The final years

Can we actually be on the last page of God’s master script?

Does the Bible predict the period of time which will elapse between the declaration of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and the coming of the Messiah?

In the last two editions of Sword, I have expressed my opinion that Babylon, the kingdom of this world would fall within the next 10 years. To explain why I hold this view we will look at one of the best known prophecies in the Bible.

The Weeks

The prophecy of the ‘weeks’ in Daniel chapter 9 has probably received more attention from interpreters than any other prediction in the Bible. Readers will be aware that in this prophecy the term ‘weeks’ stands for periods of seven years. It covers a total period of seventy weeks (490 years) in which certain things will be accomplished for the nation of Israel. It is fascinating that despite all this attention there is one aspect of the prophecy which is generally overlooked. Halfway through verse 25 two periods of time are given, a period of seven weeks (49 years) and a period of sixty two weeks (434 years).

It is common practice for interpreters to add the seven times seven years and the sixty two times seven years together. Having come up with a period of sixty nine times seven years (483 years), they then focus on the single seven-year period mentioned in verse 27. Volumes have been written on the significance of this seventieth week of Daniel (which in my view has been partially fulfilled), whereas the significance of these two separate periods is ignored. “… until Messiah the Prince there shall be seven weeks; and sixty two weeks;” Daniel 9: 25.

Punctuation and logic

The verse as printed above has punctuation similar to that found in the Hebrew Bible. After the Jews were expelled from the land of Israel, Hebrew fell out of use as a spoken language. In order to preserve the traditionally understood meaning of the scriptures, the Rabbis added punctuation and vowel points to the text. In this instance they added a punctuation mark between the seven sevens and the sixty- two sevens which is the equivalent of a semicolon in English punctuation.
The punctuation confirms that the Jews understood that two separate periods were in mind.

…they added a punctuation mark…

Sir Isaac Newton, who as a Bible student and mathematician could not think of any reason for adding these two periods together, also promoted this view. In his study on the prophecies of Daniel he wrote the following: “We avoid also the doing violence to the language of Daniel, by taking the seven weeks and sixty two weeks for one number. Had that been Daniel’s meaning he would have said sixty and nine weeks and not seven weeks and sixty two weeks a way of numbering used by no nation.”

Sixty two weeks

Of the two periods, the sixty two weeks (434 years) comes first. From the given start date a period of 434 years will elapse before the Messiah would come. The prophecy then states that it is “after the sixty two weeks Messiah shall be cut off”. His cutting off refers to the cross, which is now history. The sixty-two weeks have been fulfilled.

The period started with the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and ended with the coming of the Messiah. It is widely agreed that the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given in 445/444 BC. In that year Nehemiah received a commission from Artaxerxes to return and restore Jerusalem. Moving forward in time 434 years brings us to 10 BC. At first this may seem a meaning- less date that has no relationship to the first coming of Christ. But that is the point. The prophecy is not revealing when the Messiah will come. It is stating that a period of 434 years will elapse before the Messiah comes.

The Father would not reveal the exact time of the birth of His beloved Son. At His birth the Son was vulnerable.
The radiance of God’s glory was contained within one tiny baby. Satan was lying in wait ready to destroy the baby as soon as He was born (Revelation 12: 4). To protect the Son the exact time of His birth was not revealed.

Once these years were complete, the faithful remnant in Israel could look forward in heightened expectation that Messiah could soon be born. Simeon was one of those waiting in anticipation. The Holy Spirit confirmed to him that the time was near.

The setting of a period when the Messiah would not come also guarded against acceptance of a false claimant to the title if one arose during those years.

Seven weeks

If the first period began with a decree to restore and build Jerusalem, so must the second. In 1967 Israel conquered the old city of Jerusalem. Although Israel took the old city of Jerusalem in 1967, they did not formally declare the city to be the capital of Israel for another 13 years. When it did happen it almost came in as an afterthought through a private members bill introduced into the Knesset. The Act when it was passed in 1980 declared “Jerusalem, complete and united, is the capital of Israel.” In many ways this Act did nothing to change anything. Most legal experts considered that the Act did not change the effective legal status of the city. It would be an easy date to pass over but for three reasons.

First is the coincidence that the declaration of Jerusalem as the Capital followed 13 years after the 1967 return. The decree that Nehemiah brought came 13 years after Ezra’s return to Jerusalem. This is interesting timing but not over persuasive.

The second reason is of more importance. My initial conviction that the 49 years represented a separate period leading up to the Second Coming came from acquiring a copy of Sir Isaac Newton’s study on the prophecies of Daniel. Newton stipulated that the 49 years represented a Jubilee. The period of the Jubilee always starts with a Sabbatical year. 1967 was not a sabbatical year but 1979 – 1980 was. Therefore this decree by the Israeli parliament came during a sabbatical year. If this period began with the Sabbatical year 1979-1980 it will end on Rosh Hashanah 2029 when the 50th year will begin.

A third reason for taking an interest in this date is the affect it had on the rest of the world. Following the passing of the 1980 Act there was a resounding rebuff from the United Nations. Under resolution 478 they declared that the Act was null and void. As a response every member state was asked to remove their embassies from Jerusalem, which they promptly did. This global response was prophetic of the final rallying of every nation against Israel. It is the response of all the nations of the world that most strongly points to the significance of 1980.

Looking for blessed hope

The Bible teaches that we are to always be “looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ”. Titus 2: 13.
We accept that He is coming at an hour we do not expect. Just as the Father protected the Son by not revealing the exact date of His birth, so for the protection of the saints there must be an element of surprise about the timing of His return (Matthew 24: 43). How does a period of forty nine years before Christ’s return fit with the need to always be ready (Matthew 24: 44)?

Let us suppose that the applying of the forty nine years to our present time is correct, what affect does it have? Do we all decide to go back to sleep as the Lord will not be returning for a few more years or does it jar us into vigilance realising the time is short? For me it is the latter.

Returning to the prophecy of the weeks, we recognise that it is primarily about Israel and Jerusalem. Following the pattern of the fulfilment of the sixty two weeks we are to expect that the Biblical predictions with regard to Israel and Jerusalem will be completed at or soon after the close of the seven weeks. World events will rapidly come together to set the scene for the climax of history and the enthronement of our Lord.

Before Jesus returns to reign over this world a number of prophecies are to be fulfilled. Principally the fall of Babylon, the rise of the antichrist and the gathering of all nations against Jerusalem.

Babylon, the kingdom of this world, has been severely weakened by the current pandemic. The final downfall of weakened Babylon will be brought about by the ten kings who rise up and give their support to the reign of the antichrist (Revelation 17: 16 – 17). These ten nations will, like wolves singling out the injured prey, see the weakness of the west and pounce for the kill.

It is my conviction that we are now nearing the end of the seven weeks. It is this conviction which leads me to believe that Babylon will soon fall. It is also very likely that the antichrist will be revealed before the end of this decade. When Babylon falls the other events will follow quickly.

If this interpretation is correct it has significant implications for how we understand the time in which we live and the action we take. The proof of any prophecy or interpretation is in the fulfilment.