HIStory, Our Future: Ezekiel's 430 Days
Last Updated:
06/26/2008 02:21
|
The
HIStory, Our
Future: Pearls for the Bride Bible study
    
   
 
I recommend going to Chuck's site for the full study. I'm just going
to reorder the information to show the relationship with the
14,000 days. The original information was put together by
Chuck Missler with further dating detail by Guy Cramer with dating by
John Zachary as well. They are quoted
from their studies with links. I am also still going over this
information as you will notice when you read. I was recently referred as
well to
Daniel W. Matson's website,
Signs of the End. I
haven't been through his whole website, but his work on this aspect of
these studies seemed very well done and easy to understand with the
addition of his charts he put together. If you have any additions or
issues, please
let me know!
Ezekiel 4:1-8
Thou also, son of man, take thee a tile, and lay it before thee,
and pourtray upon it the city, even Jerusalem: And lay siege
against it, and build a fort against it, and cast a mount against
it; set the camp also against it, and set battering rams against
it round about. Moreover take thou unto thee an iron pan, and set
it for a wall of iron between thee and the city: and set thy face
against it, and it shall be besieged, and thou shalt lay siege
against it. This shall be a sign to the house of Israel.
Lie thou also upon thy left side, and lay the iniquity of the
house of Israel upon it: according to the number of the days that
thou shalt lie upon it thou shalt bear their iniquity. For I
have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the
number of the days, three hundred and ninety days:
so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And
when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side,
and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty
days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.
Therefore thou shalt set thy face toward the siege of Jerusalem,
and thine arm shall be uncovered, and thou shalt prophesy against
it. And, behold, I will lay bands upon thee, and thou shalt not
turn thee from one side to another, till thou hast ended the days
of thy siege.
Chuck
Missler: "The Prophet Ezekiel was
called upon to undertake a number of strange performances, one of which
was to lie on his side for a total of 430 days. Each day was expressly
to represent a year of judgment against the nation.
A number of commentators acknowledge a difficulty which appears when one
attempts to apply this specifically to Israel's history. Seventy of the
years would seem to be accounted for in the Babylonian Captivity, but
that leaves 360 years (430 minus 70) unaccounted for.
[Failure to keep the
sabbath of the land was the basis for the 70 year's captivity.
2 Chronicles 36:19-21]
The 360 years do not seem to fit any period of their history. It
has been suggested by some that there might be a clue in Leviticus 26, where
God indicates that:
Leviticus 26:18
And if ye will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish
you seven times more for your sins.
(In fact, this commitment is reiterated four times
in that chapter for emphasis.
Leviticus 26:18,
21,
24,
28) It has been suggested that
multiplying
the "problem" 360 years by seven yields 2520 years. After
conversion from 360-day years and the calendar adjustments made in 1572, this is the duration of time from the exile through the Diaspora."
Chuck Missler goes into greater
detail on calendar reconciliation and how that plays into the details. I
recommend checking his page out for that depth of information. This is meant to
summarize the main points with links to deeper information if you so desire to
research it further.
Link: In the canon of Ptolemy, the years of the period are named for
the following kings:
- 538-530 BC - 9 years of Cyrus
- 529-522 BC - 8 years of Cambyses
- 521-486 BC - 36 years of Darius Hystaspes
Guy
Cramer: "Many archaeological discoveries of the last 90 years have
uncovered many Babylonian texts that give precise times of astronomical data
along with the year of the King and the name of the King in the same document.
Other chronicles from Babylon that have been uncovered also give the year and
name of the king and events that happened at that time. The astronomical
information gives us data which we can translate into modern dating of the
astronomical cycles to give us an accurate time scale in which the events
occurred. This data when correlated answers a few apparent contradictions in
the Bible along with a few other mysteries."
The following calculations are based on the ancient
360-day calendar which had
12 months consisting of 30 days. Guy Cramer goes into detail on this topic
here
and shows from the Bible why it changed and possibly how
here.
"Servitude of the nation" The loss of Israel's independence (70 years
in length = 25,200 days)
First siege of Nebuchadnezzar - Summer of
606 BC
Chuck
Missler: "For 490 years Israel had failed to
keep the sabbath of the land; the Lord was saying, in effect, "You owe me
70!" (See the article
Sabbath Crisis in Israel.)
There were actually three sieges of
Nebuchadnezzar
upon Jerusalem. The first siege began the "Servitude of the Nation" and was
prophesied to last 70 years."
2 Chronicles
36:20,21
And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to
Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of
the kingdom of Persia: To fulfill the word of the LORD by the mouth of
Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she
lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfill threescore and ten years.
Jeremiah 25:11
And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and
these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jeremiah 29:10
For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished
at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in
causing you to return to this place.
Daniel is captured and taken into Babylonian captivity at the first siege
of Jerusalem.
Daniel 1:1
In the third year of the reign of Jehoiakim king of Judah came
Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon unto Jerusalem, and besieged it.
Guy
Cramer: "Daniel 1:1 happened between Mar/April 606 and Feb/Mar 605.
This is within the range that has been calculated for this prophecy to begin
(Summer of 606). However, with the data obtained to date we cannot give a
dogmatic answer on the month or even the season in Daniel 1:1."
Second Siege of
Nebuchadnezzar
Jeremiah 52:1-6
Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and he
reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. And his mother's name was Hamutal the
daughter of Jeremiah of Libnah. And he did that which was evil in the eyes
of the LORD, according to all that Jehoiakim had done. For through the
anger of the LORD it came to pass in Jerusalem and Judah, till he had cast
them out from his presence, that Zedekiah rebelled against the king of
Babylon. And it came to pass in the ninth year of his reign, in the tenth
month, in the tenth day of the month, that Nebuchadrezzar king of Babylon
came, he and all his army, against Jerusalem, and pitched against it, and
built forts against it round about. So the city was besieged unto the
eleventh year of king Zedekiah. And in the
fourth month, in the ninth day of the month, the famine was sore in the
city, so that there was no bread for the people of the land.
Chuck
Missler: "The vassal king that Nebuchadnezzar left later rebelled; a
second siege resulted in his uncle, Zedekiah, being appointed to the throne.
The prophets Jeremiah and Ezekiel both went on to warn that if they
persisted in rebelling against Nebuchadnezzar the city of Jerusalem would be
destroyed. Yet Zedekiah ultimately yielded to the false prophets and
rebelled."
Wikipedia:
March 16,
597 BC -
Babylonians capture
Jerusalem,
replace
Jehoiachin with
Zedekiah
as king.
Decree of Cyrus
- July 23, 537 BC (exact day in
order to be 2,520 years to May 14, 1948)
Guy Cramer: "The period from the summer of 606 BC, (the first
siege) to the summer of 537 BC (the decree of Cyrus) is exactly 25,200
days. This corresponds to 70 years of 360 days duration!
If it was the spring (Grant Jeffrey) or summer (Chuck Missler) of 606
BC at this time we do not know, so the exact day for the prophecy to
begin also cannot be known."
Jeremiah 25:12
And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I
will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for
their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual
desolations.
Chuck
Missler: "When Cyrus conquered Babylon,
Daniel
5, he encountered the amazing letter
written to him by Isaiah [see below] a century
and a half earlier, which addressed him by name, highlighted his meteoric
career, and predicted that he would free the captives. His astonishment
resulted in his releasing the Hebrew captives to return to Judea to rebuild
their temple."
Isaiah 44:28-45:3
That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my
pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the
temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. Thus saith the LORD to his anointed,
to Cyrus, whose right hand I have holden, to subdue nations before him;
and I will loose the loins of kings, to open before him the two leaved
gates; and the gates shall not be shut; I will go
before thee, and make the crooked places straight: I will break in pieces
the gates of brass, and cut in sunder the bars of iron: And I will give thee the treasures of darkness, and hidden riches
of secret places, that thou mayest know that I, the LORD, which call thee
by thy name, am the God of Israel.
2 Chronicles 36:22,23
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the
word of the LORD spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished,
the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a
proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing,
saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth
hath the LORD God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him
an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all
his people? The LORD his God be with him, and let him go up.
Ezra Sent to Rebuild the Temple - by Charles J. Voss
Ezra 1:1-4
Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD
by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the LORD stirred up the
spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all
his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of
Persia, The LORD God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the
earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is
in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him,
and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of
the LORD God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem. And
whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his
place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with
beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in
Jerusalem.
Ezra 5:13-16
But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king
Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God. And the vessels also of
gold and silver of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took out of the
temple that was in Jerusalem, and brought them into the temple of Babylon,
those did Cyrus the king take out of the temple of Babylon, and they were
delivered unto one, whose name was Sheshbazzar, whom he had made governor;
And said unto him, Take these vessels, go, carry them into the temple that
is in Jerusalem, and let the house of God be builded in his place. Then
came the same Sheshbazzar, and laid the foundation of the house of God
which is in Jerusalem: and since that time even until now hath it been in
building, and yet it is not finished.
Chuck
Missler: "It is instructive to note the remarkable
precision of the Scriptures:
Scripture clearly indicates that this era closed on "the four and twentieth
day of the ninth month, [Kislev] even from the day that the foundation of
the LORD'S temple was laid," (Haggai
2:10,
15-19) which was in 520 BC This is an
interval of precisely 25,200 days, or seventy 360-day years. (The
precise calendar difference is 25,202 days: the reckoning began the day
after the Babylonian army invaded, and ended the day before the foundation
of the 2nd temple was laid. For a detailed exposition, see
The Coming Prince, by Sir Robert Anderson, Appendix I.)"
From the first (1st) siege
of Nebuchadnezzar [Daniel taken to Babylon]
to the Decree
of Cyrus when the Persians conquered Babylon &
Israel was released (70 years - servitude of the nation) + 2,484 years, 9
months, 2 days = May 14, 1948
Again,
here is Daniel W. Matson's
chart showing this:
Chart by
Daniel W. Matson
See also:
10
Prophecies fulfilled in 1948
"Desolations of Jerusalem"
Destruction of Jerusalem and loss of
Jewish rule in Jerusalem (70 years ~ 25,200 days )
Chuck
Missler: "A third siege resulted in the destruction and desolation
of the city of Jerusalem. The "Desolations of Jerusalem" also lasted 70
years, until Nehemiah ultimately succeeded in getting the authority to
rebuild the city of Jerusalem. This, too, was precisely 70 years. The city
of Jerusalem was invaded on the tenth day of the tenth month, Tebeth, in the
ninth year of Zedekiah in 587 BC (Jeremiah
52:4;
Ezekiel 24:1,2;
2 Kings 25:1) (And for 25 centuries this day
has been observed as a fast by Jews in every land.) "
Third siege of Nebuchadnezzar - August 10,
587 BC (Loss of Jewish rule in Jerusalem)
Guy
Cramer: "According to Jeremiah the desolations of Jerusalem was
punishment for not yielding to the "Servitude of the Nation" which began in
606 BC, with the first siege of Nebuchadnezzar."
Jeremiah 27:6-11
And now have I given all these lands into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar
the king of Babylon, my servant; and the beasts of the field have I given
him also to serve him. And all nations shall serve him, and his son,
and his son's son, until the very time of his land come: and then many
nations and great kings shall serve themselves of him. And it shall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom which
will not serve the same Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will
not put their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, that nation will
I punish, saith the LORD, with the sword, and with the famine, and with
the pestilence, until I have consumed them by his hand. Therefore hearken not ye to your prophets, nor to your diviners,
nor to your dreamers, nor to your enchanters, nor to your sorcerers, which
speak unto you, saying, Ye shall not serve the king of Babylon: For they
prophesy a lie unto you, to remove you far from your land; and that I
should drive you out, and ye should perish. But the nations that bring
their neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, and serve him, those
will I let remain still in their own land, saith the LORD; and they shall
till it, and dwell therein.
Jeremiah 38:17-21
Then said Jeremiah unto Zedekiah, Thus saith the LORD, the God of
hosts, the God of Israel; If thou wilt assuredly go forth
unto the king of Babylon's princes, then thy soul shall live, and this
city shall not be burned with fire; and thou shalt live, and thine house:
But if thou wilt not go forth to the king of Babylon's
princes, then shall this city be given into the hand of the Chaldeans, and
they shall burn it with fire, and thou shalt not escape out of their hand.
And Zedekiah the king said unto Jeremiah, I am afraid of the Jews that are
fallen to the Chaldeans, lest they deliver me into their hand, and they
mock me. But Jeremiah said, They shall not deliver thee. Obey, I beseech
thee, the voice of the LORD, which I speak unto thee: so it shall be well
unto thee, and thy soul shall live. But if thou refuse to go forth, this
is the word that the LORD hath shewed me:
Jeremiah 29:10
For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished
at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in
causing you to return to this place.
Daniel 9:2
In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the
number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the
prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of
Jerusalem.
Guy
Cramer: "The Babylonian chronicles from the time of 593-556 have not
been recovered or have been lost. However, if we take the information from
the earlier chronicle events which coincides with the Biblical account we
can determine the time of the Desolation of Jerusalem from the other
Biblical accounts. Two passages in the Bible (2
Chronicles 36:11 and 2 Kings 24:18) tells us
that Zedekiah reigned 11 years. His 11 regnal year
can be dated between Mar/April 587 to Feb/Mar 586. Two other passages (Jeremiah
52:12 and 2 Kings 25:8) tell us the days
(7th-10th) and month (Av) in which this took place and also that it was in
Nebuchadnezzar's 19 year according to the Jewish
non-Accession method of dating Babylonian kings. This would also coincide
with Mar/April 587 to Feb/Mar 586. A fifth passage completed by a Jew living
in Babylon (Jeremiah 52:29) using the
Babylonian Accession system tells us that this is
Nebuchadnezzar's 18th year which also places the event between
Mar/April 587 to Feb/Mar 586. From all this information the time for the
Desolation of Jerusalem can be dated as the month of Av (July/Aug)
587. No other year or month fits the chronology. This confirms the
calculation for the beginning of the prophecy for the Desolation of
Jerusalem, which was fulfilled on June 7,1967."
As a side note, Tisha B'Av means "the ninth (day) of Av." Both the
first and third temples were destroyed on this date on the Jewish calendar
coinciding with July/August of the modern calendar. Solomon's temple was
destroyed on 9-10 Av 3174 (23-24 July 0587 BC) see:
Jeremiah 52:12-13. The rest of the city may have fallen a few weeks
later. More information on the
Temple Mount.
Daniel W. Matson's chart:
Chart by
Daniel W. Matson
Darius I confirms Jews are to rebuild the
temple - August 16, 518 BC
(exact day in order to be 2,520
years to June 7, 1967)
The Lord spoke to Zechariah in the 2nd year of the reign of Darius. God
tells Zechariah the seventy years of desolation in Jerusalem are up.
Zechariah 1:7-16
Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the
month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of the LORD unto
Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,
I saw by night, and behold a man riding upon a red horse, and he stood
among the myrtle trees that were in the bottom; and behind him were there
red horses, speckled, and white. Then said I, O my lord, what are these?
And the angel that talked with me said unto me, I will shew thee what
these be. And the man that stood among the myrtle trees answered and said,
These are they whom the LORD hath sent to walk to and fro through the
earth. And they answered the angel of the LORD that stood among the myrtle
trees, and said, We have walked to and fro through the earth, and, behold,
all the earth sitteth still, and is at rest. Then the angel of the LORD
answered and said, O LORD of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on
Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had
indignation these threescore and ten years? And the LORD answered the
angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. So the
angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith the
LORD of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great
jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease:
for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction.
Therefore thus saith the LORD; I am returned to Jerusalem with
mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the LORD of
hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem.
Wikipedia: A decree restarting the construction of the 2nd Temple
after a lull and confirming Cyrus' earlier decree (Ezra
6:3-12) granted by Darius in his second year (520-518 BC for
Darius Hystaspes) Darius I of Persia became king. In the second year of
this monarch the work of rebuilding the temple was resumed and carried
forward to its completion (Ezra
5:6-6:15), under the stimulus of the earnest counsels and
admonitions of the prophets
Haggai and
Zechariah. It was ready for consecration in the spring of
515 BCE,
more than twenty years after the return from captivity.
Darius in the books of Daniel and Zechariah
Zechariah 7:1-5
And it came to pass in the fourth year of king Darius,
that the word of the LORD came unto Zechariah in the fourth day of the
ninth month, even in Chisleu; When they had sent unto the house of God
Sherezer and Regemmelech, and their men, to pray before the LORD, And to
speak unto the priests which were in the house of the LORD of hosts, and
to the prophets, saying, Should I weep in the fifth month, separating
myself, as I have done these so many years? Then came the word of the LORD
of hosts unto me, saying, Speak unto all the people of the land, and to
the priests, saying, When ye fasted and mourned in the fifth and seventh
month, even those seventy years, did ye at all fast unto me, even
to me?
mentions that at the 4th year of the reign of Darius, 70 years had bygone
after at the 18th year of his reign Nebuchadnezzar destroyed the Jerusalem
Temple
Jeremiah 52:29. The 18th year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar was in
605 - 17 = 588 BC. The 4th year of the reign of Darius I in 521 - 3 =
518
BC.
Decree of Darius: The Jews, having been released by Cyrus,
began to rebuild the temple. However, the antagonists around them didn't
want this.
Ezra 5:1-5
Then the prophets, Haggai the prophet, and Zechariah the son of Iddo,
prophesied unto the Jews that were in Judah and Jerusalem in the name of
the God of Israel, even unto them. Then rose up Zerubbabel the son of
Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and began to build the house of
God which is at Jerusalem: and with them were the prophets of God helping
them. At the same time came to them Tatnai, governor on this side the
river, and Shetharboznai and their companions, and said thus unto them,
Who hath commanded you to build this house, and to make up this wall? Then
said we unto them after this manner, What are the names of the men that
make this building? But the eye of their God was upon the elders of the
Jews, that they could not cause them to cease, till the matter came to
Darius: and then they returned answer by letter concerning this matter.
Ezra 5:6-17 is that letter sent to Darius I making sure he was aware
the Jews were rebuilding the temple. They wanted Darius to double-check the
king's treasure house and make sure the decree of Cyrus was really there.
They were trying to cut the support for rebuilding the temple and justify
stopping this work. Darius responded quite differently than they hoped.
Ezra 6
Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the
house of the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. And there
was found at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes,
a roll, and therein was a record thus written:
In the first year of Cyrus the king the same
Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem,
Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and
let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof
threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; With three
rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be
given out of the king's house: And also let the golden and silver
vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the
temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and
brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his
place, and place them in the house of God.
Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river,
Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the
river, be ye far from thence: Let the work of this house of God alone;
let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house
of God in his place. Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do
to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of
the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses
be given unto these men, that they be not hindered. And that which
they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt
offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to
the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given
them day by day without fail: That they may offer sacrifices of sweet
savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of
his sons. Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this
word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him
be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this. And
the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and
people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of
God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done
with speed.
Then Tatnai, governor on this side the river,
Shetharboznai, and their companions, according to that which Darius the
king had sent, so they did speedily. And the elders of the Jews builded,
and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and
Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to
the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of
Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
And this house was finished on the third day
of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius
the king. And the children of Israel, the priests, and the
Levites, and the rest of the children of the captivity, kept the
dedication of this house of God with joy. And offered at the dedication of
this house of God an hundred bullocks, two hundred rams, four hundred
lambs; and for a sin offering for all Israel, twelve he goats, according
to the number of the tribes of Israel. And they set the priests in their
divisions, and the Levites in their courses, for the service of God, which
is at Jerusalem; as it is written in the book of Moses. And the children
of the captivity kept the passover upon the fourteenth day of the first
month. For the priests and the Levites were purified together, all of them
were pure, and killed the passover for all the children of the captivity,
and for their brethren the priests, and for themselves. And the children
of Israel, which were come again out of captivity, and all such as had
separated themselves unto them from the filthiness of the heathen of the
land, to seek the LORD God of Israel, did eat, And kept the feast of
unleavened bread seven days with joy: for the LORD had made them joyful,
and turned the heart of the king of Assyria unto them, to strengthen their
hands in the work of the house of God, the God of Israel.
From the third (3rd) siege of Nebuchadnezzar (levels
Jerusalem in Av, 587 BC)
to Darius I (70 years - desolations of Jerusalem) + 2,484
years, 9 months, 2 days = June 6, 1967
Daniel W. Matson's chart:
Chart by
Daniel W. Matson
What I found quite interesting is Daniel's next
image, connecting all of these and showing the interrelation between them all
and the parallel times separating them. This is the same kind of thing seen in
Mirrors
in Prophetic Timelines.
Chart by
Daniel W. Matson
Connecting Ezekiel's 430 Days
to Daniel's 70 Weeks
While the temple rebuilding commissioned by Cyrus began in the first year
of his reign, 537 BC, it still wasn't completed by the time Darius became the
new king of Babylon. He made a decree to extend the work on the temple.
Ezra 6:1-5
Then Darius the king made a decree, and search was made in the house of
the rolls, where the treasures were laid up in Babylon. And there was found
at Achmetha, in the palace that is in the province of the Medes, a roll, and
therein was a record thus written: In the first year of Cyrus the king the
same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem,
Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let
the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore
cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits; With three rows of great
stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the
king's house: And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of
God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at
Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the
temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the
house of God.
Decree of Artaxerxes
Longimanus - March 16, 445 BC
This is where the
70 weeks of Daniel
study comes into play. It wasn't until Nehemiah that a decree was made to
rebuild the walls. The Jews were having difficulty rebuilding without the
protection of walls. Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the seventh year (Ezra
7:8) of Artaxerxes I (458 BC), followed by Nehemiah, who arrived in
the king’s 20th year (445 BC)
Nehemiah 2:1-11
Nehemiah 2:1-8
And it came to pass in the month Nisan,
in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes the king, that wine was before him: and
I took up the wine, and gave it unto the king. Now I had not been beforetime
sad in his presence. Wherefore the king said unto me, Why is thy countenance
sad, seeing thou art not sick? this is nothing else but sorrow of heart.
Then I was very sore afraid, And said unto the king, Let the king live for
ever: why should not my countenance be sad, when the city, the place of my
fathers' sepulchres, lieth waste, and the gates thereof are consumed with
fire? Then the king said unto me, For what dost thou make request? So I
prayed to the God of heaven. And I said unto the king, If it please the
king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest
send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may
build it. And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For
how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the
king to send me; and I set him a time. Moreover I said unto the king, If it
please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river,
that they may convey me over till I come into Judah; And a letter unto
Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make
beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for
the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And
the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
Daniel 9:25
Know therefore and
understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to
build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and
threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the
wall, even in troublous times.
Further research links:
723 BC - 1967 AD: Siege of
Jerusalem
1whowaits from
FulfilledProphecy
(January 9, 2007) - Perhaps the passage that might apply is
Ezekiel 4, which gives a specific period of time for the 'siege of
Jerusalem'. God stated in
Ezekiel 4 that the period of the siege due to the sins of Israel, the
northern kingdom, would be 390 days representing 390 years. The period of
punishment for the northern kingdom began with the siege of Samaria, roughly
in 723-724 BC. (2
Kings 17:9)
After the period of 390 years, the northern kingdom did not return to the
Lord, so it would appear that the passage in Leviticus 26 would apply.
Leviticus 26:18
if after all these things you do not listen to me, I will chastise
you seven times more for your sin.
The math could be as follows:
390 x 7 = 2,730 yrs. x 360 days (Hebrew calendar) = 982,800
days -:- 365.25 days (current calendar) = 2,690.7 years of punishment
2,690.7 years - 723 BC = 1967.7
And in fact the siege of Jerusalem for the northern kingdom and the nation
Israel did end in June of 1967.
1967 - 2007
But God also stated that there was a further siege of Jerusalem for the
southern kingdom, Judah , for 40 years, which was described after the siege of
Jerusalem for the northern kingdom.
While the northern kingdom consisted of the 10 tribes, the southern kingdom
consisted of the tribe of Judah, the tribe of David the king, the tribe of
Benjamin, and the Levites, the priests. The implication could be that the
siege of Jerusalem would continue for the ruling tribe and the priests, which
has in fact been the case for the last 40 years.
Because of the Islamic control of the temple mount Israel, although she may
have the legal right and military might to do so, Judah has not ruled over
that area for the past 40 years. And because of the Islamic control of the
temple mount the tribe of the priests, the Levites, have not had access to the
area most precious to them.
The siege of Jerusalem for the southern kingdom has continued beyond the
recapture of Jerusalem in 1967 until the present day. If
Ezekiel 4 is describing the current 'siege of Jerusalem'
that
siege should end this year, in June 2007,
when the 40 years will be completed.
If this is the case, will Israel return to the Lord this year or will the time
of siege be multiplied times seven as it was for the northern kingdom?
And what event might bring such a return of Israel to the Lord? What event
would allow the Israeli people to reassert their authority over the temple
mount, and perhaps even rebuild the temple?
My belief is that the
Gog/Magog attack will be what brings Israel back to an Old Testament
sacrificial system and spurs them to rebuild the temple. When God destroys
the armies of Iran, Turkey, and Russia from the North, Israel will recognize
their God's hand in that protection. This will spur them to begin to worship
Him the only way they know how, the ways of their fathers. They have been
blinded by Christ until the fullness of the Gentiles.
Romans 11:25
I also think this spanking by God will quiet the most
radical elements of Islam allowing the rebuilding to take place. For more on
this, read the
Temple Mount page.
Gog/Magog cannot happen until Israel is living in peace. I believe that
peace is developing right now because of the
ENP introduced by the
European Union and authored by
Javier Solana. For more
understanding of the origins of this, please read Herb L. Peter's book
Recommendation 666. It is free online, but I encourage you to purchase a
physical copy as well and support his ministry. His research is critical to
understanding what these studies conclude and understand the beast and his
government.7:11
The bottom line is that as you continue to read through this
collection of studies, you will come to see that we are currently living in
the times of Bible prophecy and life as you have always known it, as your
parents parents parents have known it, is about to change completely. There
is nothing you can do to stop it and there is only one place of safety and
peace in the coming storms, Yeshua the Christ. I pray as you continue to see
what I have seen, that your personal relationship with Christ will blossom
like never before and the reality of the spiritual realm will invade your
daily life.
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