In each blog, I often reference many different topics that I've already covered (or will soon cover), and maybe you've missed. Please review my blogs to read more...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
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Given all the clues from the Revelation, the Olivet Discourse, Apostles, and the Prophets you should be starting to see our future unfold. Not only the events themselves, but also the timing of those events. Scripture gives us everything we need to sort this out.
At this point in my studies, I'm confident that we can know the approximate timeline for the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week, the middle of that week, the timing for the harpazo, when God's wrath will be poured out, the conclusion of the 70th week, and the inauguration of the Millennial Kingdom and several other upcoming events.
Note that I say "approximate" above!
We have to consider not only the official sighting of the sliver of the new moon for Yom Teruah, but also an intercalary 13th month (30 days) that comes into play every third year (or so) on the Jewish calendar - it's a type of "leap-month" to account for seasons, much like our "leap-year" that occurs seven times every nineteen years.
This will come into play when we get to:
Dan 12:11 From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
1,260 days + 30 days = 1,290 days
It was all given to us in Scripture.
Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.
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Day or Hour
In Jewish Feasts - Part 3 we discussed:
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
Mat 25:13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
In Part 3 we discussed how the statement above is a Hebraic idiom for Yom Teruah - The Feast of Trumpets which falls on Tishri 1.
It is the seventh month of the Jewish calendar referred to as the Sabbath of months.
Yom Teruah in Hebrew means "the day of the awakening blast".
It is Rosh HaShanah - the head of the year.
It is referred to as the Hidden Day.
In the Talmud it is called Yom haKeseh - the day of concealment.
It is the first of the three fall feasts (appointed times) and I believe Jesus was giving us a very clear clue as to when the rapture (harpazo) would occur.
Because of the timing and uncertainty of the new moon we can't know the exact day and hour... which is why this feast is celebrated over a period of two days - to allow for that uncertainty of when the sliver of a new moon would be witnessed and announced.
Only the Father knows when that will be as it is His appointed time.
We cannot know the exact day and hour, but I believe it will occur on one of the two days of Yom Teruah... the Feast of Trumpets - "at the last trump":
1 Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Note that this trump is not one of the seven trumpet judgments... we'll get to the specifics of the last trump in the next blog and you'll clearly see that Paul was referring to Yom Teruah and not the seventh judgment trump of Revelation.
Rev 7:9-10 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the Throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God Who sits on the Throne, and to the Lamb.
If we know when the harpazo occurs, we also know when the seventh seal is opened, and God's wrath begins.
The sixth seal marks the harpazo and the seventh seal marks the beginning of the Day of The Lord. The seventh seal will occur on the same day as the harpazo. When it is opened, there will be approximately 30 minutes of silence:
Rev 8:1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Zep 1:7 Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.
The angels will be given the trumpets and God's wrath of the seven trumpet judgments will shortly begin:
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
We know that the fifth trumpet lasts for a period of five months which will be part of the one year and ten days:
Rev 9:5 ... to torment for five months...
Also occurring will be the bowl judgments which are more severe than the trumpet judgments and come towards the end of the 70th week... likely during the final ten days of awe just before, and concluding with Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement.
Rev 15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
The sixth bowl will prepare the highway to Armageddon for the kings of the east:
Rev 16:12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.
The seventh bowl signals "it is done" (Rev 16:17) and the seventh trumpet signals the beginning of Jesus reign on earth (Rev 11:15).
You may have noticed me mention a very specific "length of time" above.
We know the length of time that God's wrath will last is 1 year and 10 days.
How do we know this?
Jesus said:
Mat 24:37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
There are several clues given to us from Noah's flood.
Jesus also said:
Luk 17:28 It was the same as happened in the days of Lot:
There are clues given us in the story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah.
Luk 17:30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
What are the important clues given to us concerning Noah and Lot?
When Noah was rescued and entered the ark - judgment came on the same day (also see Gen 7:11-13 below):
Luk 17:27 ... until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
When Lot was rescued and left Sodom - judgment came on the same day.
Luk 17:29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
Is there another clue from Noah?
How long was Noah on the ark before he set foot on earth again?
How long did God's wrath of the flood prevail?
Gen 7:11-13 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. The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark...
We can see above that the deep burst open, and the rains came on the 17th day of the second month and they entered the ark that same day.
It rained for 40 days and nights, but they were protected in the ark much longer than that:
Gen 8:13-16 Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.
Then God spoke to Noah, saying, "Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons' wives with you.
They were protected from the flood for exactly one year and ten days.
Might this be another clue?
It is...
One year and ten days from the harpazo of the Church, at the last trump of Yom Teruah, brings us exactly to another Jewish feast (appointed time)...
Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement.
The Day of Atonement is known as The Day. The only day when the high priest enters into the Holy of Holies.
Lev 16:30-31 for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute.
God's wrath of Noah's flood lasted exactly one year and ten days as will His wrath at the conclusion of Daniel's 70th week... it will conclude on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and the second of the fall feasts.
Noah and his family were protected in the ark just as we'll be protected in Heaven with Christ during the Day of The Lord and His wrath.
Mat 24:37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
There's another interesting Scripture I'd like to point out:
Deu 24:5 When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be FREE AT HOME one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken.
As believers, we are not appointed unto God's wrath:
Isa 26:19-20 Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Come, My people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; hide for a little while until indignation runs its course.
Psa 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
The Bride of Christ will be enjoying His presence in Heaven for one year before...
... we return with Him for the Battle of Armageddon.
Jesus alone will defeat Satan and his armies, but we will be following Him:
Rev 19:11-14 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in Righteousness He judges and wages war.
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
75 days later the Millennium Kingdom will be inaugurated.
Why 75 days?
If you'll recall from Part 3 we learned about Hanukkah.
Hannukah is celebrated 75 days after the Day of Atonement.
This was the length of time allotted to purify the Temple after Antiochus Epiphanes (foreshadow of Antichrist) had desecrated it (you can read about this in the apocryphal books of Maccabees).
The Temple was re-dedicated after this 75 days which brings us exactly to Hannukah, and...
... the 1,335 days of:
Dan 12:12 How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!
Daniel's 70th week = 7 years.
First half, "beginning of birth pangs" = 3.5 years (1,260 days).
Second half, "great tribulation" = 1,260 days and ends.
1,260 days + 75 days = 1,335 days.
The 75 days are the days of preparation and purification culminating in the dedication of the Millennial Kingdom.
Now for some more interesting numbers.
Since we know Daniel's 70th week ends on the Day of Atonement, it must also begin on the Day of Atonement seven years prior.
If Daniel's 70th week begins on the Day of Atonement, what occurs exactly 3.5 years after the Day of Atonement?
The Passover lamb is selected in Nisan 10, inspected for spots and blemishes for four days, and is sacrificed on Passover (Nisan 14).
On the following day, Nisan 11, is when Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem identifying Himself as the Messiah and the Passover Lamb...
Is it any wonder that Antichrist makes his "grand entrance" during this sacred feast also?
It is not a coincidence that Antichrist, as an anti-mirror of Jesus, reveals himself at the same appointed time and sits on the Throne of the Temple in Jerusalem... defiling the Temple with his "spots" and "blemishes".
To do so, on such a Holy feast as Passover will be astonishing to all of Israel and the world... you might say it will be a desolating abomination.
Dan 11:36 Then the king [Antichrist] will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.
This is the midpoint of Daniel's 70th Week when the false covenant with Israel will have been broken and the 3.5 year great tribulation period will begin.
Dan 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.
God's wrath will begin at the seventh seal, last for one year and ten days, and then the indignation will be finished. National Israel will finally see their Messiah.
How fitting for Israel to have their sins fully atoned for on the very Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)!
We know that the entire length of Daniel's 70th Week has been set aside for Israel to "finish the transgression" and to "make atonement for iniquity":
Dan 9:24 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.
This will all come to an end on that day... The Day.
Jesus will make quick haste at the Battle of Armageddon and Daniel's 70th Week will come to a conclusion!
Jewish Calendars
This might be too much information, but I want to include a brief summary for my own future reference.
The Jewish calendar is a tricky thing... I won't bore you with the details but can assure that the algorithm that Hillel II formulated can cause big problems. The Hillel II lunar-solar calendar (360 AD) is the pre-calculated calendar used in Israel today. This is not the calendar described in the Bible.
On top of that there are two Hebrew calendars... civil and religious. To add to the confusion even more, there are actually four calendars according to Jewish tradition. There are also Sabbath years (seventh year for land rest beginning in the seventh month - Tishri) and Jubilee years (50th year after seventh sabbath year).
With the addition of the Jewish "leap-month", seven times every nineteen year cycle, the difference between a lunar year and solar year, etc. a problem arises in declaring a new moon earlier than the actual crescent of the new moon appears.
Timothy J. McHyde gives a fuller explanation that can be summed up as:
" ... the calculated Jewish month starts one to three days ahead of the observed Hebrew month. Thus, the Jewish Tishrei 1 / Rosh HaShanah is not ever likely to fall on the Biblical Tishrei 1 / Day of Trumpets from which the holiday is derived...Thus, the [present] Jewish calendar gives you a different reckoning of times that what was in use in the first century when Jesus kept the feasts."
Thankfully, God gave Israel seven appointed times (Leviticus 23) and a new calendar (Exodus 12).
Exo 12:2 This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.
All the feasts are figured from the religious calendar.
A Biblical year is denoted as a 360 day period and a month as 30 days. We see this repeated within Scripture and this is referred to as the Prophetic Calendar.
For example a five-month period of Noah is noted as 150 days (Gen 7:11, Gen 7:24, Gen 8:3-4).
You can also note all of the references from Daniel and Revelation (42 months, 1,260 days, 3.5 years, etc.) as all being equivalent.
The Biblical calendar is based off of barley and when it reaches the stage of ripeness called Abib, and the visibility of the first new moon after ripening. The first visible moon following the ripening becomes the first month of the year and is called Nisan (Aviv).
The period between one year and the next is either 12 or 13 months dependent upon the Abib (ripeness of the barley).
This is why it is important to check the ripeness of the barley (in Jerusalem) in the 12th month. If the barley is Abib (ripened) then the following new moon declares the new year. If the barley is still immature then a 13th leap-month (Adar Bet - second adar) is added to the Biblical calendar.
That might have been too much detail, but it's important to understand.
Of course, there are many other controversies surrounding the calendar, but I will not post all of those here. There are many great resources online and in book form which all get into the fine details... some of which are absolutely fascinating to read!
The point of this is to state that the exact day and hour cannot be absolutely known...
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
We may not know the exact day and hour, but we certainly have a good idea of what to watch for!
When we see the events of Daniel 8 begin to take center stage, I'll be watching for the false covenant with Israel on the Day of Atonement which will signal the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week.
There is also an online calendar which is based off of the Biblical calendar guidelines and the given procedures that God instructed. It is called the "Karaite Calendar". If you Google it, you'll find it... it's the calendar I personally am keeping an eye on!
I love this quote from an unnamed author:
His calendar is marked in the stars, kept by the moon, observed by the sun, and ordered in the rotation of the earth. All of His important dates are written in advance, His feasts, celebrations, Sabbaths and epoch changing events.
We can rest assured in the One Who sits on the Throne... everything is in His time... not ours.
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
CLICK HERE! for an index to previous blogs.
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Given all the clues from the Revelation, the Olivet Discourse, Apostles, and the Prophets you should be starting to see our future unfold. Not only the events themselves, but also the timing of those events. Scripture gives us everything we need to sort this out.
At this point in my studies, I'm confident that we can know the approximate timeline for the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week, the middle of that week, the timing for the harpazo, when God's wrath will be poured out, the conclusion of the 70th week, and the inauguration of the Millennial Kingdom and several other upcoming events.
Note that I say "approximate" above!
We have to consider not only the official sighting of the sliver of the new moon for Yom Teruah, but also an intercalary 13th month (30 days) that comes into play every third year (or so) on the Jewish calendar - it's a type of "leap-month" to account for seasons, much like our "leap-year" that occurs seven times every nineteen years.
This will come into play when we get to:
Dan 12:11 From the time that the regular sacrifice is abolished and the abomination of desolation is set up, there will be 1,290 days.
1,260 days + 30 days = 1,290 days
It was all given to us in Scripture.
Amo 3:7 Surely the Lord GOD does nothing unless He reveals His secret counsel to His servants the prophets.
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Day or Hour
In Jewish Feasts - Part 3 we discussed:
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
Mat 25:13 Be on the alert then, for you do not know the day nor the hour.
In Part 3 we discussed how the statement above is a Hebraic idiom for Yom Teruah - The Feast of Trumpets which falls on Tishri 1.
It is the seventh month of the Jewish calendar referred to as the Sabbath of months.
Yom Teruah in Hebrew means "the day of the awakening blast".
It is Rosh HaShanah - the head of the year.
It is referred to as the Hidden Day.
In the Talmud it is called Yom haKeseh - the day of concealment.
It is the first of the three fall feasts (appointed times) and I believe Jesus was giving us a very clear clue as to when the rapture (harpazo) would occur.
Because of the timing and uncertainty of the new moon we can't know the exact day and hour... which is why this feast is celebrated over a period of two days - to allow for that uncertainty of when the sliver of a new moon would be witnessed and announced.
Only the Father knows when that will be as it is His appointed time.
We cannot know the exact day and hour, but I believe it will occur on one of the two days of Yom Teruah... the Feast of Trumpets - "at the last trump":
1 Cor 15:52 In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed.
Note that this trump is not one of the seven trumpet judgments... we'll get to the specifics of the last trump in the next blog and you'll clearly see that Paul was referring to Yom Teruah and not the seventh judgment trump of Revelation.
Rev 7:9-10 After these things I looked, and behold, a great multitude which no one could count, from every nation and all tribes and peoples and tongues, standing before the Throne and before the Lamb, clothed in white robes, and palm branches were in their hands; and they cry out with a loud voice, saying, "Salvation to our God Who sits on the Throne, and to the Lamb.
If we know when the harpazo occurs, we also know when the seventh seal is opened, and God's wrath begins.
The sixth seal marks the harpazo and the seventh seal marks the beginning of the Day of The Lord. The seventh seal will occur on the same day as the harpazo. When it is opened, there will be approximately 30 minutes of silence:
Rev 8:1 When the Lamb broke the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven for about half an hour.
Zep 1:7 Be silent before the Lord GOD! For the day of the LORD is near, for the LORD has prepared a sacrifice, He has consecrated His guests.
The angels will be given the trumpets and God's wrath of the seven trumpet judgments will shortly begin:
Rev 8:2 And I saw the seven angels who stand before God, and seven trumpets were given to them.
We know that the fifth trumpet lasts for a period of five months which will be part of the one year and ten days:
Rev 9:5 ... to torment for five months...
Also occurring will be the bowl judgments which are more severe than the trumpet judgments and come towards the end of the 70th week... likely during the final ten days of awe just before, and concluding with Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement.
Rev 15:1 Then I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels who had seven plagues, which are the last, because in them the wrath of God is finished.
The sixth bowl will prepare the highway to Armageddon for the kings of the east:
Rev 16:12 The sixth angel poured out his bowl on the great river, the Euphrates; and its water was dried up, so that the way would be prepared for the kings from the east.
The seventh bowl signals "it is done" (Rev 16:17) and the seventh trumpet signals the beginning of Jesus reign on earth (Rev 11:15).
You may have noticed me mention a very specific "length of time" above.
We know the length of time that God's wrath will last is 1 year and 10 days.
How do we know this?
Jesus said:
Mat 24:37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
There are several clues given to us from Noah's flood.
Jesus also said:
Luk 17:28 It was the same as happened in the days of Lot:
There are clues given us in the story of Lot and Sodom and Gomorrah.
Luk 17:30 It will be just the same on the day that the Son of Man is revealed.
What are the important clues given to us concerning Noah and Lot?
When Noah was rescued and entered the ark - judgment came on the same day (also see Gen 7:11-13 below):
Luk 17:27 ... until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.
When Lot was rescued and left Sodom - judgment came on the same day.
Luk 17:29 but on the day that Lot went out from Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.
Is there another clue from Noah?
How long was Noah on the ark before he set foot on earth again?
How long did God's wrath of the flood prevail?
Gen 7:11-13 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. The rain fell upon the earth for forty days and forty nights. On the very same day Noah and Shem and Ham and Japheth, the sons of Noah, and Noah's wife and the three wives of his sons with them, entered the ark...
We can see above that the deep burst open, and the rains came on the 17th day of the second month and they entered the ark that same day.
It rained for 40 days and nights, but they were protected in the ark much longer than that:
Gen 8:13-16 Now it came about in the six hundred and first year, in the first month, on the first of the month, the water was dried up from the earth. Then Noah removed the covering of the ark, and looked, and behold, the surface of the ground was dried up. In the second month, on the twenty-seventh day of the month, the earth was dry.
Then God spoke to Noah, saying, "Go out of the ark, you and your wife and your sons and your sons' wives with you.
They were protected from the flood for exactly one year and ten days.
Might this be another clue?
It is...
One year and ten days from the harpazo of the Church, at the last trump of Yom Teruah, brings us exactly to another Jewish feast (appointed time)...
Yom Kippur - The Day of Atonement.
The Day of Atonement is known as The Day. The only day when the high priest enters into the Holy of Holies.
Lev 16:30-31 for it is on this day that atonement shall be made for you to cleanse you; you will be clean from all your sins before the LORD. It is to be a Sabbath of solemn rest for you, that you may humble your souls; it is a permanent statute.
God's wrath of Noah's flood lasted exactly one year and ten days as will His wrath at the conclusion of Daniel's 70th week... it will conclude on Yom Kippur, the Day of Atonement and the second of the fall feasts.
Noah and his family were protected in the ark just as we'll be protected in Heaven with Christ during the Day of The Lord and His wrath.
Mat 24:37 For the coming of the Son of Man will be just like the days of Noah.
There's another interesting Scripture I'd like to point out:
Deu 24:5 When a man takes a new wife, he shall not go out with the army nor be charged with any duty; he shall be FREE AT HOME one year and shall give happiness to his wife whom he has taken.
As believers, we are not appointed unto God's wrath:
Isa 26:19-20 Your dead will live; their corpses will rise. You who lie in the dust, awake and shout for joy, for your dew is as the dew of the dawn, and the earth shall cast out the dead.
Come, My people, enter into your rooms and close your doors behind you; hide for a little while until indignation runs its course.
Psa 27:5 For in the day of trouble He will conceal me in His tabernacle; In the secret place of His tent He will hide me; He will lift me up on a rock.
The Bride of Christ will be enjoying His presence in Heaven for one year before...
... we return with Him for the Battle of Armageddon.
Jesus alone will defeat Satan and his armies, but we will be following Him:
Rev 19:11-14 And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse, and He who sat on it is called Faithful and True, and in Righteousness He judges and wages war.
His eyes are a flame of fire, and on His head are many diadems; and He has a name written on Him which no one knows except Himself. He is clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God.
And the armies which are in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, were following Him on white horses.
75 days later the Millennium Kingdom will be inaugurated.
Why 75 days?
If you'll recall from Part 3 we learned about Hanukkah.
Hannukah is celebrated 75 days after the Day of Atonement.
This was the length of time allotted to purify the Temple after Antiochus Epiphanes (foreshadow of Antichrist) had desecrated it (you can read about this in the apocryphal books of Maccabees).
The Temple was re-dedicated after this 75 days which brings us exactly to Hannukah, and...
... the 1,335 days of:
Dan 12:12 How blessed is he who keeps waiting and attains to the 1,335 days!
Daniel's 70th week = 7 years.
First half, "beginning of birth pangs" = 3.5 years (1,260 days).
Second half, "great tribulation" = 1,260 days and ends.
1,260 days + 75 days = 1,335 days.
The 75 days are the days of preparation and purification culminating in the dedication of the Millennial Kingdom.
Now for some more interesting numbers.
Since we know Daniel's 70th week ends on the Day of Atonement, it must also begin on the Day of Atonement seven years prior.
If Daniel's 70th week begins on the Day of Atonement, what occurs exactly 3.5 years after the Day of Atonement?
The Passover lamb is selected in Nisan 10, inspected for spots and blemishes for four days, and is sacrificed on Passover (Nisan 14).
On the following day, Nisan 11, is when Jesus rode the donkey into Jerusalem identifying Himself as the Messiah and the Passover Lamb...
Is it any wonder that Antichrist makes his "grand entrance" during this sacred feast also?
It is not a coincidence that Antichrist, as an anti-mirror of Jesus, reveals himself at the same appointed time and sits on the Throne of the Temple in Jerusalem... defiling the Temple with his "spots" and "blemishes".
To do so, on such a Holy feast as Passover will be astonishing to all of Israel and the world... you might say it will be a desolating abomination.
Dan 11:36 Then the king [Antichrist] will do as he pleases, and he will exalt and magnify himself above every god and will speak monstrous things against the God of gods; and he will prosper until the indignation is finished, for that which is decreed will be done.
This is the midpoint of Daniel's 70th Week when the false covenant with Israel will have been broken and the 3.5 year great tribulation period will begin.
Dan 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.
God's wrath will begin at the seventh seal, last for one year and ten days, and then the indignation will be finished. National Israel will finally see their Messiah.
How fitting for Israel to have their sins fully atoned for on the very Day of Atonement (Yom Kippur)!
We know that the entire length of Daniel's 70th Week has been set aside for Israel to "finish the transgression" and to "make atonement for iniquity":
Dan 9:24 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.
This will all come to an end on that day... The Day.
Jesus will make quick haste at the Battle of Armageddon and Daniel's 70th Week will come to a conclusion!
Jewish Calendars
This might be too much information, but I want to include a brief summary for my own future reference.
The Jewish calendar is a tricky thing... I won't bore you with the details but can assure that the algorithm that Hillel II formulated can cause big problems. The Hillel II lunar-solar calendar (360 AD) is the pre-calculated calendar used in Israel today. This is not the calendar described in the Bible.
On top of that there are two Hebrew calendars... civil and religious. To add to the confusion even more, there are actually four calendars according to Jewish tradition. There are also Sabbath years (seventh year for land rest beginning in the seventh month - Tishri) and Jubilee years (50th year after seventh sabbath year).
With the addition of the Jewish "leap-month", seven times every nineteen year cycle, the difference between a lunar year and solar year, etc. a problem arises in declaring a new moon earlier than the actual crescent of the new moon appears.
Timothy J. McHyde gives a fuller explanation that can be summed up as:
" ... the calculated Jewish month starts one to three days ahead of the observed Hebrew month. Thus, the Jewish Tishrei 1 / Rosh HaShanah is not ever likely to fall on the Biblical Tishrei 1 / Day of Trumpets from which the holiday is derived...Thus, the [present] Jewish calendar gives you a different reckoning of times that what was in use in the first century when Jesus kept the feasts."
Thankfully, God gave Israel seven appointed times (Leviticus 23) and a new calendar (Exodus 12).
Exo 12:2 This month shall be the beginning of months for you; it is to be the first month of the year to you.
All the feasts are figured from the religious calendar.
A Biblical year is denoted as a 360 day period and a month as 30 days. We see this repeated within Scripture and this is referred to as the Prophetic Calendar.
For example a five-month period of Noah is noted as 150 days (Gen 7:11, Gen 7:24, Gen 8:3-4).
You can also note all of the references from Daniel and Revelation (42 months, 1,260 days, 3.5 years, etc.) as all being equivalent.
The Biblical calendar is based off of barley and when it reaches the stage of ripeness called Abib, and the visibility of the first new moon after ripening. The first visible moon following the ripening becomes the first month of the year and is called Nisan (Aviv).
The period between one year and the next is either 12 or 13 months dependent upon the Abib (ripeness of the barley).
This is why it is important to check the ripeness of the barley (in Jerusalem) in the 12th month. If the barley is Abib (ripened) then the following new moon declares the new year. If the barley is still immature then a 13th leap-month (Adar Bet - second adar) is added to the Biblical calendar.
That might have been too much detail, but it's important to understand.
Of course, there are many other controversies surrounding the calendar, but I will not post all of those here. There are many great resources online and in book form which all get into the fine details... some of which are absolutely fascinating to read!
The point of this is to state that the exact day and hour cannot be absolutely known...
Mat 24:36 But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but the Father alone.
We may not know the exact day and hour, but we certainly have a good idea of what to watch for!
When we see the events of Daniel 8 begin to take center stage, I'll be watching for the false covenant with Israel on the Day of Atonement which will signal the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week.
There is also an online calendar which is based off of the Biblical calendar guidelines and the given procedures that God instructed. It is called the "Karaite Calendar". If you Google it, you'll find it... it's the calendar I personally am keeping an eye on!
I love this quote from an unnamed author:
His calendar is marked in the stars, kept by the moon, observed by the sun, and ordered in the rotation of the earth. All of His important dates are written in advance, His feasts, celebrations, Sabbaths and epoch changing events.
We can rest assured in the One Who sits on the Throne... everything is in His time... not ours.
Some of these excerpts are from my personal notes copied from 30+ years of studying... some of these notes are direct copies of various sources - I do not claim to have authored every word of this... it's just a mass collection I've tucked away over the years for my own personal studies... I didn't consider a bibliography at the time I directly copied small excerpts from various authors. Also, any emphasis (underlines, bold text, all CAPS, etc.) noted above was only meant to capture my personal attention as I studied...
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