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.
