all that is written in it; for then you will make your way prosperous, and then you will have success.

d.         Luke 11:28 - But He said, “On the contrary, blessed are those who hear the word of God and observe it.”

4.         We are harmed when we reject the Word of God.

a.         Numbers 15:31 - Because he has despised the word of the Lord and has broken His commandment, that person shall be completely cut off; his guilt will be on him.

b.         2 Chronicles 36:16 - But they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, until there was no remedy.

c.         Psalm 107:10-11 - There were those who dwelt in darkness and in the shadow of death, Prisoners in misery and chains, Because they had rebelled against the words of God And spurned the counsel of the Most High.

d.         Isaiah 5:24 - Therefore, as a tongue of fire consumes stubble And dry grass collapses into the flame, So their root will become like rot and their blossom blow away as dust; For they have rejected the law of the Lord of hosts And despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.

e.         Isaiah 30:12-13 - Therefore thus says the Holy One of Israel, “Since you have rejected this word And have put your trust in oppression and guile, and have relied on them, Therefore this iniquity will be to you Like a breach about to fall, A bulge in a high wall, Whose collapse comes suddenly in an instant.”

5.         God wants us to enjoy the blessing associated with believing His Word.

a.         Isaiah 30:18 - Therefore the Lord longs to be gracious to you, And therefore He waits on high to have compassion on you. For the Lord is a God of justice; How blessed are all those who long for Him.

b.         Ezekiel 18:32 - “For I have no pleasure in the death of anyone who dies,” declares the Lord God. “Therefore, repent and live.”

c.         John 3:17 - For God did not send the Son into the world to judge the world, but that the world might be saved through Him.

d.         1 Timothy 2:3-4 - This is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all men to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.

e.         2 Peter 3:9 - The Lord is not slow about His promise, as some count slowness, but is patient toward you, not wishing for any to perish but for all to come to repentance.

6.         It was God’s plan to deliver His Word to mankind via people. In accordance with His divine purpose, He selected Abraham, Isaac and Jacob to be the line of persons entrusted with His message:

a.         Romans 3:1-2 - “Then what advantage has the Jew? Or what is the benefit of circumcision? Great in every respect. First of all, that they were entrusted with the oracles of God.”

b.         Psalm 147:19-20 - He declares His words to Jacob, His statutes and His ordinances to Israel. He has not dealt thus with any nation; And as for His ordinances, they have not known them. Praise the Lord!

c.         Romans 9:4 - Who are Israelites, to whom belongs the adoption as sons, and the glory and the covenants and the giving of the Law and the temple service and the promises.

d.         Deuteronomy 4:8 - Or what great nation is there that has statutes and judgments as righteous as this whole law which I am setting before you today?

e.         Acts 7:38 - This is the one who was in the congregation in the wilderness together with the angel who was speaking to him on Mount Sinai, and who was with our fathers; and he received living oracles to pass on to you.

7.         As the couriers of the glorious message of God to mankind, Israel was favored by God with a special covering of blessing:

a.         Genesis 12:1-3 records the original promise given by God to Abraham, the father of Israel, then known as Abram:

“Now the Lord said to Abram,

‘Go forth from your country,
And from your relatives
And from your father’s house,
To the land which I will show you;
² And I will make you a great nation,
And I will bless you,
And make your name great;
And so you shall be a blessing;
³ And I will bless those who bless you,
And the one who curses you I will curse.
And in you all the families of the earth will be blessed.’”

b.         Genesis 17 records God’s reiteration of that promise to Abraham as well as a further promise regarding Abraham’s yet-to-be-born son, Isaac:

¹⁵”Then God said to Abraham, ‘As for Sarai your wife, you shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah shall be her name. ¹⁶ I will bless her, and indeed I will give you a son by her. Then I will bless her, and she shall be a mother of nations; kings of peoples will come from her.’ ¹⁷ Then Abraham fell on his face and laughed, and said in his heart, ‘Will a child be born to a man one hundred years old? And will Sarah, who is ninety years old, bear a child?’ ¹⁸ And Abraham said to God, ‘Oh that Ishmael might live before You!’ ¹⁹ But God said, ‘No, but Sarah your wife will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Isaac; and I will establish My covenant with him for an everlasting covenant for his descendants after him. ²⁰ As for Ishmael, I have heard you; behold, I will bless him, and will make him fruitful and will multiply him exceedingly. He shall become the father of twelve princes, and I will make him a great nation. ²¹ But My covenant I will establish with Isaac, whom Sarah will bear to you at this season next year.’”

c.         Genesis 22 records God’s response to Abraham’s willingness to offer his son, Isaac, on an altar to God:

¹⁵”Then the angel of the Lord called to Abraham a second time from heaven, ¹⁶ and said, ‘By Myself I have sworn, declares the Lord, because you have done this thing and have not withheld your son, your only son, ¹⁷ indeed I will greatly bless you, and I will greatly multiply your seed as the stars of the heavens and as the sand which is on the seashore; and your seed shall possess the gate of their enemies. ¹⁸ In your seed all the nations of the earth shall be blessed, because you have obeyed My voice.’” 

d.         Genesis 25 records the fact that Isaac had 2 twin sons: Jacob and Esau (vs 24-26). Though Esau was the first to be born (v. 25), Esau sold his birthright to his brother, Jacob (later renamed “Israel” by God—see Genesis 32:38), for a bowl of stew:

²⁹ When Jacob had cooked stew, Esau came in from the field and he was famished; ³⁰ and Esau said to Jacob, “Please let me have a swallow of that red stuff there, for I am famished.” Therefore his name was called Edom. ³¹ But Jacob said, “First sell me your birthright.” ³² Esau said, “Behold, I am about to die; so of what use then is the birthright to me?” ³³ And Jacob said, “First swear to me”; so he swore to him, and sold his birthright to Jacob. ³⁴ Then Jacob gave Esau bread and lentil stew; and he ate and drank, and rose and went on his way. Thus Esau despised his birthright.

e.          Jacob later deceitfully receives from his father, Isaac, the blessing that Isaac had intended to bestow upon his firstborn son, Esau:

¹⁸ Then he came to his father and said, “My father.” And he said, “Here I am. Who are you, my son?” ¹⁹ Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn; I have done as you told me. Get up, please, sit and eat of my game, that you may bless me.” ²⁰ Isaac said to his son, “How is it that you have it so quickly, my son?” And he said, “Because the Lord your God caused it to happen to me.” ²¹ Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Please come close, that I may feel you, my son, whether you are really my son Esau or not.” ²² So Jacob came close to Isaac his father, and he felt him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” ²³ He did not recognize him, because his hands were hairy like his brother Esau’s hands; so he blessed him. ²⁴ And he said, “Are you really my son Esau?” And he said, “I am.” ²⁵ So he said, “Bring it to me, and I will eat of my son’s game, that I may bless you.” And he brought it to him, and he ate; he also brought him wine and he drank. ²⁶ Then his father Isaac said to him, “Please come close and kiss me, my son.” ²⁷ So he came close and kissed him; and when he smelled the smell of his garments, he blessed him and said,

“See, the smell of my son
Is like the smell of a field which the Lord has blessed;
²⁸ Now may God give you of the dew of heaven,
And of the fatness of the earth,
And an abundance of grain and new wine;
²⁹ May peoples serve you,
And nations bow down to you;
Be master of your brothers,
And may your mother’s sons bow down to you.
Cursed be those who curse you,
And blessed be those who bless you.” (Genesis 27:18-29)

f.         Balak, a king of Moab, urges a prophet, Balaam, to curse Israel. As Balaam attempts to honor Balak’s request, he instead utters a blessing upon Israel:

² ”And Balaam lifted up his eyes and saw Israel camping tribe by tribe; and the Spirit of God came upon him. ³ He took up his discourse and said …

‘Blessed is everyone who blesses you,
And cursed is everyone who curses you.’” (Numbers 24:2, 9b)

8.         Therefore, considering the power of the Word of God along with the blessings of observing it and the peril of rejecting it, and considering the blessing associated with blessing the people and nation of Israel and the curse associated with curing the people and nation of Israel, it would behoove everyone to (and I hereby accordingly) respond to the people and nation of Israel in accordance with the blessing by which God directed Aaron to convey to the people and nation of Israel:

“The Lord bless you, and keep you;

 The Lord make His face shine on you,
And be gracious to you;

 The Lord lift up His countenance on you,
And give you peace.” (Numbers 6:24-26)

Mark Absher
California




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Calculations and Considerations Regarding the Prophecy Given to Daniel by Gabriel

The book of Daniel presents the world with a very unique prophecy--one that predicts the arrival of the Messiah, suggests the “cutting off” of that Messiah, and foretells the actions of a future evil prince--the antichrist.  The prophecy is given to Daniel directly from the angel, Gabriel (Daniel 9:20-23), and is constituted as follows in Daniel 9:24-27:

“24 Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25 So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.” [Unless otherwise indicated, references are to the NASB.]

Messianic Prophecy

This prophecy is significant in that it clearly involves the Millennial reign of the Messiah who will “make an end of sin” and “bring in everlasting righteousness.”  Amazingly, the date of the coming of the Messiah, as described in this prophecy given to Daniel, is substantially calculable, and the Messiah’s being “cut off” is similarly determinable:

1.             Consider, first, the very unique time frame set forth in Daniel 9:25a - "So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks ...."  In this statement, we are provided a starting point, an ending point and a calculated period in between.

a.             The starting point.  Daniel 9:25a tells us the starting point is “the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.”  The book of Nehemiah and other historical records enable us to pinpoint this date:

i.             Nehemiah 2:1-10 - And it came about in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of King Artaxerxes, that wine was before him, and I took up the wine and gave it to the king. Now I had not been sad in his presence. So the king said to me, "Why is your face sad though you are not sick? This is nothing but sadness of heart." Then I was very much afraid. I said to the king, "Let the king live forever. Why should my face not be sad when the city, the place of my fathers' tombs, lies desolate and its gates have been consumed by fire?" Then the king said to me, "What would you request?" So I prayed to the God of heaven. I said to the king, "If it please the king, and if your servant has found favor before you, send me to Judah, to the city of my fathers' tombs, that I may rebuild it." Then the king said to me, the queen sitting beside him, "How long will your journey be, and when will you return?" So it pleased the king to send me, and I gave him a definite time. And I said to the king, "If it please the king, let letters be given me for the governors of the provinces beyond the River, that they may allow me to pass through until I come to Judah, and a letter to Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the fortress which is by the temple, for the wall of the city and for the house to which I will go." And the king granted them to me because the good hand of my God was on me. Then I came to the governors of the provinces beyond the River and gave them the king's letters. Now the king had sent with me officers of the army and horsemen. When Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official heard about it, it was very displeasing to them that someone had come to seek the welfare of the sons of Israel.

ii.            King Artaxerxes I of Persia reigned from 465 to 424 BC.  Artaxerxes I of Persia. (n.d.) In Wikipedia.  Retrieved October 27, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artaxerxes_I_of_Persia. Thus, the 20th year of his reign would have been between 446 and 445 BC, depending, too, on the month on which his reign started.

b.            The calculated period.  Daniel 9:25a tells us the calculated period is “seven weeks and sixty-two weeks." 

i.              The use of the word “weeks” here really means (and is actually translated in some versions as) “sevens.”  So, we are talking about 69 periods of 7.  Contextually (see e.g., Daniel’s contemplation of Jeremiah’s prophecy regarding Jerusalem as encompassing a period of years in Daniel 9:2), we are permitted to understand the 69 periods of 7 to mean periods that are approximately each a “year.”

ii.             69 periods of 7 years is 483 years.

iii.            However, the text doesn’t really say “years,” which is important; it just says “sevens”; further, additional passages in Daniel and in Revelation refer to prophetic periods as “times,” and the context suggests that a “time” equates to a period of 360 days.  It’s not exactly clear why these periods are not full years; they are God’s specially calculated “prophetic years.”

A.            Daniel 7:25 - [referring to the antichrist] “He will speak out against the Most High and wear down the saints of the Highest One, and he will intend to make alterations in times and in law; and they will be given into his hand for a time, times, and half a time.”

B.            Daniel 12:7 - [referring to the Day of the Lord] “I heard the man dressed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, as he raised his right hand and his left toward heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time; and as soon as they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these events will be completed.”

C.            Revelation 11:2b-3 - [referring to the Great Tribulation period] “and they will tread under foot the holy city for forty-two months. And I will grant authority to my two witnesses, and they will prophesy for twelve hundred and sixty days, clothed in sackcloth.”

D.            Revelation 12:6 - [referring likely to the nation of Israel during the Tribulation] “Then the woman fled into the wilderness where she had a place prepared by God, so that there she would be nourished for one thousand two hundred and sixty days.”

E.            Revelation 12:14 - [referring to the nation of Israel during the Tribulation] “But the two wings of the great eagle were given to the woman, so that she could fly into the wilderness to her place, where she was nourished for a time and times and half a time, from the presence of the serpent.”

F.             Revelation 13:5 - [referring to the beast] “There was given to him a mouth speaking arrogant words and blasphemies, and authority to act for forty-two months was given to him.”

When trying to analyze these periods, it is important to note that (A) 1,260 days / 3.5 “times” = 360 days/”time”; (B) 42 months of 30 days = 1,260 days; and (C) 3.5 times = 3.5 “prophetic years.”

iv.            Some scholars also point to the Genesis account as acknowledging a 30-day month: compare Genesis 7:11 - "In the six hundredth year of Noah’s life, in the second month, on the seventeenth day of the month, on the same day all the fountains of the great deep burst open, and the floodgates of the sky were opened"; to Genesis 8:3-4 “And the water receded steadily from the earth, and at the end of one hundred and fifty days the water decreased.  In the seventh month, on the seventeenth day of the month, the ark rested upon the mountains of Ararat.”  This is interesting as a side note to this analysis, but not necessarily critical.

               

v.             Converting Daniel's 483 periods from God's 360-day prophetic year to our Gregorian calendar 365.25 day year requires some math:

A.            483 x 360 days = 173,880 days on God's “prophetic years” calendar

B.            173,880 / 365.25 = 476.06 years on the Gregorian calendar

C.            445 (i.e., BC) + 476 years (i.e., 365.25-day years) = 31 (i.e., AD)

D.            Curiously, the Gregorian calendar does not have a year "0." 0 Year.  (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 28, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/0_(year). Zero wasn't understood at the time the calendars precedent to the Gregorian calendar were developed. Thus, because our calculation crosses over the transition period from BC to AD, we must add 1 year to 31 AD, making the correct year for purposes of our calculation: 32 AD. [Note, too, that if we use 446 BC as the starting point, we end up at 31 AD.]

c.             The ending point. Daniel 9:25a indicates that the ending point is identified as the time of  "Messiah the Prince.”  Thus, the question is whether the above calculated year of 32 AD [or 31 AD] comports with the actual date of the arrival of Messiah the Prince.

i.              The Jewish month of Nisan starts on the day after the the new moon of spring (i.e., the new moon closest to the vernal equinox). Nisan-Years. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 29, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nisan-years.

ii..            Passover begins on the evening of the 14th day of the month of Nisan and continues for 7 days.   Exodus 12:1-28.   The first day of Passover is the first day following the first sunset of Passover.  Passover.  (n.d.) In Wikipedia.  Retreived on October 30, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Passover.  Thus, the first day of Passover is Nisan 15.  Ibid.

iii.            Thus, taking the above information together, it appears the prophecy in Daniel 9, in effect, indicates that the Messiah would be evident to Israel approximately in the month of Nisan in 32 AD. 

A.            In fact, it appears that the triumphal entry of Jesus into Jerusalem occurred in the month of Nisan.  See Mark 10:32-33, Mark 11:1-11 and Mark 14:1, 12, as well as Luke 18:31-34, Luke 19:28-40, and Luke 22:1-2, noting that all of these events occurred at about the same time. 

B.            Interestingly, Jesus picks up on Daniel’s prophecy as part of his discussion with his disciples during this final week: See Matthew 24:3-31; Mark 13:3-27; Luke 21:7-33.)

C.            Looking at John 12:1-12, it appears that the Triumphal Entry would have occurred 5 days before the Passover, which would have been on about Nisan 10 (depending on whether they were counting from the sunset of Passover or the First Day of Passover).

D.            There is little question that Jesus was hailed as a “Prince” during the Triumphal Entry.  See John 12:12-15 (crowd shouting, “Blessed is the king of Israel!”).

2.            Consider, too, the additional information in the prophecy regarding the Messiah: “After those 62 weeks the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing.”  Daniel 9:26a.  Many scholars agree that this passage suggests death.  Daniel may have been wondering how the Messiah could both appear and then be suddenly “cut off” and “have nothing.”  The answer lies in the rest of the week after the Triumphal Entry.

a.            The Passover meal (the “Last Supper” seder) would have been conducted approximately on the evening of the 14th day of Nisan.

b.            Since Jesus was arrested during the night of the Last Supper, Jesus had to have been arrested on the evening of the 14th or the early morning of the 15th of Nisan.  Matthew 26:18-31 and John 18:1-13.  Peter would have denied Jesus for the 3rd time in the break of day on the 15th of Nisan.  Matthew 26:57-74; Luke 22:54-62; John 18:15-27.

c.             On the morning of the 15th of Nisan, Jesus was taken to the sanhedrin (Luke 22:66) and Pilate (Matthew 27:1-2; John 18:28).

d.            Jesus was crucified that very day, on Nisan 15.  Matthew 27:62-65 and Luke 23:54 and John 19:14,31 indicate that Jesus was also buried on that day, Preparation Day, and “the day after Preparation Day” the chief priests obtained orders from Pilate to guard the tomb.

e.             Thus, it appears that Jesus was “cut off” during the month of Nisan.

3.            Thus, Jesus was hailed as the King of Israel and crucified in the month of Nisan.  The question is whether these events all occurred in 32 AD [or 31 AD, depending on the calculation start date].  The time frame of 32 AD is substantiated (although not necessarily pinpointed) by a variety of collateral facts:

a.             Pilate was the prefect of the Roman province of Judaea from AD 26–36.  Pontius Pilate. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 30, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pontius_Pilate.

b.             John the Baptist started his ministry in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.  Luke 3:1-20.  Tiberius reigned from 14 AD to 37 AD.  Tiberius.  (n.d.) In Wikipedia.  Retreived on October 30, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tiberius.  The 15th year of the reign of Tiberius would be about 28-29 AD.  Jesus appears to have started his ministry at about the same time, at age 30.  See Luke 3:21-23.

c.             There are only a few Passovers mentioned in the Gospels as occurring during Jesus’ ministry--the final one occurring at his crucifixion.  Thus, he would have been about 33 years old at the time of his crucifixion.  Thus, at age 33, the year would have been about 31-32 AD.

d.            It is nearly impossible to try to sync our calendar with the calendar used back at this time.  For some notes regarding the complicating factors of the analysis, see Espenak, Fred. (January 24, 2007). Calendar Dates.  NASA Eclipse Website.  Retrieved from http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEhelp/calendar.html.  Being even 1 year off in the analysis completely alters the dates, considering that the analysis begins with the identification of the new moon of spring, and that date moves around the Gregorian calendar.  This is likely why Jesus said of His Second Coming, “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.”  Matthew 24:36.

e.             Notwithstanding the calendar synchronization issues, my best guess of the timetable would look something like this [again, this is based on 32 AD]: Starting with the NASA phases of the moon tables [see   Espenak, Fred. (March 27, 2007). Phases of the Moon: 1-100.  NASA. Retrieved October 30, 2014, from http://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/phase/phases0001.html]--

Gregorian	Hebrew	Day of Week	Comments
March 29	-	Thursday	The NASA Phases of the Moon:1-100 table shows the new moon closest to the vernal equinox of 32 AD, appearing at 8:00 p.m, in Universal Time, which would equate to 10 p.m. in Jerusalem; the Sanhedrin would thus most likely have considered the spotting of the new moon on this evening to have caused the following day to be Nisan 1.
March 30	Nisan 1	Friday
March 31	Nisan 2	Saturday
April 1	Nisan 3	Sunday
April 2	Nisan 4	Monday
April 3	Nisan 5	Tuesday
April 4	Nisan 6	Wednesday
April 5	Nisan 7	Thursday
April 6	Nisan 8	Friday
April 7	Nisan 9	Saturday	Jesus anointed in Bethany
April 8	Nisan 10	Sunday	Jesus’ Triumphal Entry
April 9	Nisan 11	Monday
April 10	Nisan 12	Tuesday
April 11	Nisan 13	Wednesday
April 12	Nisan 14	Thursday	Passover Seder on this evening: the Last Supper
April 13	Nisan 15	Friday	1st day of Passover: Jesus arrested very early, then taken to the sanhedrin and Pilate and to Herod and back to Pilate; whipped; crucified; died; buried before sunset; Preparation Day (day before Sabbath); the NASA tables show a full moon as well as a total lunar eclipse this night.
April 14	Nisan 16	Saturday	2nd day of Passover: Sabbath Day
April 15	Nisan 17	Sunday	3rd day of Passover: Resurrection Day (earthquake on this day)
April 16	Nisan 18	Monday	4th day of Passover:
April 17	Nisan 19	Tuesday	5th day of Passover
April 18	Nisan 20	Wednesday	6th day of Passover
April 19	Nisan 21	Thursday	Last day of Passover
April 20	Nisan 22	Friday

[Note that the listing of the days of the week was made to sync with the Scriptural account.  A number of people have offered day-of-the-week calculators, trying to account for all of the variations of calendars over the years, but they all seem to yield a variety of answers when estimating the precise day of the week for a given date in 32 AD. If you study the complexities of calendar calculations, you will see that it is nearly impossible to try to match the day of the week with a particular day that far back in time.]

Thus, there are corroborating elements indicating that 32 AD is a very realistically probable year of the Triumphal Entry, crucifixion and resurrection of Christ.  This evidence makes Daniel’s prophecy regarding the Messiah’s being both Prince and “cut off” 483 prophetic years from the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem particularly amazing.

Antichrist Prophecy

We can also see in Daniel’s prophecy some interesting considerations regarding the antichrist.

1.             First, it is interesting to note Gabriel’s prophecy that “seventy weeks have been decreed” relating to Jews and Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24), yet the prophecy regarding the Messiah encompassed only 69 of the weeks (Daniel 9:25-26a).  The 69 weeks period ends when the Messiah is “cut off” (Daniel 9:26).  There is, therefore, a remaining week (7 prophetic year period) involving Jerusalem and the Jews to be addressed after the Messiah’s being “cut off.”

2.             The prophecy does, indeed, address the final “one week” period.  Daniel 9:27a indicates that the antichrist “will make a firm covenant with the many for one week.”  Thus, the final week is distinct from the 69 week period.  And we understand this prophecy to apply to a period in the future--far from the death of Christ.  To some dispensationalists, this break in time periods is particularly coherent: Jesus’ death and resurrection mark the end of the period decreed for the Jews as well as the beginning of the church age, a time when Gentiles are given the opportunity to accept Christ (see John 12:20-23 wherein the story of Gentiles wanting to see Jesus appeared to be a marker for Jesus to know that the time of the Gentiles was about to begin); that age continues until the start of the final “one week” period.  The final “one week” period, according to Gabriel’s prophecy, is, after all, part of the 70 week period decreed for the Jews and for Jerusalem.  Thus, the age of the Gentiles should end before the beginning of the final “one week” period applicable to the Jews.  Many evangelicals see this transition being marked by a “Rapture” event, wherein believers in Christ are removed from Earth prior to the playing out of the final “one week” period. (See 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18.)  Certainly, if believers in Christ are removed from the Earth, the focus of the plan of God should, theologically, shift back to the Jews (who haven’t accepted Jesus as their savior but are still the beneficiaries of the promises given by God to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob); they would be given a final opportunity to embrace the plan of God--in the context of a final, 7-prophetic-year period that precedes the Second Coming of Jesus (which orthodox Jews currently understand, simply, as the Coming of the Messiah).  The Second Coming of Jesus would mark the dawn of a new era--a 1000 year period of the reign of the Messiah on Earth.  (The Second Coming of Christ and His millennial reign are not, however, encompassed by this prophecy except as a marker for the bringing of “everlasting righteousness.”)

3.             The fact that the final “one week” period is distinctly applicable to the Jews is marked by the prophetic statement: “in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering” (Daniel 9:27b). After the death and resurrection of Jesus, there is no need for sacrifices or grain offerings.  People saved in the church age understand this; orthodox Jews, however, do not understand this; the only reason the orthodox Jews are not sacrificing and making offerings is that there is no temple; there is no temple, because the Dome of the Rock, an Islamic shrine, is situated precisely where the orthodox Jews believe the temple is to be situated.  See Dome of the Rock. (n.d.) In Wikipedia.  Retrieved on October 31, 2014 from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dome_of_the_Rock. Thus, the prophetic statement suggests that the Jewish temple is to be re-built.

4.             The prophecy further indicates that the antichrist will break his covenant with the Jews.  As indicated in Daniel 9:27, “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”  Thus, in the middle of the 7-prophetic-year period, started by the activation of a covenant with the Jews, the antichrist will break the covenant, and destruction and desolation will come.  As noted above, Jesus expressly refers to this part of the prophecy in Daniel during the week of His crucifixion (see Matthew 24:15-31)--amazingly tying together the prophecy from Daniel to Jesus to the antichrist.

5.             In Daniel 9:26-27 there is a curious triality with regard to the references to the antichrist: “the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”  The triality arises from the facts that (a) Jerusalem and the temple existing at the time of Jesus’ life on Earth was destroyed in 70 AD by Rome through Titus (who wanted to convert the temple into a temple for Rome) (see Siege of Jerusalem. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved October 31, 2014, from  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_(AD_70)), (b) Jerusalem and the temple created following Daniel’s captivity were destroyed in 167 BC by Greece through Antiochus Epiphanes (who insisted that the Jews worship Zeus and referred to himself as god) (see Aniochus IV Epiphanes. (n.d.) In Wikipedia. Retrieved on October 31, 2014, from http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antiochus_IV_Epiphanes), and (c) the antichrist will also act to desolate the temple.  This is why the prophecy indicates “desolations are determined.” 

6.             The reference “people of the prince who is to come” may carry a suggestion that there is a relationship between the antichrist and the prior desolators.  In this regard, it is interesting to note that Antiochus IV Epiphanes was king of the Seleucid Empire, which encompassed areas now known as Israel, Syria, Turkey, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Iran and Iraq.  Titus was the emperor of the Roman Empire, which encompassed areas now known as Europe, Greece, Turkey, Syria, Israel and Egypt.

In sum, the prophecy given to Daniel by Gabriel encompasses a host of events involving the Messiah.  It provided something amazing for Daniel to look forward to, and it gives us an amazing opportunity to look both back and forward in time with confidence that the Messiah came and will, indeed, come again.



Mark Absher
California
 

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Is the Rapture around the Corner?

The following cursory analysis is not submitted as a definitive conclusion regarding the Rapture or the 2nd Coming of Christ.  It is, rather, offered to provoke thought regarding the possible eminent occurrence of key prophetic events (see Titus 2:13; Revelation 1:3).  Consider how close we could be to the threshold of the end.

1. The Days of Creation to Millenniums Comparison. The Apostle Peter, in 2 Peter 3:8, says "but do not let this one fact escape your notice, beloved, that with the Lord one day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years like one day." Contextually, this verse is situated within a chapter regarding the "last days" (see also Isaiah 2:2; Jeremiah 23:20; Acts 2:17; 2 Timothy 3:1; 2 Peter 3:3 for cross references to "last days"). And the verse is significant for a variety of reasons, including the strong possibility that it hints at the paradigm of God with regard to His plan for the ages. God created everything in 6 days, and He rested on the 7th day--the Sabbath day; He blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy. (Exodus 20:11.)  Many Jewish and evangelical scholars have opined that the 6 days of creation equate (some even say "day for day" to "millennium to millennium") to the 6,000 year period of the existence of the world. (See, e.g., Tim McHyde. "God’s 6000 Year Plan: Dating Jesus’ Latest Return?" Escape All These Things. n.d. 15 October 2014. http://www.escapeallthesethings.com/6000-year-timeline.htm.)  In the "day for day" analysis, for instance, it is noteworthy that the sun and moon were created to provide light to the earth on the 4th day. (Genesis 1:16-19.)  Similarly, Christ came to the earth as the "light of the world" (John 8:12) at the end of the first 4,000 years of the world's existence. If this day-of-creation-to-millennium paradigm holds true, then, as many scholars further opine, at the end of the 6,000 year period of the world's existence, it will be time for the world's Sabbath--the final 1,000 year period of rest through the millennial reign of the Messiah (see Revelation 20:2-7). Assuming that this is, in fact, the paradigm of God, then the question becomes, if we want to know when Jesus will return to reign, where are we on the time line?

2. Years Until the Messiah Returns. According to the Jewish calendar, the current year is 5775, and it began (cross referencing to the Gregorian calendar) on September 25, 2014. If the Jewish calendar year is correct, and if the above described paradigm of God holds true, then we'd have approximately 225 years before the 2nd Coming of Christ (or as the Jews would say, the arrival of the Messiah). However, consider the calculations noted below, which suggest that perhaps we are closer than 225 years from the end of the first 6,000 years of the world's existence. The discrepancies are curious, and the reasons for the discrepancies perhaps even more curious (some say that rabbis are endeavoring to hide the true date set for the arrival of the Messiah--perhaps to avoid encouraging imposters to announce that they are the Messiah). Nevertheless, the considerations below are interesting.

3. Calculations of the Age of the World. In approximately 160 AD, Rabbi Yose Ben Halafta, in his work, Seder Olam Rabbah (which is the basis for the Jewish calendar), calculated the age of the world using available Hebrew chronologies, from creation to the year of Alexander the Great's conquest of Persia. "Seder Olam Rabbah." n.d. 14 October 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seder_Olam_Rabbah. There are a few items in his calculations that some challenge (and, again, some assert that years were deleted purposefully to mask the true current year), but the challenges can be largely side-stepped as follows. According to Rabbi Yose Ben Halafta's chronology, the Babylonians destroyed the first temple in year 3338 (i.e., 3,338 years after the creation of the world). "Hebrew/Jewish History - Timeline - Chronology - Important Dates." n.d. 14 October 2014. http://www.angelfire.com/pa2/passover/jewish-history-timeline.html. This is a useful marker for purposes of comparison to the Gregorian calendar, because (a) this marker pre-dates most of the challenges that historians have with Rabbi Yose Ben Halafta's calculations, and (b) historians document the year of the destruction of the first temple by the Babylonians to be June/July of 586 or 587 BC on the Gregorian calendar. "Siege of Jerusalem (587 BC)." n.d. 4 December 2014. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Jerusalem_%28587_BC%29.  The year 587 BC was exactly 2600 years ago--from the current calendar year of 2014 (i.e., 2014+587=2601; from the total 2601, we must subtract 1 year, because the Gregorian calendar omits a year "0"--jumping from 1 BC to 1 AD).  If we add 2600 years to Rabbi Yose Ben Halafta's calendar year 3338, we'd actually be (in June/July of year 2014 on the Gregorian calendar) in year 5938 on the Jewish calendar--just 62 years from the year 6000.  [If the temple were actually destroyed in year 586 BC, we'd be in year 5937 on the Jewish calendar--just 63 years from the year 6000].  Note, too, that this year, June/July of 5938, would become year 5939 on the Jewish calendar in September of 2014.

4. Fixing a Calculation Error. There appears to be one error, though, that we should take into account for purposes of calculating the true current year on the Jewish calendar.  In calculating the genealogies found in the Torah, Rabbi Yose Ben Halafta, in the Seder Olam Rabbah, included only 70 years for the period between the time of birth of Terah (Abraham's father) and the birth of Abraham. (See e.g., R .P. BenDedek. "Topic 2. Seder Olam Chronological Chart : Adam to Abraham." 7 January 2006.  King's Calendar.Com. 15 October 2014. http://www.kingscalendar.com/cgi-bin/index.cgi?action=viewnews&id=320.)  He likely did this based on the passage found in Genesis 11:26, which states, "Terah lived seventy years, and became the father of Abram, Nahor and Haran." The Rabbi's calculation basis isn't bad; it's just that the calculation assumes that Abraham was the first born of the 3 sons named. (See [Author alias:]defiant1203. "The Hebrew Calendar - Missing Years." Bible Prophecy Discussion / Joel's Trumpet. n.d. 14 October 2014. http://joelstrumpet.freeforums.org/the-hebrew-calendar-missing-years-t1876.html.)  A combination of 3 additional passages in Scripture provides a different perspective: Genesis 11:32 indicates that "[t]he days of Terah were two hundred and five years; and Terah died in Haran." Further, Genesis 12:4 provides that "Abram was seventy-five years old when he departed from Haran." Finally, in Acts 7:4, the martyr Stephen affirms that Abraham waited until the death of his father, Terah, before leaving Haran.  If Abraham were age 75, when his father Terah died at age 205, then Terah had to be 130 years old when Abraham was born--not 70 years old.  Thus, Rabbi Yose Ben Halafta should have included 130 years, and not 70 years, between the birth of Terah and the birth of Abraham.  To fix his error, we must add 60 years to the year noted above, 5939, making this Gregorian calendar year, as of September 24, 2014, equate to the start of the year 5999 on the Jewish calendar--calculating from the beginning of the world.

5. At the Threshold of Year 6000. The above adjustments would mean that on the first day of the Jewish new year in 2015, September 13, the world would have completed 6,000 years, and that could mark the beginning of a new period. [If the temple were actually destroyed in year 586 BC, then the marker on the Gregorian calendar for the completion of the 6,000 year period would be October 2, 2016.]

6. How the Periods May Sync. The Jews believe that the Messiah will begin His reign after the completion of the 6,000 year period. They do not believe in the Book of Revelation. They certainly do not believe in the Rapture. If the Jews were right, it would, indeed, be possible for the Millennial reign of the Messiah to begin at the conclusion of the 6,000 year period. However, such a conclusion fails to account for numerous passages of Scripture in both the Old and New Testaments that detail the existence of a period of significant tribulation prior to the arrival of the Messiah and His Millennial reign. And our world has experienced nothing of the sort to date (see, for example, Matthew 24). To reconcile a number of Scriptures, taking into consideration the period of tribulation and the possibility of a Rapture event, consider this possible scenario: 

• At the conclusion of the 6,000 year period, the Rapture event occurs (see 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17).
• The Rapture event marks the conclusion of the Church Age (or perhaps also known as the Age of the Gentiles) (i.e., the period of time from the ascension of Christ to the ascension of believers in Christ) and the 6,000 year period of man.  
• With the Church Age and the 6,000 year period concluded, one more critical period is left to be resolved before the Millennial reign of Christ: The final "week" (i.e., the 7-year period) as prophesied in Daniel.  In Daniel 9:24-27, we read the account of Gabriel's informing Daniel that 70 weeks are decreed "for your people and the holy city" (i.e., for Daniel's people, the nation of Israel and Jerusalem) (verse 24).  We further read that the calculation of the period is as follows: starting from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, 69 periods of 7 years (i.e., 483 years) will pass before the Messiah comes and is then "cut off" (verses 25-26). There are 2 things to consider about this prophecy: (1) this 483 year period encompasses all of the 70 periods of 7 years, except for 1, and (2) approximately 483 years after the decree to rebuild Jerusalem (and there are a few to reference, but the one that coincides with this analysis is the permission given by Artaxerxes I in 445 BC to Nehemiah), Jesus Christ ascended to heaven (which would coincide with Daniel's prophecy that the Messiah would be "cut off").  Assuming the analysis is correct regarding the time frame and Jesus' ascension, it makes sense that the final 7-year period of the 70 "weeks" has been suspended to allow for the intervention of the Church Age.  Thus, upon the conclusion of the Church Age, the final 7-year period that has been decreed for Israel and Jerusalem can be accomplished.  It would, indeed, be a very special 7-year period and would be the perfect transition to the Millennial reign of Christ.  That final 7-year period is described in Daniel 9:27: "And he [the antichrist] will make a firm covenant with the many for one week [one, final 7 year period], but in the middle of the week [3 1/2 years into the 7-year period] he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate." When the antichrist breaks the covenant (that he made with Israel at the start of the 7-year period) in the middle of the 7-year period, as described in Daniel 9:27, the final 3 1/2 year period, the Great Tribulation, will begin. (See 2 Thessalonians 2; Matthew 24:4-8, 15; Daniel 8:9-14, 23-25; Psalm 10-11; Revelation 13:11-18).
• At the conclusion of the Great Tribulation, the final week decreed for Israel and Jerusalem shall be completed, and Jesus Christ shall return to Earth as the Messiah, with his arrival immediately preceded by the "Day of the Lord." (See Joel 1:15-2:11; Ezekiel 36:33; Amos 5:18-20; Zechariah 13; Zephaniah 1:2-18; Matthew 24:21, 27, 30-31, 36; Revelation 6:1-11) 

7. Other Possible Confirmation Markers. Considering the possibility that this current Jewish year, beginning, September 25, 2014, and ending at sundown on September 13, 2015 (start of Rosh Hashana 2015), could constitute the end of the current age, it becomes intriguingly curious that this current Jewish year is a Sabbath year (every 7 years is a Sabbath year). It is also curious that the 4th blood moon in the current tetrad of 4 consecutive total lunar eclipses (all of which coincide with 4 key Jewish holy days) occurs on September 28, 2015.  See Brumfield, Ben. "Blood moon returns early Wednesday, and this time it's bigger." CNN. October 7, 2014. 5 December 2014. http://www.cnn.com/2014/10/03/tech/innovation/second-blood-moon/.  These intersecting and significant considerations could constitute markers that confirm the end of the current age or a period of transition to the next age.

8. Israel as a Jewish State. In addition, certain current events could constitute the final conditions before the unfolding of the end of times.  For instance, Israel's Knesset, the legislative branch of the Israeli government, is poised to vote on a bill in December of 2014 (and if it doesn't pass then, it could nevertheless be resurrected again later) that would recognize the nation of Israel as a distinctly Jewish state.  (See, for discussion purposes, the many articles posted in the Harretz news at http://www.haaretz.com/misc/tags/Jewish%20nation-state-1.628358.) Such a bill could usher in the final 7 year period that has been decreed for the Jewish people and for Jerusalem. (Daniel 9:24)  In fact, without such a bill, it's difficult to see the clear connection between the Jewish people and Jerusalem.  If such a bill is enacted, then it would be clear that an action against Jerusalem is an action against the Jewish people--seemingly a key to the prophecies set forth in Daniel and Revelation with regard to the Tribulation period. In this regard, consider the words of Jesus in Matthew 24:32-33: "Now learn the parable from the fig tree: when its branch has already become tender and puts forth its leaves, you know that summer is near; so, you too, when you see all these things, recognize that He is near, right at the door."  Other Scriptures, contextually referring to the end times, suggest that the fig tree is a picture of Israel as the nation state of the Jews.  (See, e.g., Joel 2:21-23, Micah 4:1-4, Joel 1:1-7.)

9. Can We Know the Time of the End? It isn't exactly clear if we can know the time marked for certain end time events.  Jesus said, "But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone." (Matthew 24:36.)  However, Jesus was speaking specifically of his 2nd Coming, in direct response the question of His disciples: "Tell us, when will these things happen, and what will be the sign of Your coming, and of the end of the age?" (Matthew 24:3.) Of course, too, Jesus didn't foreclose our ability to know the year or month when these things will occur.  So, we can certainly endeavor to study as diligently as we desire in order to assess such times--not too differently from the Magi, who also studied prophecies and the stars to pinpoint the arrival of Jesus the first time.  (See Matthew 2:2-6.)  As it is becoming increasingly clear that the end of the age is close, we should pay attention to the words of Jesus: "Take heed, keep on the alert; for you do not know when the appointed time will come. ... What I say to you [the Jewish disciples of Jesus] I say to all [including us today], ‘Be on the alert!'” (Mark 13:33, 37.)

We could indeed be living in or near the Last Days.

Mark Absher
California

 

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