Daniel’s 70-7’s
At one time during His ministry, the disciples asked Jesus what signs to watch for in His Second Coming. The Holy Spirit considered the answer so important that it’s recorded in three different Books, Mark, chapters 13-14 ; Luke, chapters 21-22. And in Matt. 24. Let’s turn to Matthew 24 and look at Verse 3,
And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what [shall be] the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Then Jesus tells them about the general conditions of the world just before His return. His description of those conditions are from verse 4 to 14. But then when we get to verse 15 it takes on a different characteristic. Now Jesus is more specific and tells them in verse 15,
When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Here is something He said they could actually see but then, the last part says, “whoso readeth, let him understand” We are all whosoevers, aren’t we? Jesus is saying that we can understand this prophecy. But what is interesting is that Jesus mentions the Book of Daniel. And whenever Jesus, or anyone mentions something recored by one of the Prophets from the Old Testament they always take the words literally.
Let’s turn to Daniel, chapter 12, verse 4.
But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.
Until this generation many of the things in the Bible, but especially the Book of Daniel, were “sealed up”. In other words no one understood what much of it meant until recent times. But today people are certainly running to and fro. In one hundred years we have gone from horse and buggy to landing a man on the moon. People are going “to and fro” so hard they’ll run you over. Here’s a word to you anyone who is running to and fro and doing it too fast. The next time a Patrolman pulls you over for speeding try to convince him you’re just fulfilling prophecy.
Knowledge is increasing. Today all of the knowledge in the world doubles every two years. That is a direct fulfillment of what Daniel prophesied. Keep your place in Daniel.
In the past we’ve studied most of the important prophecies that have to do with the Rapture and the Second Coming of the Lord. I know many of you are interested in learning more about prophecy so, tonight let’s look at what has been called the “backbone” of all Bible prophecy. It’s in this Book of Daniel.
When we think of Daniel we usually think of how God saved him from being the main course of a bunch of hungry lions. Someone once said the the reason the lions didn’t eat Daniel because he was full of grit and all backbone. But there is much more to Daniel than the lion’s den. Let’s turn to Daniel, chapter 9 and just hold your place there.
We’re going to go back to about 600 years before Christ. Daniel was taken captive by Babylonian armies when he was about 16 years old. When he got to Babylon Nebuchednezar made him an officer in his court. The name “Daniel” means “God is my judge”. Nebuchednezar couldn’t have a man walking around with a name like that because the Babylonians worshipped Bel, a false god. So King Nebuchednezar changed Daniel’s name to “Belteshazzar” which means, “May Bel protect him”.
Nebuchednezar changed Daniel’s name thinking that it would turn Daniel from his faith in God and accept the religion of Babylon. That’s just like the world. The world is preoccupied with names: Nike, Pepsi, Cadillac, Garth Brooks, Madonna, Elvis and on and on.
The world worships names and lifestyles. If you live a Godly life they give you a name with a lot less reverence. But it’s not the name the world gives you that matters. It’s not the name your parents gave you. It’s not the name above the church door that matters. It’s what is in your heart of hearts and believing in a Name that is above all names, and that Name is Jesus.
So Daniel is in Babylon, he’s in it but not of it. At this point of time Daniel he is more than 80 years old. The Bible says Daniel was “greatly beloved”. He spent much time praying. Because of his faithfulness, God is about to bless him with some revelation knowledge. Look at Daniel, chapter 9, verses 1-2,
“In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; 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.”
In about 538 B.C., at the age of 16, Daniel was taken captive, by a Babylonian King named Nebuchednezzar. Other prisoners taken at the same time were Shadrach, Meschach, and Abednego. Daniel is reading his Bible one day and, in the Book of Jeremiah he discovers that the Babylonian captivity would last for 70 years. We can do the same thing today. Hold to Daniel and turn to the place that Daniel was reading that day. If you pay close attention to this teaching tonight it will go a long ways in helping you to understand Bible prophecy. Turn to Jer. 25:8-11, (Back one Book to Ezek., then Lamentations, then Jer.)
Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts; Because ye have not heard my words, 9 Behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about, and will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and an hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will take from them the voice of mirth, and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom, and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the candle. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, [and] an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jeremiah prophesied that the land, including Jerusalem, would be a desolation, or totally destroyed and the people taken to be slaves in Babylon. And that was exactly what happened. Jeremiah said it was to be for a length of 70 years. This gives Daniel a clue as to how much longer they will be captives. Now here’s a question, why did God decide on a specific time frame such as 70 years for Israel? That’s what we will look at right now.
We have to understand that God is punishing Israel at this point because of their sins. (“….Because ye have not heard my words, as it says in Jer. 8). The reason Daniel and all the others were prisoners of Babylon is because Israel had sinned against God. They had rebelled against God in many areas and one of the sins they had committed was in their failure to keep one of the laws of God concerning the land. Turn to Lev. 25:1-5.
“And the LORD spake unto Moses in mount Sinai, saying, 2 Speak unto the children of Israel, and say unto them, When ye come into the land which I give you, then shall the land keep a sabbath unto the LORD. 3 Six years thou shalt sow thy field, and six years thou shalt prune thy vineyard, and gather in the fruit thereof; 4 But in the seventh year shall be a sabbath of rest unto the land, a sabbath for the LORD: thou shalt neither sow thy field, nor prune thy vineyard. 5 That which groweth of its own accord of thy harvest thou shalt not reap, neither gather the grapes of thy vine undressed: [for] it is a year of rest unto the land.”
God had commanded that every 7 year the land would not be farmed. It was to “rest” for a year. In other words, every 7th year was supposed to be a “sabbath” year for the land. A year of resting. Evidently sowing and reaping the land became to lucrative for the farmers of Israel and they just continued to farm the land year after year. They failed to follow God’s law for 490 years.
490 years divided by 7, for every 7th year of Sabbath, is 70 years. So, Israel owed God, and the land, 70 years of rest. That’s how God came to the number of years Israel would be held captive in Babylon. If no one was farming the land, it would get the 70 years of rest it had coming to it.
This is just one example of how God carries out His Word. Gal. 6:7 says,
“Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap”.
Instead of letting the land rest every 7th year they were sowing seed and reaping a harvest every 7th year. But that’s not all they were sowing. Every 7th year they were sowing “labor” by working the land when they were not supposed too and now they were reaping “labor” as slaves of Babylon.
Sowing and reaping is a lot more than finances. We should examine ourselves and ask, “what am I sowing as I walk in life?” What am I sowing with the words that come out of my mouth ?” If we sow words that bring kindness, love, and compassion to others that is what we should expect to reap. If we sow forgiveness, we reap forgiveness. We reap Mercy for mercy sown. Kindness for kindness sown. Love for love sown. The amount of harvest depends on the amount of seed sown. One seed reaps thirtyfold. Two seeds 60 fold. Three a hundredfold, and so on.
Have you ever thought about what you sow to yourself? We should ask, “What am I sowing to my own body?” What will I reap by what I am sowing into it?” In my case I can say, “It’s been a good year for growing. I’ve reaped a plentiful harvest”.
Good place to change the subject. Back to Daniel 9. Look at verse 3. Daniel realizes the sins of Israel have reaped a harvest of 70 years captivity. Beginning with verse 3, Daniel begins to repent and pray to ask God forgiveness for all of Israel. From verses 4 thru 19 is the prayer of Daniel. Daniel goes to God and, in verse 16, appeals to God’s righteousness. He didn’t appeal on behalf of his or Israel’s righteousness because it had none, besides it had not repented as a nation. In verse 17 he appeals “for the Lord’s sake”. Then in 18 Daniel appeals to God “for thy great mercies”. And finally in verse 19 he appeals to God because, “thy city and thy people are called by thy name”. Daniel was appealing to God because God’s reputation was at stake as long as the Temple was destroyed and as long as God’s chosen people were slaves of another nation.
Verses 4 thru 19 looks like a long prayer but, I have read that it would take about three minutes to read it in Hebrew. Daniel has been praying for 3 minutes and while he is still praying, all of a sudden he is interrupted by the Angel Gabriel. In verse 22 Gabriel tells Daniel,
“O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.”
It took Gabriel about 3 minutes to get from the Throne Room to Daniel’s room in Babylon. That was in the O.T., under the Law. Today, being under grace we should ask, “What took Gabriel so long?” Isaiah 65:24 says, “And it shall come to pass that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear.”
That is probably speaking about the Millennial reign but already we have a direct line to the Throne Room thru our Intercessor, Jesus. We should remember that when we go to prayer because Isaiah 58:9 says, “Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer, You shall cry, and He will say, Here I Am”. That’s why they call Him the “I Am”.
You see, man has it turned around. Man asks, “Am I?” “Am I my own savior?” Jesus anwers, “I AM!” Man asks, “Am I my deliverer” Jesus says, “ I AM your Deliverer!” Man asks, “Am I the wisest man?” Jesus says, “I AM!” Man asks, “Am I my healer? Jesus comes back with “I AM! Whatever you need I AM it”.
Then Gabriel goes on in verse 23 to explain things to Daniel. This is one of the most important prophecies in the whole Bible because it gives us definite signs to watch for.
At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew [thee]; for thou [art] greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. 24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 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. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”
Now, we’re going to look at this prophecy. We may not get through the whole thing and we won’t have time to go into it in great depth but we can cover the highlights.
First of all, look at verse 24. Notice the expression, “Seventy weeks”. In Hebrew, “weeks” is a unit of measure. A week is “7” of something. We’re familiar with a week of days or, 7 days. But the Jews can have a week of days, a week of months (7 months) or a week of years (7 years). 70 weeks means 70 - “sevens” of years. Or, 70 x 7 = 490 years.
So, reading verse 24 we know that 70 weeks are determined, or decided by God in His dealings with Israel. Notice it is “upon thy people and upon thy holy city”. That is an important point. It concerns the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem.
There are six things that are going to be accomplished in these 70 years and after.
No. 1 is “to finish the transgression”.
No. 2 thing is “to make an end of sins”.
No. 3 thing is “to make reconciliation for iniquity”.
No. 4 is “to bring in everlasting righteousness”.
No. 5 is “to seal up the vision and prophecy”.
No. 6, ‘to anoint the most holy”.
The only one that has been fulfilled so far is No. 3, “To make reconciliation for iniquity” and that was done at Calvary.
Now, as we move on to verse 25 we notice that the 490 years are split into 3 different time periods. Daniel 9:25-27,
Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the command-ment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, (There’s the first part) and threescore and two weeks (The second part) the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof [shall be] with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week. (The third part. We’re going to stop right there) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make [it] desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Here the Angel Gabriel is telling Daniel the exact time that Jesus was coming to earth. We’re going to have to do a little figuring to see when it is. There has to be a starting place. In verse 24 it tells us where to start.
“Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the command-ment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks . . . . ”
According to Gabriel, if we knew when the command was given to rebuild the city of Jerusalem we can figure the time of the first coming of Jesus. I might add here that this prophecy is so powerful that people have been saved just by reading and doing a little calculating.
We know that from the time that the command went forth to the Messiah is seven weeks and threescore and two weeks. How long is that? Threescore is 60. 7 weeks plus threescore weeks is 67. Notice it says, “threescore and two weeks”. We have to add two weeks. 67 plus 2 equals 69 weeks. That’s 69 weeks of years. 69 weeks of years is 69 times 7 which equals 483 years. That’s how long it would be from the time of the command to the coming of Jesus, 483 years.
So, when was the command given to restore Jerusalem? History records 4 separate commands but only one that was a command to rebuild both the city and the walls of Jerusalem. In the Book of Nehemiah (2:1-8) we can learn more. You don’t need to turn there. Nehemiah served as the Kings cupbearer, a kind of servant. The king was Artaxerxes, a Persian king. Nehemiah was feeling down one day because his heart and mind were on Jerusalem and the walls which needed to be rebuilt. The king noticed Nehemiah and asked what was wrong. Nehemiah opened up to him and asked that he be sent back to Jerusalem to build the city and restore the walls. The king granted his wish. The day the king gave the command to Nehemiah is the starting point of our calculations. We can know the exact date that command was given because Nehemiah, Chapter 2, on the day Nehemiah was told to return to Jerusalem verse 1, says:
“And it came to pass in the month Nisan, in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king”
The Jewish month of Nisan was the month the king gave the command. The exact day was figured out about 100 years ago by Sir Robert Anderson, the head of Scotland Yard. Using our Gregorian Calendar, it figured out to be on March 14, 445 B.C.
So now we have a starting date, March 14, 445 B.C. An important point to remember is that the Jewish calendar is based on 12 months of 30 days each. In other words, there are 360 days to the Jewish calendar, not 365 like ours. We have already figured out that it is going to take 483 years from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince. 483 years times 360 days per year = 173,880 days.
Now, we have the starting date, March 14, 445 B.C. Now look back at verse 24, Daniel 9.
“Know therefore and understand, [that] from the going forth of the command-ment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince [shall be] seven weeks,”
It says that from the time of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem until the time of Messiah the Prince. In the original Hebrew text the word for “Prince” is “hagid”, meaning “king”. The same word is used for King Saul. In Hebrew this same passage would read “unto the Messiah the King”. So, from the time of the command until Jesus would be revealed to Israel as their King would be 483 years or 173,880 days.
Now let’s jump up to the New Testament to Luke 19, and read verses 28-41,
28 And when he had thus spoken, he went before, ascending up to Jerusalem. 29 And it came to pass, when he was come nigh to Bethphage and Bethany, at the mount called [the mount] of Olives, he sent two of his disciples, 30 Saying, Go ye into the village over against [you]; in the which at your entering ye shall find a colt tied, whereon yet never man sat: loose him, and bring [him hither]. 31 And if any man ask you, Why do ye loose [him]? thus shall ye say unto him, Because the Lord hath need of him. 32 And they that were sent went their way, and found even as he had said unto them. 33 And as they were loosing the colt, the owners thereof said unto them, Why loose ye the colt? 34 And they said, The Lord hath need of him. 35 And they brought him to Jesus: and they cast their garments upon the colt, and they set Jesus thereon. 36 And as he went, they spread their clothes in the way. 37 And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38 Saying, Blessed [be] the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. 39 And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. 40 And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.
Now, what Jesus is doing here is fulfilling what Gabriel told Daniel would happen. During His ministry there were many times when the people would have lifted up Jesus as their King. Every time Jesus would gently slip away from them and say, “My time has not yet come”. When Jesus climbed up on the back of a donkey and rode down the Mt. Of Olives to Jerusalem He was revealing Himself to them as King. Now look back at verses 37-38 of Luke 19.
“And when he was come nigh, even now at the descent of the mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to rejoice and praise God with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; 38 Saying, Blessed [be] the King that cometh in the name of the Lord: peace in heaven, and glory in the highest.”
If it had been up to the disciples Jesus would have been sitting in the Holy of Holies as King but the decision was not up to them. It was up to the authorities, the ones who represented Israel, the Pharisees. What did they say above all the praise and shouting? Verse 39,
“And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, (If you have a KJV, put a line through “Master” and write “Teacher”. The King James version is from England. The King James translators used “master” because that’s the title used for the teachers in England. In todays language “Master” is considered a title of honor. The Pharisees were not about to honor Jesus. They yelled, “Teacher”) . . . . rebuke thy disciples”.
In other words, they were telling Jesus to shut His people up! I wouldn’t be surprised if they didn’t cover their ears while the people were praising Jesus. You see, the Devil can’t stand all that praise and worship to the Lord. But, you know what? By saying what they did they just passed up the best deal of the century, or many centuries. They should have shouted along with everyone else and accepted Jesus as their King.
What did Jesus answer back? Luke 19, Verse 40, “And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.”
Don’t you just wish they had shut up for a couple of minutes so we could read where the stones did cry out? But they just kept shouting.
Then Jesus got to Jerusalem and in verse 41, “And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, 42 Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, (this was an important day to the nation of Israel and to all of us) the things [which belong] unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, 44 And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
Awhile ago I mentioned Sir Robert Anderson who, in 1895, calculated the date of the decree for the Jews to return to Jerusalem after being captive slaves in Babylon. That date was March 14, 445 B.C. The angel Gabriel told Daniel that from that day it would be 483 years, or 173,880 days until the Messiah the King. Sir Robert Anderson has also given us the exact date for that as well. The date is April 6, 32 A.D.
Now, is the Bible true? Can you believe what you read? If there is one little lie or one error in the Bible it would throw doubt on the whole book. Let me give you an example of planting a seed of doubt.
There was once a farmer who raised prize watermelons. His crop was looking good until one day he noticed some of them were turning up missing. Then one day he saw some boys running out of the field with some of his best melons. The farmer had an idea how to stop it. He made a sign and planted it in the middle of the field. This is what the sign said, “You boys steal all the melons you want but, I want to warn you, one of them is poisoned.”
Feeling pretty proud of his idea the farmer walked out a day later and saw none of his melons had been touched. His sign worked! The only thing different in the field was another sign stuck in the ground next to his. He walked over, read the second sign then sat down in the field and sobbed. You see, next to his sign that said, “You boys steal all the melons you want but, I want to warn you, one of them is poisoned” was the other sign which simply said, “Now there are two”. Because of the 2nd seed of doubt planted the whole crop was ruined.
So, the Bible can’t be in error in any part. The Angel Gabriel was putting it on the line when he gave specific times for these prophecies to be fulfilled. Let’s do a little calculating to see if he was right.
Using our calendar, from March 14, 445 B.C. the time of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to March 14, 32 A.D. when Jesus revealed Himself to Jerusalem as King is 476 years.
(1 B.C. to 1 A.D. is one year. There is no such thing as year zero)
476 years x 365 days per year = 173, 740 days. (Getting close)
Add for leap years= 116 days (Leap years do not occur in century years unless divisible by 400, therefore we must add three less leap years in four centuries) 116 + 173,740 = 173,856 days. (Leap year=366 days. Every 4th year Feb. 29 added)
Our calculation so far has been from March 14 B.C. to March 14 A.D. So we have to add the days from March 14th to April 6th, the day Jesus entered Jerusalem on a donkey, which is: 24 days.
173,856 days plus 24 days is: 173,880 days. The exact number of days Gabriel told Daniel it would be until Jesus, the Messiah!
-- TRIBULATION --
This fulfills 69 of the 70 weeks that Gabriel said God had determined upon Israel and the city of Jerusalem. There is 1 week of years yet to be fulfilled. One week of years is how many years? 7 years. The 7 years yet to be fulfilled are going to be 7 years of punishment for Israel for not accepting Jesus as King on that 6th day of April, 32 A.D.
What do we know will come upon the world and last for 7 years? The Tribulation. The Tribulation is meant for the nation of Israel. It is to bring them to repentance as a nation and to accept Jesus as King in His Second Coming.
Romans 11:25-29,
25 For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, (When did the blindness of Israel begin? (Luke 19:42) When the Pharisees rebuked Jesus and told Him to keep his disciples quiet. They rejected Jesus as the Messiah and so, God has temporarily blinded their spiritual eyes as a nation. Individually Jews will still come to the Lord but as a Nation they are blinded to the fact that Jesus is their Messiah. The verse goes on to make it clear that this will happen.…..) until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in. (After the Church is raptured we spend the seven years of Tribulation in Heaven. Then we come back with Jesus as the world is about to destroy itself. It’s when Jesus comes back to Jerusalem and sets up His kingdom that the next verse goes into effect…..)26 And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: 27 For this [is] my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.
(Here is where a lot of people miss it with Israel. They believe that God has just cast aside Israel because they have backslidden. They say that we have replaced Israel in God’s eyes and now we can reap all of the blessings that is due Israel. But that’s not the case. We have not replaced Israel. Yes, we can receive the blessings of Abraham because, spiritually speaking, we are grafted-in Jews. But God has not gone back on His word with Israel. God is a covenant keeping God. If He didn’t keep His covenant with Israel would He keep His covenant with you and I? Our covenant with God the Father has been cut in the Blood of the Lamb which means it is eternal)
28 As concerning the gospel, [they are] enemies for your sakes: but as touching the election, [they are] beloved for the fathers’ sakes. 29 For the gifts and calling of God [are] without repentance.
That phrase in verse 25, “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in” is speaking about this Age of Grace, the Church Age that we are living in now. When the Church is completed, when the last person receives Jesus Christ as their Lord and Savior. THEN will God the Father turn to God the Son, Jesus, and say, “Bring them on home, Son”. That will be the time of the Rapture.
So, the 70 weeks of Daniel include 7 weeks of years rebuilding the Jerusalem and its walls. That’s 49 years. Then 62 weeks of years from the command to build until Jesus rides down the Mt. Of Olives on a donkey to Jerusalem. That’s 434 years. 434 plus 49 = 483 years. That leaves one week of years, or 7 years to complete the 490 years prophesied by Gabriel. We have just mentioned that those 7 years are the Tribulation.
Now, between the 483 years and the 7 years of Tribulation there is an interval. That interval is this Church Age. That interval, or pause, has lasted about 2000 years. That is, since the Day of Pentecost until today. When the last person has accepted Jesus, then the Rapture happens and God’s time clock begins ticking again, for 7 years of Tribulation.
The Pharisees didn’t recognize the day of their visitation by God, manifested in the Flesh through His Son, Jesus Christ. Have you have recognized your time of visitation? Meaning, the time when the Holy Spirit revealed to you that Jesus should be made King and Lord of your life?
