vajradara,
I have a love for the subject of prophecy. The Bible calls prophecy a lamp shinning in a dark place. It is the most ignored subject in the Bible, yet 1/4 of the Bible is prophetic in nature. Although to enter into these truths Suday School 100-400 is necessary. Just coasting through the class will not suffice, If Jesus is not Lord, I dont know if this will be of any profit. Although if you are a student of history it may be of some value. I have posted on this subject before so forgive me for the cut and paste.
Lets take a look at the "backbone" of biblical prophecy:
Daniel 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
[25] Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
[26] And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
[27] And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Lets start with verse 24. 70 weeks are are determined upon Daniels people, the Jewish people. The word translated weeks, in the Hebrew it is the word heptad. A heptad is a period of 7 years, it answers to our decade. That said 70 weeks or 70 7s of years is determined upon the Jewish people. Keeping it simple, the prophecy covers a period of 490 years.
In verse 25 a definite starting point is given. The starting point is the command to restore and build Jerusalem. The nation of Judah was in captivity. The three books in the Bible that answer to this period was Esther, Ezra and Nehemiah. In the book of Ezra a remnant is given permission by the Persian King Cyrus to lay the foundation of the temple of the Lord, this is not the starting point. The starting point of this prophecy is found in Nehemiah at a later date in Neh. chapter 2. A second remnant returned unto Jerusalem to rebuild the city. This is the starting point of the 70 7s
You will notice that the 70 weeks is broke into three sections in verse 25. 7 7's (49 years), 62 7's (434 years) and one week that consists of a 7 year period. The clock began with the decree and it took the remnant 49 years to rebuild the city of Jerusalem even in difficult times. The 434 year continued without hiatus. So 483 years after the decree the Jewish Messiah was strolling into Jerusalem on the colt of an ass, just as Zechariah stated
Zeck 9:9 Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion; shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass, and upon a colt the foal of an ass.
Although he was not welcomed as a King, as Daniel 9:26 makes that clear, He was killed, Yeshua spilt his blood. Now Zechariah a prophet to the remnant at this time, forsaw not of himself, but by the Holy Spirit the rejected King, and his second coming to the Jewish remnant in the last days
Zech 12:10 And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.
Zech 13:6 And one shall say unto him, What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer, Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends
Not to run on a tangent, but it is all conected. What about the last week of the prophecy? Has this last week already occured? The answer is No. When the Jews took part in the crucifixtion of the Lord Jesus Christ, God turned to the gentiles. David through the Holy Spirit uttered that in Psalm 22 in 1000 B.C.
that Christ would die.
16 For dogs have compassed me: the assembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet
When the Jews killed their Messiah, Yahweh set them to one side and began to gather out of the gentiles a bride for his Son. Has God rejected the Jews completly, the church has said for 19 centuries YES!
Romans 11:1 I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin
5 Even so then at this present time also there is a remnant according to the election of
grace
Many Jews have come to Christ as the Jewish Messiah and considered part of the remnant at a given time, but there is a specific remnant prophesied for the last days.
Well when is God going to take up his ancient people again. Well a week of that prophecy in Daniel 9 is still outstanding. Where can you find this week mention in the Bible? The last book of the Bible. Now this is a Jewish prophecy, so we have to use a Jewish calander, a Jewish year consisted of 360 days, not 365. 7 years of 360 days equals 2,520 days. vesre 27 of Daniel Chapter 9 speaks of a future peace contract with Israel, that will be for 7 years
The covenat as clearly seen in verse 27 with the beast from Rome (sorry Im trying to wrap this up, you'll have to look into that yourself) will be broken in the midpoint of the 7 years. Now starting in Rev Chapter 4. The events revealed to John are all dealing with a future period of 7 biblical years, up to chapter 19.
Rev 11: 3 And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.
Rev 12: 14 And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent.
The times, time and a half of time is 3 1/2 years, the woman mentioned in this verse is Israel, Cf. Josephs dream in Gen 37.
Daniel 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.
Rev 13:5 And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.
