This study examines another precision prophecy fulfilled in history showing
that God says what He means and means what He says. I recommend going to
Chuck Missler’s site for the full study. I’m just going to reorder
the information to show the relationship with the
14,000 days.
The original information was put together by Chuck with further dating detail
by Guy Cramer with dating by John Zachary as well. They are quoted from
their studies with links.
This study will show, from scripture and history, prophesied judgments
for Israel that spanned 2,520 years tying the servitude of the nation from
606 BC to May 14, 1948 (when Israel again became a nation) and the desolations
of Jerusalem from 587 BC to June 7, 1967 (when Israel took back control
of all Jerusalem).
Ezekiel 4:1-8 Thou also, son of
man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee, and pourtray upon it
the city, even Jerusalem: And lay siege against it, and build a fort
against it, and cast a mount against it; set the camp also against it,
and set battering rams against it round about. Moreover take thou unto
thee an iron pan, and set it for a wall of iron between thee and the
city: and set thy face against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou
shalt lay siege against it. This shall be a
sign to the house of Israel. Lie thou also upon thy left
side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it: according
to the number of the days that thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear
their iniquity. 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. Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward
the siege of Jerusalem, and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt
prophesy against it. And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou
shalt not turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the
days of thy siege.
Chuck
Missler: “The Prophet Ezekiel was called upon to undertake
a number of strange performances, one of which was to lie on his side
for a total of 430 days. Each day was expressly to represent a year
of judgment against the nation.
A number of commentators acknowledge
a difficulty which appears when one attempts to apply this specifically
to Israel’s history. Seventy of the years would seem to be accounted
for in the Babylonian Captivity, but that leaves 360 years (430 minus
70) unaccounted for. [Failure to keep the Sabbath
of the land was the basis for the 70 year’s captivity.
2 Chronicles 36:19-21] The 360 years do
not seem to fit any period of their history. It has been suggested by
some that there might be a clue in Leviticus 26, where
God indicates that:
Leviticus 26:18 And if ye
will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then
I will punish you seven times more
for your sins.
(In fact, this commitment is reiterated four times in that chapter
for emphasis. Leviticus 26:18, 21, 24, 28) It has been suggested
that multiplying the “problem” 360
years by seven yields 2520 years. After conversion
from 360-day years and the calendar adjustments made in 1572,
this is the duration of time from the exile through the Diaspora.”
Chuck Missler goes into greater detail on calendar reconciliation and
how that plays into the details. I recommend checking his page out for that
depth of information. This is meant to summarize the main points with links
to deeper information if you so desire to research it further.
Guy Cramer: “Many
archaeological discoveries of the last 90 years have uncovered many
Babylonian texts that give precise times of astronomical data along
with the year of the King and the name of the King in the same document.
Other chronicles from Babylon that have been uncovered also give the
year and name of the king and events that happened at that time. The
astronomical information gives us data which we can translate into modern
dating of the astronomical cycles to give us an accurate time scale
in which the events occurred. This data when correlated answers a few
apparent contradictions in the Bible along with a few other mysteries.”
The following calculations are based on the ancient
360-day calendar which had 12 months consisting of 30 days. Guy Cramer
goes into detail on this topic
here and shows from the Bible why it changed and possibly how
here.
“Servitude of the nation”
The loss of Israel’s independence (70
years in length = 25,200 days)
First siege of Nebuchadnezzar
- Summer of 606 BC
Chuck
Missler: “For 490 years Israel had failed to keep the Sabbath
of the land; the Lord was saying, in effect, “You owe me 70!” (See
the article
Sabbath Crisis in Israel.) There were actually three sieges of
Nebuchadnezzar upon Jerusalem. The first siege began the “Servitude
of the Nation” and was prophesied to last 70 years.”
2 Chronicles 36:20,21 And
them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon;
where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of
the kingdom of Persia: To fulfill the word
of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed
her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath,
to fulfill threescore and ten years.
Jeremiah 25:11 And this
whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these
nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jeremiah 29:10 For thus saith
the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I
will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing
you to return to this place. [This is tied
to the
70
weeks of Daniel Bible Study]
Daniel is captured and taken into Babylonian captivity at the first siege
of Jerusalem.
Daniel 1:1 In the third year
of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came Nebuchadnezzar king
of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
Guy Cramer: “Daniel
1:1 happened between March/April 606 and February/March 605. This is
within the range that has been calculated for this prophecy to begin
(Summer of 606). However, with the data obtained
to date we cannot give a dogmatic answer on the month or even the season
in Daniel 1:1.”
Second Siege of Nebuchadnezzar
Jeremiah 52:1-6 Zedekiah
was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned
eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother’s name was Hamutal the
daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the
eyes of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For through
the anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he
had cast them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against
the king of Babylon. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign,
in the tenth month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar
king of Babylon came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched
against it, and built forts against it round about. So the city was
besieged unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And in the fourth
month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the city,
so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
Chuck
Missler: “The vassal king that Nebuchadnezzar left later rebelled;
a second siege resulted in his uncle, Zedekiah, being appointed to the
throne. The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel both went on to warn that
if they persisted in rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar the city of Jerusalem
would be destroyed. Yet Zedekiah ultimately yielded to the false prophets
and rebelled.”
Wikipedia:
March 16, 597 BC - Babylonians capture Jerusalem, replace Jehoiachin
with Zedekiah as king.
Decree of Cyrus
- July 23, 537 BC (exact day in order to be 2,520 years to May 14,
1948)
Guy Cramer: “The
period from the summer of 606 BC, (the first siege) to the summer of
537 BC (the decree of Cyrus) is exactly 25,200 days. This corresponds
to 70 years of 360 days duration!
If it was the spring (Grant
Jeffrey) or summer (Chuck Missler) of 606 BC at this time we do not
know, so the exact day for the prophecy to begin also cannot be
known.”
Jeremiah 25:12 And it shall
come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will
punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD,
for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make
it perpetual desolations.
Chuck
Missler: “When Cyrus conquered Babylon,
Daniel 5,he encountered the amazing letter written
to him by Isaiah [see below] a century
and a half earlier, which addressed him by name, highlighted his meteoric
career, and predicted that he would free the captives. His astonishment
resulted in his releasing the Hebrew captives to return to Judea to
rebuild their temple.”
Isaiah 44:28-45:3 That saith
of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure:
even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple,
Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the LORD to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before
him; and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the
two leaved gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go before
thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces
the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will
give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches of secret
places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee
by thy name, am the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 36:22,23 Now
in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia,
that the word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might
be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of
Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout
all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith
Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD
God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house
in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his
people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.
The British Museum in London contains the
cylinder of Cyrus where it is documented of Cyrus’s conquering
of Babylon without battle and the return of Israel to their homeland.
His decree
Without any battle he entered the town sparing any calamity... I
returned to the sacred cities on the other side of the Tigris, the
sanctuaries of which had been ruins for a long time, and established
for them permanent sanctuaries. I gathered all their former inhabitants
and returned to them their habitations.
For more on the details of the book of Daniel, listen to Chuck Missler’s
walk-through
here.
Ezra 1:1-4 Now in the first
year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth
of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the spirit of
Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all
his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus
king of Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms
of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem,
which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his
God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah,
and build the house of the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,)
which is in Jerusalem. And whosoever remaineth in any place where
he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and
with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill
offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.
Ezra 5:13-16 But in the first
year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree
to build this house of God. And the vessels also of gold and silver
of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the temple
that was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon,
those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and
they were delivered unto one, whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he
had made governor; And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry
them into the temple that is in Jerusalem, and let the house of
God be builded in his place. Then came the same Sheshbazzar, and
laid the foundation of the house of God which is in Jerusalem: and
since that time even until now hath it been in building, and yet
it is not finished.
Chuck
Missler: “It is instructive to note the remarkable precision
of the Scriptures:
Scripture clearly indicates that this era
closed on “the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, [Kislev]
even from the day that the foundation of the LORD’S temple was
laid,” (Haggai 2:10; 15-19) which was in 520 BC This is an interval
of precisely 25,200 days, or seventy 360-day years. (The precise calendar
difference is 25,202 days: the reckoning began the day after the Babylonian
army invaded, and ended the day before the foundation of the 2nd temple
was laid. For a detailed exposition, see
The Coming Prince, by Sir Robert Anderson, Appendix I.)”
From the first (1st) siege of Nebuchadnezzar
[Daniel taken to Babylon] to the Decree of
Cyrus when the Persians conquered Babylon & Israel was released (70
years - servitude of the nation) + 2,484 years, 9 months, 2 days =
May 14, 1948
Destruction of Jerusalem and loss of Jewish rule in Jerusalem (70
years ~ 25,200 days )
Chuck
Missler: “A third siege resulted in the destruction and desolation
of the city of Jerusalem. The “Desolations of Jerusalem”
also lasted 70 years, until Nehemiah ultimately succeeded in getting
the authority to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. This, too, was precisely
70 years. The city of Jerusalem was invaded on the tenth day of the
tenth month, Tebeth, in the ninth year of Zedekiah in 587 BC (Jeremiah
52:4; Ezekiel 24:1,2; 2 Kings 25:1) (And for 25 centuries this day has
been observed as a fast by Jews in every land.)”
Third siege of Nebuchadnezzar
- August 10, 587 BC (Loss of Jewish rule in Jerusalem)
Guy Cramer: “According
to Jeremiah the desolations of Jerusalem was punishment for not yielding
to the “Servitude of the Nation” which began in 606 BC,
with the first siege of Nebuchadnezzar.”
Jeremiah 27:6-11 And now have I given all these lands into
the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant; and
the beasts of the field have I given him also to serve him.
And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and his son’s
son, until the very time of his land come: and then many nations
and great kings shall serve themselves of him.
And it shall come to pass, that the nation
and kingdom which will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king
of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yoke of the
king of Babylon, that nation will I punish, saith the LORD, with
the sword, and with the famine, and with the pestilence, until I
have consumed them by his hand. Therefore hearken not ye
to your prophets, nor to your diviners, nor to your dreamers, nor
to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which speak unto you,
saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they prophesy
a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I should
drive you out, and ye should perish. But
the nations that bring their neck under the yoke of the king of
Babylon, and serve him, those will I let remain still in their own
land, saith the LORD; and they shall till it, and dwell therein.
Jeremiah 38:17-21 Then
said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of hosts,
the God of Israel; Ifthou wilt assuredly go forth unto the king of Babylon’s
princes, then thy soul shall live, and this city shall not be burned
with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:But if thou wilt not
go forth to the king of Babylon’s princes, then shall this
city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and they shall burn
it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews
that are fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their
hand, and they mock me. But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver
thee. Obey, I beseech thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak
unto thee: so it shall be well unto thee, and thy soul shall live.
But if thou refuse to go forth, this is the word that the LORD hath
shewed me:
Jeremiah 29:10
For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished
at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you,
in causing you to return to this place.
Daniel 9:2 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.
Guy Cramer: “The
Babylonian chronicles from the time of 593-556 have not been recovered
or have been lost. However, if we take the information from the earlier
chronicle events which coincides with the Biblical account we can determine
the time of the Desolation of Jerusalem from the other Biblical accounts.
Two passages in the Bible (2
Chronicles 36:11 and
2 Kings 24:18) tells us that Zedekiah reigned 11 years.
His 11 regnal year
can be dated between March/April 587 to February/March 586. Two other
passages (Jeremiah
52:12 and
2 Kings 25:8) tell us the days (7th-10th) and month (Av) in which
this took place and also that it was in
Nebuchadnezzar’s
19 year according to the Jewish non-Accession method of dating
Babylonian kings. This would also coincide with March/April 587 to February/March
586. A fifth passage completed by a Jew living in Babylon (Jeremiah
52:29) using the Babylonian Accession system tells us that this
is Nebuchadnezzar’s
18th year which also places the event between March/April 587
to February/March 586. From all this information the time for the
Desolation of Jerusalem can be dated as the
month of Av (July/August) 587. No other year or month fits
the chronology. This confirms the calculation for the beginning of the
prophecy for the Desolation of Jerusalem, which was fulfilled on June
7,1967.”
As a side note, Tisha B’Av means “the ninth (day)
of Av.” Both the first and third temples were destroyed on this date
on the Jewish calendar coinciding with July/August of the modern calendar.
Solomon’s temple was destroyed on 9-10 Av 3174 (23-24 July 0587 BC)
see: Jeremiah 52:12-13. The rest of the city may have fallen a few weeks
later. More information on the
Temple Mount.
Darius I confirms Jews
are to rebuild the temple - August 16, 518 BC (exact day in
order to be 2,520 years to June 7, 1967)
The Lord spoke to Zechariah in the 2nd year of the reign of Darius. God
tells Zechariah the seventy years of desolation in Jerusalem are up.
Zechariah 1:7-16 Upon the four
and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in
the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto Zechariah,
the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying, I saw by
night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood among
the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there
red horses, speckled, and white. Then said I, O my lord, what are these?
And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what
these be. And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and
said, These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through
the earth. And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among
the myrtle trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth,
and, behold, all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. Then the angel
of the LORD answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not
have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou
hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? And the LORD answered
the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words.
So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus
saith the LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with
a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that
are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward
the affliction. Therefore thus saith
the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house
shall be built in it, saith the LORD of hosts, and a line shall
be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
Wikipedia: A decree restarting the construction of the 2nd Temple
after a lull and confirming Cyrus’ earlier decree (Ezra 6:3-12)
granted by Darius in his second year (520-518
BC for Darius Hystaspes) Darius I of Persia became king.
In the second year of this monarch the work
of rebuilding the temple was resumed and carried forward to its completion
(Ezra 5:6-6:15), under the stimulus of the earnest counsels and admonitions
of the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. It was ready for consecration
in the spring of 515 BCE, more than twenty years after the return from
captivity.
Zechariah 7:1-5 And
it came to pass in the fourth year of
king Darius, that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah
in the fourth day of the ninth month, even in Chisleu; When they had
sent unto the house of God Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men,
to pray before the LORD, And to speak unto the priests which were in
the house of the LORD of hosts, and to the prophets, saying, Should
I weep in the fifth month, separating myself, as I have done these so
many years? Then came the word of the LORD of hosts unto me, saying,
Speak unto all the people of the land, and to
the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh
month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast
unto me, even to me?
This passage mentions that at the 4th year of the reign of Darius, 70
years had gone by after at the 18th year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar destroyed
the Jerusalem Temple Jeremiah 52:29. The 18th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar
was in 605 - 17 = 588 BC. The 4th year of
the reign of Darius I in 521 - 3 = 518 BC.
Decree of Darius: The
Jews, having been released by Cyrus, began to rebuild the temple. However,
the antagonists around them didn’t want this.
Ezra 5:1-5 Then the prophets,
Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo, prophesied unto the
Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of the God of Israel,
even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua
the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of God which is at
Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping them. At the
same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the river, and
Shetharboznai and their companions, and said thus unto them, Who hath
commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall? Then said
we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that make
this building? But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the Jews,
that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to Darius:
and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.
Ezra 5:6-17 is that letter sent to Darius I making sure he was aware
the Jews were rebuilding the temple. They wanted Darius to double-check
the king’s treasure house and make sure the decree of Cyrus was really
there. They were trying to cut the support for rebuilding the temple and
justify stopping this work. Darius responded quite differently than they
hoped.
Ezra 6 Then Darius the king made
a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where the treasures
were laid up in Babylon. And there was found at Achmetha, in the palace
that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein was a record
thus written:
In the first year of Cyrus
the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house
of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they
offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid;
the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore
cubits; With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and
let the expenses be given out of the king’s house: And also let
the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar
took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto
Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at
Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God.
Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your
companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far
from thence: Let the work of this house of God alone;
let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house
of God in his place. Moreover I make
a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the
building of this house of God: that of the king’s goods, even
of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these
men, that they be not hindered. And that which they have need
of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings
of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment
of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day
without fail: That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the
God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.
Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall
alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being
set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made
a dunghill for this. And the God that hath caused his name to dwell
there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to
alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius
have made a decree; let it be done with speed.
Then Tatnai,
governor on this side the river, Shetharboznai, and their companions,
according to that which Darius the king had sent, so they did speedily.
And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying
of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded,
and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel,
and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes
king of Persia.
And this house was finished on the third
day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth
year of the reign of Darius the king. And the children
of Israel, the priests, and the Levites, and the rest of the children
of the captivity, kept the dedication of this house of God with joy.
And offered at the dedication of this house of God an hundred bullocks,
two hundred rams, four hundred lambs; and for a sin offering for all
Israel, twelve he goats, according to the number of the tribes of Israel.
And they set the priests in their divisions, and the Levites in their
courses, for the service of God, which is at Jerusalem; as it is written
in the book of Moses. And the children of the captivity kept the passover
upon the fourteenth day of the first month. For the priests and the
Levites were purified together, all of them were pure, and killed the
passover for all the children of the captivity, and for their brethren
the priests, and for themselves. And the children of Israel, which were
come again out of captivity, and all such as had separated themselves
unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the land, to seek the
LORD God of Israel, did eat, And kept the feast of unleavened bread
seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful, and turned the
heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their hands in
the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
From the third (3rd) siege of Nebuchadnezzar
(levels Jerusalem in Av, 587 BC)
to Darius I (70 years - desolations of Jerusalem)
+ 2,484 years, 9 months, 2 days = June 6, 1967
Connecting Ezekiel’s 430 Days
to Daniel’s 70 Weeks
While the temple rebuilding commissioned by Cyrus began in the first
year of his reign, 537 BC, it still wasn’t
completed by the time Darius became the new king of Babylon. He made a decree
to extend the work on the temple.
Ezra 6:1-5 Then Darius the king
made a decree, and search was made in the house of the rolls, where
the treasures were laid up in Babylon. And there was found at Achmetha,
in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and therein
was a record thus written: In the first year of Cyrus the king the same
Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem,
Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and
let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore
cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; With three rows of
great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given
out of the king’s house: And also let the golden and silver vessels
of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple
which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought
again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place,
and place them in the house of God.
Decree of Artaxerxes
Longimanus - March 16, 445 BC
This is where the
70 weeks
of Daniel study comes into play. It wasn’t until Nehemiah that
a decree was made to rebuild the walls. The Jews were having difficulty
rebuilding without the protection of walls. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in
the seventh year (Ezra 7:8) of Artaxerxes I (458
BC), followed by Nehemiah, who arrived in the king’s 20th year
(445 BC) Nehemiah 2:1-11
Nehemiah 2:1-8 And it came to
pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king,
that wine was before him: and I took up the wine, and gave it unto the
king. Now I had not been beforetime sad in his presence. Wherefore the
king said unto me, Why is thy countenance sad, seeing thou art not sick?
this is nothing else but sorrow of heart. Then I was very sore afraid,
And said unto the king, Let the king live for ever: why should not my
countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my fathers’ sepulchres,
lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with fire? Then the
king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I prayed to the
God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and
if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send
me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers’ sepulchres, that I
may build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by
him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return?
So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I
said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to
the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I
come into Judah; And a letter unto Asaph the
keeper of the king’s forest, that he may give me timber to make
beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and
for the wall of the city, and for the house that I
shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good
hand of my God upon me.
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.
1whowaits from
FulfilledProphecy (January 9, 2007) - Perhaps the passage that might
apply is Ezekiel 4, which gives a specific period of time for the ‘siege
of Jerusalem’. God stated in Ezekiel 4 that the period of the
siege due to the sins of Israel, the northern kingdom, would be 390
days representing 390 years. The period of punishment for the northern
kingdom began with the siege of Samaria, roughly in
723-724 BC. (2 Kings 17:9)
After
the period of 390 years, the northern kingdom did not return to the
Lord, so it would appear that the passage in Leviticus 26 would apply.
Leviticus 26:18 if after all
these things you do not listen to me, I will chastise you seven
times more for your sin.
The math could be as follows:
390 x 7 = 2,730 yrs. x 360 days (Hebrew
calendar) = 982,800 days -:- 365.25 days (current calendar) =
2,690.7 years of punishment
2,690.7 years -
723 BC = 1967.7
And in fact the siege of Jerusalem
for the northern kingdom and the nation Israel did end in June of 1967.
1967 - 2007
But God also stated that there was a further siege
of Jerusalem for the southern kingdom, Judah , for 40 years, which was
described after the siege of Jerusalem for the northern kingdom.
While the northern kingdom consisted of the 10 tribes, the southern
kingdom consisted of the tribe of Judah, the tribe of David the king,
the tribe of Benjamin, and the Levites, the priests. The implication
could be that the siege of Jerusalem would continue for the ruling tribe
and the priests, which has in fact been the case for the last 40 years.
Because of the Islamic control of the temple mount Israel, although
she may have the legal right and military might to do so, Judah has
not ruled over that area for the past 40 years. And because of the Islamic
control of the temple mount the tribe of the priests, the Levites, have
not had access to the area most precious to them.
The siege
of Jerusalem for the southern kingdom has continued beyond the recapture
of Jerusalem in 1967 until the present day.
If Ezekiel 4 is describing the current ‘siege
of Jerusalem’ that siege should end this year, in
June 2007, when the 40 years
will be completed.
If this is the case, will Israel return
to the Lord this year or will the time of siege be multiplied times
seven as it was for the northern kingdom?
And what event might
bring such a return of Israel to the Lord? What event would allow the
Israeli people to reassert their authority over the temple mount, and
perhaps even rebuild the temple?
My belief is that the
Gog/Magog attack will be what brings Israel back to an Old Testament
sacrificial system and spurs them to rebuild the temple. When God destroys
the armies of Iran, Turkey, and Russia from the North, Israel will recognize
their God’s hand in that protection. This will spur them to begin
to worship Him the only way they know how, the ways of their fathers. They
have been blinded by Christ until the fullness of the Gentiles. Romans 11:25
I also think this spanking by God will quiet the most radical elements
of Islam allowing the rebuilding to take place. For more on this, read the
Temple Mount
page.
The bottom line is that as you continue to read through this collection
of studies, you will come to see that we are currently living in the times
of Bible prophecy and life as you have always known it, as your parents
parents parents have known it, is about to change completely. There is nothing
you can do to stop it and there is only one place of safety and peace in
the coming storms, Yeshua the Christ. I pray as you continue to see what
I have seen, that your personal relationship with Christ will blossom like
never before and the reality of the spiritual realm will invade your daily
life.
“Be not overcome
of evil, but overcome evil with good.” Romans 12:21
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