The End of the Age – From Firstfruits to Hanukkah

Bethlehem57

Well-Known Member
Very good article again from Randy Nettles

The End of the Age – From Firstfruits to HanukkahIn 539 BC​

In 539 BC, Daniel the prophet was still in Babylon and was reading the prophecy of Jeremiah regarding the 70-year captivity. Realizing the 70 years were nearing completion, Daniel began to pray, asking God’s forgiveness for the sins of his people and pleading for the restoration of Jerusalem and Israel’s imminent return to their land. By reading and studying Jeremiah, Isaiah, and possibly other prophets, Daniel believed the Messianic Kingdom would begin following the seventy years of captivity. By praying fervently to God and asking for forgiveness of Israel’s corporate sins, Daniel was attempting to bring about the promise of restoration found in Leviticus 26:40-45.

Gabriel informed Daniel that it was not going to be seventy years, but seventy sevens of years before the Messianic Kingdom would be established. This prophecy is basically divided into two parts. The first part constitutes 69 sevens between two historic events for Israel, from the command to restore and build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince comes. Shortly after the Messiah comes, He will be killed (Daniel 9:25-26). The last part constitutes 1 seven (the 70th) in which a coming prince (not the Messiah) “confirms the covenant with the Jews” but in the midst of the seven years, he will break his covenant by causing the sacrifices and offerings to cease and committing an abomination of desolation in the Temple. In this article, we will mainly deal with the last “seven” of Daniel’s prophecy.


THE 360-DAY PROPHETIC CALENDAR
Regarding the prophecy of Daniel 9:27, most of the adherents of the “prophetic year” of 360 days (30 days per month) that Robert Anderson made famous believe Daniel’s 70th seven (otherwise known as the Day of the Lord or the Tribulation) will be divided up into two equal halves of 1260 days each. Thus, these last seven years would be for a duration of 2520 days. Anderson’s use of the 360-day calendar in the first 69 weeks of Daniel 9:25-26 would also be used in the remaining 70th week of Daniel 9:27 as well. They believe the 1260 days mentioned in Revelation 11:3 and Revelation 12:6 is proof of the use of the “prophetic” 360-day calendar in the last seven years of the end of the age.

For many years, I believed in Anderson’s theory as well, just accepting it as fact. I was taught that the Jews used this calendar for their prophecies, thus the name “prophetic year.” After much research, I found out this was not the case and came to the conclusion that the Jews have never used a 360-day calendar, even for their prophecies. They have always used a lunar/solar calendar that periodically (every 19 years) converges with our modern-day Gregorian calendar.

However, due to two verses of scripture in Daniel, I was convinced (and still am) that the two so-called “halves” of the seven years or 2520 days are not halves at all, as they are unequal in duration. The first verse sets the timeline for the seven-year prophecy and divides it into two parts. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (seven) and in the midst of the seven he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate” (Daniel 9:27). The second verse declares the timeframe of the second part of the above prophecy. “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days” (Daniel 12:11).

IN THE MIDST OF THE WEEK
Back when I was still an adherent to the prophetic calendar, I wrote a series of articles called In the Midst. In the first article of my series, I asked the question, Does the term “in the midst” (KJV translation and others) mean the exact middle or could it mean near the middle? There are 269 times in the Old Testament that use that terminology. Very few of them refer to the exact middle. Most of them are in reference to a close proximity to the middle or center. The “in the midst” event of Daniel 9:27 is known as the Abomination of Desolation and is described in Daniel 12:11, Matthew 24:15-22, Mark 13:14-20, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and Revelation 13:14-15.

Daniel 12:1 is referring to the time of great trouble known as Jacob’s Trouble or the Great Tribulation, which is the last part of Daniel’s earlier prophecy of the Seventy Sevens. The angel then asks Jesus, “How long shall the fulfillment of these wonders be? Jesus answered and said, “It shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished(Daniel 12:7). Daniel, not understanding, asks “My lord, what shall be the end of these things?” The Lord answers Daniel and gives him the exact number of days from the abomination and the cessation of sacrifices in the temple to the end of the 70th seven, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. So with regard to the 360-day calendar, if the last “half” of Daniel’s 70th Seven is for 1290 days, then there cannot be two equal halves of 1260 days.

As I mentioned in a previous article, In The Midst of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks Prophecy (rev310.net), the 69 sevens prophecy was from 444 BC to AD 33. Even though this timeline was from Nisan to Nisan, it still contained 69 sevens or Shemitah years. In other words, there are 69 sevens (Sabbath years) within the 476-year timeline of Daniel’s prophecy. Tishri 1 is the start of the new year on the Jewish civil calendar, where the year count changes. The official celebration of the Sabbath year occurs 9 days later on Tishri 10, the Day of Atonement. These 10 days are known as the Days of Awe or the Days of Repentance.

It’s interesting that for this 476-year timeframe, there are 173,847 days in a Jewish calendar (Nisan to Nisan), and there are 173,856 days in a proleptic Gregorian calendar (January to January)… only nine days difference. The end date for the 69 sevens prophecy occurred when Jesus was “cut off” or crucified on Passover, Nisan 14 (or April 2, AD 33 on the Julian calendar). If you subtract 173,847 days from this date, you come to Nisan 14 or April 14, 444 BC on the Julian calendar, which is most likely the start of Daniel’s Seventy Sevens prophecy.


https://www.rev310.net/post/the-end-of-the-age-from-firstfruits-to-hanukkah
The End of the Age - Firstfruits to Hanukkah
 

katt

Well-Known Member
Ok when it comes to the seventy sevens and all the other numbers in Daniel I am not embarrassed to admit, I have never understood them, maybe it's because I've never been any good at math. I read this article and I still don't get what those numbers are trying to tell us. So, can somebody please tell me what the author of this article is trying to get across to us?
 

Len

Well-Known Member
I'm with you Katt ...... but basically he is saying that the old theory of a 360 day calenar as opposed to a 365 day calendar is wrong but still works out okay, so not a biggie prophetically (to me) ..... but I do not really need to know what he was trying to get across because I am just watching Gods prophecies unfold today and hopefully I will not be here to witness when the 7 year tribulation starts or how it is divided up into unequal parts..... I am watching for Jesus not the trib and we do not have a calendar date for that.
 

Spartan Sprinter 1

Formerly known as Shaun
I'm with you Katt ...... but basically he is saying that the old theory of a 360 day calenar as opposed to a 365 day calendar is wrong but still works out okay, so not a biggie prophetically (to me) ..... but I do not really need to know what he was trying to get across because I am just watching Gods prophecies unfold today and hopefully I will not be here to witness when the 7 year tribulation starts or how it is divided up into unequal parts..... I am watching for Jesus not the trib and we do not have a calendar date for that.
Great to hear about your ministry Len, do you find many Aboriginals are responsive to your ministry?
 

daygo

Well-Known Member
He's making it more complicated than necessary, the purification of the temple has to happen and the sheep and goat judgement happens which account for the extra days.
 
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