The 70 weeks (or sevens) prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27, a pivotal moment in biblical history, began in 445/444 BC (IMO) when Artaxerxes of Persia sent Nehemiah and the exiled Jews to rebuild the walls and city of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 1:1-2:10). This historical context connects us to the biblical narrative, making it more relatable. “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times” (Daniel 9:25).
The end of the 69th seven occurred when the Messiah, the Prince (Jesus), was “cut off” or killed in 33 AD (IMO). “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary, and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined” (Daniel 9:26).
Jesus was killed on Passover, Nisan 14, 3793 AM on the Jewish calendar or Thursday, April 2, 33 AD (IMO) on the Julian calendar, which the Roman Empire used at that time. If our modern Gregorian calendar had been in use at that time (proleptic Gregorian calendar), you could have deducted a few days, and the date would have been March 31, AD 33. This conversion from the Julian to the Gregorian calendar is a testament to the precision and accuracy of historical record-keeping.
The 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy, a period of significant theological interest, has been paused or delayed for 1,991 years (now in 2024 AD). The reasons for this pause and why the 70th week didn’t immediately follow the 69th week are sometimes debated. As I wrote about in The Resumption of Daniel’s 70th Week :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready, many theologians believe this vast time gap could have been avoided if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their King and Messiah.
However, even if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their King and Messiah, He would still have to die on the cross to fulfill the prophecy of Isaiah 53 (and other Old Testament prophecies). “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we, like sheep, have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way, and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he opens not his mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment: and who shall declare his generation? for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken” (Isaiah 53:5-8).
Also, the Old Testament prophecies concerning the “Day of the LORD” or “Jacob’s Trouble” must be fulfilled. These are the end times of judgment on Israel (and the Gentile nations) for their sin and unbelief against the LORD. This “Day of the LORD” is the last seven years of Daniel’s 70th ‘week.’ If the Jews had accepted Jesus as their Messiah King, He could have established his Millennial Kingdom seven years after his death instead of having to wait 2,000 years because of the Jews’ unbelief. The Millennial Kingdom of God would then have started in the year AD 40.
I am uncertain how the Lord would accomplish all this, and one can only speculate what these last seven years would have been like. I’m sure it would have been different from what is described in Revelation because this book and all of the books of the New Testament would never have been written, and the Church might not have been born.
One thing is sure in this hypothetical scenario: all of the prophecies in the Old Testament (including the Day of the Lord and Daniel’s prophecies) and the prophecies regarding the “anointed one” would still be fulfilled in these last seven years. God’s will is always accomplished, and His word is always fulfilled.
Jesus would still be resurrected to life after three days and nights and appear to many. During the 40 days after his resurrection, the Jews would, this time, pass their “test of faith” and accept Jesus as their Messiah King. As I mentioned before, even if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their King, He would still need to die on the cross to fulfill prophetic scripture. The Romans would not accept a Jewish (Davidic) king in their midst, so they would see to it that he was crucified. They would then punish and persecute the Jews who were revolting against the Roman Empire.
For Daniel’s prophecy to be fulfilled in this scenario, the Jews would agree to a seven-year peace treaty with the Romans to avoid further persecution or war. This event would anger God greatly, and the time of Jacob’s trouble would commence. The Roman ruler would break this covenant with the Jews and commit the abomination of desolation (Daniel 9:27) midway through this “covenant with death,” as described by the prophet Isaiah (Isaiah 28:15-16). Instead of the temple being destroyed in AD 70 (for in this scenario, there is no AD 70), its destruction would occur after the abomination of desolation in 37 AD.
The desolations of Daniel 9:27 would continue until the Jews repented and called on the Lord to return, fulfilling the prophecies of Hosea 5:15 and 6:1-2. Jesus would return to the earth 1,260 days after the abomination of desolation at the campaign of Armageddon and destroy the Roman Antichrist and his army and all the other forces arrayed against Him.
Of course, God knew Israel would reject His Son as the Messiah during His First Advent, and the scenario I just described never occurred. However, He gave them every opportunity to do so, including Jesus remaining on the earth for 40 days after His resurrection. The Holy Spirit also gave the prophets of old “dual reference prophecies” so that Jesus could have fulfilled them completely during His First Advent.
There are references to the Lord’s First and Second Coming scattered throughout the Old Testament in what appears to be a single event if one didn’t have the New Testament. These “dual reference prophecies” could only be determined as such after the First Coming had already taken place. They were written so that it was impossible to know beforehand that the Lord’s First Coming would only fulfill part of the prophecy.
The writers of these prophecies often switch from the First Coming to the Second Coming in the middle of a sentence or the following one as if they were one event. The Holy Spirit might have made sure they were written this way because it could have possibly been only one event if the Jews had accepted Jesus as the Messiah when He rode into Jerusalem on a donkey as their King, fulfilling the prophecy of Zechariah 9:9. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.”
Here is an example of one such dual reference prophecy: “For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given: and the government will be upon His shoulder, and His name will be called Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there will be no end, upon the throne of David and over His kingdom, to order it and establish it with judgment and justice from that time forward, even forever” (Isaiah 9:6).
The first half of the first sentence refers to the First Advent, and the second half refers to His Millennial Kingdom after His Second Coming. The second sentence also refers to Jesus’ millennial rule after His Second Coming. At the time of Isaiah’s writing (and centuries afterward), no one could have known from reading these verses that they spoke of two separate advents of the Messiah.
Another dual reference prophecy is found in Micah 5:2. “But you Bethlehem Ephrathah, though you are little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of you shall come forth to Me the One to be Ruler in Israel, whose goings forth are from of old, from everlasting.” If you didn’t know better, one would think that the events of this prophecy would transpire in the lifetime of one individual born in Bethlehem Ephrathah and then grow up to become ruler over all of Israel. The last part of the verse indicates that this is no ordinary ruler but is the Messiah Himself. With the benefit of the New Testament, we now know this verse refers to Jesus being born in Bethlehem when he came the first time as a human baby, but he will not become ruler of Israel until He comes the second time as King of Kings and LORD of Lords.
One more example of dual reference prophecy is found in Isaiah 61. “The Spirit of the Lord God is upon Me, because the Lord has anointed Me to preach good tidings to the poor; He has sent Me to heal the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to those who are bound; to proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God” (Isaiah 61:1-2).
At the beginning of Jesus’ ministry, when he was in the synagogue in Nazareth, Jesus read from the scroll of Isaiah 61:1-2. However, Jesus stopped before the end of verse 2, leaving out the phrase “and the day of vengeance of our God.” He then closed the book and sat down. Jesus told them, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21).
Jesus said He was the fulfillment of this prophecy and had come to do the things listed therein. But by stopping his reading where he did, he revealed he hadn’t come (yet) to fulfill the last part of Isaiah’s prophecy, “the day of vengeance of our God.” In other words, there would be a time separation between the year of the Lord’s favor (First Advent) and the day of His vengeance (Day of the Lord – Tribulation). Without the benefit of the Luke 4 passages and reading Isaiah 61:1-2, one would assume that the Day of the Lord (day of vengeance) would occur directly after the Messiah’s ministry. However, we now know these are two distinct events separated by thousands of years.
Of course, the most apparent dual reference prophecy is found in Daniel 9:24-27, known as the 70 weeks (sevens) prophecy. If you were living in the times of Daniel when he recorded this prophecy, you would think the 70th week would come concurrently after the 69th week, without any gap of time between them.
Once the apostles and disciples figured out Jesus was the Messiah and the subject of Daniel 9:26, they thought He would return soon after His ascension to begin His day of vengeance and establish His kingdom. They knew nothing about a vast time gap between the 69th and 70th week. As a matter of fact, just before Jesus ascended to heaven, the apostles asked him, saying, “Lord, will You at this time restore the kingdom to Israel? And He said to them, “It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority” (Acts 1:6-7).
It is clear from the apostles’ question that Jesus never mentioned an extended period in which Israel would be set aside while his attention would be focused on the Gentiles and the Church. They didn’t even know about the Church at this time or that Gentiles would be a part of it. They would not ascertain this fact for sure until 20 years later when James told them at the Jerusalem Council, and even then, they didn’t know for how long the time of the Gentiles would last.
In hindsight, we know Jesus will resume His focus on Israel after the Rapture. After the Holy Spirit and the Church are removed from the earth, God’s divine clock will reset, and Daniel’s 70th week will begin (with a short time gap between them – until the Antichrist confirms the covenant). The dual reference prophecies were written in such a way that if the Jews had accepted Jesus as their King and Messiah, He could have fulfilled them in the allotted time of the 70 weeks, without a vast gap of time between the 69th and 70th weeks.
So, the question remains: when will Daniel’s 70th week begin? As I said, it has been 1,991 years thus far, in 2024 AD. Although we can’t be sure about the exact timing of the “Day of the LORD” (the seven-year Tribulation), we can get some clues from Old Testament scripture and prophecies that typologically indicate when it might occur. Let’s look first at the timing of the end of Daniel’s 70th week and the return of Jesus Christ to the Earth.
Most bible scholars believe that since Jesus fulfilled the first four Feasts of the Lord (Passover, Unleavened Bread, Firstfruits, Shavuot/Pentecost) during His First Advent, He will also fulfill the last three during His Second Advent. If this is true (and I believe it is), he will return on a future Feast of Trumpets and, in chronological order, then fulfill the Day of Atonement and Tabernacles. The Feast of Trumpets or Rosh Hashanah to the Jews is observed on the first day of the seventh month of Tishri in the fall during a new moon (usually in September or October).
Just knowing (or assuming) the day of the Second Advent doesn’t help much in determining what year Jesus returns. It could have been any year after his ascension to heaven. This is evident by the apostles’ question (regarding Jesus’ reign as King of Israel) to Jesus before he ascended to heaven. The apostles thought Jesus’ kingdom would begin at this time. Little did they know it would be millennia before this would be accomplished.
Scripture says that no man knows the day or hour of the Rapture, but we should be able to recognize the season of His return so as not to be caught unaware. We are in this season (IMO) because of the imminent signs of the looming Tribulation (Daniel’s 70th week), which will follow the Rapture by a little season.
The timing of Jesus’ Second Advent is a little different, however. When the Antichrist makes a seven-year covenant with Israel (and the many), those with biblical knowledge who are left behind after the Rapture should know that Jesus will return seven years later on the Feast of Trumpets (Rosh Hashanah). They should also be able to figure out the Antichrist’s name in Greek isopsephy or Hebrew Gematria, which will amount to 666.
Also, Jesus’ return will occur 42 months after the A.C. commits the abomination of desolation in Israel’s new Temple in Jerusalem. However, during these days (and years?) before the soon-coming Rapture, we are left with making educated guesses or theories on the timing of Jesus’ Second Coming.
To have an educated guess or theory, one must have empirical evidence to support it. Britannica.com describes empirical evidence as: “information gathered directly or indirectly through observation or experimentation that may be used to confirm or disconfirm a scientific theory or to help justify, or establish as reasonable, a person’s belief in a given proposition.”
We do know a few specific facts concerning the Tribulation. It will last for seven years, and it is getting close. We know it is getting close as apostasy and lawlessness (the Spirit of the Antichrist) is abounding in all areas of society, including government institutions and municipalities (local, state, and national), politics, media, social media, religion, sports, entertainment, financial institutions, schools and universities, business and corporations, and the family unit. Crime is rampant and getting worse. Socialism and Communism are rearing their ugly heads as the New World Order is beginning to take form with the United Nations “Great Reset” being implemented in 2020.
The global elites, determined to bring in a New World Order, seem fixated on the year 2030. The United Nations has set a deadline for achieving its “Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development” by 2030. Agenda 2030 for S.D. has 17 goals for curing all of the world’s problems under the leadership of the unelected officials of the United Nations. All nations must follow their guidelines to bring this new utopia on Earth. All members will be required to submit to the authority of the one-world government of the United Nations. The United Nations initiated the Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development in 2015. They had a fifteen-year plan and are now past the halfway point of their deadline.
Lies and fake news are the primary sources of information we get from politicians, media, and health organizations. Satan must be proud, as he is called the father of lies. “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you want to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own resources, for he is a liar and the father of it” (John 8:44). Even nature and the animal kingdom seem to be rebelling as the end draws near.
I believe Dr. Thomas Horn could be correct in his assessment that the third Trumpet judgment of Revelation 8:10, in which the “star” or asteroid called Wormwood falls upon the Earth and poisons a third of the waters, is the asteroid called 99942 Apophis. This asteroid is a near-earth asteroid. Scientists say the closest known approach of Apophis to the Earth occurs on Friday, April 13, 2029, 21:46 UT, when it will pass Earth closer than geosynchronous communication satellites but will come no closer than 31,600 kilometers above Earth’s surface. However, Tom Horn and others think Apophis will hit the earth, which will be the 3rd Trumpet judgment.
I have given several theoretical examples of possible future timelines (based on the Feasts of the Lord dates) for the Tribulation and Jesus’ 2nd Coming in my article series In The Midst- Parts I – V. Based on limited evidence, I believe Part IV: Return of the King has the most merit, with 2026 as the start and 2033 as the finish. Hypothetically, in 2033 AD, Jesus will return physically to the earth after a 2,000-year absence since he was crucified in 33 AD. According to the apostle Peter, two thousand years is as two days for the Lord. “But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day with the Lord is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day” (2 Peter 3:8).
The Old Testament prophet Hosea had this to say about the subject, in my opinion: “After two days He will revive us: in the third day He will raise us up, and we shall live in His sight. Then we shall know, if we follow on to know the LORD: His going forth is prepared as the morning; and He shall come unto us as the rain, as the latter and former rain unto the earth” (Hosea 6:2-3).
Once again, “one day with the Lord is as a thousand years,” so after 2,000 years, Jesus will revive the remnant Jews (and believing Gentiles) who are facing extermination at the hands of the A.C. On the “third day,” or the 1,000-year reign of Jesus Christ, the saints shall live in the Messiah’s sight. Jesus came the first time as “the latter rain,” which comes in spring. He will return as “the former rain,” which comes in the fall. These prophetic scriptures are the empirical evidence for this theory of a 2026-2033 Tribulation timeline. Also, as I stated in Multiples of Seven – God’s Perfect Number :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready, according to the Hepta Week Chronology, 2033 AD could be the 6,000th year of mankind on Earth.
This belief in 6,000 years of history for mankind is known as Chiliasm. In this belief, one thousand years on our calendar (365.2425 days in a year) is as one day to the LORD (as per 2 Peter 3:8; Psalm 90:4). The typology of the creation week in Genesis 1-2 is used in Chiliasm so that mankind will work on the earth for 6,000 years (akin to six days for the Lord) and will rest during the 1,000 years of Jesus’ millennial kingdom. The last 1,000 years (6000-7000 AM) would be akin to the Sabbath day of rest for the LORD. This is also called the Millennium Day Theory, where one thousand years are as one day for the LORD.
If the Jews had received Jesus as their Messiah King in 33 AD, and he was killed and ascended to heaven (just as the Bible records), and He returned (Second Advent) in 40 AD on Rosh Hashanah, the fall new moon conjunction date for that year was Sunday, September 23, 40 AD (on the proleptic Gregorian calendar). Amazingly, or coincidentally, the fall new moon conjunction date for Rosh Hashanah in 2033 is Friday, September 23, 2033 AD (Gregorian calendar). So, the most probable date for the Feast of Trumpets (Tishri 1) for both years would be one day later, on September 24 (Gregorian calendar). I believe that Daniel’s 70th week is a Shemitah cycle that will begin and end on the Day of Atonement. See Shavuot, Pentecost, and the Rapture :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready.
The years 29-40 BC align with the years 2022-2033 on the Jewish and Gregorian (and the proleptic Gregorian) calendars. There is a difference of one day (every couple of years) because of leap day years, so they get off by one day until the following year when they get back on track (within hours usually). So, Jesus’ first ministry year of 29 BC aligns with the Jewish and Gregorian calendars of 2022 AD. The death of Jesus in 33 BC lines up with 2026 AD, and 40 BC lines up with 2033 AD on the Jewish and Gregorian calendars.
Of course, I am no prophet (nor the son of a prophet), and these dates for the Tribulation and the Second Coming (not the Rapture) are mere speculation based on limited scriptural and typological evidence. I agree with John Bellam’s comments in his last article, The Days of Noah and the Titanic! (rev310.net). He said, “I fully believe Scripture is complete, and God is not giving new revelation, but He does illuminate those who seek out His Word for clues and clarity. Most of us in the watcher community believe we are now in the last stages of the signs being given for our Lord’s return as we see the infrastructure of the Beast kingdom being built. At the same time, we see Israel surrounded by a sea of hostility and worldwide antisemitic hatred; we can be sure the time of the Lord’s return is near.”
God, who is all-knowing, knows the end from the beginning. “Known to God from eternity are all His works” (Acts 15:18). He always knew Israel would reject His Son, Jesus, as their Lord and Savior when he came the first time. While Israel was still searching for their Messiah (and ignoring the prophecy of Daniel 9:25), God would visit the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name. And with this, the words of the prophets agree, just as it is written: “After this, I will return and will rebuild the tabernacle of David, which has fallen down; I will rebuild its ruins, and I will set it up; so that the rest of mankind will seek the Lord, even all the Gentiles who are called by my name, says the Lord who does all these things” (Acts 15:15-17).
The remnant of Israel will eventually “see the light” and recognize and acknowledge Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah at the last moment of Jacob’s trouble. He will hear their cries and save them from certain death at the hands of their enemies. “Come, and let us return to the LORD, for He has torn, but He will heal us; He has stricken, but He will bind us up” (Hosea 6:1).
At the end of the 70th week, the six objectives or accomplishments of Daniel 9:24 will finally be met by the nation and people of Israel, and Jesus will begin His 1,000-year reign upon the earth. “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.”
The Jews will then become the elect people that God always intended for them to become. When God made His covenant with Israel at Mount Sinai, He told Moses and the people, “You shall be a special treasure to Me above all people; for all the earth is Mine. And you shall be to Me a kingdom of priests and a holy nation” (Exodus 19:5-6). The caveat was that they had to obey his word and keep His covenant, something they were unable to do.
“And at that time your people shall be delivered, every one who is found written in the book. And many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, some to shame and everlasting contempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the firmament, and those who turn many to righteousness like the stars forever and ever. But you Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end; many shall run to and from, and knowledge shall increase” (Daniel 12:1-4).
Daniel’s book is unsealed, and the end time is near. The time for decision-making is now. Choose this day whom you will serve. But as for me and my house, we will serve the Lord (Joshua 24:15).
Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus!
Randy Nettles
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