Sorry my posts are so long; I like serving meat, not bones.
Every prophecy has to have a starting point; without one, the end of a prophecy can never be determined, and neither can a timeline be established. So, having a correct timeline supported by Scripture and history is imperative.
Let’s begin with Nebuchadnezzar. We don’t know when he was born, but we do know he was co-ruler with his father, Nabopolassar, in 606 B.C., the same year Daniel was taken captive. From 606, seventy years later, in B.C. 536, the Lord sent Cyrus to destroy Babylon and free the Jews, fulfilling Jeremiah prophesy of seventy years, 25:11-12. All twelve tribes could now leave for their homeland if they chose to. In 605, Nebuchadnezzar became sole ruler when his father died. In 603, Nebuchadnezzar had his dream of empires. Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold, so the history of empires begins in 605 B.C.
In 598 B.C., when Jehoiakim was in his eleventh year as King, Nebuchadnezzar came into Jerusalem and 2 Chronicles 36:7, “Carried off the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.”
Why is this date of 598 import? From that year forward, the Ark of the Covenant, Mercy seat, and other sacred vessels of the temple were either destroyed or moved to Babylon; the eternal flame extinguished, and the daily sacrifice that was never to cease ceased. Without the Ark and Mercy seat, the High Priest of Israel could no longer present himself or perform his duties as commanded within the Holy of Holies on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur. He could no longer present himself before the mercy seat where the LORD communicated with him. Yes, the Jews did continue their daily sacrifices, replacing the ark and mercy seat with a stone, but their sacrifices and offerings were for nothing.
Isaiah 1:13, the LORD said, “Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbats, the calling of assemblies, I cannot (endure); it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.”
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 B.C. The king of Persia, Artaxerxes Longimanus, wrote the decree for the Jews to return and rebuild the moat, the wall, and the temple in 456 B.C. I believe Artaxerxes was gracious to the Jews because he was most likely the son of King Xerxes and Esther. So now we have our starting point. It was in 456 B.C. that the 490 years of Daniel’s prophesy began.
The first week, or 49 years, ended in 407 B.C. when the Old Testament closed with Malachi. The second period of 434 years ended when John, Andrew, and Peter announced, “We have found the Messiah,” this was in late October or early November of 27 A.D. How do I know 27 A.D. is correct? Jesus was born in 4 B.C. When he turned 30, sometime in late October of 27 AD, Luke 3:23, John baptized Jesus and announced him as the expected Messiah, as did Andrew and Peter, John 1:41, “We have found the Messiah.” A priest had to be 30 years of age to serve in the temple.
In 27 A.D., what remained of the 490 years was seven years. Daniel said Messiah would be ‘cut off’ after 3 ½ years. The Lord confirmed his new covenant for 3 ½ years and then was cut off at the cross. As of this moment, 486 1/2 years of the 490 have been fulfilled, leaving 3 ½ years.
But Daniel said, ‘Confirming the covenant would be for one week (7 years), so seven years it will be. The last 3 ½ years will be accomplished by the two witnesses of Revelation 11 and most likely the 144,000 Jews of Revelation 7. Also, the 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation remains. It will be a period ruled by the antichrist and his high priest. The Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob’s trouble, has nothing to do with the 490-year prophecy. Those who go into this period will either receive the mark of the beast then judged guilty by the Lord. Or reject the mark, be killed, but later raised to serve with the Lord on earth for 1000 years, Revelation 20:4. I do not believe they have any part with the bride of Christ.
I am going to stop here. I want to share my findings with anyone genuinely interested in Daniel’s prophesies. If you’re interested, I have other ideas concerning the “abomination that is set up” Daniel 12:12, and “the abomination of desolation, -- that will ‘stand in the holy place,’ Matthew 24:15. If interested, let me know.
Every prophecy has to have a starting point; without one, the end of a prophecy can never be determined, and neither can a timeline be established. So, having a correct timeline supported by Scripture and history is imperative.
Let’s begin with Nebuchadnezzar. We don’t know when he was born, but we do know he was co-ruler with his father, Nabopolassar, in 606 B.C., the same year Daniel was taken captive. From 606, seventy years later, in B.C. 536, the Lord sent Cyrus to destroy Babylon and free the Jews, fulfilling Jeremiah prophesy of seventy years, 25:11-12. All twelve tribes could now leave for their homeland if they chose to. In 605, Nebuchadnezzar became sole ruler when his father died. In 603, Nebuchadnezzar had his dream of empires. Nebuchadnezzar was the head of gold, so the history of empires begins in 605 B.C.
In 598 B.C., when Jehoiakim was in his eleventh year as King, Nebuchadnezzar came into Jerusalem and 2 Chronicles 36:7, “Carried off the vessels of the house of the LORD to Babylon, and put them in his temple at Babylon.”
Why is this date of 598 import? From that year forward, the Ark of the Covenant, Mercy seat, and other sacred vessels of the temple were either destroyed or moved to Babylon; the eternal flame extinguished, and the daily sacrifice that was never to cease ceased. Without the Ark and Mercy seat, the High Priest of Israel could no longer present himself or perform his duties as commanded within the Holy of Holies on the holiest day of the year, Yom Kippur. He could no longer present himself before the mercy seat where the LORD communicated with him. Yes, the Jews did continue their daily sacrifices, replacing the ark and mercy seat with a stone, but their sacrifices and offerings were for nothing.
Isaiah 1:13, the LORD said, “Bring no more vain oblations; incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbats, the calling of assemblies, I cannot (endure); it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting.”
Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 586 B.C. The king of Persia, Artaxerxes Longimanus, wrote the decree for the Jews to return and rebuild the moat, the wall, and the temple in 456 B.C. I believe Artaxerxes was gracious to the Jews because he was most likely the son of King Xerxes and Esther. So now we have our starting point. It was in 456 B.C. that the 490 years of Daniel’s prophesy began.
The first week, or 49 years, ended in 407 B.C. when the Old Testament closed with Malachi. The second period of 434 years ended when John, Andrew, and Peter announced, “We have found the Messiah,” this was in late October or early November of 27 A.D. How do I know 27 A.D. is correct? Jesus was born in 4 B.C. When he turned 30, sometime in late October of 27 AD, Luke 3:23, John baptized Jesus and announced him as the expected Messiah, as did Andrew and Peter, John 1:41, “We have found the Messiah.” A priest had to be 30 years of age to serve in the temple.
In 27 A.D., what remained of the 490 years was seven years. Daniel said Messiah would be ‘cut off’ after 3 ½ years. The Lord confirmed his new covenant for 3 ½ years and then was cut off at the cross. As of this moment, 486 1/2 years of the 490 have been fulfilled, leaving 3 ½ years.
But Daniel said, ‘Confirming the covenant would be for one week (7 years), so seven years it will be. The last 3 ½ years will be accomplished by the two witnesses of Revelation 11 and most likely the 144,000 Jews of Revelation 7. Also, the 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation remains. It will be a period ruled by the antichrist and his high priest. The Great Tribulation, the time of Jacob’s trouble, has nothing to do with the 490-year prophecy. Those who go into this period will either receive the mark of the beast then judged guilty by the Lord. Or reject the mark, be killed, but later raised to serve with the Lord on earth for 1000 years, Revelation 20:4. I do not believe they have any part with the bride of Christ.
I am going to stop here. I want to share my findings with anyone genuinely interested in Daniel’s prophesies. If you’re interested, I have other ideas concerning the “abomination that is set up” Daniel 12:12, and “the abomination of desolation, -- that will ‘stand in the holy place,’ Matthew 24:15. If interested, let me know.
