Starting with the factual evidence is always the best place to begin. Luke 3:1-2 tells us that John the Baptist began his ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar. We also know that Jesus the Christ was baptized not long after. Luke 1:35-36 tells us that Jesus and John were about six months apart, John being the older of the two. Now another point to be made is that neither of the two would have begun their ministries before the age of thirty, and here is why: John�s parents were both of the lineages of the priesthood.
Luke 1:5) �There was in the days of Herod the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the course of Abia: and his wife of the daughters of Aaron, and her name, Elizabeth.�
These were the parents of John the Baptist. Now, if you read the book of Numbers chapter four you will see that seven times G-d tells Moses and Aaron the age group of those who are to serve in the tabernacle, (and later the temple,). They must be between the ages of thirty and fifty years old, (Num.4: 3,23,30,35,39,43,47). So then Jesus who now serves as high priest, and John the Baptist, being of the lineage that he was, would not have begun their ministries before the age of thirty. Hence we are told in Luke, 3:21-23 of the baptism of Christ and that he �began to be about thirty.�
I do not feel the need to cover the lineage of Christ at this point, the Matthew 1 genealogy should suffice, and the fact that we are told in the New Covenant that Christ is our high priest according to the order of Melchizedek. He is now our high priest serving in the temple of G-d in heaven, (also in his temple on earth: us).
Regarding �the course of Abia,� Old Testament scholars have shown that this course of the priesthood served in the month of June.
Luke 1:8-24
8 And it came to pass, that while he executed the priest's office before G-d in the order of his course,
9 According to the custom of the priest's office, his lot was to burn incense when he went into the temple of the L-rd.
10 And the whole multitude of the people were praying without at the time of incense.
11 And there appeared unto him an angel of the L-rd standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12 And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13 But the angel said unto him, Fear not, Zacharias: for thy prayer is heard; and thy wife Elisabeth shall bear thee a son, and thou shalt call his name John.
14 And thou shalt have joy and gladness; and many shall rejoice at his birth.
15 For he shall be great in the sight of the L-rd, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink; and he shall be filled with the Holy Ghost, even from his mother's womb.
16 And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the L-rd their G-d.
17 And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the L-rd.
18 And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19 And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of G-d; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20 And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21 And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22 And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23 And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24 And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months,�
So then, the conception of John the Baptist would have happened near the end of June and Jesus Christ, being six months later than John, would have been conceived near the end of December. (No doubt, his conception was at the festival of Hanukah or �lights� on Kislev 25.)
Isaiah 9:1-6
1 �Nevertheless the dimness shall not be such as was in her vexation, when at the first he lightly afflicted the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, and afterward did more grievously afflict her by the way of the sea, beyond Jordan, in Galilee of the nations.
2 The people that walked in darkness have seen a great light: they that dwell in the land of the shadow of death, upon them hath the light shined.
3 Thou hast multiplied the nation, and not increased the joy: they joy before thee according to the joy in harvest, and as men rejoice when they divide the spoil.
4 For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian.
5 For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire.
6 For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counseller, The mighty G-d, the everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace.�
Micah 5:2-5
2 �But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Israel; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting.
3 Therefore will he give them up, until the time that she which travaileth hath brought forth: then the remnant of his brethren shall return unto the children of Israel.
4 And he shall stand and feed in the strength of the L-rd, in the majesty of the name of the L-rd his G-d; and they shall abide: for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
5 And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our land: and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him seven shepherds, and eight principal men.�
This presents to us an answer to a long-standing question: why did the early church as well as the Roman pagans celebrate the birth of Christ on December 25th?
Answer #1) He was conceived on the Jewish festival day of Hanukah or �Lights,� Kislev 25! The month of Kislev on the Jewish calendar coincides with the month of December!
Answer #2) This is an answer that the modern pro-abortionist will not like to hear, but in those ancient times a person�s age was determined by his or her conception not by birth. So a child today that is 9 months old would be considered in those days 18 months old. Life was considered to have begun at conception and birth was the first trial of life. This idea is not just some fanciful twist I have come up with. Not only is it Jewish tradition but also there is scriptural evidence to support this claim, the first passage we shall look at deals with the story of Jacob and Esau.
Genesis 25:20-26
20 �And Isaac was forty years old when he took Rebekah to wife, the daughter of Bethuel the Syrian of Padanaram, the sister to Laban the Syrian.
21 And Isaac intreated the L-rd for his wife, because she was barren: and the
L-rd was intreated of him, and Rebekah his wife conceived.
22 And the children struggled together within her; and she said, If it be so, why am I thus? And she went to inquire of the L-rd.
23 And the L-rd said unto her, Two nations are in thy womb, and two manner of people shall be separated from thy bowels; and the one people shall be stronger than the other people; and the elder shall serve the younger.
24 And when her days to be delivered were fulfilled, behold, there were twins in her womb.
25 And the first came out red, all over like an hairy garment; and they called his name Esau.
26 And after that came his brother out, and his hand took hold on Esau's heel; and his name was called Jacob: and Isaac was threescore years old when she bare them.�
This classic struggle between Jacob and Esau while still in their mother�s womb was enough for Rebekah to �inquire� of the L-rd about it. G-d does not ignore her request but gives her his plan for the twins in her womb. The struggle itself graphically depicts the struggle of two young brothers, not two inanimate fetuses that have not yet begun life. The next passage we shall see, shows us that truly the word of G-d teaches that a persons age is reckoned by conception, not birth.
John 9:1-7
1 �And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth.
2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind?
3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of G-d should be made manifest in him.
4 I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work.
5 As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.
6 When he had thus spoken, he spat on the ground, and made clay of the spittle, and he anointed the eyes of the blind man with the clay,
7 And said unto him, Go, wash in the pool of Siloam, (which is by interpretation, Sent.) He went his way therefore, and washed, and came seeing.�
The question that the disciples asked here would have raised eyebrows in our day, but Jesus does not rebuke them as one would think. If the man was born blind then the disciples are implying that he may have sinned in the womb! Jesus answers the question as if this was possible but was not the case with this man! Neither he nor his parents were responsible for his blindness; he was born that way so that the works of G-d should be made manifest in him. If two siblings, (Jacob and Esau), can have a struggle in their mother�s womb, and it was possible that this blind man may have sinned in his mother�s womb, then what is the word of G-d telling us? A person�s age is reckoned by G-d from conception.
So then, what was the sin of Esau against his brother Jacob before they were born? Why did G-d declare that Esau would serve Jacob, (the supposed younger brother)? Why did Jacob grab Esau by the leg as they were coming into the world? Could it be that Jacob was supposed to be the firstborn of Isaac? Actually there was no sin yet but G-d foreknew them both and chose Jacob!
Romans 9:10-13
10. �And not only this; but when Rebecca also had conceived by one, even by our father Isaac;
11. (For the children being not yet born, neither having done any good or evil, that the purpose of
G-d according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that calleth;)
12. It was said unto her, The elder shall serve the younger.
13. As it is written, Jacob have I loved, but Esau have I hated.�
Chew on that one for a while! Now on to other interesting clues; any modern encyclopedia will tell you that Tiberius reigned from Aug.19, 14 AD until 37 AD. Aug.19, 14 AD was the date of Augustus Caesar�s death. In Encyclopedia Britannica, (1994, vol.15, p.421), you will find this statement about the Roman Empire: �In eastern provinces, years were reckoned from the accession of the reigning Emperor, the second beginning on the first New Years day after the accession, and the date on which this occurred varied from one province to another.�
So then, the first year of the reign of Tiberius in the eastern provinces of the Roman Empire would have been from Aug.19, 14AD until the New Years day of that same year. Now the Jews reckoned the years of their kings from the month Nisan, but for kings and rulers of other kingdoms they reckoned them from Tishri 1, the civil calendar. So in Judea, the first year of the reign of Tiberius would have been Aug.19, 14 AD to Tishri 1, 14 AD. His second year would have been Tishri 1, 14 AD to Tishri 1, 15 AD, and so on, and so on. This being the case then, when we count forward to the fifteenth of Tiberius, we come to Tishri 1, 27 AD. The fourteenth would have been from Tishri 1, 26 AD to Tishri 1, 27 AD, and his fifteenth was Tishri 1, 27 AD, to Tishri 1, 28 AD.
Now we also know that Christ was born in the reign of Herod the Great, as we are told in Matt.2: 1, but we don�t know when in Herod�s reign, he was born. This has been the source of much contention, but the dates we have just set down, regarding the time of Christ�s baptism, have essentially stretched to the limit the possible time of Christ�s birth, (conception). The time of Herod�s death is less contentious, most agree that he died in 4 BC. This means that Christ would have had to have been conceived in late December 5 BC in order to be �born� in the reign of Herod and in order to be �about thirty� at his baptism. Remember, there is no zero year in the current calendar, so from late December 5BC to December-January 26-27 AD, was thirty years.
Now if John the Baptist was six months older than our L-rd, then he was conceived or �born� in late June of 5 BC. This tells us that when he began his ministry in the fall of 27 AD, the fifteenth of Tiberius, he must have just turned thirty-one two or three months before this. So then, he could not have begun his ministry any later in the fifteenth of Tiberius, for if he waited even just until spring of 28 AD (still the fifteenth of Tiberius), Christ would have been thirty-one or even older.
So how long was it from Ezra�s decree in 457 BC until the Messiah�s anointing, at his baptism, in fall 27 AD? It was 483 years, or 69 weeks of years! (Remember there was only one year between 1 BC and 1 AD).
Now we have locked in the date of the beginning of the ministry of Jesus Christ. Here is the scenario that is painted for us by these facts: Tishri 1, 27 AD, the word of the L-rd comes to John in the wilderness. He is a little over thirty-one. It is now the fifteenth of Tiberius, he begins preaching the coming of the Messiah, and baptizing. Jesus comes to the Jordan and is baptized of him shortly thereafter. Jesus would have been about thirty and a half or more. So then what does Luke mean when he says that Jesus �began to be about thirty?� He did not mean that Jesus was almost thirty, for now we know that Christ would not have begun his ministry before the age of thirty. What he meant was this: Christ was no longer exactly thirty, but began to be �about thirty.� Going by his conception he was older, going by his birth he had just turned thirty. For if he was conceived in late December 5BC then he was born in September 4BC. It is likely also that he was born �physically� at the feast of tabernacles or �booths� and truly did �tabernacle� among us!!
We read in Lev.23: 39, that all Israel was to live in booths for seven days each year beginning at Tishri 15, then the eighth day was to be a Holy Sabbath, regardless of which day of the week it fell on. Now Jesus, fulfilling the law would have celebrated this feast of booths, or tabernacles. Now if Christ were in Jerusalem at this feast then he would not have left until eight or nine days after Tishri 15. It depends on whether he traveled on the eighth, and Sabbath day of the feast. Either way he would have left for Galilee on Tishri 22 or 23.
Galilee was about fifty miles from Jerusalem, at the very minimum, a three-day journey. We know that he came from Nazareth of Galilee when he came to the Jordan to be baptized, (Mark.1: 9), and the place where he was baptized was Bethabara, the location of Bethabara is not certain, but about a day from Nazareth. Now all of this, being the likely scenario, would put Christ at the Jordan River around Tishri 26 to 29, in 27 AD, and this is giving anywhere from four, to a liberal six days to make the trip. We will not know the exact date until we stand before G-d, but here is an interesting thought: Tishri 22 almost always falls 1260 days before the date of the Triumphal Entry, three and a half years later, because of the Hebrew calendar. Tishri 26 almost always falls 1260 days before Passover, three and a half years later, and Tishri 29 almost always falls 1260 days before the resurrection date, three and a half years later! These 1260-day spans are true in almost all years of the Hebrew calendar.
My personal opinion, and it is my own, is that Christ was baptized on Tishri 26, 27 AD, and 1260 days later he was crucified at Passover, 31 AD. The seventieth week was cut in half when he was �cut off,� Thus putting an end to the old covenant of animal sacrifice for the remission of sins.
We shall now look at another verse that the modern shepherds use to claim that the sixty-nine weeks ended at Palm Sunday. On Palm Sunday, as prophesied in Zech.9: 9, Christ rode into Jerusalem on a donkey. This would be four days before he was crucified, and as he approached the beloved city Luke gives us this account of the events;
Luke 19:41-44,
v.41) �and when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it,
v.42) saying, if thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes.
v.43) For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side,
v.44) and they shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee: and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another: because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.�
The modern shepherds say this verse helps to prove their point. That this was the end of the sixty-ninth week because Jesus foretold the destruction of the city and said that this was their day, and that they knew not the time of their visitation. All of this sounds good, but the truth is that it fits even better into what we have learned about it being the middle of the seventieth week.
Jesus is saying that, yes, they should have known this day. Why? Because they had the prophet Daniels words! They were supposed to know the time that Messiah would arrive, the beginning of his ministry! If they had known when he was to arrive, then they would have listened to the Messiah when he said, �the time is fulfilled,� the kingdom of heaven is at hand, repent! And they would have known by the time of his arrival, exactly what day he was to be �cut off,� Passover. So because they missed the first important day of the seventieth week, (his baptism), they also missed the second important day of the seventieth week, (his being cut-off)! And because they did not recognize the time of their visitation, the things that would have brought peace were hidden from them. The time of their visitation was not Palm Sunday, as the shepherds would have us think, their visitation from the Messiah lasted three and a half years! It was a time of visitation, not a day. They had the Son of G-d in their midst for three and a half years and the religious leaders decided, in the end, that it was better for G-d�s chosen people to release Barabbus the murderer and crucify the Messiah! Dear L-rd please don�t let this happen again in our day! Let us not miss the timing of the next visitation! Watch and be ready!
This is where G-d stopped the clock for the nation of the Jews. The prophetic clock stopped at the midpoint of the seventieth week. There remain three and a half years on the clock for Israel. When will this clock restart? This time the man of sin, the Antichrist will be slain at Passover. Three days later G-d will allow Satan to revive him; this will begin his 1260-day reign of terror. The great lie, that he is G-d himself, will fool the world, and at the time of his false resurrection the second half of the seventieth week will commence. Satan the imposter will pick up where the real Messiah left off.
Now if any would wonder why the sixty-nine weeks are regular solar years, and the last week is seven �prophetic� years of 360 days each. I would say that there are several compelling reasons.
1) Because G-d wanted Daniel and the Jewish religious leaders to understand this vision. Why would he hide it in a mysterious prophetic year? They were supposed to know the time of their visitation.
2) The last week is of extraordinary significance, the first half of the week saw the Son of G-d walk the earth, creating miracles, and fulfilling prophecy, and being perfected he was sacrificed for us. How much more befitting that this period was in prophetic years. In the last half of the final week, the mystery of G-d will be finished! (Rev. 10:7). Now the last reason is this:
3) G-d has promised to �shorten� these days or no flesh would survive. In the famous discourse at the Mount of Olives, Jesus said,
Matt.24: 22) �And except those days be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect�s sake those days shall be shortened.�
Let us now continue in Daniel.
Dan.9: 26) �and after sixty 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 with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.�
This verse is the one used by so many to prove that the Roman Empire will be revived, and that the Antichrist and ten kings will come from Europe. This, they say, is proven by the idea that the �prince that shall come� must be the man of sin. And his �people� were the Roman legions that destroyed the city and temple. As you can probably guess by now, I have much to say about this teaching.
To start with, Daniel chapter nine has not so much as mentioned the Antichrist, at least not up until this point. Is it right for the modern shepherds to insert him here? This vision is given to Daniel and he is urged to understand the vision. It is the vision that reveals the coming of the Messiah to his people. It is the vision of his Holy City, his people, and a timeframe that Messiah will use to accomplish the six things listed in verse 24. Why would G-d suddenly insert the man of sin right here? We have already learned from Daniel 8:11 that the Prince of the host, Messiah, was to take away the daily sacrifice, and that the place of his sanctuary would be cast down. So then who is this prince that shall come?
I began this work at the beginning of the book of Daniel because that is the way it was put forth to us, and that�s the only way to understand it properly. It builds on each new vision, using from the previous visions, PRECEPT UPON PRECEPT, LINE UPON LINE! Daniel has not yet, in his entire book, mentioned the Roman Empire. Is it right to insert them here, as the shepherds do? Now if one was to look back on history, then open his Old Testament to Daniel chapter nine, one might think that this verse is speaking of the Romans and the Antichrist. And if one was to look back at history, then go skimming over Daniel chapter seven, he or she might think that the fourth great beast was the Roman Empire. And gee-whiz you know what? One might even fancy himself a prophet seeing that G-d has shown him these great �truths,� all because he knew a little history and picked apart the word of G-d! And wow! Guess what, one could take all these fanciful ideas and put them in his new prophecy update book, making hundreds of thousands of dollars off the backs of the poor, the flock of G-d!
And herein lies the problem, these mistakes have been printed so many times, and by so many, that they cannot see the truth! Wake up shepherds! This is the word of G-d we speak of! Not the Sunday paper! Feed the flock! Wo to the shepherds! Feed the flock!
Now in verse twenty-five, Gabriel uses the words �Messiah the prince� (Meshiach Nagiyd) to describe the one who is to be anointed, the �Most Holy� of verse twenty-four. So then, here in verse twenty-six he continues with this terminology. First he calls him the Messiah that shall be cut off, and then he calls him the prince that shall come, and all this in the same sentence. Let us reread this part of the verse for it bears repeating. Dan.9: 26a) �And after sixty-two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince (nagiyd) that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;�
Here now the word �Nagiyd� in the Hebrew really becomes important! It is used once again in this instance and is also translated as �prince!� The only other place it occurs in the book of Daniel is in Dan. 11:22, and there it is also translated �Prince� of the covenant! Yeshua is the Prince of the covenant that G-d promised to the Jews and Israelites.
So we know for sure that this verse starts off speaking about the Messiah. How then, can it switch over to speaking of the Antichrist without any warning? This is the type of trickery that I thought only politicians used! The answer to who the Prince is that shall come, lies in the question, which are the people that destroyed the city and the sanctuary? Who destroyed the temple? G-d did! Why? What have we already learned from Daniel? G-d was going to put an end to the daily sacrifice because of the transgression of desolation. We now know what that was! Once again, the Jewish leaders refused the Messiah and continued to trust in animal sacrifices for the remission of sins. This caused G-d to allow the destruction of the city and the temple! Can it be clearer? The people of the prince to come were the nation of the Jews, and their prince to come was none other than Jesus Christ! They rejected him, so G-d rejected their sacrifices.
Psalm 40:6-9) �Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; mine ears hast thou opened: burnt-offering and sin-offering hast thou not required. Then said I, Lo,
I come: in the volume of the book it is written of me, I delight to do thy will, O my
G-d: yea, thy law is within my heart. I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O L-rd, thou knowest.�
Have we not all read this passage? We know it is Christ the Messiah that David speaks of here. In fact it is the words of Christ himself, spoken pre-incarnate. Jesus put an end to sacrifices once and for all. Jesus was the prince that was to come, his people destroyed their own city and sanctuary! It was not the people of the Antichrist. Where was the Antichrist when the temple was burned? Has he already come and gone? No way! The Jewish religious leaders brought this on themselves. That is why Christ foretold the destruction of the city and sanctuary. In fact the Jews were the ones who declared war against the Romans! Read the story of how the war began, it is in the complete works of Josephus, (Wars of the Jews, book 2, chapter 17). Sedition broke out and towers and buildings were burned in the city, by it�s own people! The seditious even slew their own high priest! They refused to submit to the Romans, (in which were many Syrian soldiers), and brought this calamity upon themselves.
Please know that I am not anti-Semitic! The Jews and Israelites are, still today, G-d�s chosen people. Soon G-d is going to save that great nation, and then his chosen people will know him as the true Messiah, Jesus Christ the Jew. My Master is from Judah, (Jewish), I will never be against my brethren. For those of you who are Jewish, and choose to reject Yeshua, I know that some of what I say here may sound offensive. But I am not pointing any fingers. The facts must be laid out in order to understand this vision, which is what G-d wants for all of us. We are all guilty of Messiah�s death! Otherwise we claim perfection, and no need of his sacrifice! It is more anti-Semetic to suggest that the Jews will once again suffer under the law while we go to heaven in the Rapture! This is what the modern shepherds teach with their dispensationalism!
At this time I think that insight has been given to us in the book of the Revelation, concerning the question of whether the Roman Empire is the future kingdom of the Antichrist or not. Revelation 17 yields an important clue. I have noticed that, the modern shepherds, when discussing this passage don�t seem to notice what is right under their noses! In Revelation 17, John is shown the judgment of the great harlot who sits on many waters. I will not delve deep into this chapter at this point that will be done later. The section that is pertinent to the present discourse is Rev.17: 7-11.
v.7) �And the angel said unto me, wherefore didst thou marvel? I will tell thee the mystery of the woman, and of the beast that carrieth her, which hath the seven heads, and ten horns.
v.8) the beast that thou sawest, was, and is not: and shall ascend out of the bottomless pit, and go into perdition: and they that dwell on the earth shall wonder, (whose names were not written in the book of life from the foundation of the world,) when they behold the beast that was, and is not, and yet is.
v.9) and here is the mind which hath wisdom. The seven heads are seven mountains, upon which the woman sitteth.
v.10) And there are seven kings: five have fallen, and one is, the other has not yet come; and when he commeth, he must continue a short space.
v.11) And the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.�
We all agree that this beast with seven heads and ten horns is the final Antichrist kingdom, but we do not agree on who it is. The question at hand is this: can it be the Roman Empire or not? The answer is right here in the text we just read. The time that John was alive on earth is the reference point. We are told that the seven heads are seven mountains. Mountains signify kingdoms, or empires, many times in the scriptures. We are told that the seven heads also represent seven kings. These could either be earthly rulers or they could be the demonic counterparts that ruled the seven kingdoms. (We learn later in Daniel of the prince of Persia, and the prince of Greece, these are demonic rulers.) Or both men and demonic rulers could be implied. We read earlier of the king of Babylon who is Satan himself, I believe the case here is this: the final beast is a king, a kingdom, and his unG-dly counterpart in the air, (a principality). In other words this is all three.. So what does the angel tell John about these seven kings? �Five have fallen, and one is, the other is not yet come.� Now this vision was given to John in the ninth decade AD, before 100 AD, the Roman Empire was almost at its zenith. Modern scholars themselves place this book, (The Revelation), around 90-95AD during the riegn of Domitian.
So when the angel says to John that five of the seven have fallen, and one is, he means the Roman Empire is the one that is, (this concerns the seven "mountains" not the seven kings). And what does the angel tell John about the final beast that will rule the world? Remember, the reference point here is the time when John was given this vision. Of the final beast that rises out of the bottomless pit, the angel tells John this: �and the beast that was, and is not, even he is the eighth, and is of the seven, and goeth into perdition.� So if you were John, hearing these words in his time, you would know for sure that the final beast was not going be the Roman Empire! For if you were John, in his time, and the angel said that the beast was, and is not, then you would know that the beast was of the previous five that had already fallen, and was to come back out of the pit! This cannot be the Roman Empire!
Now as for the "Seven Hills" of Rome that so many have postulated; it is rediculous nonsense to think that scripture means "hills" when it clearly says MOUNTAINS. If you understand what this passage is telling us, then you understand why Daniel never mentioned the Roman Empire, it will not be the kingdom from which the Antichrist arises. The five that came before Rome would be these: #1) Nimrod's Babylon, which ruled over mankind in the beginning, until G-d came down and confused the languages. It was the land of Shinar, the land of Chaldea, where later G-d called Abraham. It is interesting that G-d, in the very beginning of the Hebrew nation, called his people out of (Ur) Babylon, for his people were in the loins of Abram; and again in 536 BC G-d calls his people out of Babylon; and one more time, G-d in the future, will call his people out of Babylon! Now for the other empires that had fallen, #2) Assyria, which took captive the ten tribes of Israel and dispersed them abroad. #3) Nebuchadnezzar's Babylon, which took captive all Judah and Jerusalem. #4) The Medes and the Persians, which released the captives of G-d�s people, (G-d even called Cyrus by name in Isaiah when HE told of this ahead of time). #5) Greece, who ruled over Judea also in the form of the Seleucid Empire, who�s king, Antiochus 4 Epiphanes, desecrated the Holy temple of G-d, and overran and tortured the chosen people. This empire eventually transformed into the Herodian Dynasty which killed Meshiach Nagiyd. So Rome would have been the sixth empire, or "mountain" but the kingdom of AntiChrist will be the last, and a world-wide kingdom.
Finally as for the seven kings; take your pick of which five had already fallen at John's time if you still think Revelation 17 speaks of Rome! They were: Julius Caesar, Augustus, Tiberius, Caligula, Claudius, Nero, Vespasian, Titus, and Domitian. Not to forget the short reigns of Galba, Otho, and Vitellius! That's what everyone else seems to do when they get to Revelation 17 anyways. In fact if you pay close attention you'll notice that the smart modern shepherds completely ignore the verses quoted above! They know that what they teach is not defendable when it comes to Rev. 17!! See: "Herodian Dynasty" if you really want the truth, and for a complete understanding of the "Seven Kings."
Now the only role that Europe will play in the Antichrist�s kingdom is this: subordination, and support. They will be a part of his kingdom, but not his throne, they will only help to set it up. His throne will be the revived Greco-Seleucid-Assyrian-Babylonian empire.
So now we come to the second half of Dan.9: 26) �and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.� The �flood� mentioned here is also mentioned in Revelation 12. This flood is a direct link to the last half of the seventieth week! In Rev. 12, John sees a �great wonder in heaven,� the woman, (who is Israel,) clothed with the Sun, and the Moon under her feet, and a crown of twelve stars on her head, (the twelve tribes). She gives birth to a male child, (Jesus Christ).
Rev. 12:5) �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 G-d, and to his throne.�
Now this verse, in turn, is a direct link to Dan.9: 26, where Messiah is cut off. �Caught up� implies the resurrection of Christ in this text, and that was only three days after he was �cut off.� He was caught up to His Father and presented as the "Firstfruits wave offering" on a Saturday night: Shabbat after dark is Sunday, the first day of the week. That is why He told Mary not to touch Him yet, "for I have not yet seen My Father." Rev.12: 3-4 tells us of the great red dragon, with seven heads and ten horns, who stood before the woman to devour her child as soon as he was born. This truly did happen when Herod slew all of the male children two years and under in Bethlehem! Satan thought he had finally accomplished his goal at the cross, but death only resulted in Christ being caught up to heaven! Now read carefully people!! What happens after the man-child, who is to rule the nations, is caught up to heaven? In other words, what is the next thing to happen on G-d�s clock after the death of Christ at the cross and his resurrection?
Rev.12: 6) �and the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of G-d, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred sixty days.�
Revelation 12:6 is the last half of the seventieth week!! According to this, Christ was resurrected 1260 days before the end of the seventieth week!! What is left out is the preparation of the church. The church has a major role to play during the great tribulation; the two days of preparation are almost over. We shall study that later though. Rev.12: 7 tells us that there will be a war in heaven, Michael and his angels will fight the dragon and his angels, and Satan with his angels will be cast down to earth. This will happen when the church is finally prepared, the accuser of our brethren will be cast out of heaven. This is when the clock will restart! It will be at Passover, but this time the Antichrist will be slain. And on the same day that our L-rd was resurrected, G-d will allow Satan to raise his imposter, and this is the strong delusion that G-d will send upon an unbelieving world! This is the start of the second half of the seventieth week; 1260 days will remain before the end.
Now, as for the flood, Rev.12: 14-16,
v.14) �and to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and a half time, from the face of the serpent.
v.15) And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood, after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood.�
v.16) �And the earth helped the woman, and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the flood which the dragon cast out of his mouth.
v.17) And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of G-d, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ.�
Here is part of the plan of G-d, for his church, that I have never heard taught before! We will contribute to the salvation of all Israel! For the dragon will focus his attention on us! We, who are faithful unto the end, will give our testimony, and die for it. We will be the distracting force that will save G-d�s chosen people! G-d is going to hide his chosen people, the Jews, from the dragon. Then the wrath of Satan (not G-d,) will become fully focused on the church. And when the fullness of the gentiles has come in, all Israel will be saved by the L-rd. G-d has a great work to do through us, but only if we will let him, for it will cost us everything. When the time comes, it should be considered a privilege!
Rev.14: 11-13,
v.11) �And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day or night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name.
v.12) Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of G-d, and the faith of Jesus.
v.13) And I heard a voice from heaven, saying, unto me, write, blessed are the dead which die in the L-rd from henceforth: yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest
from their labours; and their works do follow them.�
Rev.12: 11) �and they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death.�
Now in the last part of Dan.9: 26 we read that unto the end of the war desolations are determined. There has been a war going on ever since Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden tree. This final part of the war began when Messiah was cut off. This is a war between the L-rd Messiah Jesus, and Satan, and it will soon directly affect all of us. It will resume when Satan and his angels are cast out of heaven, and for 1260 days after that, desolations are determined, (upon Jerusalem). So, unfortunately, at the beginning of the last half of the seventieth week, we can expect Jerusalem to be completely trodden down by the gentiles and their demon-king.
Jesus foretold the destruction of his great city, which came in 70 AD, but he also foretold a later desolation. In Matt.24: 15-16 we read,
v.15) �When ye, therefore, shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the Holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand,)
v.16) then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains.�
I quoted this verse first because of its familiarity; we all agree that this is the midpoint of the seventieth week. However in the same discourse Jesus says something else that is not recorded here. It is recorded in
Luke 21:20-22,
v.20) �And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh.
v.21) Then let them which are in Judea, flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter there into.
v.22) For these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.�
Woe, hold on! Stop the car! Put on the brakes! Wait a minute. Did he just say what I thought he did, the days of vengeance? This is the second half of Isaiah 61:2! So whereas at the beginning of his ministry, Jesus proclaimed the �acceptable year of the L-rd,� here near the end of his ministry, he foretells �the day of the vengeance of our G-d!� Here we have the seventieth week cut in half by Isaiah 61:2, and by Jesus the Messiah revealing this to us.
Luke left out the abomination of desolation and included the desolation of Jerusalem! So then, both must happen at the same time! Until the end of the war desolations are determined.
Daniel 9:27,) � And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured out upon the desolate.�
Knowing now what we have learned in our journey through Daniel, this verse becomes much clearer. It is not hard to see that it is an overview of the most important week of all time, the seventieth week of this vision. Now to prove this point all you have to do is remove verse 26
Dan. 9:25) �Know therefore and understand, from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the prince shall be seven weeks, and sixty two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.�
Dan. 9:27) �And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured out upon the desolate.�
That clarifies it quite a bit doesn�t it! But without verse twenty-six, we would not have known that Messiah was to be cut off. Thank G-d for Dan.9: 26! Now back to Dan.9: 27.
The Messiah was to confirm the new covenant for one week, with many. Why one week? It is the final week of the prophecy, and at the end of it he returns with us to rule the earth for the one thousand year �Day of the L-rd.� Now also it says that Messiah will �cause� the sacrifice and oblation to cease at the middle of the week. Did Jesus force this to happen? No, but his death, the final sacrifice, did �cause� it to happen. When the Antichrist commits the future abomination of desolation he will force it to happen, as Antiochus did.
The next thing we come to in Dan.9: 27 is the �overspreading of abominations.� Notice that �abominations� is plural not singular! This is not the abomination of desolation! The meaning of �overspreading of abominations� is this: abomination upon abomination upon abomination, etc. etc. It is the continual practice of something that G-d considers an abomination! We have already learned what this is! It is the continual daily sacrifice of animals for the remission of sins after Christ had already been slain for that purpose. He was, and is, the Lamb of G-d, the propitiation for our sins, the fulfillment of the �type� or likeness, which was the sacrificial system. To G-d it is an abomination to continue trusting in animal sacrifice after he has given his only begotten son. And because this is what the Jewish leaders continued to do after Christ�s death, (even after G-d ripped in half the veil in the temple), their sacrifices became �the overspreading of abominations!� G-d�s word, keeps telling us this and the shepherds have never mentioned it! Precept upon precept, line upon line!
At the end of the verse we are given the result of these continuing abominations; �he shall make desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.� When is the consummation? It would mean the consummation of this vision. What does �consummation� mean? It comes from the word consummate, which means to bring together, like consummating a marriage. It also denotes �perfecting.� The consummation then, is the perfecting of the final week of prophecy. The bringing together of the two halves of the split seventieth week! The consummation is when G-d�s clock for Israel starts ticking again. Now here is where the abomination of desolation comes in to play, for it is the signal given by Jesus for us to watch for. If desolations are to be �even until the consummation,�
then it is not likely that we will see another temple before Messiah returns, but if there is, G-d will put a stop to any sacrifices until the Jews have accepted Jesus as the Messiah.
I don�t think G-d will allow his people to rebuild the temple just yet, at least not in the present spiritual state that his people are in. On the other hand though, if a third temple is constructed, and animal sacrifice is reinstated, then G-d would still consider the sacrifices abominations. He would give �an host� against the sacrifice, which would be the armies of the Antichrist. So it is hard to know if a new temple will be built before Christ�s return. I do know that, in the new covenant, our bodies are the temple of G-d.
1 Cor.6: 19) �What! Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of G-d, and ye are not your own?�
So taught Paul, by the Spirit. So what then does Paul mean in 2 Thess.2: 4? Speaking of the Antichrist he says this of him: �who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called G-d, or that is worshipped; so that he, as G-d, sitteth in the temple of G-d, shewing himself that he is G-d.� Does this refer to a literal temple rebuilt on mount Moriah, or the temple of G-d that is now our bodies, or maybe both? I have to say I�m not really sure. Remember, the Antichrist will demand that all people bow down and worship him as G-d, under the penalty of death. Now, if a man worshipped the Antichrist, would that put the Antichrist in the bodily �temple� of the man? Yes it would, and it seems to me, that this would be more of an abomination than if the man of sin walked into a temple structure.
Another point to be made is that Jesus said that the abomination of desolation would be �standing in the Holy place�, and �where it ought not,� (Matt.24: 15 and Mark 13:14 respectively,) but he did not mention the actual temple. The Holy place is the temple mount, where the Holy of Holies once stood. The profane Moslem Dome of the Rock now stands there. Why would G-d allow this heathen structure to be built over his temple site? It must be that this abominable structure is more bearable to G-d than the continual overspreading of abominations committed by his own people. Since 691 AD, it has stood over the Holy of Holies, preventing a third Jewish temple from being built. What would happen if the Antichrist went in to the Dome of the Rock and proclaimed himself G-d, and set up an image of himself? It could still qualify as the abomination of desolation, for he would be over the site that was, (and still is,) the Holy of Holies. I do not doubt for a minute that a fanatical Moslem would do something this horrific.
Now as to the last part of Dan.9: 27, what is it that is �determined to be poured upon the desolate?� I believe it to be this; as with many Old Testament prophecies, G-d is promising that the destruction decreed will not be final! He will pour out his Spirit on his desolate people and city.
Isaiah 10:22-27,
v.22) �For though thy people Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant of them shall return: the consumption decreed shall overflow with righteousness.
v.23) For the L-rd G-d of hosts shall make a consumption, even determined, in the midst of the land.
v.24) Therefore thus saith the L-rd G-d of hosts, O my people that dwellest in Zion, be not afraid of the Assyrian: he shall smite thee with a rod, and shall lift up his staff against thee, after the manner of Egypt.
v.25) For yet a very little while, and the indignation shall cease, and mine anger in their destruction.
v.26) And the L-rd of hosts shall stir up a scourge for him according to the slaughter of Midian at the rock of Oreb: and as his rod was upon the sea, so shall he lift it up after the manner of Egypt.
v.27) And it shall come to pass in that day, that his burden shall be taken away from off thy shoulder, and his yoke from off thy neck, and the yoke shall be destroyed because of the anointing.�
This is an amazing verse! It has �the Assyrian� being destroyed by �the anointing,� the consumption that is decreed, even determined, overflowing with righteousness, and the yoke of the Assyrian that will be the burden on the children of Israel in the near future! What was the consumption decreed and determined upon the Jewish nation? Seventy years they would serve the king of Babylon! Three and a half years remain in this service, and then the consumption decreed will overflow with righteousness. Then G-d will pour out his Spirit on his people! See also Ezek.37: 14, Joel 2:27-28, etc. etc.
At this point I would like to back peddle a little and look at the �confirmation� of the covenant. There is more evidence to shed light on how Christ confirmed the covenant with many. There are those that will have questions about how this covenant is proven to have been confirmed by Christ. And it is proper that these questions find their answers in G-d�s word. We can be sure that G-d promised a new covenant, and that the Messiah to come, was to be that new covenant. This we learned from Isaiah 42:6 which has already been quoted. We shall go back to Isaiah again now.
Isaiah 49:8) �Thus saith the L-rd, in an acceptable time have I heard thee, and in a day of salvation have I helped thee: and I will preserve thee, and give thee for a covenant to the people, to establish the earth, to cause to inherit the desolate heritages.�
So we know that the Messiah is the promised new covenant, it is interesting that in both references we have seen that G-d says the Messiah will be �given.� He was to be given in death, and this is our proof that he confirmed the covenant. Remember how the words covenant and testament are interchangeable, as we read Matt.26: 27-28. This takes place at the �last supper,� which was the last Passover that Christ celebrated with his disciples.
v.27) �And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, drink ye all of it;
v.28) for this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many, for the remission of sins.� And also,
Mark 14:24) �And he said unto them, this is my blood of the New Testament, which is shed for many.�
And lastly,
Luke 22:20) �Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, this cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.�
Here we obviously have the covenant, with many, of Daniel chapter nine! But is this where Christ confirms the covenant? What Jesus is telling his disciples is that his blood will have to be shed for the covenant to be realized. The G-d given covenant of Christ could not be realized without the shedding of our L-rd�s innocent sacrificial blood.
In Hebrews 9:14-17 we read,
v.14) �How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to G-d, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living G-d?
v.15) And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressors under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance.
v.16) For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator.
v.17) For a testament is of force after men are dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth.�
Who among the shepherds can argue with this? Why have they not shown us these things about prophecy? Jesus, by his death, confirmed the new covenant with many, to argue with this is to argue with the word of G-d! He is the mediator of the new covenant! Take it up with him! If you have not studied the book of Hebrews, I strongly suggest you do, it contains many important spiritual truths that I cannot relate to you here. I will, however, quote a few more passages from Hebrews that will end this particular section of the Letter to the Shepherds.
In Hebrews 9:6-10, Paul, speaking of Christ our high priest in heaven, says this:
v.6) �But now he hath obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
v.7) For if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the second.
v.8) For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the days come, saith the L-rd, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah:
v.9) not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers, in the day when I took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt; because they continued not in my covenant, and I regarded them not, saith the L-rd.
v.10) For this is the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel, after those days, saith the L-rd; I will put my laws into their mind, and write them in their hearts: and I will be to them a G-d, and they shall be to me a people.�
And also;
Hebrews 8:13) �In that he saith, a new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth and waxeth old, is ready to vanish away.�
Now this covenant included gentiles as we have seen already, but it must be understood that this covenant is specifically for the Jews. And which covenant was done away with? The one that they recieved when G-d brought them out of Egypt! The Law covenant, which Christ fulfilled! The covenant with Abraham, of mercy, was confirmed! Still skeptical? One last quote then, the (Holy Spirit) inspired prophesy of Zacharias:
KJV Luke 1:16-80
16. "And many of the children of Israel shall he turn to the L-rd their G-d.
17. And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the L-rd.
18. And Zacharias said unto the angel, Whereby shall I know this? for I am an old man, and my wife well stricken in years.
19. And the angel answering said unto him, I am Gabriel, that stand in the presence of G-d; and am sent to speak unto thee, and to shew thee these glad tidings.
20. And, behold, thou shalt be dumb, and not able to speak, until the day that these things shall be performed, because thou believest not my words, which shall be fulfilled in their season.
21. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marvelled that he tarried so long in the temple.
22. And when he came out, he could not speak unto them: and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the temple: for he beckoned unto them, and remained speechless.
23. And it came to pass, that, as soon as the days of his ministration were accomplished, he departed to his own house.
24. And after those days his wife Elisabeth conceived, and hid herself five months, saying,
25. Thus hath the L-rd dealt with me in the days wherein he looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.
26. And in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from G-d unto a city of Galilee, named Nazareth,
27. To a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David; and the virgin's name was Mary.
28. And the angel came in unto her, and said, Hail, thou that art highly favoured, the L-rd is with thee: blessed art thou among women.
29. And when she saw him, she was troubled at his saying, and cast in her mind what manner of salutation this should be.
30. And the angel said unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with G-d.
31. And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus.
32. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the L-rd G-d shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
33. And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end.
34. Then said Mary unto the angel, How shall this be, seeing I know not a man?
35. And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of G-d.
36. And, behold, thy cousin Elisabeth, she hath also conceived a son in her old age: and this is the sixth month with her, who was called barren.
37. For with G-d nothing shall be impossible.
38. And Mary said, Behold the handmaid of the L-rd; be it unto me according to thy word. And the angel departed from her.
39. And Mary arose in those days, and went into the hill country with haste, into a city of Juda;
40. And entered into the house of Zacharias, and saluted Elisabeth.
41. And it came to pass, that, when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb; and Elisabeth was filled with the Holy Ghost:
42. And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.
43. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my L-rd should come to me?
44. For, lo, as soon as the voice of thy salutation sounded in mine ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.
45. And blessed is she that believed: for there shall be a performance of those things which were told her from the L-rd.
46. And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the L-rd,
47. And my spirit hath rejoiced in G-d my Saviour.
48. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.
49. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name.
50. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.
51. He hath shewed strength with his arm; he hath scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.
52. He hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low degree.
53. He hath filled the hungry with good things; and the rich he hath sent empty away.
54. He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy;
55. As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever.
56. And Mary abode with her about three months, and returned to her own house.
57. Now Elisabeth's full time came that she should be delivered; and she brought forth a son.
58. And her neighbours and her cousins heard how the L-rd had shewed great mercy upon her; and they rejoiced with her.
59. And it came to pass, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the child; and they called him Zacharias, after the name of his father.
60. And his mother answered and said, Not so; but he shall be called John.
61. And they said unto her, There is none of thy kindred that is called by this name.
62. And they made signs to his father, how he would have him called.
63. And he asked for a writing table, and wrote, saying, His name is John. And they marvelled all.
64. And his mouth was opened immediately, and his tongue loosed, and he spake, and praised G-d.
65. And fear came on all that dwelt round about them: and all these sayings were noised abroad throughout all the hill country of Judaea.
66. And all they that heard them laid them up in their hearts, saying, What manner of child shall this be! And the hand of the L-rd was with him.
67. And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying,
68. Blessed be the L-rd G-d of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people,
69. And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;
70. As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began:
71. That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;
72. To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant;
73. The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,
74. That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear,
75. In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.
76. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the L-rd to prepare his ways;
77. To give knowledge of salvation unto his people by the remission of their sins,
78. Through the tender mercy of our G-d; whereby the dayspring from on high hath visited us,
79. To give light to them that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.
80. And the child grew, and waxed strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his shewing unto Israel."
This is the early story of John the Babtist; the forrunner of the Prince of the Covenant. The last half of the seventieth week will begin soon. This will be the times of the gentiles, and the time of Jacob�s trouble, and G-d will save his people Israel and Judah. Jesus said,
Luke21: 24) �and they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the gentiles, until the times of the gentiles be fulfilled.�
And in Rev.11: 2) �but the court which is without the temple, cast out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the gentiles: and the Holy city shall they tread under foot forty two months.�
So then, what are the times of the gentiles? The times of the gentiles are a time, and times, and a halftime, 42 months, 1260 days, the time of Jacob�s trouble.
