Now as He drew near, He saw the city
and wept over it, saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your
day, the things that
make
for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. “For days will come
upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you
and close you in on every side, “and level you, and your children within you,
to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because
you did not know the time of your visitation.”
Luke 19:41-44 NKJV
I vividly recall the time
that I was studying this passage and discovered the fact that Jesus was holding
the Jews accountable because they had forgotten that He had revealed the exact
time of His “visitation” in the book of Daniel.
I found it amazing, but not surprising, that God in His wisdom made the
choice to prophesy the exact day that He would present Himself to the world as
Savior and Lord. I can also remember
when I was studying the subject of prophecy in the Bible and discovered the
principle of dual fulfillment as it relates to prophecies in the Word. Jack Kelley explains it this way:
“The
first fulfillment is always incomplete and confirms the fact that another
fulfillment is coming. The first fulfillment is called a partial fulfillment
for dozen or more prophecies that either have already had a dual fulfillment or
will have.that reason.
One
having to do with the Birth of Jesus is a particularly clear example.
For to us a child is
born, to us a son is given, and the government will be on his shoulders. And he
will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of
Peace. Of the greatness of his government and peace there will be no end. He
will reign on David’s throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding
it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of
the Lord Almighty will accomplish this (Isaiah 9:6-7).
Of
these two verses, the child was born, the Son was given. All the rest awaits
future fulfillment. But the fact that the prophecy was partially fulfilled
proves that ultimately it will all be fulfilled.”
So if we put these two facts
together, dual fulfillment and Jesus holding the Jews accountable for not
knowing when He would appear, is it possible we as the Church could find
ourselves in the same position? I found
the following article this past week and thought you might find it interesting,
especially with what the world looks like right now.
Do
Jerusalem’s Walls Predict the Year of Messiah’s Return?
By T.W. Tramm
In Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy, a countdown to Messiah
begins with a rebuilding of Jerusalem:
“From the going forth of the commandment to restore and
to build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks and sixty
two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome
times” (Dan. 9:25). Counting the 7 and 62 weeks (483 years) from Artaxerxes’ commandment
to rebuild Jerusalem in 457 BC, we arrive at 27 AD, the year Jesus was anointed
Messiah.
Thus, Daniel’s prophecy straightforwardly predicts the
year of Messiah’s first coming.
As remarkable as it is that Daniel foretells the year of
Jesus’ first advent, there is reason to suspect a second layer of foretelling.
Since there are two comings of Messiah, and the prophecy addresses Israel’s
final redemption in the last days (v. 24), it would make sense for the timing
of His second advent to be addressed as well.
THE WALL SHALL BE BUILT AGAIN
Daniel mentions the walls around Jerusalem being rebuilt
in troublous times.
The walls surrounding modern-day Jerusalem were ordered
rebuilt by the Ottoman Sultan “Suleiman the Magnificent ”in 1536-37 AD, during
troublous times.
The story goes that Suleiman’s order to rebuild the walls
was prompted by a series of dreams in which he was being chased by lions who
seemed intent on devouring him. In one dream the Sultan finally stopped running
and faced the lions, asking what he should do to save his life. He was told he
should build the wall of Jerusalem.
While we don’t know precisely when Suleiman gave the
original order to rebuild, inscriptions on the fountains (sabils) and walls indicate
he ordered their particular construction in 1536 and 1537.
This is where things get interesting. When we add
Daniel’s 7 and 62 weeks (483 years) to 1536-37, we arrive at the present time:
2019-20.
Is it possible Daniel’s 483 years have a dual
application, that similar to how Messiah appeared 483 years after the first
rebuilding of Jerusalem in 457 BC, He will make a second appearance 483 years
after the rebuilding of Jerusalem’s walls in 1536-37 AD?
SEPARATING THE WEEKS
Since no word of Scripture is without meaning, we
understand that Daniel’s 7 weeks and 62 weeks are mentioned separately for a
reason.
Taking the weeks separately, when we add the 62 weeks
(434 years) to 1536-37 AD, we arrive at 1970-71 AD.
This is interesting because 1970 is the year in which
another order to rebuild Jerusalem went forth following the recapture of the
Holy City by Israeli forces in 1967. Articles and documents from the time show
that while the planning and clearing of rubble in preparation for the
rebuilding of Jerusalem began soon after the Israeli takeover in 1967, the plan
to rebuild the Holy City, composed by a team of architects, engineers, and
administrators, was not approved and publicly communicated until late August,
1970.
That two historic orders to rebuild Jerusalem—1536-37 AD
and 1970-71 AD—are separated by exactly 62 weeks (434 years) suggests that both
are integral to Daniel’s prophecy.
Counting the remaining set of weeks—the 7 weeks, or 49
years—from 1970, we, again, arrive at 2020.
While speculative, it’s awe-inspiring to consider that
the two sets of weeks, 7 and 62, together and independently may reveal the
years of two appearances of Messiah following two historical restorations of
Jerusalem.
CONVERGENCE
2020 is an auspicious
year for multiple reasons.
First, adding 7
years, the span of the tribulation period to this year, 2027 becomes the time of
Israel’s final redemption, when the “everlasting righteousness” referred to in
Daniel is realized (v. 24).
What’s fascinating is that 2027 also marks exactly 2,000
years since Jesus’ anointing as Messiah in 27 AD. Israel’s final redemption
occurring after 2,000 years, or two (thousand-year) “days,” is alluded to in
Hosea:“After two days he will revive us; on the third day he will raise us up,
that we may live before him” (Hos. 6:2).
Another reason 2020 is pivotal is that it marks the
3-year anniversary of major prophetic signs:
·The
Great American Eclipse (August21, 2017).
·Jared
Kushner’s first trip to the Middle East to start work on a plan to achieve
“peace and security”(August 21, 2017).
·The
Revelation12 Sign(September 23, 2017).That 2020 marks the third anniversary of the
above signs is significant because the number 3 is associated with key rapture themes
and typologies such as weddings, resurrection, a period of warning, and the
Lord descending in a cloud with the sound of a trumpet:
·Jesus
attended a wedding on the third day(John 2:1).
·Jesus
was resurrected on the third day (1 Cor. 15:4).
·It
took Jonah 3 days to warn the Ninevites of impending judgment (Jonah 3).
·At
Sinai, God told the Israelites to sanctify themselves for the third day, on
which He would descend in a cloud and, with the sound of a trumpet, call Moses
up to meet Him (Ex.19:10-20).
Notice the three-day pattern. In Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy
as well as other places in Scripture, a day is symbolic of a year of actual
time. Thus 3 days is equivalent to 3 years.
Additionally, the number 3, which is fundamental to the
nature of a God who is Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, denotes divine perfection
and completion. According to E.W. Bullinger in his book Numbers in Scripture,
the number 3 points to what is “real, essential, perfect, substantial,
complete, and Divine .... all things that are specially complete are stamped
with this number three.”
With the three-day pattern in view, the third anniversary
of major biblical signs—2020—is a logical time for the event signaled to occur.
SUMMARY AND CONCLUSION
Having noted how 2020 marks a plausible second endpoint
of Daniel’s 7 and 62 weeks, we understand that when cryptic prophecies,
year-counts, ancient dating, and various calendars are involved, a degree of
uncertainty exists as to exact times. That is to say, the Gregorian calendar
year2020 should not be seen as an absolute deadline or cut-off date for Jesus’
return.
Nonetheless, the overall convergence of signs and
timelines indicates we are indeed on the cusp of the final turning point in
God's Program for the Church and Israel. The Rapture of true believers in
Christ at the beginning of Daniel’s 70th week will be followed by a
period of terror and chaos unlike anything seen before.
The upside of this terrible time is that it will
culminate in Israel’s redemption via Messiah Jesus, conceivably a mere 7 years
from now.
Not only are we in a potentially pivotal year, we’re in a
pivotal season. Numerous scriptures link summer to the end of the age and the
onset of Judgment Day (Matt. 24:32; Amos 8:1, 2; Jer. 8:20; Mic. 7:1-2). Summer
begins around Pentecost and ends at the autumnal equinox in September.
While a popular view is that the Rapture will occur on
the Day of Pentecost, it’s prudent to view the harvest festival with no fixed
or assigned date as a “season.”The outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the
Church’s first Pentecost in Acts 2 represented the planting of a “field,” the
Church-field, which has been growing and maturing throughout a nearly
2,000-year long “summer.”
Assuming the Lord plans to put off the reaping of the
Church-field as long as possible to allow maximum time for repentance, it’s
conceivable He could wait until late summer when the last of the spring-planted
wheat is harvestable, and the summer fruits—representing Israel and
nonbelievers—are likewise ready for harvesting and processing.
With the “season” paradigm in view, Pentecost may not be
considered “fullycome” until summer’s end, on a day no one knows (Acts 2:2;Mark
13:32).The end of summer 2020 is thus a plausible time for the Rapture:
·It’s
been 483 years (7 and 62 weeks) since the order to rebuild Jerusalem’s walls in
1536-37(Dan. 9:25).
·It’s
been49 years (7 weeks) since a plan to rebuild Jerusalem in 1970 (Dan. 9:25)
·It’s
been 3 years since major signs in the heavens (Luke 21:25; Joel 2:31; Rev.
12).Additionally—
·It’s
been 6,000 years, or 120 jubilees, since biblical creation (Gen. 6:3; 2 Pet.
3:8).
·It’s
been 70-plus years, the span of a biblical generation, since the “fig tree,”
the Nation of Israel, began putting forth leaves(Matt. 24:32-34; Ps. 90:10). ·The stage is set for the
Ezekiel 38 conflict, the emergence of the 10-nation antichrist, or “beast,” governing
system, and the global economic collapse alluded to in Revelation (6:6; 13:7;
17:12-14).
·Multiple
peace deals between Israel and her Arab-Muslim neighbors are on the table or in
the works (1 Thess. 5:3).
All that remains to happen before the Church is suddenly
snatched up into the clouds is the sounding of God’s trumpet. When that awesome
trumpet sounds, there will be only two kinds of people on earth: those escaping
judgment and those being left behind to face it (Luke 21:34-36).To be part of
the escaping group, one must be in a saving relationship with Jesus Christ. If
you’re unsure of your standing with God, call on Him now. Tell Him you want to
turn away from your sins. Confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord; believe
that God raised Him from the dead, and you will be saved (Romans10). Do it
today. Time is running out....
NOTES:
1. A “week,” in the context of Daniel’s prophecy, refers
to a 7-year period. Thus, 7 weeks represent a period of 49 years; 62 weeks
represent a period of 434 years; and 69 weeks represent a period of 483 years.
2. Jesus became the Messiah, a word meaning “Anointed
One,” at His baptism when God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit (Luke 3:21-22).
This pivotal event marked the beginning of Christ's earthly ministry as Messiah
(Luke 4:18-19; Acts 10:37-38).
3. Below is the construction timeline for Jerusalem’s walls
and fountains. While construction continued until 1541, Daniel’s prophecy
specifies that the countdown to Messiah begins with the “going forth of the
commandment” to rebuild (Dan.9:25). The fountains (sabils) were ordered rebuilt
in 1536. The walls were ordered rebuilt in 1537.The fountain (sabil) on the SW
side of the Jaffa Gate -29th June 1536.The fountain 10 meters West of St. Stephen's
Gate (Lion's Gate) -29th June 1536.The fountain Sabil al Wad -14th December
1536.The fountain Sabil at the Al Nazir Gate -February 12th, 1537.The North
Wall -1537.Jaffa Gate -1538.Damascus Gate -1538.Lion's Gate -1538-1539.Herod's
Gate -1539. South Wall -1540.Completion of construction end1541. http://www.pages.drexel.edu/~cfh27/Jerusalem/Ottoman_Sabils_of_Jerusalem.pdf?fbclid=IwAR1xvA1AADQq7qIwKlTSHXP_TFLXuBbNBKWBKxXhdAPyumx5IH5zEB4M-wQhttp://www.antiquities.org.il/jerusalemwalls/hstry_12_eng.asp
4. Possible dual fulfillment scenario in Daniel’s 70
Weeks Prophecy:457 BC (Artaxerxes’ command to rebuild) + 483 years = 27 AD
(First appearance of Messiah)1536-37 AD (Suleiman’s order to rebuild) + 483
years = 2019-20 AD (Second appearance of Messiah?)
5. New York Times article dated August 21, 1970:
“Jerusalem is Hewing To Rebuilding
Plans”:https://www.nytimes.com/1970/08/22/archives/jerusalem-is-hewing-to-rebuilding-plans.html?fbclid=IwAR3A54sqHYje4fLDsiWlP7VUpqha-92nNKNRZNvy76fYZs3c0vQ5LBYygIY
6. Interestingly, there are exactly 1,900 years between
the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in August 70 AD and the Holy City’s rebuilding
in August 1970. According to Bullinger, the number 19 denotes the perfection of
Divine order connected with judgment.
7. A thousand years is symbolic of a single day in
Scripture: “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day
is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day” (2 Peter 3:8).
Now if you found that interesting, let me share something
else I found this week. There is another
prophecy from Daniel I was made aware of while researching this article I want
to call to your attention.
“Blessed
is he who waits,
and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days”. Daniel 12:12
NKJV
This prophecy refers to the second half of the Great
Tribulation, and yet, because of what we have discussed today, am I the only one
who finds the following curious? This
Tuesday President Trump will host the leaders of several Arab countries and the
leader of Israel as they sign a peace agreement called the “Abraham Accords”. That in itself is certainly newsworthy but
what I find to be particularly interesting is that Tuesday when this event
occurs is exactly President Trump’s 1335th day in office.
Probably just coincidence.
Keep watching.
