Walls, Dragons, and Stars!

The Walls of Jerusalem

Seventy periods of seven are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and anoint the Most Holy.  Know therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there is seven periods of seven and 62 periods of seven; the streets shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.  And after the 62 periods of seven Messiah will be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince who is yet to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.  The end of it shall be with a flood and until the end wars and desolations are determined.  Then he shall confirm a covenant with the many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.  And on the overspreading of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined, and that shall be poured out on the desolator.

–Daniel 9:24–27

The first part of this prophecy was perfectly fulfilled at Christ's first coming, to the very day, as Barry Setterfield points out:

This passage in Daniel 9 talks about the rebuilding of the wall of Jerusalem.  It was stated that from the time of the giving of the command to restore and rebuild unto the coming of Messiah was to be a period of 69 sets of 7 years or 483 years.  These years were Babylonian years of 360 days.  This is also the length of the prophetic year as given in Revelation.  Thus 483 prophetic years of 360 days is the same as 476.057 years of 365.25 days.  That is 476 years and 21 days of our customary years. Either way you count the years, it equals 173,880 days.

In the case of the Jerusalem wall's first rebuilding (by Nehemiah) and Christ's first coming, the Command was given on the 1st Nisan (5th March) in 444 BC in Nehemiah 2:1 ff. When 173,880 days are added to that date, the period ends on 10th Nisan (March 30th) 33 AD.  This was the Palm Sunday when Jesus presented Himself as Messiah.  Jesus said that the stones in the Jerusalem wall, which Nehemiah had placed there in his building program, would cry out that He was Messiah if He silenced His disciples as the authorities demanded.  The Crucifixion occurred a few days later on 14th Nisan (3rd April) 33 AD. In other words, the prophecy was fulfilled to the very day.

The full period of 69 sets of 7 years were split into two sets; one set was 7 periods of 7 years and the other was 62 periods of 7 years.  The 7 periods of 7 years in this instance ended about 395 BC which marked the final prophetic message to the Jews from Malachi.  After that there was the second set of 62 periods of 7 years during which there was no prophetic voice, which lasted for just over 427 actual years.  The prophecy also stated that the Wall would be built in troubled times.  The Jews were continually harassed by the surrounding nations which were trying to stop the rebuilding. So the prophecy was, again, literally fulfilled.

This past year or two several of us have taken note of Suleiman the Magnificent's 16th century decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem because 69 weeks of years later brings us to this very decade.  Could the Daniel 9 prophecy be pointing to both of Christ's comings?  Having stumbled upon Setterfield's article, I was amazed to see that this wasn't a new discovery, but something being discussed since 2011/12.

Now, we know that the Daniel 9 prophecy used 360-day years in the lead up to Christ's first coming because the prophecy was given in Babylon and the various calendars in use at that time were based on 360-day years.  360-day years are also variously used at certain points in Genesis, Daniel, and Revelation.  However, in this present age the Gregorian calendar of 365.25-day years is in near universal use.

Last year I noted that several sources have suggested Suleiman's decree was given in 1535.  483 years (69 weeks of years) later would be 2018.  However, as I've come to discover, the 1535 date for the decree is not well sourced.  As a matter of fact, there is no real basis for it.  Suleiman was first prompted to restore and rebuild Jerusalem in a powerful dream and he began to act on that dream in June of 1536.  The only evidence-based source of any kind for Suleiman's decree can be found on two fountains, one by the Jaffa Gate and the other by the Lion's Gate.  The inscriptions on both read:

He has ordered the construction of this blessed Sabil, our Master, the Sultan, the greatest Prince and the honourable Hakan, who rules the necks of the nations, the Sultan of the lands of Rum, the Arabs and Persians (ajams), the Sultan Süleyman, son of the Sultan Selim Khan, may Allah perpetuate his reign and his sultanate, on the date of 10th of Month Muharram the sacred in the year 943.

During the massive 1536–1541 construction project ordered by Emperor Suleiman, the first things built were these two fountains.  The inscriptions would seem to indicate that the original decree by Suleiman to begin restoring Jerusalem and rebuilding the walls was given on Muharram 10, 943, which would have been June 29, 1536 AD.

483 years later from the decree brings us to June 29, 2019, just over six weeks after the end of Israel's 70th year.

Consider this to be Data Point #1 and file it away.

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Dragons

Immediately after the Fall, God prophesied to the dragon-serpent satan (Rev. 12:9) that He would send a Redeemer ("Seed of the woman") to crush his head (Gen. 3:15).  Furthermore, this Seed would not be brought forth without pain—thus a woman in painful labor (Gen. 3:16).  So here began the prophetic template of a woman in labor, a man-child, and a dragon.  This theme is routinely employed throughout both Old and New Testaments.

The first fulfillment occurred when a woman in labor (Mary), gave birth to a man-child (Jesus), and had to flee from a type of the dragon (Herod).  This dragon wanted to destroy the man-child and so he ordered all male children under two years of age to be killed in a futile effort to destroy the promised Seed.  He failed.  The first man-child was snatched to safety by His earthly father Joseph, who took Him and His mother to Egypt—beyond the dragon's reach.

The final fulfillment of the Genesis 3:15–16 prophecy was first described around 90 AD when the Apostle John saw a sign in the heavens telling the same story:

And there appeared a great wonder in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars: And she being with child cried, travailing in birth, and pained to be delivered.  And there appeared another wonder in heaven; and behold a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.  And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born.  And she brought forth a man child, who was to rule all nations with a rod of iron: and her child was caught up unto God, and to his throne.

–Revelation 12:1–5

John saw an actual sign in the sky.  The Bible clearly said such signs would occur (Gen. 1:14; Lk. 21:11, 25) preceding the Day of the LORD.  The first two verses of Revelation 12 were demonstrably fulfilled on September 23, 2017.  All efforts to dismiss this fact have fallen flat.  The literal fulfillment of Revelation 12:1–2 on September 23, 2017 is now no less a fact of history than the reconstitution of Israel on May 14, 1948.

The prophecy stated that the dragon (satan) will be waiting to devour the man-child the moment he is born.  Could the foreshadowing of the dragon (Herod) have also foreshadowed a period of time in which satan would try to kill the final man-child (the Church)?  Herod decreed all male children under two years of age be killed.  Two years after the Revelation 12 Sign brings us to September 2019.

This is Data Point #2.  File this one away, as well.

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Stars and Magi

According to Rick Larson's very well-researched (and scholarly supported) theory of the Bethlehem Star, the sign of Christ's first coming began in September of 3 BC, culminated in June of 2 BC with an unparalleled conjunction of Venus and Jupiter, and ended on December 25, 2 BC when Jupiter appeared to "stop" over Bethlehem as the magi made there way to the tiny village to meet the baby King.  Sometime not long after the magi left, Joseph snatched his Son to safety, taking Him to Egypt to escape the clutches of the "dragon".  So from the first part of the sign in the heavens until the child was snatched to safety was at least 15 months, possibly a few more.  We're presently about 19 months post-Revelation 12 Sign—not too dissimilar from the timeline at Christ's first coming (the period of time between the sign and Christ's escape to Egypt).  This is Data Point #3.

Secondly, in the Revelation 12:1–5 narrative there are three key events: 1. A  great sign of a woman in labor, 2. A sign of a great red dragon, and 3. The male child's birth and rapture to Heaven.  #1 was fulfilled in September 2017.  #2 was, I would argue, fulfilled in October 2018.  And #3 is about to happen.  #3 isn't described as an astronomical sign, but as an actual thing yet to happen—namely the rapture of the corporate male child, the Church.  The child isn't born until the astronomical signs of Revelation 12:1–2 and subsequently Revelation 12:3–4 occur.  If there was any sort of corresponding sign to the child's being snatched out of harm's way before the dragon could bite, the closest match I could find occurred in January of this year just a few months ago.

If you recall, last year many were excited by the parallel between God's promise to Abraham and Sarah of their son of promise being born one year after the declaration (Gen. 18:10) and the possibility of the Revelation 12 Sign also being a declaration one year in advance.  But the sign of the dragon and the sign of the male child's  rapture had not yet occurred.  Might one of those final signs have been a general one year declaration?  Those would bring us to either October 2019 or January 2020.  This is Data Point #4.

Note: Isaac was a type or shadow of the true Son of promise—the Seed promised in the Garden.  Isaac was the shadow, Christ was the ultimate individual fulfillment, and the Church is the ultimate corporate fulfillment.

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Prophetic Reversals and 2019

Scripture contains some incredible patterns, especially as it pertains to the fulfillment of major events.  Consider a couple of important examples:

1. Genesis: creation, first Adam, Tree of Life, the dragon-serpent attacks and is judged, paradise lost, and mankind cast out.  Revelation: new creation, second Adam (Christ) redeems what was lost, the Tree of Life returns, the dragon-serpent attacks again and is judged once and for all, paradise restored, and mankind brought back.

2. Mosaic covenant: events begin on Passover with the Exodus, culminate with the giving of the Law on Pentecost at Mt. Sinai, and 3,000 are killed because the Law is a ministry of death.  New Covenant: events begin on Passover when Christ, the Passover Lamb, becomes the once-for-all atoning sacrifice, satisfying all of the Law's demands on our behalf; culminate once again with Pentecost when the Holy Spirit is given, and 3,000 are saved because the New Covenant is a ministry of life.

There are countless other such patterns.  Let's take a look at another one.  Specifically, the 70 years of judgment on Judah.  Jeremiah prophesied that God would raise up the king of Babylon, and Judah and the surrounding nations would become subject to the king for 70 years.

King Nebuchadnezzar ascended the throne (was "raised up") in 605 BC.  That same year, at the Battle of Carchemish in the Spring (May–June), the Babylonians decisively defeated Egypt and the remnants of the Assyrian armies to become the sole superpower in the Middle East.  Israel became subject to the king of Babylon just as the prophecy foretold.  Cross-referencing with Daniel 1, we also see that the exile began at this time.

18 or 19 years later in the Summer of 587 or 586 BC, Nebuchadnezzar sacked Jerusalem.  The First Temple on the Temple Mount was utterly destroyed and the original Temple artifacts were lost to history (source).

5 or 6 years later in 581 BC, Nebuchadnezzar ordered another deportation of Jews from Israel in retaliation for Jewish rebellion.

In 539 BC King Cyrus of Persia conquered Babylon putting a final end to the Neo-Babylonian Empire.  He subsequently declared himself the "King of Babylon".  In fact, that was one of his official regal titles (source).  A year or so later in 538, King Cyrus issued an edict for the rebuilding of the Temple (Ezra 1:1–4).  And it appears a number of Jewish exiles began returning soon after to begin the work, probably in 537 or 536.  

In the seventh month of the first year (Fall 536 BC) the Altar of Burnt Offering (Main Altar) was rebuilt and dedicated.  Then in the second month of the second year (Spring 535 BC), preparatory work was completed and the foundation of the Second Temple was laid.  Thus ended 70 years of subjection to someone other than God.

Note: Contrary to what is commonly said, the prophecy given in Jeremiah 25 never stated that the Jews would be in exile for 70 years, only that they would be subject to Babylon for 70 years.  The exile was more or less 66 years and the subjection 70 years as prophesied.

So we see this basic pattern:

• Israel/Judah in subjection - 70 years begins in the Spring
• 18–19 years later - the city and Temple destroyed late Spring/Summer
• 5–6 years later - the land again attacked and more Jews exiled
• 70 years after subjection begins - Main Altar dedicated and, ultimately, Temple foundation laid in the Spring

This same pattern is repeating before our very eyes—but as a perfect, prophetic reversal!  And it's happening right now.

• Israel reconstituted and is no longer in subjection (May 14, 1948 was the declaration and April 13, 1949 was the actual victory—perhaps the fig tree putting forth leaves?) - the 70 years begins in the Spring
• 18–19 years later - the city and Temple complex recaptured late Spring
• 5–6 years later - the land again attacked during the Yom Kippur War, but this time Israel is victorious and expands its land possessions
• 70 years after Israel no longer in subjection (May 14, 2018 through May 14, 2019) - the Main Temple altar was rebuilt and dedicated (December 2018) and... what happens next this Spring?

This is Data Point #5.

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Conclusion

We don't know with certainty the day of our departure, but we should be diligently studying and looking up.  That's a scriptural command.  Between these five data points, what we're all longing for may in fact occur in the next nine months.  We should also consider the rapidly developing situation in Israel (U.S. recognition of the Golan Heights, hints of Area 'C' annexation, and the Trump-Kushner peace plan's unveiling).  Furthermore, there is a case to be made that 2026 is the 6000th year from Creation.  Subtracting seven years for Daniel's 70th Week and you have... 2019.

~ MARANATHA ~

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