BIRTH OF A NATION

I don’t suppose too many of us have ever watched D.W. Griffith’s blockbuster silent film, The Birth of a Nation. Every now and then you might catch it on TCM or some other golden oldies television station. Upon its release in 1915 and for several years thereafter, it was considered one of the greatest movies ever made, even though its portrayal of African-Americans was considered derogatory … at the very least, controversial.

The movie depicted pre-civil and post-civil war America; with an underlying implication that the real birth of our nation actually took place after the Union defeated the Confederacy and abolished slavery. Some believe that’s when the United States actually became united, via a birth or rebirth of a Union that all states eventually recognized and supported. That American history up to that point was more of a gestation period that consisted of two wars with England, the granting of statehood to more territories, and the westward pioneer pilgrimages.

Whether the United States was born at the signing of the Declaration of Independence or reborn when General Lee surrendered to General Grant at Appomattox is a matter for the historians to debate. Either way, the formation of the United States of America was by all accounts an extraordinarily rapid phenomenon in contrast to the much-more gradual development of virtually all other nations up to that point in history.

But there is the dawn of another country that, beyond debate, beyond speculation, beyond doubt, constitutes the swiftest and most remarkable national birth in the annals of human history. It was truly a nation born in one-day: the nation of Israel. Even more astounding … this birth was predicted some 2,700 years before it took place! Not just the fact that it would happen, but exactly HOW it would take occur. That it would be unlike any other birth ever experienced: (1) the birth would take place in one day, and (2) the birth would precede the labor pains!

Isn’t that exactly backwards? Of course it is. Regarding point #2 for you men: If you missed it or have forgotten how much to appreciate it, just ask your wife who gave birth to that beautiful daughter or handsome son. Or, ask your mother who brought you into this world. First came the contractions. Then, “Hello, I’m here. Give me a name and give me something to eat!”

Let’s read the prophetic description from one of the great Old Testament prophets: ‘Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son. Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? But by the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born. Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?’ asks the Lord.’” ‘No, I would never keep this nation from being born.’ Says your God’” (Isaiah 66: 7-9).

Normal Birth of a Nation

Actually, nations do not normally arrive on the scene of history through a birth process; that is what we consider analogous to a woman giving birth to a child. Rather, they gradually develop into a political, social, and national identity through decades of homogenized language, geography, culture, government, and interactive economy. Examples that come to mind are the four superpowers prophetically identified in the book of Daniel, subsequently confirmed by both Biblical and secular records … Babylon, Persia, Greece, and the Roman Empire.

For other nations who were seemingly birthed into existence, the pattern does reflect the metaphor of a woman giving birth. Beginning with conception, then birth pains, then deliverance into a brave new world of freedom and autonomy. Here, The United States of America comes to mind. This great country began with a concept (conception) of individual and corporate freedom from tyranny (taxation without representation), then painful contractions through resistance to oppression, and finally a liberating birth as a self-governing, self-determining republic of the people, by the people and for the people; albeit one that acknowledged Creator God as her sovereign benefactor and source of moral and spiritual excellence. Which makes the birth of Israel all the more unique and miraculous.

The Reverse Birth of Israel

For those who have read Eye of Prophecy on a somewhat regular basis, you have seen several articles that touch on the astounding introduction of Israel to the family of nations that took place in 1948. This amazing birth of a nation, the shocking victories over enemies far superior in number and weapons, the stunning agricultural, technological, cultural, political, and military growth of a people who turned swampland into gardens, desert into oasis, hamlets into hubs of commerce, diversity into unity, and defeat into victories.

It is one thing to predict the rebirth or revival of a nation from the dead (read again about Israel’s Valley of Dry Bones in Ezekiel Chapter 37). I suppose an argument could be made that this kind of prophecy has a 50% chance of coming to pass. Either the nation will return or it won’t. If, however, you were fully aware of the Roman Empire’s utter destruction of Israel, Jerusalem, and the Temple in 70 AD, followed by exiled eviction of all but a few Jews from Israel, with hundreds of ensuing years of subjugation in/by nations all over the world, I think the odds might take a nosedive to a miniscule probability of less than 1%.

But it’s quite another thing to predict the sequential details concerning the resurrection of a nation, particularly one that died a brutal unnatural death hundreds of years ago. Our passage in Isaiah does both. It tells us that this will happen and then tells us how it will take place; that it will be unimaginable, inconceivable, unheard of … unlike anything experienced in the annals of human history.

No matter where you rank the likelihood of the Jews ever returning to their land, let alone the undreamed-of improbability that they would or could restore and speak their ancient, near-extinct Hebrew language, what makes the rebirth of Israel so unfathomable is HOW it happened. Moreover, it catapults the prophecy of Isaiah 66 into a stratosphere that is absolutely breath-taking and mind-boggling. What am I referring to?

Look again at the text. It says, “Before the birth pains even begin, Jerusalem gives birth to a son” (Isaiah 66:7).

Once again, isn’t that totally backwards? Do you know of any woman who gave birth to a child, then went into labor after the child was born? Of course not … it doesn’t work that way. Unless, that is, you were born of, in, or through (as a result of) Israel. On May 14, 1948, seemingly out of nowhere Israel became a nation literally overnight. At the end of World War II, over half the Jews in Europe had been murdered by Hitler’s Third Reich. The survivors continued to be dispossessed, without any semblance of community or identity, let alone the hope of national unity. Yet, in less than two years the earth gave birth to Israel! Her children were born as naturally birthed Israeli citizens (Sabra) or through the exponential increase of Jewish emigrants from many nations of the world to Israel. Only after the birth of the State of Israel did the labor pains really begin. Strange? Unusual? Exceptional? I would think so.

This was also part of the amazing prophecy. Let’s review: “Who has ever seen anything as strange as this? Who ever heard of such a thing? Has a nation ever been born in a single day? Has a country ever come forth in a mere moment? By the time Jerusalem’s birth pains begin, her children will be born” (Isaiah 66:8). This is precisely what happened when Israel was birthed as a nation in 1948.

First, she had no more to say about the matter than does a baby whose delivery is completely dependent on others. Although a handful of Jewish visionaries and Gentile supporters of Zionism had conceived the improbable birth of a new Israel, they had no idea how or when this would happen. They had no real say in the manipulation of nations to achieve this seemingly unattainable goal. Instead, it took the absolute sovereignty of God to deliver the Jews from the birth canal of Gentile oppression and horror which reached its ugly zenith during the Holocaust. ‘Would I ever bring this nation to the point of birth and then not deliver it?’ asks the Lord.’” ‘No! I would never keep this nation from being born,’ says your God’” (Isaiah 66:9).

Second, the cruel contractions did follow the birth of Israel; in the form of an immediate assault by five Arab nations against the tiny, newly birthed, virtually helpless and defenseless infant nation called Israel. And what happened then? Not only did God bring forth a newfound nation from the womb of exile, but he delivered the newborn children from total annihilation at the hands of ancient enemies. Decades later, these birth pains would continue to strike Israel time and again … the Suez Canal conflict, the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the deadly homicide bombing attacks, the incessant launching of missiles from the Gaza Strip, the perfidious anti-Semitic boycotts, divestment, and sanctions. And the labor pains go on and on and on.

In my generation, we are witnesses to the spectacular fulfillment of a 2,700 year-old prophecy: The nation of Israel would be literally born in a single day, in a mere moment (of history). This new creation of national life would be unlike any birth known to mankind. One that is not ordinary, but extraordinary; one that is not expected, but unexpected; one that is not natural, but supernatural. Children would be (immediately) born, then the excruciating pain of childbirth (nationhood) would follow the birth, not precede it. But like the arrival of any newborn baby, the family rejoices; not because of the pain that goes with childbirth, but because of the miracle of life itself.

In fact, that’s what comes next in our text: “Rejoice with Jerusalem! Be glad with her, all you who love her and all you who mourn for her. Drink deeply of her glory even as an infant drinks at its mother’s comforting breasts” (Isaiah 66:10-11).

Once again we see the astounding accuracy of Biblical prophecy. Once again we are reminded that we are living in the last days, that we are very likely part of the generation that will experience the glorious return of our beloved Jewish Messiah. Once again our vision is renewed, “While we look forward with hope to that wonderful day when the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, will be revealed” (Titus 2:13).

Things to Ponder
– At one time or another, we marvel at God’s perfect timing concerning events or developments in our lives individually, as a family, and as a nation. Although the United Nations is essentially a coalition of ungodly countries the world over, God used this organization to approve a resolution that granted Israel Statehood rights. Without the UN resolution of November, 1947, it’s highly unlikely that Prime Minister David ben Gurion would have announced the Birth of a Nation (Israel) in 1948.
– The Holocaust was NOT indicative or representative of childbirth pains. In fact, it cannot be analogous to childbirth (life) at all, as it was a horrendous time of persecution and death. The birth pangs of a woman about to give birth are not persecutory, nor are they a signal that something or someone is about to die. Rather it is a necessary time of struggle that yields to the miracle of birth, then rejoicing and celebration over a new life given to us by an awesome God. A God who gives us life, then gives us life (eternal) again, through His Son.

SEVEN TIMES SEVEN (to the 4th power)! Part III

1967 … What a year! The Six-Day War … What a war! Like me, some of you remember exactly where you were when you heard the news of Israel’s stunning victory. Some of you were not yet born, but you read about it in the history books. I recall thinking: How can any nation win a war in just six days? That’s unheard of … simply not possible. On top of that we’re talking about the tiny nation of Israel, surrounded and vastly outnumbered by Arab nations on all sides. Well, we believe it because it happened. It’s true, and Israel will never be the same again. Why not? What is the dramatic difference in Israel after the June, 1967 Six-Day War?

Before we find answers to that question, just a little more suspense! I’m talking once more about the incredible prophecy in Leviticus that was revealed and explained in last week’s article; whereby the mathematical calculation of seven times seven (to the 4th power) beginning in 516 BC leads to the year 1967. Just in case you think this is a happen-chance coincidence, we’re going to further validate and authenticate the accuracy of this amazing prophecy. We’re going to connect more dots and see another astonishing correlation between the seven times over prophecy and historical events.

A brief review. By accepting the premise that the seven times over prophetic template (7 x 7 x 7 x 7) represented God’s encoded measurement of uninterrupted time/years, plus 49 Jubilee years, we reached the calendar year 1967. So, what would happen if we used only the first three sevens? Where would we find Israel, if we reduced the formula to 7 x 7 x 7?

A little hint: We should expect to find another significant incident in Israel’s antiquity that would corresponded historically to seven times over to the 3rd power. Meaning 7 x 7 equals 49. Then 49 x 7 equals 343 Roman calendar years (7 x 7 x 7). Moreover, this event should reflect the nature and extent of God’s discipline of Israel as described in Leviticus Chapter 26 … specifically the third phase or installment of seven times over.

Calculations: 343 Roman years x 365 days (in a year) =s 125,195 days.

125,195 (days) divided by 360 (Jewish days in a year) =s 347.76 Jewish years or 347 years, 9 months, or rounded off to 348 years.

Using the same beginning date of 516 BC—technically we could also use 515 BC, as the Jewish new year begins in Sept/Oct of our Roman calendar—we do the following math: 516 BC minus (we must subtract because we’re in BC history) 348 years leads us to the year 168 BC … or 167 BC, depending on the starting point of 516 BC or 515 BC.

So what happened in 168-167 BC? Only the most horrible thing that Israel had experienced since the 70-year Babylonian captivity: The infamous campaign of Antiochus Epiphanes IV against Egypt, then against Israel in which this evil prototype of Antichrist defiled the rebuilt Jewish Temple, killed some 40,000 Jews, and enslaved another 40,000. It was the darkest day of Israel’s post Babylonian history that matches the chronological time-lapse of phase three (7 x 7 x 7); to then be exceeded in horror by the fourth and final phase (the last 7 times over) that would last for over two thousand years, but finally end in 1967. In the fourth and final phase, Israel’s distress increased exponentially, beginning with the Roman conquest of Jerusalem, destruction of the 2nd Temple in 70 AD, followed by massive dispersion of Jews to virtually every nation on earth. And, finally, the greatest of all Jewish tragedies … the Holocaust at the hands of Hitler’s Third Reich.

Let’s examine just a portion of the third phase of God’s punishment as found in Leviticus 26: “…I will personally strike you with calamity seven times over for your sins. I will send armies against you to carry out the curse of the covenant you have broken … you will be handed over to your enemies … I will destroy your food supply….” (Verses 24-26).

After 516 BC no armies had attacked Israel, until Antiochus IV’s assault on Jerusalem in 168-167 BC. So that part of the third phase of the Leviticus seven times over prophecy fits perfectly. But also notice that this third segment of the prophecy did NOT include exile to all nations of the world. That comes only with the fourth and final stage. However, the third installment does predict that armies will attack Israel and they will be handed over (temporarily) to their enemies. That’s precisely what happened when Antiochus attacked Jerusalem (only to be defeated several years later by the Maccabees). Furthermore, it occurred exactly at the end of the time period specified by the seven times over paradigm, as explained above … 347-348 Jewish years.

Think about it. That is absolutely extraordinary! Not only does the full scope of the prophecy (seven to the 4th power) take us to the end of the seven times over curse (1967), but we see the startling accuracy of the prophecy even at the end of the third phase, in which the described punishment matches the horrendous cruelty of Antiochus against the Jews.

*Note: You might ask, “What about the Jubilee years? Shouldn’t they be factored in as they were for the full extent of the seven times over period of time? No, they should be added only at the very end of all four sets of seven, not at the end of the third phase. Because we must track the passage of time continuously in terms of consecutive years, then add the number of Jubilee years to the total. However, if you think Jubilee years should be added as they occur (every 50 years), then the third phase of seven times would take us to the years 161-160 BC (7 Jubilee years). Which is the time frame when the Maccabees defeated the armies of Antiochus IV, temporarily regained their freedom, and restored the Temple, i.e. the modern-day celebration of Hanukkah. Either way, the prophecy works. Right? Of course, right!

All Biblical prophecies have or will come to pass. Some prophecies are as clear as day for all to understand. Others are what I call twilight prophecies, in which a student of Scripture needs to squint and focus intently on what’s being said. Then there are the midnight prophecies that require a good deal of Biblical/historical comparison and juxtaposition, and illumination to fully grasp their meaning. The Leviticus 26 prophecy falls into the latter category, as does the Daniel 9 prophecy disclosed to/by Sir Robert Anderson.

Back to 1967

I vividly recall the Six-Day War … where I was and what I was doing when the news flashed around the world. Since then, I and many students of Biblical prophecy and current events have better understood the tremendous significance of Israel’s victory. But no one appreciates the impact of those six days in June and the aftermath more than the Jews, both religious and secular.

The Six-Day War took place 50 years–a Jubilee period of time–after the first milestone in Israel’s modern-day rebirth as a nation. I’m referring to the Balfour Declaration of 1917, in which Lord Balfour of Great Britain paved the way for a Jewish national homeland in Palestine by validation of the Zionist movement initiated by Jewish leaders Theodor Herzl and Chaim Weizmann. These founding fathers of modern-day Israel believed that the only solution to the “Jewish Question” was a return of the Jews to Palestine. In 1922, the League of Nations approved the Balfour Declaration via a “Mandate for Palestine.” This was the beginning of Jews returning in increasing numbers to the Holy Land and resettling the land originally given to them by God, himself. No other nation or land on the earth has a title-deed signed, sealed, and delivered by God, as does the Promised Land known as Israel.

Sadly, return of the Jews and Israel’s statehood came too late to avoid the greatest disaster in Jewish history: the Holocaust during World War II … which constituted the full and final expression of the seven times over discipline.

However, were it not for the horror of the Holocaust, there would have been no United Nations approval of a Jewish Homeland (November, 1947); then the subsequent establishment of the State of Israel in May, 1948. Immediately five Arab countries attacked the fledgling state of Israel with the express purpose of erasing Israel from existence before she could even show up on global maps of the earth. In those early days of statehood, Israel had no formally trained or sophisticated military; thus their War of Independence was essentially a guerilla or paramilitary type of defensive war—fought and won (against staggering odds) as a matter of sheer survival.

On paper, there’s absolutely no way that Israel should have defeated her enemies in 1948. But then the God of Israel is not a paper god nor a god invented by man. He is the true and living God. With him any victory is possible; without him all the military might in the world is useless. Just ask the inhabitants of Jericho, whose walls were virtually impenetrable! That is, until Joshua and the Israelites marched around the city, blew the ram’s horn, shouted at the top of their lungs, and watched as the walls crumbled to the earth.

Our God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob is an awesome God! All other gods are imposters. No, they are not imposters … they are non-existent! They are figments of vain imaginations. They cannot make their predictions come true like the God of the Judeo-Christian Bible can. In fact, they dare not make predictions. Our God IS God! Our Messiah IS Messiah! We await his soon return … come quickly Lord Jesus!

The Ultimate Significance of 1967

Not until the Six-Day War, did Israel really possess and then demonstrate the capacity to take the offensive against Arab armies. Meaning, that their military (IDF) was strong enough to recapture Jerusalem from the Jordanians, to take back the Western Wall and Temple Mount. They were skilled enough to literally take the high ground of the Golan Heights from Syria, and equipped enough to retake Gaza and Sinai from Egypt. From international pressure including the United States, Israel gave back much of this territory including the Temple Mount (the most holy Jewish site in the most Holy City of Jerusalem); but they still exercise ultimate authority over these strategic areas of the Holy Land.

The Jews for the very first time since the days of their Babylonian captivity, were free of Gentile domination!

This unquestioned ability to defend herself and, if necessary, to take the offensive, was reconfirmed in the brutal, yet victorious Yom Kippur War of 1973. Since then, no Arab nation or coalition has dared use their armies or conventional warfare to attack Israel. Instead, they have resorted to terrorist attacks, mortar/missile launchings against civilians, propaganda, and BDS strategies.

What does all this mean? I believe the evidence is indisputable, not the least of which is the seven times over prophecy ending in the year 1967. Now that this mysterious prophecy has run its full course, Israel and the Jewish people are no longer under the thumb of Gentile nations. The Times of the Gentiles ended in 1967! This is an astonishing sign of the end times; that is the physical rebirth and restoration of Israel, substantial return of millions of Jews to the land of their ancestors, and the miracle of such a small country and small population being one of the top five military powers of the modern world.

For the first time in nearly 2,500 years, Israel has the military resources to fight its own battles and even conduct preemptive strikes to silence the ominous threats of extinction by her enemies, such as a nuclear Iran. She is a beacon of democracy in a Middle-East full of totalitarian Muslim regimes that fight among themselves and have only one thing in common: the malicious desire to wipe Israel from the face of the earth. She is powerful enough to be a deterrent to terrorist groups and quite capable of making rogue rulers think twice about use of WMDs. Before 1967, this kind of prestige, power, presence, and position was not available to Israel. When God ended Israel’s discipline in 1967 (7 x 7 x 7 x 7), he also ended the Gentile nation’s conquest, oppression, suppression, dominance, and defeat of Israel.

However, please don’t misunderstand: Israel is still destined for a time of great distress called the Time of Jacob’s trouble in Scripture. The intensity of this will peak during the last 3 ½ years of the Great Tribulation. But with one huge distinction … one monumental difference: this time Israel can and will inflict great hurt on her attackers. And even more importantly: At the midnight hour when all seems hopeless, when Israel’s survival is very much in doubt, her Messiah (our Messiah) will return to fight with the Jews, to lead the Israelis in battle.

Forty years before the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple, Israel’s Messiah was led as a lamb to the slaughter, in order to die and atone for the sins of Israel (the whole world). For 2,500 years the Jews have been led as sheep to slaughter because they disobeyed their God and then rejected their ultimate atonement from sin, their Redeemer. When the risen Christ returns, he will conquer Israel’s enemies and bring final salvation to the Jews. This time, God’s chosen people will listen. They will reach out to their Messiah. They will fight with him, not against.

Listen to the words of the prophet Zechariah: “They (the Jews) will be like mighty warriors in battle, trampling their enemies in the mud under their feet. Since the Lord is with them as they fight … I will strengthen Judah and save Israel; I will restore them because of my compassion. It will be as though I had never rejected them, for I am the Lord their God, who will hear their cries. The people of Israel will become like mighty warriors….” (Zechariah 10: 5-7).

When Israel’s back is to the wall, Zechariah goes on to say: “On that day the Lord will defend the people of Jerusalem; the weakest among them will be as mighty as King David! … For on that day I will begin to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem” (Zechariah 12: 8-9).

Finally, after all these years, the curse of the Leviticus seven times over discipline has ended. Never again will the God of Israel withdraw his protection from the people he has loved and chosen to bring salvation through none other than the Jewish Messiah, Yeshua (Jesus). Once again, the Jews live in the land promised to them by the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This time, they are there to stay. This time the Lord will protect them as he did long ago.

“Then the Lord will go out to fight against those nations, as he has fought in times past. On that day his feet will stand on the Mount of Olives, east of Jerusalem….” (Zechariah 14: 3-4).

And in those last days, the Lord tells his people, “…I will destroy all the weapons used in battle, and your king will bring peace to the nations … I promise this very day that I will repay two blessings for each of your troubles” (Zechariah 9: 10 & 12).

Summary

The seven times over prophetic fulfillment is more evidence that the last days are upon us. It is far beyond mere coincidence that the seven times seven model applied to chronological time/years just happens to end in 1967. The fact that Israel is now a sovereign nation reborn from the fires of Nazi death camps and from the tragic floods of world-wide exile among the nations is proof-positive that Messiah is soon to return.

The first step was return of the Jews to Israel; followed by the rebirth of their nation in a single day (Isaiah 66); followed by the God-given empowerment to fight for and protect their people, whether through defensive or offensive military victories; ultimately peaking with superhuman strength to fight the nations that will be led by the Antichrist (Nero); and finally the majestic return of Christ to rescue Israel from annihilation and to bring final spiritual restoration to the apple of God’s eye, the beautiful land of Israel, and the holy city of Jerusalem.

God’s continuous discipline of Israel ended in 1967, a punishment that was administered by withdrawal of his sovereign protection of Israel from her enemies. “Never again,” say the Jews. Never again will they be led as sheep to the slaughter (Antiochus IV, Titus, Hitler; crusades, inquisitions, pogroms) without the means to defend themselves against enemies who seek their utter destruction.

Like in the days of old, the Jews will also remember that their trust in the Lord is what wins battles, not just military might. Once again they will face insurmountable odds and stare defeat in the eyes; but this time they will call on the name of the Lord … they will call out to their Messiah. He will hear their call and he will fight for them, as he did when they first entered the Promised Land with Joshua, and as he led King David in victory after victory during Israel’s glory days.

They will shout, “Baruch haba, beshem Adonai.” Blessed is he (Jesus) who comes in the name of the Lord (God the father). And then, all Israel will be saved!

Things to Ponder
– Are you ready for the Rapture? According to Christ, himself, no one knows the day or hour. On the other hand, Jesus gave us many signs of the last days, as do many books of the Bible. Most of these Biblical end times indicators pertain directly to Israel, as addressed in this article and in many prior articles on the Eye of Prophecy blog site. Check out the Eye of Prophecy archives.
– As Israel goes, so goes the final days before Messiah’s return. We will continue to match the breathtaking prophecies of Scripture to what is happening in today’s world, especially in Israel and the Middle East.

SEVEN TIMES SEVEN (to the fourth power)! Part II

Let’s continue on our fascinating voyage to discover the seven times over prophetic pearl found in the most unlikely part of God’s treasure map—the Old Testament book of Leviticus. The map will be easier to understand if you’ve read last week’s article, Seven Times Seven, Part I. In order to reach our destination, we need to travel along the path of a premise: The seven times over model depicted in Leviticus prophetically encompasses a chronological period of time, in parallel fashion to the seven sets of seven announced by the angel Gabriel to Daniel, found in Daniel Chapter 9 … as presented in the Eye of Prophecy article two weeks ago entitled, An Incredible Prophecy.

In Leviticus Chapter 26, we find that the fourth and final phase of God’s seven times over punishment would result in Israel’s scattering or exiled expulsion, “among the nations …. Your land will become desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins” (Verse 33). That is exactly what happened when Babylon attacked and destroyed the southern tribes of Judah and Benjamin, including Jerusalem and surrounding towns. In 586 BC, mighty Babylon soundly defeated Israel, but according to Jeremiah’s prophecy the Jews would once again return to Israel. That also happened—with Bible scholars pretty much in full agreement that the completion of the 2nd Temple in 516 BC marked the end of the 70-year Babylonian captivity.

What Were the General & Specific Reasons for the Seven Times Punishment?

To answer that question we need to closely examine Israel’s offenses (sins) before and after the Babylonian captivity. From last week’s article, we learned that the general on-going wrongdoings of Israel entailed national (meaning the majority of the Hebrews including their religious and political leaders) disobedience of and hostility toward God. Four times this is identified by such phrases as, “And if, in spite of all this, you still disobey me.” And “…you still refuse to listen and still remain hostile toward me…” (Leviticus 26:18 & 27).

But then the Lord gets more specific by explaining that the ongoing discipline also stems from Israel’s failure to keep another vital commandment: Not to plant crops every seventh year so the land could rest; that would, in turn, guarantee bountiful harvests. After the people would be completely defeated and evicted from the land by their conquerors, the passage emphasizes through repetition, “Then at last the land will enjoy its neglected Sabbath years as it lies desolate while you are in exile in the land of your enemies. Then the land will finally rest and enjoy the Sabbaths it missed. As long as the land lies in ruins, it will enjoy the rest you never allowed it to take every seventh year while you lived in it” (Leviticus 26:34-35).

In light of the clear reasons given for the seven times over discipline announced in Leviticus 26 (the continuous, unrelenting disobedience and refusal to listen to “all these commands,” meaning the entire scope of the Mosaic Law), why did God then identify and pinpoint neglect of the seven-year Sabbath rest as the tripping or trigger point for the final phase of God’s punishment, i.e. exile to Babylon?

I believe the answer is two-fold: (1) with precious few exceptions, in Israel’s history we find the people frequently rebelling against the Lord; then denying that the consequences of their defiance was directly connected to God’s discipline. We see this throughout the period of the judges, the kings, and through all the prophets that God continually sent to Israel to warn them. In fact, many of these prophets were ridiculed, tormented, and even killed by the priests and kings of Israel. This cycle of disobedience and denial grew progressively worse after King Solomon’s reign.

The last book written by the last prophet of the Old Testament contains a nutshell summary regarding Israel’s denial of their true spiritual and national condition. The Book of Malachi is followed by four hundred years of silence, in which there were no kings, no prophets, and no communication from God to the people. The prophet Malachi presents a series of replies from Israel’s leaders in which they rationalized and refuted the reality of their sins … by answering God’s questions with questions of their own. And it’s all too evident that the people’s questions were nothing more than cynical, even sarcastic attempts to justify their behavior and, perhaps, escape any further discipline from God. For example, the book opens with God announcing to Israel: “I have always loved you,” says the Lord. But you (the people) retort, “Really? How have you loved us?” (Malachi 1:2).

Then a few verses later: “The Lord of Heaven’s Armies says to the priests: …’You have shown contempt for my name!’” Then the Lord says, “But you (meaning the priests/people) ask, ‘How have we ever shown contempt for your name?’” Then the Lord answers: “You have shown contempt by offering defiled sacrifices on my alter.” Then the people ask, “How have we defiled the sacrifices?” (Malachi 1:6-7). On and on it goes, as the people refuse to acknowledge their transgressions against God and against each other, and even dare to challenge God’s analysis of their spiritually bankrupt condition.

(2) Since the people—from the time Moses and then Joshua died, to the Babylonian captivity and beyond— rationalized, repudiated, or at the very least minimized their rebellion through hardness of heart and spiritual blindness, God identified a specific offense that no one in Israel could possibly explain away… the obvious failure to keep the seven-year Sabbath in which the land would lie fallow. And in doing so, the prophecy includes the very essence of time itself, i.e. the progressive seven times over duration of Israel’s punishment. In fact, the core of the 70-year Babylonian captivity prophecy is based on the Leviticus passage, as remarkably summarized after the captivity ended. Let’s read the explanation:

“Likewise, all the leaders of the priests and the people became more and more unfaithful. They followed all the pagan practices of the surrounding nations, desecrating the Temple of the Lord that had been consecrated in Jerusalem. The Lord, the God of their ancestors, repeatedly sent his prophets to warn them … But the people mocked these messengers of God … They scoffed at the prophets until the Lord’s anger could no longer be restrained and nothing could be done. So the Lord brought the king of Babylon against them … God handed all of them over to Nebuchadnezzar … Then his army burned the Temple of God … The few who survived were taken as exiles to Babylon” (II Chronicles 36: 14-20).

Then the author of II Chronicles indisputably connects the Babylonian exile prophecy to the Leviticus Chapter 26 seven times over prophecy by the following conclusion: “So the message of the Lord spoken through Jeremiah was fulfilled. The land finally enjoyed its Sabbath rest, lying desolate until the seventy years were fulfilled, just as the prophet had said” (Verse 21). Obviously, Jeremiah’s prophecy was linked to the prophetic warnings that Moses had given to the people, even before they entered the Promised Land … long before Jeremiah was born.

Question: Why Didn’t the Seven Times Over Prophecy End in 516 BC?

It’s all too evident that the prophetic clock of Leviticus Chapter 26 begin to tick when Israel entered the Promised Land. The entire book of Deuteronomy is a condensed summary of God’s instructions to Israel just before Joshua led them to several victories over the Canaanites. They were given the choice between life and death, blessing and curses (Deuteronomy 30:19). God even told Moses that the prophecy would, in fact, come to pass; because it (unfortunately) was a foregone conclusion that the Israelites would rebel and turn from God (see Deut. 31 & 32). And that’s exactly what they did, not long after Joshua died.

It’s important to understand that the ultimate seven times over discipline is chronologically consecutive and even more so that it is uninterrupted or continuous in its prophetic unfolding. This is clarified by the passage itself. The Lord repeats a total of four times: IF Israel continues to disobey him, then he will prolong the corrective discipline and each time the punishment will be harsher, culminating in exile to foreign nations. Thus, the seven times over is not a symbolic expression of the severity of the discipline; rather, it is (as we have seen and will see) a measure of the lapse of time that all this will take place.

So, then, in examining Israel’s history from the Promised Land advent to the Babylonian captivity, do we find an unbroken, continuous, linear time-lapse (chain of events) in which Israel never repented or never turned back to the Lord? No, we don’t. This is crystal clear during the times of the Judges and Kings of Israel. There were several periods of time lasting at least two generations (80 years or more), such as the consecutive reign of King David and King Solomon or the subsequent reign of a few “good” kings like Josiah. There were cycles of disobedience, deliverance, and restoration; but, on the whole, the Jews became progressively “hostile” toward the Lord, their God. Thus, the seven times over cycle was not continuous during this period of Israel’s history, which is why the Babylonian exile (as devastating as it was) would last for only 70 years—a relatively mild punishment considering the hundreds of year that Israel was mostly, but not entirely, unfaithful to God and his commands.

You might ask: “Relatively mild compared to what?” Good question. Answer: Compared to what happened AFTER their return to the Holy Land from the 70-year captivity.

Although harsh, God’s punishment of Israel was not merely vindictive; rather it (like all of God’s discipline) was administered for Israel’s own good. It included just the right amount of time, not too long and not too short; that would give Israel’s populace a golden opportunity to fully acknowledge why they were punished in this way, and what was necessary for them to return to the Lord. Furthermore, to make sure nothing like this ever happened again … which they clearly knew the potential from warnings going all the way back to Moses. The prophet Ezekiel dealt with this issue of the exiles not amending their hearts and mind back to God before, during, and after the Babylonian exile.

The Seven Times Seven Punishment Continues

So, did the Babylonian exile bring a conclusion to the seven times over prophecy of Leviticus? Sadly, the answer is, NO. Instead, it set into motion the ultimate severity of the prophecy. What transpired after the return of the Jews was even more tragic. Despite a relatively brief (part of a generation) resurgence of Israel’s devotion to God, as found in the books of Ezra and Nehemiah, Israel never fully returned to the Lord. As indicated, the book of Malachi vividly illustrates Israel’s unyielding stubbornness.

Even though the Jews returned to Israel and rebuilt the second temple, they never again became a completely sovereign nation. They never again experienced the full blessings of the Lord. There were no more kings, and the Shekinah glory of God never returned to the temple. There were no prophets for the last 400 years before the birth of John the Baptist, and then the birth of Messiah. Israel had been, to some degree or another, under the domination of the Persians, Greeks, Syrians, and finally the Romans before and after the utter destruction of the Temple in 70 AD.

The first set of seven times over judgments (up to the time of the Babylonian captivity), is best illustrated by the formula: 7 + 7 + 7 + 7. When the people confessed their sins and returned to God, the cycle of discipline ended. In other words the punishments were not continuous; however, each one lasted for a certain period of time, culminating with a specified period of 70 years for the Babylonian captivity.

Because the people didn’t (by any stretch of the imagination) continually seek the Lord when they journeyed back to Israel, the seven times over paradigm began again. This time it would be continuous, leading all the way to and through the greatest horror of all … the Holocaust of the 20th century. There would be no stoppage of the increments of punishment until all four phases had run their course. In fact, the seven times  syndrome contained a mathematically measured built-in period of time, with a beginning and an end.

During this seemingly unending period of time, the fourth phase of discipline would reach its zenith. Remember God’s words: “…then I will give full vent to my hostility. I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins … Yes, I myself will devastate your land … I will scatter you among the nations….” (Leviticus 26: 27-33).

Tragically, Israel did not learn from its Babylonian captivity lesson. From the time Nehemiah returned to Babylon in 433 BC, 12 years after arriving in Jerusalem with another group of exiles to rebuild the walls; to his second trip to Israel a few years later, the people’s promise to serve the Lord had evaporated like an early morning fog. They had fallen into all kinds of detestable practices. Listed to Nehemiah’s words: “So I confronted the nobles of Judah. ‘Why are you profaning the Sabbath in this evil way?’ I asked. ‘Wasn’t it just this sort of thing that your ancestors did that caused our God to bring all this trouble upon us and our city? Now you are bringing even more wrath upon Israel by permitting the Sabbath to be desecrated in this way!’” (Nehemiah 13: 17-18).

And, so the seven times over sequence had begun again. This time the prophetic march of time relentlessly continued unabated and uninterrupted. If, however, the seven times over to the 4th power represents a measurable period of time, then it must come to an end. That’s what occurred to me that night in October, 2006: Although I didn’t know where it would lead me (what year in history), I realized that God was telling Moses and the people that the seven times seven model necessitated and would, in fact, unfold according to an exact prophetic timeline. Moreover, the formula was built into the prophecy: 7 x 7 x 7 x 7. When this prophetic paradigm reached its measurable deadline, Israel’s punishment would also reach its predetermined limit; and they would no longer be under Gentile domination!

A Phenomenal Finding (Let’s do the Math)

Calculations: 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 equals 2,401 (years). Remember the premise: This prophecy is a specific time-lapse utilization of sevens that can be measured in years, in a very similar manner to the Daniel Chapter 9 prophecy. We must now convert the 2,401 years to Jewish years.

Roman to Jewish calendar: 2,401 years x 365 Roman calendar days = 876,365 days. Dividing 876,365 by 360 Jewish calendar days = 2,434 years Jewish years. (We’re rounding this off, because we’re only interested in the year, unlike the exact day(s) of the Daniel prophecy).

Jubilee Years: Again, we need to remember that the ultimate criteria that God used to preclude or preempt any excuses or rationalization of the people was the Sabbatical rest of the land. But we also need to include all Jubilee years, which was a 50-year cycle of freedom from debt, servitude, and also resting the land from crop planting. Because of space/time restraints, I didn’t cover this, but it can be found in Leviticus Chapter 25. Because the Israelites also failed to keep the Jubilee requirements, this would be a central part of God’s formula for discipline.

So we divide 2,434 Jewish years by 50 and we get 49 (rounded off) Jubilee years over that period of time.

We add 2,434 years + 49 (Jubilee) years. The sum of these two: 2,483 (years).

The Astonishing Result: 2,483 years minus 516 BC (we must subtract BC years from the total) leads us to the year: 1967! Or 1,967 years AD plus 516 years BC is a total of 2,483 years.

What makes the year 1967 so amazing? We will cover this in more detail during next week’s article, but for now I will simply say: In 1967, one of the three monumental milestones of Jewish modern history took place. In fact, many students of Biblical prophecy (including me) identify the six-day war of June, 1967 as the turning point of Israel’s future, even surpassing her statehood of 1948. For the 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 prophecy to end in 1967 is no coincidence or a mathematical fluke.

On the contrary: It is absolutely incredible!! It is yet another remarkable Biblical prophecy that involves the divine number seven and its precise relevance in today’s world by connecting God’s ancient covenant with Israel to its modern-day rebirth and deliverance from Gentile domination.

*Note: I didn’t start with the year 1967 and work backwards. In fact, I had no idea where the calculations would take me, in terms of any specific year. I was as curious then as you probably are now while reading this article.

Summary:

Now let’s read the rest of the happy-ending story: “Then I will remember my covenant with Jacob … and I will remember the land. For the land must be abandoned to enjoy its years of Sabbath rest as it lies deserted. At last the people will pay for their sins, for they have continually rejected my regulations and despised my decrees. But despite all this, I will not utterly reject or despise them while they are in exile in the land of their enemies. I will not cancel my covenant with them by wiping them out, for I am the Lord their God. For their sakes I will remember my ancient covenant with their ancestors, whom I brought out of the land of Egypt in the sight of all the nations, that I might be their God. I am the Lord” (Leviticus 26: 42-45, italics for emphasis).

I highlighted at last and continually to further underscore two vital component parts of this prophecy and to validate my premise that it is a measurable time-capsule prediction. At last demonstrates the sheer duration/length of what had been nearly 2,500 years of Jewish subjugation to the gentile nations. And the concept of continually shows the unremitting period of disobedience and perpetual punishment until the discipline ended in 1967.

Things to Ponder:

Although the Babylonian captivity was a planned period of discipline (70 years), the second and final dispersion of the Jews by the Romans in 70 AD is not specifically given a beginning and ending date in Scripture, not in the fashion of Jeremiah’s prophecy of the 70 years or Daniel’s prophecy of the 483 and 490 years. Rather, the Great Diaspora that began in 70 AD, the pogroms in Russia and surrounding countries, followed by the 20th century Holocaust are all part of the continuous 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 prophetic time-line.

I think the reason for such a harsh, long period of time (from the return of the exiles in 516 BC to the recapture of Jerusalem in 1967) was the severity of Israel’s ultimate disobedience. They abandoned their ultimate Sabbath Rest, and their ultimate Jubilee by rejecting their very Messiah and Redeemer who is our Sabbath Rest for all eternity. But one day all of Israel (those who acknowledge Jesus as Messiah) will be saved, both physically and spiritually!

Don’t miss next week’s article, as it will explain in more detail what the year 1967 meant to the Jews, but also to the entire world.

SEVEN TIMES SEVEN (to the fourth power)! Part I

Who would ever imagine that the Old Testament Book of Leviticus would be the source of any of God’s prophecies let alone a prediction that is incredibly precise by virtue of a continuous “seven times over” chronological cycle that has a specific beginning and ending date. Leviticus is a book of the Mosaic Law that recorded God’s decrees, regulations, and commands to Israel; regarding (universal) moral standards, national ceremonial laws, atoning sacrifices, and celebratory annual festivals. Prophetic things are normally found in the books written by Jewish Prophets, i.e. Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, Daniel, some of the Psalms, and more. But Leviticus?

What we are about to discover is a stunning counterpart to last week’s study of the time-capsule revelation given to the prophet Daniel as recorded in Daniel Chapter 9, and decoded by Sir Robert Anderson; specifically, the 483-year time-lapse prophecy that Messiah Jesus fulfilled to the very day, when he rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday—five days before his crucifixion, and one week before his resurrection.

First, let’s examine the text to establish two important premises: (1) God’s specific instructions and conditions to Israel were, in fact, prophetic (both as a promise and warning); (2) the real-life and real-time fulfillment of the conditional promises/warnings actually occurred during a specified period of Israel’s history that is also an integral part of world history.

The Prophetic Conditions

You might recall from last week’s article: God had told Abraham that his descendants would be delivered from 400 years (four generations) of captivity and slavery in a foreign land. This prophecy was announced several hundred years before Jacob and his family moved to Egypt and then fulfilled when God delivered the Israelites from Egypt by means of astounding miracles, including parting of the Red Sea. A short time after this stunning deliverance, God gave Moses the Ten Commandments along with numerous other laws, not the least of which was the sacrificial system to atone for the transgressions of the people.

Through animal sacrifices, the sins of the people were forgiven; but this was a continual process day after day, year after year. However, these sacrifices only covered the wrongdoings of Israel (the people); they did not remove them. In other words, neither the sacrifices nor keeping of the law itself (which no one could ever do, including Moses himself) achieved an ultimate or perfect reconciliation to/with a Holy God. According to both the Old Testament and the New Testament, the only true means of salvation itself was the faith of an individual … total trust in the true and living God. This trust was credited as righteousness. We can best understand this God-approved accreditation as a guaranteed deposit (in this case a down payment), which at the God-appointed time hundreds of years later was completely validated, sealed, and stamped by the finished work of Christ on the cross.

Let’s read exactly what Scripture has to say about this matter. First from the Old Testament: “And Abram believed the Lord, and the Lord counted him as righteous because of his faith” (Genesis 15:6). Then from the New Testament: “Abraham was, humanly speaking, the founder of our Jewish nation. What did he discover about being made right with God? If his good deeds had made him acceptable to God, he would have had something to boast about. But that was not God’s way. For the Scriptures tell us, ‘Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith’” (Romans 4: 1-3).

From the very beginning of God’s relationship with man, faith—believing in and totally trusting God which is simply taking him at his word—constituted the true basis of righteousness … right-standing with God. Under the Mosaic Law, God continued to be the ultimate object of his people’s faith. But a vital component of this faith was also fine-tuned with a practical application and redirection to a continual trust in God’s provisions of atonement through the Levitical sacrificial system that was a prototype of God’s ultimate (better) covenant with both Jews and Gentiles. This New Covenant was authored and finished by God’s very Son, Jesus Christ, as the once and for all sacrificial payment for our sins and the penalty of those sins, which is the very foundation of the New Covenant of Grace. Then, to better understand the very essence of this prophecy in Leviticus, we need to recognize the conditional nature of the Mosaic Covenant: God’s blessing (not salvation, but God’s favor) depended on Israel’s obedience to God’s instructions.

Actually, this pattern or principle is also true with the New Covenant of Grace. Meaning that salvation is not based upon what we DO or don’t do, or our behavior, or our merit or worth; rather, it is contingent on one and only one thing … simply believing in Christ and what he did for us on the cross (TRUST). Yet, God’s blessings are often contingent upon our (with and through the strength of Christ and the Holy Spirit) obedience to his word and leading; which, by the way, is nothing more than continued trust in Him for all things. Just as the Israelites were to trust him for their entire welfare. Conversely, when we Christians (as with Israel under the Old Covenant) go our own way and leave God out of our lives and certainly when we deliberately sin and then refuse to confess the wrong things we’ve done, God will discipline us … because we are his children and he loves us and he wants the very best for us. (See Hebrews Chapter 12).

Let’s, then, examine the conditional promises of God to Israel and see exactly what happened to God’s people (and even more incredibly the historical time-lapse capsule of when it began and ended) as a prophetic fulfillment to blessings for obedience and punishment for disobedience.

Blessings for Obedience

Since we will learn that Israel eventually failed to keep her part of the covenant and because the seven times over result of her disobedience is the primary subject of these articles, we’ll take but a brief look at the blessings in exchange for Israel’s obedience. God begins his instructions to Moses (and the people) by saying:

“If you follow my decrees and careful to obey my commands, I will send you the seasonal rains. The land will then yield its crops … you will eat your fill and live securely in your own land … I will give you peace in the land, and you will be able to sleep with no cause for fear … in fact, you will chase down your enemies … I will look favorably upon you, making you fertile and multiplying your people. And I will fulfill my covenant with you. You will have a surplus of crops … I will walk among you; I will be your God, and you will be my people…” (Leviticus 26: 3-12).

As noted, the above excerpts are but a few of the highlight blessings that God would bestow on Israel, if they would only remain faithful to him. This passage and others throughout the Old Testament clearly demonstrate that in order for Israel to fully enjoy the Promised Land, to experience times of plenty and prosperity, to dwell securely in the land with no fear of their enemies, and finally TO EVEN REMAIN IN THE LAND ITSELF, Israel would need to listen, love, and continue to learn about the God of Israel—indeed, the only true and living God.

Disobedience Equals Discipline

God is loving and forgiving, but he is also holy, righteous, and truth itself; thus, there is always a perfect balance of justice to everything he does. The administration of discipline is an integral part of God’s awesome character and attributes. And so, we now must sadly turn to the “rest of the story” as found in Leviticus Chapter 26. And what we find is an extraordinary expression by God himself concerning the sequential progression of Israel’s corrective punishment. With subsequent articles, we will discover exactly WHEN and how these stunning announcements of Israel’s future (which makes them prophetic) would take place, to this very day.

We begin with the following: “However, if you do not listen to me or obey all these commands, and if you break my covenant by rejecting my decrees, treating my regulations with contempt … I will punish you….” (Leviticus 26: 14-16). The chapter continues with a few specifics of what would happen to the people. Then the passage suddenly turns to an emphatically harsher, more exacting … but also mysterious, almost cryptic description of how and to what extent God’s discipline would unfold. One that I had not really considered in-depth or by any means comprehended until a little over seven years ago when reading this chapter. For now I will just say that it was truly a phenomenal disclosure of what God is saying, the understanding of which could not be fully grasped until the 20th century … even beyond the time (late 19th century) when Sir Robert Anderson was given the insight into the Daniel Chapter 9 prophecy.

Let’s continue reading God’s Word to Moses and the Israelites: “And if, in spite of all this, you still disobey me, I will punish you seven times over for your sins. I will break your proud spirit by making the skies as unyielding as iron and the earth as hard as bronze. All your work will be for nothing, for your land will yield no crops, and your trees will bear no fruit” (Leviticus 26: 18-20, italics for emphasis).

*Note: Both for sake of time/space in this article and for your benefit in absorbing a complete panoramic overview of this “seven times over” prophetic warning, I would strongly encourage you to read the entire 26th Chapter of Leviticus. For now we will continue with the remaining three (there are a total of four) prophetic proclamations. With each seven-times warning, the passage presents the nature and extent of the punishment.

The second seven times warning: “If, even then you remain hostile toward me and refuse to obey me, I will inflict disaster on you seven times over for your sins” (Leviticus 26:21, italics for emphasis). Then the third warning: “And if you fail to learn the lesson and continue your hostility toward me, then I myself will be hostile toward you. I will personally strike you with calamity seven times over for your sins. I will send armies against you to carry out the curse of the covenant you have broken…. (Leviticus 26: 23-25, italics for emphasis).

And then the fourth and final warning: “If in spite of all this you still refuse to listen and still remain hostile toward me, then I will give full vent to my hostility. I myself will punish you seven times over for your sins … I will make your cities desolate … I will take no pleasure in your offerings that should be a pleasing aroma to me. Yes, I myself will devastate your land…. (Leviticus 26: 27-32, italics for emphasis).

This fourth and final segment of the seven times over discipline contains more extensive and graphic details of what will happen to Israel, but the most severe of all begins in verse 33, “I will scatter you among the nations and bring out my sword against you. Your land will become desolate, and your cities will lie in ruins.” Then later in verse 36: “And for those of you who survive, I will demoralize you in the land of your enemies. You will live in such fear….”

Although we will expand on this more thoroughly in coming articles, for now all we need to remember is what happened when the Romans attacked and conquered Israel and Jerusalem in 70 AD, killing hundreds of thousands of Jews, utterly destroying the city and the Temple, and exiling nearly all survivors (eventually) to almost every nation on the earth. This catastrophic event is called The Great Dispersion. Next came an even more appalling and horrifying cataclysmic event that we all know as the Holocaust during World War II; in which six million Jews were ruthlessly murdered by Hitler’s Third Reich.

A Preparatory Evaluation of Seven Times Over

When reading the ominous warnings given directly by God to Israel in Leviticus 26 (and later summarized in the book of Deuteronomy), some 7 years ago, I asked myself the question: “Why did the Lord utilize the paradigm (or concept or model or formula—if you will) of seven times over, a total of four times? Wouldn’t once or maybe twice be totally sufficient to get the point across to Israel? My first knee-jerk response was that the seven times over was an allegorical means to emphasize the harshness of God’s punishment, i.e. the discipline would be seven times more severe than the offense itself for all four phases of Israel’s disobedience.

Please understand: There are four distinct series or sets of warning. All four generically describe Israel’s on-going disobedience and rejection of God. Why not just one sweeping statement by the Lord to announce his punishment for Israel’s continued hostility toward him? Why four? What specifically do all four or any one of the four characterize or denote? Do they represent or mean essentially nothing and/or is God simply repeating himself? No, there’s a reason for EVERYTHING in God’s Word. Plus each of the four sets of seven times over contains different penalties that depict unique and distinct consequences.

So, I quickly dismissed the metaphorical (severity) application for two main reasons:
– (1) God clearly states in the passage that he will, “not utterly reject or despise” Israel during their time of exile in the land of their enemies (conquerors). A seven times over harsher penalty administered in all four consecutive phases, simply doesn’t fit with God’s mercy or compassionate love for Israel. Think about it for a moment: If, in fact, God’s (in proportional, mathematical terms of severity) punishment of Israel was seven times harsher than their offense, they simply couldn’t have survived. They have barely survived as it is … for nearly two thousand years—until their miraculous rebirth as a nation in 1948.

Not only that, what does seven times the offense mean, or how could it possibly be understood or measured by Moses, or the Israelites or by anyone else (including you and me), in terms of just what constitutes seven times? Would it be the number of Jews killed by Gentiles, the length of crop failure, the relative brutality of their enemies, or any other hard-to-quantify criteria? It simply isn’t feasible to try to calculate all the specific means and methods that God would use to discipline his people seven times more than the offense.

Also, if God only meant to convey the idea that the punishment fits the crime (which, by the way, is a vital truth in the Mosaic law), then all four phases would/could not be seven times over; if, in fact, the seven times over is a metaphorical expression of the severity. If the expression of “times over” is simply metaphorical or symbolic of the degree of punishment; then it would be much more logical and comprehensible for the “times over” punishment to be incrementally progressive. For example: two times over for the 1st set, three times harsher for the 2nd set, five times for the third, then seven times over for the fourth and final installment. But each one of the four phases are seven times over.

– (2) With that in mind, there is an even stronger and more compelling reason that the seven-times over doesn’t apply to or represent in any way the severity factor or degree of punishment. If you read the passage carefully, here’s what you will find: Each time (phase’s one through four) that God identifies the punishment to be experienced by Israel, the punishments themselves ARE more severe. In other words, the severity factor is built-in to each of the four phases of discipline, as they become progressively more severe, one through four. With, by far, the most severe that of being completely conquered, destroyed, and exiled to other countries by their conquerors in the fourth set of the seven times over punishments. With the corresponding result that there would be absolutely no purpose or reason for the Lord to metaphorically describe the successive phases of punishments in terms of seven-times over. Because the text is very clear that each discipline, in and of itself, becomes progressively worse.

So what does the seven times paradigm represent or mean? Then it came to me; that is the Lord showed it to me. The expressive purpose for seven times over pertains to one and only one element: TIME. (As in chronological years of history).

Moreover, this time has a beginning point via an enormously significant event in Israel’s history and an equally monumental (exceeding the first event because of the sheer magnitude of joy in the accomplishment) event that marks the end of the seven-times over prophetic calendar. And, if you stay with me for next week’s article, I will do my best to explain exactly why and how the seven times over prophetic language/reference used by God himself resulted in a specific time-duration fulfillment of a significant part of Israel’s history, especially as it relates to the Times of the Gentiles. Stay tuned for what may be one of the most amazing discoveries you’ll ever find in God’s Word, comparable to the stunning disclosure given to Sir Robert Anderson as found in his book, The Coming Prince (see last week’s article).

Things to Ponder
– In preparation for next week’s article, and as a precedent to the premise that the seven times over (four times or to the 4th power) refers to a chronological time-line, did the prophecy of the Babylonian Captivity of Israel specify a measurable period of time? If so, how many years was it?

– And don’t forget the Daniel 9 prophecy that we covered last week, as discerned by Sir Robert Anderson, which entails a specified period of time … from the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah. This was done by understanding the “sets of seven” language, which is essentially no different from the “seven times over” wording in Leviticus.

AN INCREDIBLE PROPHECY (WITH A PRECISE TIME-LAPSE FULFILLMENT)

What the book of Revelation is to the New-Testament, the book of Daniel is to the Old Testament. Some of Daniel’s predictions were fulfilled about 360 years later, others 560 years afterwards, and still others await the onset of the Tribulation and glorious return of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

To be sure, there are several other books of both Testaments that are replete with astounding predictions of the future; many have already come to pass, and many more pending fulfillment. The very fact that the Bible boldly forecasts the future (with amazing accuracy), separates it from all other religious writings the world over.

From the Garden of Eden announcement in Genesis of the coming Savior who would conquer the very source of sin and evil, Satan (Genesis 3:15); to a future Prophet like (greater than) Moses, Duet. 18:15); to a Son given to us who will be the Prince of Peace (Isaiah 9); to a divine child born in Bethlehem (Micah 5:2); to a Messiah who would first be a suffering servant (Isaiah 53); to the Son of Man who would be nailed to a cross, dice thrown for his garments, and all the ugly things that Christ suffered on the cross (Psalms 22); to a Redeemer raised from the dead (Psalms 16:10), and many others.

The books of Daniel and Revelation deliver breath-taking revelations that are similar in scope and detail, particularly disclosures of the Anti-Christ (Daniel 7, 9, 11, alongside of Revelation 13 & 17, including the very identity of this wicked man—see my book Out of the Abyss). Likewise both books provide astonishing before and after information of the four Gentile kingdoms that dominated the world in their time (Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome); as well as Daniel’s precise predictions of the “king of the north” fulfilled hundreds of years later by Antiochus Epiphanies IV. Many are familiar with these prophecies, but not too many are acquainted with or accurately understand a phenomenal prophecy found in Daniel Chapter 9. Let’s read the words given by the angel Gabriel to Daniel:

“A period of seventy sets of seven has been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish their rebellion, to put an end to their sin, to atone for their guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to confirm the prophetic vision, and to anoint the Most Holy Place. Now listen and understand! Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes. Jerusalem will be rebuilt with streets and strong defenses, despite the perilous times” (Daniel 9: 24-25).

Many Old Testament prophets speak of the coming Messiah, listing dozens of literal details as to what the Messiah would experience, how and from where he would originate, how he would be received, and what he would accomplish. What, then, makes the Daniel Chapter 9 prophecy so extraordinarily unique? It pinpoints the actual time when Messiah would arrive on the scene of human history!

There are a handful of other prophecies in which God specifies the length of time before the event will take place or how long the event will last. For example, God told Abraham that, “After four generations your descendants will return here to this land…” (Genesis 15:16). As later confirmed, the Israelites spent 400 years in Egypt, before they were delivered by God through Moses, enabling them to return to the Promised Land. Moreover, at that time, a generation was essentially defined and measured (in terms of time) as a hundred years.

Another example is the precise 70-year exile of the Jews in Babylon foretold by Jeremiah before the mighty Babylonian Empire sacked Jerusalem and demolished Solomon’s Temple. The period of captivity began in 586 BC and ended in 516 BC.

Regarding Daniel’s prophecy, he was told that a period of 70 weeks would be needed to, among other things: “finish their rebellion … atone for their guilt … bring in everlasting righteousness…” (Daniel 9:24). One significant Hebrew expression and measurement of time is that of one week equaling seven years, which is certainly the case in this passage. Nearly all Bible scholars agree with this application. Thus, there would be a total of 490 years (70 x 7) to achieve this remarkable transformation for the nation of Israel—one that would accomplish the very purpose for being a people chosen by God (to bring God’s Word and God’s Savior to all of mankind); and one that would ultimately fulfill Israel’s destiny of people and land (complete physical/spiritual restoration of Israel and Messiah ruling the world from Jerusalem).

Then, however, this specific time-lapse prophecy is narrowed down and essentially “split” as noted in the following verse. “…Seven sets of seven plus sixty-two sets of seven will pass…” (Daniel 9:25). The preciseness of this prophecy is indisputable in terms of the exact period of time needed (483 years) to accomplish an integral, component part of the entire prediction. When will the 483 year count begin, and what will take place at the end of this fixed period of time? We find the answer in the last part of the verse: “…from the time the command is given to rebuild Jerusalem until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes…” (Verse 25). Thus, there are two events that signal the beginning of the prophecy and its subsequent fulfillment. Daniel’s vision of these astounding events took place in approximately 539 BC.

First Event: The command to rebuild Jerusalem.

At the outset it is vitally important to distinguish the command to rebuild Jerusalem (starting with the walls of the holy city) from another edict/command issued by a totally different ruler to rebuild the Temple in Jerusalem. It was the Persian King Cyrus who issued the decree in 538 BC for the Jews to return from their Babylonian captivity and rebuild their holy Temple. In fact restoration of the Temple began a few years later and was completed in 516 BC, 70 years after Israel was conquered and exiled to Babylon, i.e. the 70-year prophesied captivity. Some Bible scholars erroneously selected Cyrus’s edict as the beginning point of Daniel’s 483-year prophecy. They mistakenly assumed that the prophetic words of Daniel’s prophecy (rebuild Jerusalem) also applied to the Temple. But, prophetically and historically we can now clearly see that the rebuilt Temple and rebuilt walls of Jerusalem were two distinct events separated by nearly 100 hundred years.

Let’s read the exact wording of Cyrus’s command, “In the first year of King Cyrus’s reign, a decree was sent out concerning the Temple of God at Jerusalem…” (Ezra 6:3, italics for emphasis). The verse goes on to record exactly what Cyrus ordered, “…Let the Temple be rebuilt on the site where Jews used to offer their sacrifices, using the original foundations. Its height will be ninety feet…” (Italics for emphasis). The crucial point here is that Cyrus is referring ONLY to the Temple itself. Also, there are extensive details of the decree … I’ve quoted just the beginning of those details. The Jewish leader Zerubbabel subsequently led the Jewish exiles back to Israel, and supervised the restoration of Solomon’s Temple.

*Note: In the study of Biblical prophecy it is of paramount importance to examine ALL prophecies that relate directly or indirectly to the specific prophecy you’re looking at. If this is not done, then a student of prophecy is subject to error in the application of the Bible to historical events.

Once again notice that Daniel’s prophecy is referring exclusively to the rebuilding of Jerusalem. The specifics of his prediction came to pass generations later, through another decree; this time given by another Persian King Artaxerxes Longimanus to Nehemiah in 445 BC. The Old Testament book of Nehemiah contains the records/history of the edict and renovation of the walls. As with Cyrus’s decree for the Temple, there are several details in King Artaxerxes’ letter to Nehemiah granting permission to, among other things: “beams for the gates of the Temple fortress, for the city walls, and for a house for myself. And the king granted these requests, because the gracious hand of God was on me” (Nehemiah 2:8, italics for emphasis). *Note: the fortress gates for the Temple was not part of the Temple itself.

Second Event: Until a ruler—the Anointed One—comes.

The Anointed One is none other than the Messiah; in fact, many Bible translations actually use the term Messiah in Daniel 9:25 (Messiah means Anointed or Chosen One). Yet, Messiah Jesus was on this earth for some 33 years, so what aspect (time-frame) of his life do we select as the year/time when he would come (to the earth)? His birth, passing into Jewish adulthood (age 13), beginning of his ministry, his crucifixion, his resurrection? Answer: none of the above. The moment in time to identify the passage of 483 years can be none other than Palm Sunday, a week before his crucifixion. Why? That is the precise time when Jesus allowed others to recognize and worship him as the Messiah, which is the specific fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy. Prior to his heralded ride into Jerusalem, he had discouraged even his disciples from publicly hailing him as Messiah. Why?

It wasn’t the right time yet. The time chosen by God long before was to synchronize and confirm his very identity as Messiah (Son of God) with his ultimate mission of purchasing our redemption through his death, burial, and resurrection. As indicated, Palm Sunday and Resurrection Sunday occurred in consecutive weeks. Nearly all Bible scholars agree that the accolades from thousands of people given to Christ as he rode into Jerusalem on a donkey (historically kings would ride into a city on a donkey if the king was coming in peace … a horse if the king was coming to conquer) demonstrated public acknowledgment that he was Messiah.

If you like, read Luke 19 for the progression of events culminating with shouts of, “Blessings on the King, who comes in the name of the Lord!” (Luke 19:38). The very cries of the people recorded in Luke had been prophesied by the prophet Zechariah: “Rejoice, O people of Zion! Shout in triumph, O people of Jerusalem! Look, your king is coming to you. He is righteous and victorious, yet he is humble, riding on a donkey—riding on a donkey’s colt” (Zechariah 9:9).

If then, Daniel’s phenomenal prediction is accurate, adding 483 years to the proclamation of Artaxerxes in 445 BC should match up with the triumphal entry of Jesus to Jerusalem. So, let’s do the math: 483 years minus 445 years =s 38 AD. Oops, we have a problem! This would be several years after Jesus arose from the dead and returned to heaven. Has Daniel’s prophecy failed?

Sir Robert Anderson

In 1894, a Scotland Yard Detective, Robert Anderson, who was also an ardent student of the Bible, especially prophecy, published his book called, The Coming Prince. Through extensive study and research, he corrected and clarified previous applications of Daniel’s prophecy from such notables as Sir Isaac Newton … one of the greatest scientist of all times, but also a Christian who studied Biblical prophecies extensively. We simply can’t do justice to Sir Robert Anderson’s book in one article; therefore, we will briefly examine the two most important discoveries by him (which are really disclosures and discernment given to him by the Lord).

1. Correct Application of Biblical Years: Simply stated, every Jewish month consists of 30 days (based on the moon’s phases); therefore, every year contains 360 days, not 365 days that we use on the Julian or Roman calendar. Biblical months/years are based on the Jewish calendar. The Roman calendar came along thousands of years after the Jewish calendar. Time doesn’t permit explanation as to why we use the Roman calendar, except to say that Sir Robert Anderson fully realized the necessity of converting Julian years to Jewish years if he or anyone could accurately correlate precise dates in Biblical and secular history …. Days, months, years.
2. Pinpoint Identification of Exact Dates, via Meticulous Investigation of Historical Records: Once again, time/space prohibits extensive review of what he found, so I will highly condense his amazing discovery: Sir Robert Anderson calculated (with partial assistance from the Royal Observatory, Greenwich) the Julian date of King Artaxerxes edict to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem to have been March 14th, 445 BC. Furthermore, the Julian date for Jesus’s magnificent ride into Jerusalem was April 6th, 32 AD. By employing the Hebrew calendar, Sir Robert Anderson tallied 173,880 days had elapsed which is exactly 483 Jewish years!! Absolutely astounding! I repeat for emphasis: Incredible!!

Sir Robert Anderson factored in leap years and the 24 days from March 14th to April 6th. Some mathematicians/scholars determined that Anderson was two days off or so; but whether they’re right or Sir Robert was right, doesn’t matter all that much. The fact is: to calculate within two days, or two weeks, or two months, or even two years is remarkable. When you’re talking about 483 years, even a gap of two years still gives significant validation to the prophecy. Meaning that it’s not the God-given prophecy that’s a little off; rather, it might just be a slight miscalculation of what is a fairly complex system of balancing two calendars over such a long period of time.

Summary

Unless God, himself, directly inspires someone (such as the prophet Daniel), there’s absolutely no way for a man or woman to predict either the decree of Artaxerxes (some 95 years after Daniel’s vision) or the coming of the Messiah (some 483 years—Jewish calendar) years later to the year and the very day! Or, for that matter to predict anything, with or without a definitive time-frame of fulfillment, on a error-free, 100% standard of accuracy … or even 10%, which is nothing but pure luck.

There are many features that distinguish Judaism and later, Christianity, from all other world religions and philosophies. One thing is the Bible itself, authored by God, himself. Why can I or anyone make this assertion? Because of two other elements found in Scripture that simply do not exist and cannot be found in other so-called holy texts or records. One is the incredible miracles recorded in both the Old and New Testaments, many of which have been documented through archeology, recorded eye-witness accounts, secular historical records; not the least of which is the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Secondly, the hundreds of fulfilled Biblical prophecies, with equal confirmation by the above described sources.

But the greatest distinction of all is God’s plan of salvation and rescue of the entire human race: God doing for us through his Son’s death on the cross, what we can’t possibly do for ourselves: forgiveness and pardon from our sins and eternal life in Heaven.

Please, tune in next week, and we’ll look at another spectacular prophecy in Scripture, from the 26th Chapter of Leviticus of all places. A prophecy that also contains a specific number of years for its fulfillment, but one that wasn’t discovered until a few years ago. Much like it took over 1800 years for the Lord to give such precise insight to Sir Robert Anderson.

Things to Ponder
– The 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy is a whole different study, but essentially it consists of the Tribulation period that begins with the 7-year treaty orchestrated by the Antichrist, as found in Daniel 9:27.
– These precise prophecies in Daniel Chapter 9 are some of many Messianic prophecies that the Jews missed before the first advent of Jesus Christ to the earth. It is well documented, both in the Bible and historical records, that Israel and the Jews (and a few Gentiles) were anticipating the appearance of the Messiah a relatively short time before and after Jesus came to the earth. The Magi had to have known about Daniel’s prophecy; otherwise they would never have traveled hundreds of miles to bear gifts to the Messiah. Whether the Jewish scribes and religious leaders had figured out Daniel’s prophecy and chose to ignore it, or whether they hadn’t even bothered to look more closely at the prophecy, is anybody’s guess. But had they examined Daniel’s predictions and all Messianic prophecies in more detail, they would have known that Jesus Christ fulfilled every one of them.
– According to Daniel 9:26, the Messiah would appear before the destruction of the Temple, which took place in 70 AD. And that’s exactly what occurred … Jesus birth, death, and resurrection some 40 years before the Romans sacked Jerusalem–which further validates the accuracy of Daniel’s prophecy. But then thousands of Jews and Gentiles witnessed first-hand or heard first-hand from eye-witnesses of Jesus’s many miracles (such as raising Lazarus from the dead), and they still refused to believe that he was Messiah Savior. So what does it take?!

PROPHECY & A JEWISH HOLIDAY

Happy Thanksgivukkah! What in the world is that, you ask? Good question, because it’s a term that was just recently coined; one that went internet viral in just a few days—to explain an event that won’t occur on the Jewish/Roman calendars for another 77,000 years. The phrase is a clever mixture of the uniquely American Holiday of Thanksgiving with the exclusively Jewish celebration of Hanukkah, which just happened to coincide this year. The eight days of Hanukkah began on Thanksgiving eve, whereas usually Hanukkah more closely tracks on the calendar with the Christmas season. In fact, Hanukkah’s normal proximity to Christmas down through the ages has given rise to its increasing prominence, even sometimes referred to as the “Jewish Christmas” which, of course, it’s not. With one notable exception: both Hanukkah and Christmas emphasize lights … Menorah candles and Christmas tree lights, respectively.

We all know about the Pilgrims and Thanksgiving. Although most have heard the term Hanukkah (Happy Hanukkah) not too many know what it means … why it has become one of two enormously important holidays for Jews that are not part of the original seven festivals (as found in the books of Exodus and Leviticus) given by God through Moses and to Jews for generations thereafter. With the exception of the two most revered Jewish Holidays of Passover and Yom Kippur (Day of Atonement), these two events are the most widely celebrated throughout Israel and by Jews world-wide. *Note: Sukkot, (Feast of Tabernacles) comes close.

The first non-Mosaic celebration is called Purim and occurs mostly in our month of February. It is a jubilant celebration of God’s deliverance of the Jews from genocide at the hands of the wicked Persian official, Haman. You remember the story: God, through a Jewish government official named Mordecai asked (pleaded with) Queen Esther (approximately 483 BC) to daringly approach and appeal to King Xerxes to spare the Jews from annihilation. At risk of her very life, she accepted the challenge to deliver her people for “such as time as this.”

The second post-Mosaic festival celebration of Hanukkah became a vital part of Jewish tradition following the stunning campaign of a Jewish priest named Mattathias, his five sons, and a relatively small group of followers—later to be known as the Maccabees—against a vastly superior force of Syrian Greeks led by Antiochus IV (historians estimate the Jews were outnumbered a thousand to one). This evil ruler reigned over the northern kingdom, one of four kingdoms that emerged from Alexander the Great’s fragmented empire. Historians recognized the impossible odds facing the Maccabees, which is why the final victory through a series of battles is considered miraculous. But then another miracle occurred, which is as much of an integral part of Hanukkah as the defeat of the Greeks: the supply of oil to keep the Menorah candles burning for eight days. So, what is so supernatural about that? Because the fact is: The Maccabees found only enough oil for one day of candle burning!

Some Jewish rabbinical scholars maintain that the primary reason for celebrating Hanukkah is not necessarily the stunning military victory, nor even a one-day supply of oil lasting for eight days. Rather, they assert: It is to remember the remarkable renewal of the (2nd) Temple back to its consecrated holiness for and service to God, before Antiochus IV defiled it with pagan sacrifices; not the least of which was his order to erect a statue of Zeus in the Temple followed by the sacrifice of a pig to insult the Jews and blaspheme their God.

The resistance began in 167 BC, when Mattathias refused to comply with a decree to offer a sacrifice to a pagan idol. When a Jew (there were many Jews who had resigned themselves to subservience to Antiochus IV and the Syrian Greeks, to the extent that they abandoned God and their faith in Him to appease their captors) began to comply with the Syrian order of idol sacrifice, Mattathias killed the Jew and ripped down the idol. Then he and his five sons escaped to the hills of Judea and began their revolt against the cruel Greeks.

In 164 BC, Mattathias’ third son, Judah Maccabee, with his band of freedom fighters, defeated the Greek armies, recaptured the Temple, and then cleansed the Temple. On the 25th day of Kislev (which is the Jewish calendar month that overlaps our months of November and December), the menorah was rekindled and for eight days the Jews celebrated the Temple’s renewal. In fact, the Hebrew word hanuka basically means the inauguration or rededication of the Temple on Kislev 25th.

Antiochus IV Epiphanes

Obviously it was the sacrilegious brutality of the Seleucid Empire in general and Antiochus IV in particular that led to the Jewish revolt and recapture of their sacred Temple. Which, in turn, initiated the annual observance of this magnificent accomplishment through Hanukkah, a Holy Day (holiday) that is passionately celebrated to this very day. Were you aware that the Bible predicted the rise of Alexander the Great, then the division of his empire into four kingdoms (one of which was the Seleucid dynasty)? Of course. you say; It’s all found in Daniel Chapters 2 and 7 … complements of Nebuchadnezzar’s vision of the monumental statue and Daniel’s terrifying vision of the four beasts; that the third beast represented Alexander the Great’s ancient Greece. And you would be totally right on!

But did you also know that two other chapters in the amazing book of Daniel provide extensive prophetic facts on two of the four lesser empires (the Seleucids in Syria and the Ptolemy’s of Egypt) that emerged after Alexander’s sudden and early death? The prophecies of the ram and goat, of the one large and four prominent horns, of the king(s) of the north and king(s) of the south and all of the intricate future events explained in Daniel Chapters 8 & 11 were explicitly fulfilled over a period of time some 200-375 years later … during the reigns of Antiochus II, Antiochus III the Great, Seleucus IV (Seleucids) and Ptolemy I, II, V, & VI (Egypt).

However, the most notorious of these rulers was Antiochus IV, whose deplorable exploits are recorded in Chapter 8 and then resumed in the 21st verse of the 11th chapter of Daniel that says: “The next to come to power will be a despicable man who is not in line for royal succession. He will slip in when least expected and take over the kingdom by flattery and intrigue.” Secular history confirms the amazing accuracy of Daniel’s prophecies. Then beginning primarily in Daniel 11:36 to the end of the chapter, this astounding prophecy switches from Antiochus IV to another future and later king, which clearly is the Antichrist—as later confirmed by the book of Revelation.

Antiochus IV given name was Mithridates; he assumed the name of Antiochus upon ascension to the throne, having succeeded his brother, Seleucus IV, although Seleucus’ son, Demetrius I Soter, should have been the rightful heir. Time and space boundaries of this article do not permit elaboration on how all these things took place, but it does allow for some highlights of what the Bible clearly portrays Antiochus IV to be: a representative prototype or precursor of the Antichrist, which in Daniel is called the “little horn” and a “prince who is to come.” Moreover, Antiochus IV was the first Seleucid king to inscribe divine epithets on coins. One example of these markings was the Greek word epiphanies which means, “Manifest god.” He arrogantly added that divine designation to his regal title, which is how he was known then and remembered in history … Antiochus IV Epiphanes.

The English word epiphany is almost an exact transliteration of the original Greek words, epiphaneia (appearance) or epiphainein (to manifest), and the parent Greek word, phainein (to show). Likewise, the modern definition and understanding of epiphany is an appearance or manifestation of a divine being. Biblical scholars have accurately and rightfully employed this word to explain the pre-incarnate appearances of Christ as found in several Old Testament passages, then later during the spectacular post-incarnate appearance of Jesus to John in the book of Revelation.

And, were you aware that it was an epiphany appearance of Christ to Daniel with the pre-incarnate Jesus interpreting the visions given to Daniel as recorded in Chapters 10 and 11. Some of Daniel’s other visions were interpreted by the angel Gabriel, but most of the prophecies that deal with the future rulers (Antiochus and the Antichrist—who we know is Nero) were explained by Christ, himself. And there’s a rock-solid reason for that: Who better or more qualified than Messiah, himself, to expose these two evil men, who would dare to manifest themselves as God or anti-Christ?

Comparisons of Antiochus IV & Antichrist

The hideous atrocities of Antiochus IV and Nero some 200 years later (only to be exponentially intensified when Nero returns at the outset of the Tribulation) are a matter of historical record. Whereas, Antiochus and his armies killed some 40,000 Jews (men, woman, and children in just three days of carnage), and Nero vented his wickedness by slaughtering thousands of Christians, we find extraordinary similarities between the two. To wit.
– Both tyrants set themselves up as gods; Nero carried and will again carry it one step farther, “…exalting himself and claiming to be greater than every god, even blaspheming the God of gods…” (Daniel 11:36). See Revelation 13:5-6.
– Both of these despots ascended to the throne but not as the rightful heir; rather through a series of unlawful and deceitful maneuvers.
– Both Antiochus IV (Daniel 11:31) and the man of lawlessness (II Thessalonians 2:4 & Matthew 24:15) would desecrate and defile the Jewish Temple by stopping the Jewish sacrifices and setting up a “sacrilegious object” … as applied to Antiochus, the 2nd Temple; as applied to Nero, the yet-to-be rebuilt 3rd Temple.
– Both would do battle with a king(s) of the south as explained in Daniel 11, with verses 40-42 applying to the Antichrist.
– Both would reward their allies by distributing plunder, wealth, and land, which is a rare thing for any dictator to do.
– After engaging their enemies to the south, both would return to their northern based empire by going through Israel and, while in the holy land, inflict great damage and destruction on Israel. This is exactly what Antiochus did to the Jews on his way back from war with Ptolemy VI of Egypt. (Daniel 11:28 for Antiochus and verses 41-42 for the latter king—Antichrist).
– Both would inexplicably halt their conquest of Israel because of alarming news from other battle fronts and their evil reigns would abruptly end. Their time would run out, because that was God’s plan for them. Antiochus IV died suddenly from a mysterious disease in 164 BC. Regarding Antichrist: “…But while he is there (meaning at Megiddo), his time will suddenly run out, and no one will help him” (Daniel 11:45). See also Revelation 19: 19-21.

Of course there a few dissimilarities, because they are two distinct rulers and operate in different periods of time. But in parallel terms of character flaws, egotism, pride, godlessness, brutality, they are two wicked peas in a warped pod.

It wouldn’t surprise me … in fact, I fully expect Nero to put a stop to the sacrifices and offerings (Daniel 9:27) of the Jews during the time of the Great Tribulation at the beginning of or during the 8-day celebration of Hanukkah.

Understanding the Value of Prophecy

So then, what’s the significance of and application to us in today’s world? What does it matter that a Greek demigod of ancient times even existed or that yesterday’s and today’s Jews celebrate his demise and cherish the astounding events that returned the sacred Temple to their control? The answer is: RELEVANCY!

Prophecy creates an incredible connection between the past and the present; and it also marks a clear path for the future. From God’s vantage point (and as much as we can grasp with finite minds) what happened hundreds/thousands of years ago might as well have occurred last week. Thus, we can better understand the timeless attribute of our God, who knows the end from the beginning, who sees everything in the present tense. And then we remember that, “…A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day” (II Peter 3:8).

Once again, we see the fascinating link between events of long ago with what is happening in today’s world. Biblical prophecy and history combined with secular history shows us the profound significance of ancient Israel’s victory over the forces of an evil tyrant and its relevance to the nation of Israel down to this very generation. It is a time of thankful remembrance for God’s providential control over Gentile nations and corresponding deliverance of his special possession, Israel. The lighting of the Menorah reminds Jews all over the world that they were chosen to be a light to the nations. As Christians, we are grafted into the tree that is Israel. We are one new man (Jew and Gentile, one in Christ) in God’s eyes. Our very salvation comes from the Jewish Messiah, who is THE Light of the World.

And, we better understand and appreciate our God; who providentially brings everything together according to his magnificent plan for Israel and for the Church. In this case the evil ruler, Antiochus IV—who in a fit of rage over events in Egypt (King of the South) took out his vengeance and frustration on Jerusalem and the Temple—was almost an exact prototype of the coming ruler (Antichrist) who also will vent his anger on the Jewish people. “Then at the time of the end, the king of the south will attack the king of the north. The king of the north (Antichrist) will storm out with chariots, charioteers, and a vast navy. He will invade various lands and sweep through them like a flood. He will enter the glorious land of Israel, and many nations will fall…” (Daniel 11: 40-41).

By making these connections, the saints of the Tribulation period and a remnant of the Jews will wisely perceive the true intentions of Nero (Antichrist), who is essentially an exact replica (only on a global scale) of Antiochus IV Epiphanes. They will remember their history and fully realize that Daniel’s prophecy now applies historically to Antiochus and prophetically (during the Tribulation) to the beast. Here’s what Daniel said: “His army will take over the Temple fortress, pollute the sanctuary, put a stop to the daily sacrifices, and set up the sacrilegious object that causes desecration. He will flatter and win over those who have violated the covenant. But the people who know their God will be strong and will resist him” (Daniel 11: 31-32, italics for emphasis).

Then we see another correlation: Just like the miraculous victory of the Maccabees over Antiochus IV’s armies, and the equally miraculous burning of the Menorah lights for eight days with only one day’s supply of oil, so will The Light of the World (Messiah Jesus) completely conquer the Antichrist beast of Revelation and his armies. But this time, Messiah will come—not as the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world—but as the Lion from the tribe of Judah, with power and great glory!

And we more passionately long for world-wide righteousness, justice, and peace that our glorious Messiah will bring in Daniel 7:14: “He was given authority, honor, and sovereignty over all the nations of the world, so that people of every race and nation and language would obey him. His rule is eternal—it will never end. His kingdom will never be destroyed.”

Thus, we learn even more that our Lord is completely trustworthy because what he says will happen, does happen; and what he says he will do, he does.

Things to Ponder
– I would never criticize anyone for not being all that interested in Biblical prophecy. In and of itself, there’s nothing erroneous about an indifference to prophecy. We’re not even supposed to judge someone for the bad things they do, let alone their personal preference for certain parts of the Bible. But to minimize or overlook prophetic passages in Scripture means that we’re missing approximately 1/3 of the entire Bible!