Daniel 7 and the Little Horn  (audio sermon)

In our last gathering on the subject of the man of sin we discovered in Daniel two how a dream of king Nebuchadnezzar was of a prophetic nature given him from our God so as to help God’s people, then and now understand not only prophetic symbolism, but to get an understanding as to what time it is in any given generation. Daniel the prophet was blessed of God due to his desire to not only understand God’s will, but to be obedient as well. With this blessing Daniel was able to show the king what his dream meant due to a vision the Lord gave Daniel after he prayed for help. This Sabbath I would like to discuss another vision Daniel had that confirms Nebuchadnezzar’s dreamed as being prophetic. This vision given Daniel was many years later of course. Daniel 7:1 says it was …"In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, and told the sum of the matters." -Daniel 7:1.

Nebuchadnezzar was of course dead and gone by now, and his son Belshazzar was now king of Babylon. It wouldn’t be long before the next kingdom depicted in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was about to reign. Perhaps this is why the Lord repeated this truth in the form of this second vision Daniel had that night. So, what was it Daniel saw in this vision?

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  Daniel 7:2, "Daniel spake and said, I saw in my vision by night, and, behold, the four winds of heaven strove upon the great sea."

Looks like a violent scene doesn’t it? It also appears to be a global situation as all four winds of heaven are involved in this vision. Looking at this passage on the surface, or physically, we can see that wind upon the sea does depict violence. Looking at it symbolically, with the understanding that the angel gave John in Revelation 17:15, where he said “The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.” We can see that it will be all about the people of the world, and the rather violent ways their leaders bring about their rule upon them. But does this global rule assumption agree with that which is written? Daniel 7:3 says, "And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." Does this not remind us of the 4 kingdoms of the dream Nebuchadnezzar had? That being the case, what do beasts mean in prophecy?

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  Daniel 7:17, "These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth."

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  Daniel 7:23, "Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces."

So, a beast means a kingdom, or a nation in prophecy, what does wind represent?

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  Jeremiah 25:31-33, "A noise shall come even to the ends of the earth; for the LORD hath a controversy with the nations, he will plead with all flesh; he will give them that are wicked to the sword, saith the LORD. Thus saith the LORD of hosts, Behold, evil shall go forth from nation to nation, and a great whirlwind shall be raised up from the coasts of the earth. And the slain of the LORD shall be at that day from one end of the earth even unto the other end of the earth: they shall not be lamented, neither gathered, nor buried; they shall be dung upon the ground."

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  Jeremiah 49:36-37, "And upon Elam will I bring the four winds from the four quarters of heaven, and will scatter them toward all those winds; and there shall be no nation whither the outcasts of Elam shall not come. For I will cause Elam to be dismayed before their enemies, and before them that seek their life: and I will bring evil upon them, even my fierce anger, saith the LORD; and I will send the sword after them, till I have consumed them:"

So, wind represents a whirlwind, commotion, war, strife, scattering, confusion, etc.

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  "The strife and commotion which produces all this destruction is called a great whirlwind. That winds denote strife and war is then evident from a consideration of the vision itself; for as the result of the striving of the winds, kingdoms arise and fall; and these events are accomplished through political strife." –Uriah Smith ~ Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, p. 116.

It is rather fitting I think that these global kingdoms are depicted as beasts. When we look at how violent their wars are and how unloving their methods can be. They are indeed beasts by definition. So, what was the first beast like? Daniel says "The first was like a lion, and had eagle's wings: I beheld till the wings thereof were plucked, and it was lifted up from the earth, and made stand upon the feet as a man, and a man's heart was given to it." –Daniel 7:4 History also declares…

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  “The first of these beasts evidently intends the Babylonian monarchy, and is described as a lion with eagles' wings." --Cottage Bible.

Just like today’s nations, kingdoms back then can be depicted by animals of prey. This lion with eagle's wings can be seen to signify the rapidity with which Babylon performed its conquests while Nebuchadnezzar was king. Even Habakkuk, when speaking of Babylon in chapter 1:8 depicts them as an eagle in flight. He says, "Their horses also are swifter than the leopards, and are more fierce than the evening wolves: and their horsemen shall spread themselves, and their horsemen shall come from far; they shall fly as the eagle that hasteth to eat." Problem is, after Nebuchadnezzar’s death this kingdom no longer flew like an eagle upon its prey. The wings were obviously plucked out. The bravery and fortitude of the lion were clearly gone under Belshazzar. In fact, if you read Daniel 5 you will see Belshazzar was a weak man who was mostly pandering to the pleasures of the flesh. This of course was bound to be as we recall in the dream of Nebuchadnezzar that his kingdom would definitely fall where another, less glorious would rise after it. Belshazzar made this task much easier as history proves.

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  Daniel 7:5, "And behold another beast, a second, like to a bear, and it raised up itself on one side, and it had three ribs in the mouth of it between the teeth of it: and they said thus unto it, Arise, devour much flesh."

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  "This was the Medo-Persian empire, represented here under the symbol of the bear. . . . The Medes and Persians are compared to a bear on account of their cruelty and thirst after blood, a bear being the most voracious and cruel animal. The bear is termed by Aristotle an all-devouring animal; and the Medo-Persians are known to have been great robbers and spoilers.
  
  "As in the great image of chapter 2, so in this series of symbols, a marked deterioration will be noticed as we descend from one kingdom to another. The breast and arms of silver were inferior to the head of gold. The bear was inferior to the lion. Medo-Persia fell short of Babylon in wealth and magnificence, and the brilliancy of its career. . . . The three ribs perhaps signify the three provinces of Babylon, Lydia, and Egypt, which were especially ground down and oppressed by this power." --Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, pages 117, 118.

The reason for the ribs of course was to represent the death of the three provinces of Babylon, Lydia and Egypt which historic record reports as the victims of the Medo-Persian empire. But why was the bear lopsided? Why was he “raised up” on one side. Another historic fact is, between the two, the Persians were actually much stronger than the Medes. Hence the lopsided bear. Moving on in the vision we come to…

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  Daniel 7:6, "After this I beheld, and lo another, like a leopard, which had upon the back of it four wings of a fowl; the beast had also four heads; and dominion was given to it."

Some old SDA authors and historic records reveal some facts about the symbols in this vision that match perfectly with the dream Nebuchadnezzar had regarding the next kingdom in the vision.

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  "This bear having disappeared, the prophet saw an extraordinary "leopard" rise up in its stead. This was the emblem of the Grecian, or Macedonian empire, which for the time was the most renowned in the world." --Scott, on Daniel 7:6.

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  "Two wings, the number the lion had, were not sufficient. It [the leopard] must have four; and this must denote unparalleled swiftness of movement, which we find to be historically true of the Grecian kingdom. The conquests of Grecia under Alexander have no parallel in historic annals for suddenness and rapidity." --Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, page 118.

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  "Alexander, in less than eight years, marched his army upwards of seventeen hundred leagues [or more than fifty-one hundred miles], without including his return to Babylon." --Rollin's Ancient History, b. 15, sec. 2.

Every notable historian to date agrees that Alexander’s speedy ability to conquer was unquestionable. The four wings of this beast was perfectly accurate without a doubt. However, the beast also had four heads. What does this mean? Do you recall in Daniel 2:38 that the Lord told Nebuchadnezzar that he was a, "ruler over them all. Thou art this head of gold." Alexander was not only a swift conqueror, he had great magnetism, or people skills as we call it today. When he died at a very young age his generals were unable to keep the kingdom together under one ruler as Alexander did. They fought and bickered until finally these generals split the kingdom into four nations and ruled each one respectively.

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  He (Alexander) had great charisma and force of personality, characteristics, which made him a great leader. This is further emphasised by the inability of any of his generals to unite the Macedonians and retain the Empire after his death – only Alexander had the personality to do so. - Green, Alexander the Great and the Hellenistic Age, pp. 24–26.

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  "'The beast had also four heads. The Grecian empire maintained its unity but little longer than the lifetime of Alexander. Within fifteen years after his brilliant career ended in a drunken debauch [323 B.C.], the empire was divided among his four leading generals. Cassander had Macedon and Greece in the west; Lysimachus (LYSIMAKUS) had Thrace and the parts of Asia on the Hellespont and Bosporus in the north; Ptolemy (TOLEMY) received Egypt, Lydia, Arabia, Palestine, and Coele-Syria in the south; and Seleucus (SELUCUS) had Syria and all the rest of Alexander's dominions in the east. These divisions were denoted by the four heads of the leopard." --Thoughts on Daniel and the Revelation, page 119. See also Cottage Bible notes on this prophecy.

Now we come to the fourth and final kingdom in the vision and how it was represented.

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  Daniel 7:7, "After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns."

In Daniel two we found the fourth kingdom represented Rome. Knowing Rome as we do today; the final kingdom of Antichrist, it will always display the exact opposite of Christ’s gentle and loving ways. Rome did defeat many, and for hundreds of years ruled with an iron fist.

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  A fourth beast. -- "The Roman empire, which destroyed the Grecian empire, and became mistriss of the world." --Bagster, in Cottage Bible.

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  "The fourth kingdom, symbolized by the fourth beast, is accurately represented by the Roman power." --Barnes, on Dan. 7, page 321.

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  "This 'fourth beast' evidently accords with the legs and feet of iron, which were seen by Nebuchadnezzar in his visionary image, and which were at length divided into ten toes. . . . This was doubtless an emblem of the Roman state." --Scott, on Dan. 7:7

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  "This is allowed on all hands, to be the Roman empire. It was dreadful, terrible, and exceeding strong; . . . and became in effect, what the Roman writers delight to call it, the empire fo the whole world." --A. Clarke on Dan. 7.

Still, this beast also had ten horns. Do you recall the ten toes of the image in Nebucahdnezzar’s dream? They represented the nations that would come as a result of this final most dreadful nation’s fall. Do these horns depict the same prophetic fact? Are these horns leaders of ten different nations? And do any of these horns do anything out of the ordinary?

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  Daniel 7:8, "I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things."

Firstly I would like to touch on what this horn does that seems a bit odd in comparison to the rest. Here we see that its arrival forces the plucking of three of the ten horns. But is this horn, or any of the tens horns a representation of a kingdom in prophecy?

Daniel 7:24, "And the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall arise: and another shall rise after them; and he shall be diverse from the first, and he shall subdue three kings."

So yes, those ten horns also depict the kingdoms of the ten kings from the dream of Nebuchadnezzar. However, here we see a little more detail being added regarding the little horn where Daniel 7:8 says he plucks three out and verse 24 says he subdues three kings. So it’s easy to see that this horn is a kingdom unto itself and the other ten horns, as well as the three uprooted are also kingdoms. But does any of this pan out historically, and if so, who did these things?

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  “the opposition of the Arian powers to the doctrines of the Catholics, especially to that of the Trinity. These opposing powers were rooted up, the Heruli in 493, the Vandals in 534, and the Qstrogoths in 538.” See "Student's Gibbon," pp. 309-319.

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  "It is a remarkable fact, that the popes to this day wear a triple crown,-- a fact that exists in regard to no other monarchs. . . The papacy [is] well represented by the 'little horn'. . . In fact, this one power absorbed into itself three of these sovereignties." -Barnes's Notes on Daniel, page 327.

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  "This evidently points out the papal supremacy, in every respect diverse from the former, which, from small beginnings, thrust itself up among the ten kingdoms, till at length is successively eradicated three of them." --Bagster, in Cottage Bible.

So there you have it. Historic records declare the Popes of Rome did what Daniel said the little horn was to do. But the prophetic descriptions don’t stop there! When Papal Rome was formed, it stood not only as a State, it was a church as well. This granted it absolute power over all facet of society. Does prophecy speak of this?

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  "And he shall speak great words against the Most High, and shall wear out the saints of the Most High, and think to change times and laws:and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." Dan. 7:25.

On my words of a beast page I have quite a few quotes where the pope calls himself "the vicar of Christ." Leo X actually claimed to be "The lion of the tribe of Judah." Leo XII demanded he was called "The Lord our God." In 1858 the Pope claimed to be “God on earth.” Pope Pius V stated “the Pope and God are the same.” Pope John XXII was called “Lord God the Pope” in his day, in 1895 the Pope claimed to be “Jesus Christ himself.” It goes on and on from there. So yes, they do indeed “speak great words against the Most High” God we worship. But how has the papacy worn out the saints? In march of 2000 Pope John Paul II admitted the Roman Catholic church killed hundreds of millions of Christians during their prophesied reign as those that would “wear out the saints.” But no one described it better than John Foxe in his book, Foxes book of martyrs where he actually declared the total dead was at least 500,000,000. I have his complete book on the site if you need to read it. So yes, this little horn also did as Daniel said when it came to wearing out the saints. In regards to the change in times and laws. Rome admits in many documents all over the world the following…

"The authority of the church could therefore not be bound to the authority of the Scriptures, because the Church had changed the Sabbath into Sunday, not by command of Christ, but by its own authority." Canon and Tradition, p. 263 

"It was the Catholic church by the authority of Jesus Christ, which has transferred this rest to Sunday in remembrance of the resurrection of our Lord. Therefore the observance of Sunday by the Protestants is an homage they pay, in spite of themselves, to the authority of the Catholic church." - Mgr, Segur Plain Talk about Protestantism of today page 213

The law of God was changed by Rome, as was the time mankind was commanded to worship God. It’s actually more in depth than most realize however. I used to teach Roman Catholic doctrine and I know they removed commandment #2 regarding statues, and they are also the ones that changed the calendars hundreds of years ago. This is why the dates are all messed up when it comes to BC and AD. Still, this act of Rome changing the law, and the times further confirms Daniel’s description of the little horn. The law was changed by removing commandment #2 as well as changing commandment #4, and the times were changed by forcing Christians to worship on day one instead of day seven, which is of course the Sabbath. The calendars were also changed forcing a confusion in historic record. Another basic fact most miss is, the Bible clearly says in Genesis chapter one we see the Lord declaring a new day comes when the Sun sets. This is why we keep Sabbath from Sundown Friday to Sundown Saturday. But, look at your watches, computers or cell phones. The date always changes at midnight. That is actually based on Roman time. But what of the last descriptive element of Daniel’s prophecy of the little horn?

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  Daniel 7:25 said the little horn would attack God’s people for, “…a time and times and the dividing of time."

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  Revelation 12:6 says the church will hide from the Pope, "… a thousand two hundred and threescore days."

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  Revelation 13:5 says the Pope will do this, "…forty and two months."

Revelation 13:5 speaks of this time as forty two months. These forty two months of Rev 13:5 and the "time, and times and dividing a time" of Daniel 7:25 equal the exact same thing. 42 months actually equates to 3½ years. Looking closely, one can see this, A "time (one year) and times (+ two years) and the dividing of time, (+ half a year ) That's a "time" + "times" + "dividing of a time", which equals 3½ years, or forty two months. (12+24 + 6 = 42 months) Revelation 12:6 confirms this calculation when it says that the church of Jesus would hide in the wilderness for exactly 1260 days. 42 months, or 3½ years equals 1260 days. And we know prophecy defines a prophetic day as a year in reality.

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  Ezekiel 4:6 "I have appointed thee each day for a year..." & Numbers 14:34 "...each day for a year, "

Now that we have a definite time frame to work with, can prophecy be that accurate?

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  "Vigilius...ascended the papal chair (538 A.D.) under the military protection of Belisarius." -History of the Christian Church, Vol. 3, p. 327

Historical records reveal the papacy began its reign in 538 AD upon Emperor Justinian's decree, and under the military protection of Belisarius. And the Bible says the beast will rule for EXACTLY 1260 years before receiving a mortal wound. Now it's just a matter of simple mathematics. It is also a grand method by which to see the Lord glorified. If the prophecy is correct, 1260 years after 538 AD the Beast must receive a mortal wound. Did this happen? Well… If you add 1260 years to the beginning year the Roman Catholic church had "absolute" power as a church and state in 538 AD, you will arrive in the exact year 1798 AD. So, according to the prophecy we are told the first reign of the Beast will last until the year 1798 . So, did it end in 1798?

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  "In 1798 General Berthier made his entrance into Rome, abolished the papal government, and established a secular one." -Encyclopedia Britannica 1941 edition

General Berthier was under the command of Napoleon. This is why to this day Napoleon is touted by the Vatican as Antichrist because of what he did to their power. For them to be pulled from power in 1798AD proves the prophecy fulfilled! That's Exactly 42 prophetic months, or 1260 years, or a time, and times, and dividing a time after the Papacy began its powerful reign that the Pope received his mortal wound. This not only confirms the "day for a year" issue, it also glorifies the Lord like no other prophecy can. It's that accurate!

The 70 Weeks of Daniel 9 (audio sermon)

In our last three studies we discovered the time prophecies of Daniel chapter 2 & 7 and how they brought us all the way from Daniel’s time to present day. In this next study we will look into the time prophecies of Daniel chapter 9. Some that are knew to our humble little church may be asking themselves as to why we study prophecy as we do. Well, Revelation 1:3 gives us the reason why. It says…

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  Revelation 1:3, "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

Not only does one learn of the Truth as well as the character of this Mighty God we serve by studying His prophetic Word, we are also blessed by reading His Word daily with the advance knowledge He grants us of the more perilous days ahead of us. Studying Bible Prophecy has been a blessing to me and my family over the years. There is also nothing to compare with seeing the Word of Prophecy coming to light in the eyes of complete strangers when they hear such things for this first time. So.. let’s see what we can see today…

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  Daniel 9:1, "In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;"

As historic facts prove, the events spoken of in Daniel chapter 9 took place in 538BC shortly after the Chaldeans (Babylon) were conquered by the Medes and the Persians. Daniel studied the book of Jeremiah and realized that the last 70 years of slavery for his people was coming to an end according to prophecy.

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  Daniel 9:2-3, "In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:"

Babylon had fallen. It was now time to concentrate on the reconstruction of Jerusalem. Daniel understood the prophecy declared that this was next. So, he set his face towards the Lord and went to the Creator God in intense prayer and fasting. By the way, this is something you don't see too often in today's world. Many Christians today have totally forgotten about such powerful prayer methods as this. I rarely hear of anyone in any denomination outside the Remnant church that knows of the power and blessings associated with praying as Daniel did. Three times a day. Every Christian needs to realize they would be blessed with the hand of the Lord moving far more frequently in their lives if they too would pray as His prophets of old prayed. Continuing…

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  Daniel 9:4-5,18 "And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; We have sinned, and have committed iniquity, and have done wickedly, and have rebelled, even by departing from thy precepts and from thy judgments: O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name: for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies."

What a beautiful prayer! All that Daniel saw was accurate, and he knew it. Even looking upon his people he saw that their sins had caused them all their national grief. However, he thought because of their sinful rebellion, the construction of Jerusalem was being delayed. This is why his prayer is concentrating on forgiveness for his sins, and the sins of his people.

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  Daniel 9:20-21, "And whiles I was speaking, and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation."

Right in the midst of this prayer, the angel Gabriel once again appeared to Daniel. If you study Daniel’s past you will see that thirteen years prior, this same angel gave Daniel a vision describing a 2300 year period of time. This 2300 year panoramic view of many prophetic events is extremely important, and this is why I chose to share it in the three previous sermons of this series. For now, we will concentrate on the 70 weeks within that time period. So, continuing in Daniel…

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  Daniel 9:22-23, "And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision."

If you recall in the eighth chapter of Daniel, he was unable to understand the vision. He was given no clue as to the starting-point of the 2300 days because Gabriel only shared a partial explanation. As the terrible scenes of persecution upon the church were unfolded before Daniel’s eyes, all physical strength gave way. He could endure no more. So the angel had to leave. It said back in Daniel 8:27 that, "I Daniel fainted, and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did the king's business; and I was astonished at the vision, but none understood it." However, Gabriel was commanded to “Make this man to understand the vision.” That commission from the Lord Himself had to be accomplished. In obedience to the command, Gabriel, years later returned to Daniel to give him the “skill and understanding;” so as to “understand the matter, and consider the vision.” There was only one point in the vision of years earlier that had been left unexplained. That was of course the period of the 2300 days. Gabriel then dwells exclusively upon the subject of time.

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  Daniel 9:24, "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city..."

The word "determined" here in this verse comes from the Hebrew word,  chathak {khaw-thak'} (See Strongs 02852) The word chathak literally means to "divide" or be "marked out." In other words, the angel is telling Daniel that 70 weeks had been cut off, or marked out for the people of Israel in the coming days. How do you cut off or mark out 70 weeks? You would have to do so from a larger period of time of course. The 2300 year prophecy is what the angel is referring to here. He is about to illustrate a period of time that is "cut out" of a longer period of time that is "marked" specifically for the people of Israel.

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  Daniel 9:25, "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem..."

The angel tells Daniel here WHEN to start the prophetic period of time he’s speaking of. Daniel now knows that it will begin the very moment a king declares it is time for the people of Israel to go forth to build Jerusalem. When was this command given?

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  Ezra 7:8,11,13,20 "...in the seventh year of the king. ...this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe... I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee. And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house."

In the seventh year of king Artaxerxes' reign, he made a decree unto the people of Israel to go forth and rebuild the temple. The seventh year of this king was in fact 457BC. So, looking back at Daniel 9:25 we see…

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  Daniel 9:25, "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."

The prophecy then declares that there will be 69 weeks (7 + 60 + 2) until Messiah arrives. So, what does 69 weeks mean in prophecy? As students of prophecy we know Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6 both declare a day equals a year in Bible prophecy.

• Numbers 14:34, "After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise."

• Ezekiel 4:5-6, "For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year."

Some wonder why Gabriel didn’t just say 70 weeks. Why did he break it up and say seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks?

By the way... Don't make the same mistake I made when I first calculated this prophetic fact some years ago. I completely forgot about the fact that there is a YEAR 0 to contend with. I kept coming up with a calculation that was ONE YEAR OFF when trying to place Jesus Christ’s baptism in 27AD. I kept seeing Him baptized in 26AD instead! …So... does the Word confirm that Jesus was baptized in that very year of 27AD or not?

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  John 4:25-26, "The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things.  Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he."

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  Acts 10:38, "How 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."

The word "Messiah" comes from the Hebrew word, "Mashiach," which in Greek is translated as "Christos," which means “ANOINTED ONE.” Here we see plainly that the New testament Scripture does in fact declare Jesus to be, the Messiah," "the Christ," "the Anointed One." Does history confirm this as well? Remember? Prophecy tells us that in 27AD we will see Messiah anointed. Does this happen? First of all we need to answer an objection that is bound to spring up in some minds. Scripture declares...

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  Luke 3:21,23 "Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,"

Why is it the Bible says this occurred in 27AD, and it also states Jesus was about 30 years of age when it happened? When the calendar time of this occurrence was first calculated there was an error of 4 years made as many of us today are now aware. Satan no doubt had his hand in this error to try and hide what happened this year, and how Daniel predicted the exact year. It's obvious that Christ could not have been born in 1AD because that would not make Him to be "about 30 years of age" now would it? Plus, Herod was still alive when Christ was born as everyone is also aware. As Matthew chapter two confirms, Herod did all he could to kill Jesus at that time when the Wise men refused to tell him were Messiah was located. Herod killed all the baby boys 2 years old and younger in Bethlehem that day, which fulfilled the prophecy of…

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  Jeremiah 31:15, "Thus saith the LORD; A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping; Rahel weeping for her children refused to be comforted for her children, because they were not."

History records Herod’s death to be in 4BC. After the error was realized, historic fact became clear. Jesus was truly born in 4BC, and then baptized in 27AD at the age of 30 just as the vision Daniel had long before prophecied! Jesus even confirmed this when He declared that the time was "fulfilled" after He was baptized.

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  Mark 1:9,14,15 "And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized of John in Jordan. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God,  And saying, The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel."

Jesus understood Bible prophecy! He knew that the Autumn of the year 27AD was a fulfillment of the prophecy of Daniel. So, continuing in Daniel we see what is prophesied to happen next. It says…

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  Daniel 9:26-27, "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off... 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."

Getting back to the 70 weeks. Here we see that in the middle of the 70th week something is to occur. Prophecy is stating that the Messiah shall be "cut off." It also states that when this occurs, it will, "cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease." The middle of the week means 3.5 years. (7 years divided by 2) By adding 3.5 years to the autumn of 27AD, we come to the Spring of 31AD. What happened in the Spring of 31AD? Prophecy says...

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  Daniel 9:26-27, "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:... 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..."

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  Matthew 26:27-28, "And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it;  For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins."

The "covenant with many" is what actually happened when Jesus Christ sealed the covenant when He started His public ministry in 27AD and then shed His blood on that cross and died. He died for all those that sinned even though He Himself knew no sin. He did this for the salvation of all those that would accept His sacrifice for the remission of their own sins.

In the middle of the week of Daniel we see that Jesus hung on the cross but “but not for Himself.” And why does it say He is cut off by “not for Himself?” Jesus died for the sins of you and me. He was that sinless Lamb of God and the perfect sacrifice for sin. He was not on that cross for any sin He committed. Just like of old when the Jewish nation brought forth a lamb to be slaughtered for their sins; it could NOT have any "blemish" upon it because the Messiah that lamb represented was to have absolutely no sin in Him.

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  Exodus 12:5, "Your lamb shall be without blemish…”

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  John 14:30, "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me."

To further confirm that this occurred. At the very moment "The Lamb of God who taketh away the sins of the world" (John 1:29) died on that cross; the temple veil ripped from top to bottom therefore signifying that the "lamb sacrifice" for sins of the nation of Israel was at an end! Or as Daniel put it, the "oblation ceased." At the exact moment the Lamb of God died for our sins, all sacrifice for sin was complete.

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  Matthew 27:50-51, "Jesus, when he had cried again with a loud voice, yielded up the ghost.  And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;"

Exactly 3.5 years AFTER Jesus stepped into the river Jordan the Messiah was cut off but not for any sins He committed. He died for those that had sins, who also needed to have them "atoned" for by bringing a lamb for sacrifice. In the exact year 31AD this sacrifice occurred.

By the way, there is another way of finding Messiah was "cut off" 3.5 years after He begins His ministry. Directly after Jesus is anointed by God in the river Jordan, Luke 3:23 told us earlier that "Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age" when He "began" His ministry. So now all one needs do is count the amount of Passovers that follow from this time until Jesus is "cut off" and you will see that 3.5 years have passed by. I have this broken down in box #18 in the room if you’re interested.

(Read John chapter 2 through chapter 13. Specifically John 2:13,23...6:3,4...13:1 (passover, 1-2-3)

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  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."

To further confirm what happened in the “midst of the week,” when Jesus died the prophecy said He made “an end of sins” as well as reconciled all those that believed in Him; which in turn brought the righteousness of Christ upon His followers from that day forward. To finish this “week of Daniel” as many call it, after the death and resurrection of Christ there was still 3.5 years left in the prophecied 490 years afixed to the Jews to accept Jesus Christ as Messiah. So, the apostles had to preach to the Jews another 3.5 years to finish off the week. Did they do this?

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  Luke 24:46-47, "And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behoved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third day:  And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem."

To finish off the week of Daniel, as well as finish the final years left in the 490 years of probation for the Jews, the Apostles were specifically targeting the Jewish nation in their Gospel preaching campaign. Prophecy said that after Messiah would be "cut off" for our sins, there would still be 3.5 years left for the Jews to hear the message of the Gospel. The Apostles did exactly that. They preached exclusively to the Jewish nation. So, when did the "week of Daniel" end?

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  Acts 7:56-58, "And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man standing on the right hand of God.  Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him with one accord,  And cast him out of the city, and stoned him: and the witnesses laid down their clothes at a young man's feet, whose name was Saul."

In the Autumn of the year 34AD, exactly 3.5 years from the time “Messiah was cut off” the Jewish leaders openly rejected the Gospel message. They made an open declaration of that rejection by the stoning of the first martyr, Stephen. A stoning that was wholly approved by the leaders of Israel. Further biblical fact can be found in a prophetic utterance, and then a prophetic confirmation...

Sadly, the prophecy also speaks of a tragic event.

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  Daniel 9:26-27, "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. 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."

Was Jerusalem destroyed after the Jewish nation rejected the Gospel message?

In A.D.66 when Cestius came against the city, but unaccountably withdrew, the Christians discerned in this the sign foretold by Christ, and fled while 1,100,000 Jews are said to have been killed in the terrible siege in A.D. 70. -Eusebius, Church History, book 3, chap. 5

Notice this...

Because this prophecy is so accurate, Satan used four methods to try and hide it. #1, he caused Rome to change the calendars thereby confusing the truth in the minds of many. #2, he convinced the Jews of old to proclaim to this day that Daniel was a false prophet. (They said this because he predicted their probation ending in the Autumn of 34AD) #3, he used Cyrus Scofield in 1910 to create a gap theory that allowed many to adopt a seven year tribulation theory that used the week of Daniel out of chronological order to make it appear the week comes at the end of time, instead of in 27AD. All those that claim this prophecy speaks of a 7 year tribulation at the end of time can only do so by declaring what happened at Calvary was a lie. This week of Daniel is far too easy to prove fulfilled between 27AD to 34AD. Which leads us to Satan’s fourth and final attack on this prophecy. Most churches, including the SDA church have stopped teaching prophecy to their members so as to prevent the people from discovering the false prophecies of today are just that, false. This bold attack on Christian prophecy proves it is in fact something Satan fears in a big way. Now do you see why the remnant people are hated? We are prophesied to be the only people on earth that perfectly understand it.

More coming soon?