Tuesday, December 31, 2013

The Prophets


7 

The prophetic gift existed long before the prophetic office was instituted. Thus Enoch had the former (Jude 1:14); so Abraham is called a prophet (Ge 20:7) as are also the patriarchs (Ps 105:15). The office was first instituted under the Mosaic economy; but even then the gift was not always connected with the office; for example, Daniel was endowed largely with the gift, but was never called to the office, as living in a heathen court where he could not have exercised it. So David (Mt 13:35 27:35). Hence the writings of both are classed with the Hagiographa, not with the prophets. Moreover, though the office ceased with the close of the Old Testament dispensation, the gift continued, and was among the leading charisms of the New Testament Church. "Prophet" (in Hebrew, from a root, "to gush out like a fountain") meant one acting as spokesman for another (Ex 7:1); so, one speaking authoritatively for God as interpreter of His will. "Seer" was the more ancient term (1Sa 9:9), implying that he spake by a divine communication presented either to his senses or his mind: as "prophet" indicated his authority as speaking for God.
      Christ was the only fountain of prophecy (1Pe 1:11 Re 19:10; also Ac 16:7, the oldest reading, "the Spirit of Jesus"), and declared God's will to men by His Holy Spirit acting on the minds of the prophets. Thus the history of the Church is the history of God's revelations of Himself in His Son to man. The three divisions of this history, the Patriarchal, the Mosaic, and the Christian dispensations, are characterized each by a distinct mode of God's manifestations--that is, by a distinct form of the prophetic gift. (1) The theophanic mode characterizes the Patriarchal dispensation: God revealing Himself in visible appearances, or theophanies. (2) The theopneustic mode, the Mosaic: God revealing Himself through God-inspired men. (3) The theologicmode, the Christian: God revealing Himself, not merely at intervals as before, but permanently by inspired writings ("the oracles of God," 1Pe 4:11).
      In the first or patriarchal age, men work no miracles, unlike all other primeval histories, which abound in miracles wrought by men: a proof of genuineness. All the miracles are wrought by God without man's intervention; and the divine communications are usually by direct utterance, whence the prophetic gift is rare, as God in this dispensation only exceptionally employs the prophetic agency of men in it: only in Ge 20:7, is the term "prophet" found. In the second or Mosaic dispensation, God withdraws Himself more from direct communication with man and manifests Himself through human instruments. Instead of working miracles directly, Moses, Joshua, &c., are His agents. So in His communications He speaks not directly, but through Moses and his successors. The theocracy needed a new form of prophetic gift: God-inspired (theopneustic) men must speak and act for God, the Head of the theocracy, as His administrators; the prophetic gift is therefore now connected with the prophetic office. These prophets accordingly are acting, notwriting, prophets. The latter did not arise till the later ages of this second dispensation. Moses acted as a legislator; Joshua, the Judges, and Samuel as executive prophets; David and Solomon as devotional prophets. Even in the case of the writing prophets of the latter half of the Mosaic dispensation, theirprimary duty was to speak and act. Their writing had reference more to the use of the New Testament dispensation than to their own (1Pe 1:12). So that even in their case the characteristic of the Mosaic dispensation was theopneustic, rather than theologic. The third, or Christian dispensation, is theologic,that is, a revelation of God by inspired writings. Compare 1Pe 4:11 2Pe 1:16-21, where he contrasts "the old time" when "holy men spake by the Holy Ghost" with our time when we have the "sure word of prophecy"; or, as it may be translated, "the word of prophecy confirmed [to us]." Thus God now reveals His will, not by direct theophanies, as in the first dispensation; not by inspired men, as in the second; but by the written word which liveth andabideth for ever (as opposed to the desultory manifestations of God, and the noncontinuance in life of the prophets, under the two former dispensations respectively, 1Pe 1:23 2Pe 3:2,16). The next form shall be the return of the theophanic manifestations on earth, in a more perfect and abiding form than in the first age (Re 21:3).
      The history of the prophetic office under the Mosaic dispensation falls into three divisions. (1) The first ends with the age of Samuel and has no regular succession of prophets, these not being needed while God Himself ruled the people without an hereditary executive. (2) The second period extends from Samuel to Uzziah, 800 B.C., and is the age of prophets of action. Samuel combined in himself the three elements of the theocracy, being a judge, a priest, and a prophet. The creation of a human king rendered the formal office of prophet more necessary as a counterpoise to it. Hence the age of the kings is the age of the prophets. But at this stage they were prophets of action, rather than of writing. Towards the close of this second period, the devotional and Messianic prophecies of David and Solomon prepared the way for the third period (from 800 B.C. to 400 B.C.), which began under Uzziah, and which was the age of written prophecy. (3) In this third period the prophets turn from the present to the future, and so the Messianic element grows more distinct. Thus in these three shorter periods the grand characteristics of the three great dispensations reappear. The first is theophanic; the second,theopneustic; and the third, theologic. Just as the great organic laws of the world reappear in smaller departments, the law of the tree developing itself in miniature forms in the structure of the leaf, and the curve of the planet's orbit reappearing in the line traced by the projected cannon ball [MOORE].
      Samuel probably enacted rules giving a permanent form to the prophetic order; at least in his time the first mention occurs of "schools of the prophets." These were all near each other, and in Benjamin, namely, in Beth-el, Gilgal, Ramah, and Jericho. Had the prophet been a mere foreteller of events, such schools would have been useless. But he was also God's representative to ensure the due execution of the Mosaic ritual in its purity; hence arose the need of schools wherein to study that divinely ordained institution. God mostly chose His prophets from those thus educated, though not exclusively, as the cases of Amos (Am 7:14) and Elisha (1Ki 19:19) prove. The fact that the humblest might be called to the prophetic office acted as a check to the hereditary kingly power and a stimulus to seeking the qualifications needed for so exalted an office. The Messianic Psalms towards the close of this second period form the transition between the prophets of action and the prophets of word, the men who were busy only with the present, and the men who looked out from the present into the glorious future.
      The third period, that from Uzziah to Malachi, includes three classes of prophets: (1) Those of the ten tribes; (2) Those of the Gentiles; (3) Those of Judah. In the first class were Hosea and Amos. Few of the writing prophets belonged to Israel. They naturally gathered about the seat of the theocracy in Judah. Hence those of the ten tribes were mostly prophets of action. Under the second class fall Jonah, Nahum, and Obadiah, who were witnesses for God's authority over the Gentile world, as others witnessed for the same in the theocracy. The third class, those of Judah, have a wider scope and a more hopeful, joyous tone. They fall into five divisions: (1) Those dwelling in Judah at the highest point of its greatness during its separate state; namely, the century between Uzziah and Hezekiah, 800-700 B.C., Isaiah, Joel, and Micah. (2) The declining period of Judah, from Manasseh to Zedekiah, for example, Zephaniah and Habakkuk. (3) The captivity: Jeremiah. (4) The exile, when the future was all that the eye could rest on with hope; for example, Ezekiel and Daniel, who are chiefly prophets of the future. (5) The restoration: to which period belong the three last writing prophets of the Old Testament, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi. John the Baptist long subsequently belonged to the same dispensation, but he wrote nothing (Mt 11:9-11); like Elijah, he was a prophet of action and preaching, preparing the way for the prophets of word, as John did for the Incarnate Word.
      To understand the spirit of each prophet's teaching, his historical position and the circumstances of the time must be considered. The captivity was designed to eradicate the Jews' tendency to idolatry and to restore the theocratic spirit which recognized God as the only ruler, and the Mosaic institutions as His established law, for a time until Messiah should come. Hence the prophets of the restoration are best illustrated by comparison with the histories of Ezra and Nehemiah, contemporaries of Malachi.
      Of the three prophets of the restoration, two, Haggai and Zechariah, are at the beginning of the period, and the remaining one, Malachi, is at the close. The exile was not one complete deportation of the people, but a series of deportations extending over a century and a half. So the restoration was not accomplished at once, but in successive returns extending over a century. Hence arises the different tone of Haggai and Zechariah at its beginning, and of Malachi at its close. The first return took place in the first year of Cyrus, 536 B.C.; 42,360 persons returned under Shesh-bazzar or Zerubbabel and Joshua (Ezr 2:64). They built an altar and laid the foundations of the temple. They were interrupted by the misrepresentations of the Samaritans, and the work was suspended for fourteen years. The death of Smerdis gave an opportunity of renewing the work, seventy years after the destruction of the first temple. This was the time when Haggai and Zechariah arose, the former to incite to the immediate rebuilding of the temple and restoration of the Mosaic ritual, the latter to aid in the work and to unfold the grand future of the theocracy as an incentive to present labor. The impossibility of observing the Mosaic ritual in the exile generated an anti-theocratic indifference to it in the young who were strangers to the Jerusalem worship, from which the nation had been debarred for upwards of half a century. Moreover, the gorgeous pomp of Babylon tended to make them undervalue the humble rites of Jehovah's worship at that time. Hence there was need of a Haggai and a Zechariah to correct these feelings by unfolding the true glory of the theocratic institutions.
      The next great epoch was the return of Ezra, 458 B.C., eighty years after the first expedition under Zerubbabel. Thirteen years later, 445 B.C., Nehemiah came to aid Ezra in the good work. It was now that Malachi arose to second these works, three-fourths of a century after Haggai and Zechariah. As their work was that of restorers, his was that of a reformer. The estates of many had become mortgaged, and depression of circumstances had led many into a skeptical spirit as to the service of God. They not only neglected the temple of worship, but took heathen wives, to the wrong of their Jewish wives and the dishonor of God. Therefore, besides the reformation of civil abuses and the rebuilding of the wall, effected through Nehemiah's exertions, a religious reformer was needed such as was Ezra, who reformed the ecclesiastical abuses, established synagogues, where regular instruction in the law could be received, restored the Sabbath, and the Passover, and the dignity of the priesthood, and generated a reverence for the written law, which afterwards became a superstition. Malachi aided in this good work by giving it his prophetical authority. How thoroughly the work was effected is proved by the utter change in the national character. Once always prone to idolatry, ever since the captivity they have abhorred it. Once loving kingly rule, now contrary to the ordinary course of history, they became submissive to priestly rule. Once negligent of the written Word, now they regarded it with reverence sometimes bordering on superstition. Once fond of foreign alliances, henceforth they shrank with abhorrence from all foreigners. Once fond of agriculture, now they became a trading people. From being pliable before, they now became intensely bigoted and nationally intolerant. Thus the restoration from Babylon moulded the national character more than any event since the exodus from Egypt.
      Now the distinction between Judah and the ten tribes of Israel disappears. So in the New Testament the twelve tribes are mentioned (Ac 26:7 Jas 1:1). The theocratic feeling generated at the restoration drew all of the elect nation round the seat of the theocracy, the metropolis of the true religion, Jerusalem. Malachi tended to promote this feeling; thus his prophecy, though addressed to the people of Jerusalem, is called "the word of the Lord to Israel" (Mal 1:1).
      The long silence of prophets from Malachi to the times of Messiah was calculated to awaken in the Jewish mind the more earnest desire for Him who was to exceed infinitely in word and deed all the prophets, His forerunners. The three prophets of the restoration being the last of the Old Testament, are especially distinct in pointing to Him who, as the great subject of the New Testament, was to fulfil all the Old Testament.
http://www.moellerhaus.com/JFBrown/JFB00D.htm



Amos 3:7 Surely the Sovereign Lord does nothing without revealing his plan
    to his servants the prophets.

Ezekiel’s Task as Watchman

Ezekiel 3:16-21 16 At the end of seven days the word of the Lord came to me: 17 “Son of man, I have made you a watchman for the people of Israel; so hear the word I speak and give them warning from me. 18 When I say to a wicked person, ‘You will surely die,’ and you do not warn them or speak out to dissuade them from their evil ways in order to save their life, that wicked person will die for[b] their sin, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 19 But if you do warn the wicked person and they do not turn from their wickedness or from their evil ways, they will die for their sin; but you will have saved yourself.
20 “Again, when a righteous person turns from their righteousness and does evil, and I put a stumbling block before them, they will die. Since you did not warn them, they will die for their sin. The righteous things that person did will not be remembered, and I will hold you accountable for their blood. 21 But if you do warn the righteous person not to sin and they do not sin, they will surely live because they took warning, and you will have saved yourself.”

Deuteronomy 18:18 ESV

I will raise up for them a prophet like you from among their brothers. And I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak to them all that I command him.


Ezekiel









Hosea












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Prophecy of Daniel



The numbers in his calculation is at bit off. Refer to the timeline here for year Abraham was born and the biblical timeline. A lot of websites supports 1948 to be the year Abraham is born and Israel official date of nation building is 14 May 1948 although a lot of events happened way before this date and the events that culminated to the birth of modern day Israel is much earlier we take the official establishment date. But the concept is there. Just adjust the numbers.




Book of Daniel

Daniel chapter two has the description of Nebuchadnezzar's dream of the great statue. In this classic prophecy the king sees a great statue with a head of Gold, arms of silver, thighs of brass, and legs of iron. The description of the legs is further described as including two feet with ten toes. There really isn't much doubt about the identities in this dream for Daniel specifically tells the king of Babylon that he, Nebuchadnezzar, is the head of gold. 5.
Daniel's interpretation continues as he describes three kingdoms that will succeed the Babylonian empire. These three kingdoms are represented by the silver arms, the brass thighs and the iron legs. Since secular history clearly establishes the fact that the Babylonian empire was followed by the Medo-Persian empire (the arms of silver), the Grecian empire (the thighs of brass) and the Roman empire (the legs of iron), Nebuchadnezzar 's famous dream is a striking example of the accuracy of Bible prophecy.
But are the four world empires of the statue in Daniel chapter two necessarily synonymous with the four beast kingdoms of Daniel chapter seven? I'm convinced they are different kingdoms from different eras, and the fact that this interpretation of Daniel's four beast kingdoms has been distorted has masked the fulfillment of Bible prophecy in our time.
Before I offer an alternative interpretation of the four beasts, I need to outline the reasons why the conventional synchronized interpretation is usually followed. There are many similarities between the two vision/dreams and that may account for the broad acceptance of the synonymous/concurrent interpretation of the two vision/dreams. For example, in Daniel chapter two, the head of gold is described as superior to the kingdoms of silver, brass, and iron. The commentators commonly connect the regal aspect of the Babylonian kingdom (the head of gold) with the royal imagery associated with the lion of chapter seven's vision.
There is very little to identify the second beast (the bear) with the second "statue" empire of Daniel chapter 2 (the Medo-Persian) so interpreters usually focus on the third kingdom as it provides a more credible argument. The third kingdom of the statue dream (brass thighs) was Alexander The Great's Grecian empire, and it is routinely compared to the third kingdom of the beast vision, the leopard.
Because the leopard is noted for speed, it is commonly identified with Alexander's meteoric military acquisition of territory. Another apparent connection between the third kingdoms is found in yet another chapter of the book of Daniel. In that passage (found in Daniel chapter eight), Alexander is symbolized as a "rough goat" with a large horn. 6.
In that vision, the large horn is broken, and replaced by four horns; and once again, an angel is there to interpret the vision. The angel tells Daniel that "the great horn is...the first king. Now that being broken, whereas four stood up for it, four kingdoms shall stand up out of the nation...." 7.
This passage validates once again prophetic accuracy as history records that after Alexander's death, his kingdom was divided between four of his generals. The fact that the Grecian empire (the third "statue" empire) was divided four ways
helped to identify the four heads of the Leopard (the third "beast" vision) with Alexander and his four generals.
Just to keep the confusion to a minimum with all these 'fours,' I need to point out that these four horns that succeed Alexander's Grecian kingdom in the "goat" vision of chapter eight are entirely separate from the four "statue" kingdoms of chapter two and the four "beast" kingdoms of chapter seven.
It's not hard to see why there's confusion on this, but bear with me, for we're closing in on the true identification of all of these kingdoms.
The final factor that is usually used to connect the four "statue" kingdoms with the four "beast" kingdoms is the fact that both fourth kingdoms incorporate the number ten. In the statue dream, the ten toes on the feet of the iron legs (the fourth and final kingdom of chapter two) are specifically highlighted. In the beast vision, the fourth and final beast has ten horns. Because the ten toes are associated with the Roman empire, it is commonly believed that the ten horns on the fourth beast somehow represent a 'revived' Roman empire.
It is these two chapters, and several other passages in the book of Revelation, that give rise to the notion that the Roman empire will somehow be "revived" by the prophetic figure we commonly call The Antichrist. Because the fourth beast kingdom is plainly seen to be the final world dominion run by The Antichrist, it is crucial that we accurately identify these four kingdoms. In other words, if we get this chapter wrong, we may not actually recognize key prophetic events because we'll looking in the wrong place. I contend that is precisely what is occurring today, and the Christian church is running out of time to recognize the truth. 

There are two separate sets of four kingdoms. These two visions are millennia apart and the key to understanding each of them is the nation of Israel. The common denominator in every one of them is their relationship to the Jewish people. The four kingdoms of Nebuchadnezzar's statue are the four kingdoms that provide a historic countdown to the destruction of the Jewish state.
Beginning with Babylon, all four kingdoms dominated the people of Israel. The fourth kingdom (the legs of iron), the Roman empire, presided over the destruction of Israel in 70 AD. The fourth kingdom also provided the countdown to the first coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Conversely, the four beast kingdoms function in reverse as they provide the historic countdown to the resurrection of the state of Israel; and once again these empires also serve as a sequential countdown to the second coming of Christ. 

Beginning with Babylon, all four kingdoms dominated the people of Israel. The fourth kingdom (the legs of iron), the Roman empire, presided over the destruction of Israel in 70 AD. The fourth kingdom also provided the countdown to the first coming of Jesus Christ, the Son of God. Conversely, the four beast kingdoms function in reverse as they provide the historic countdown to the resurrection of the state of Israel; and once again these empires also serve as a sequential countdown to the second coming of Christ. 



The Four-Kingdom Succession:
Daniel chapter 2 tells of Daniel’s interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar’s dream. Nebuchadnezzar dreamed of a large statue made of a gold head, silver chest and arms, bronze belly and thighs and iron legs. Each of these metals is progressively less valuable and represents a different kingdom, the first of which Daniel identifies as Babylon, Nebuchadnezzar’s empire. From our vantage point in history, we now know the four kingdoms are the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman empires.

The image of Daniel's vision (Daniel 2) represented Gentile dominion over the Jews from the time of Babylon to this present time. Each Gentile kingdom was alloted a time, from the "head of gold" representing Babylon to the mixture of "iron and clay", representing the end-time confederation of nations. As all the other kingdoms came to their appointed end, even so this present-day Gentile nations are at an end.


FIRST VISION — Daniel 2 — BC 603 in the second year of the reign of King Nebuchannezzar of Babylon.
Revelation and Interpretation of Nabuchadnezzar dream statue
Gold - Chaldean Empire ……………. from BC 605 to 539
Silver - Medio-Persian Empire ………. from BC 539 to 336
Bronze - Macedonia Greece …………… from BC 336 to 133
Metal - Roman Empire ……………….. from BC 133 to AD 70



Third Rome (From Wikipedia, the free encyclopaedia)
The term Third Rome describes the idea that some European city, state, or country is the successor to the legacy of ancient Rome (the "first Rome") and, according to different perspectives, either via connection to the Byzantine Empire (also known as the "Eastern Roman Empire") as being the "second Rome"; or via connection to the Western Roman Empire through its claimed successors such as the Papal States or the Holy Roman Empire as being the "second Rome".
SECOND VISION — Daniel 7 — BC 553 in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar the son of Nabonidus and successor of Nebuchadnezzar.

Daniel 7 

Bible passage http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=Daniel+7




Daniel saw four great beasts come up from the sea. 
http://kenraggio.com/KRPN-Four-Beasts-Of-Daniel.html

While the four great WINDS blew upon the great sea of humanity, Daniel saw four great BEASTS coming up from the sea. Grieved and troubled, Daniel asked for "the truth of all this." "These great beasts, which are four, are FOUR KINGS, which shall arise out of the earth. But the SAINTS of the MOST HIGH shall take the kingdom, and possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." 

This is a VERY IMPORTANT FACT! 

The event referred to in that verse is the Second Coming of Jesus Christwith all His saints to the Battle of Armageddon, where He will finally conquer all kings and kingdoms and set up HIS KINGDOM for 1000 years on earth - the "Millennial Kingdom of Christ," as some call it. 

Therefore, the TIME-FRAME in which Daniel's Four Beasts appear MUST BE the LAST DAYS immediately before the Second Coming of Jesus. Consequently, it is worthless to interpret these verses using ANCIENT KINGDOMS THAT NO LONGER EXIST! 

Daniel dreamed of four great kingdoms that necessarily EXIST ON EARTH at the time of the Second Coming of Jesus. 

Daniel 7:3 - "Four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another." 

We will get into the specific details of the identity of the Four Beasts later. But first, let us consider what the Four Beasts are. 

The Four Beasts: 

1. A Lion with Eagle's Wings
2. A Bear
3. A Four-headed Leopard with wings of a fowl
4. A Dreadful Beast 

The Four Beasts of Daniel 7 - What they CANNOT represent. 

The vast majority of all Bible commentaries and teaching material will tell you that the Four Beasts in Daniel's dream are the same four empires that are mentioned in Nebuchadnezzars statue: namely, Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome. Most of these commentaries were written decades ago, if not centuries ago, long before modern events began to fulfill these prophecies. It would have been IMPOSSIBLE to identify these nations as we now can, as recently as one century ago! 

What Daniel's Four Beasts CANNOT be... 

Most so-called prophecy teachers will tell you that Daniel's beasts represent the same nations depicted in the great STATUE OF NEBUCHADNEZZAR. 

They say that the
1. LION is ancient BABYLON
2. BEAR is ancient MEDO-PERSIA
3. LEOPARD is ancient GREECE
4. DREADFUL BEAST is ancient ROME

That interpretation cannot possibly be accurate, and here is why: 
In Nebuchadnezzar's dream, each level of the great statue represented an empire. From one empire to the next, they were SUCCESSIVE empires - they followed one another. The Babylonian Empire was conquered byPersia, which was conquered by Alexander the Great and the Grecians, which was conquered by Rome.

In the end of Nebuchadnezzar's imagery, ONLY the IRON AND CLAY FEET were crushed by a Rock, symbolizing JESUS CHRIST at Armageddon. The earlier empires had already passed from the scene.

But ALL FOUR of Daniel's Four Beasts are said to be IN POWER - IN EXISTENCE - when Jesus returns!

These Four Beasts CANNOT be the ancient kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece and Rome - as most Bible commentators and teachers assert. Here is why:

At Armageddon, Daniel saw that the OTHER THREE BEASTS "had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. (7:12)"

It is perfectly clear that the Fourth Beast is a modern kingdom in power when Jesus comes, because the "little horn" on that beast, "made war with the saints, and prevailed against them; Until the Ancient of days came, and judgment was given to the saints of the most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom," Daniel 7:21-22.

So what does this show and prove?

It proves that Jesus Christ will NOT confront ancient Babylon, ancient Persia, ancient Greece, or ancient Rome at His coming.

He will confront EXISTING MODERN NATIONS at Armageddon.

These PROPHECIES absolutely MUST refer to MODERN NATIONS.

These nations will be stripped of their powers at Armageddon, yet they will continue to exist, "their lives were prolonged for a season and time." That could NOT be true if the LION is ancient Babylon, or if the BEAR is ancient Persia, or if the LEOPARD is ancient Greece, or if the DREADFUL BEAST is ancient Rome. 

Therefore:

1. We must identify a MODERN nation symbolized by a LION.
2. We must identify a MODERN nation symbolized by an EAGLE.
3. We must identify a MODERN nation symbolized by a BEAR.
4. We must identify a MODERN nation symbolized by a LEOPARD.

 See details in this blog


5. We must identify a MODERN GLOBAL government that fits the description of the DREADFUL BEAST. 

We MUST identify these Four Beasts in modern times. The prophecies can only be true if these nations can be identified at the time of the coming of Jesus Christ for the Battle of Armageddon. 

I believe the above four beast are referring to Central Asia (Leopard), Russia (Bear), Persia(Lion) and The Dreadful Beast is a confederation of Nation probably UN or a yet new Organisation to be formed.



THIRD VISION — Daniel 8 — BC 553 in the third year of the reign of Belshazzar.

8 Therefore the male goat grew very great; but when he became strong, the large horn was broken, and in place of it four notable ones came up toward the four winds of heaven. 9 And out of one of them came a little horn which grew exceedingly great toward the south, toward the east, and toward the Glorious Land. 10 And it grew up to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and some of the stars to the ground, and trampled them. 11 He even exalted himself as high as the Prince of the host; and by him the daily sacrifices were taken away, and the place of His sanctuary was cast down. 12 Because of transgression, an army was given over to the horn to oppose the daily sacrifices; and he cast truth down to the ground. He did all this and prospered.
13 Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said to that certain one who was speaking, “How long will the vision be, concerning the daily sacrifices and the transgression of desolation, the giving of both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled underfoot?”
14 And he said to me, “For two thousand three hundred days;[a] then the sanctuary shall be cleansed.”



Interpretation of Daniel 8
 (U.S. in the End Time Prophecy)

Most people believe that the prophecy given in Daniel 8 was fulfilled by Alexander the Great. While a large portion of Alexander the Great’s history does appear to match Daniel’s prophecy, what if Daniel 8 is a prophecy for today? Are we about to or are we currently seeing a portion of it coming to pass? 
In the beginning of Daniel’s vision he is transported to a particular location on the River Ulai. On a current world map that would be about where the Tigris and Euphrates Rivers meet, which would bring us to the tiny nation of Kuwait. 

Ulai http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ulai

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ulai was the Hebrew name for a river near the city of Susa. It is mentioned twice in the Bible:
  • Daniel 8:2 – "In my vision I saw myself in the citadel of Susa in the province of Elam; in the vision I was beside the Ulai Canal." (New International Version)
  • Daniel 8:16 – "And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, 'Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.' "
There are three watercourses near Susa, and scholars are divided on which is indicated, although archaeology by Loftus in 1851 and Dieulafoy in 1885 helped shed some light. The Ulai may have been the eastern branch of the Karkheh River (alternately called the Choaspes or the Eulaus), which at one time divided into two branches some 20 miles north-west of the city.[1] Another possible location of this river is the Copratestributary of the Karun River. Finally, some claim an artificial canal[2] which ran close by Susa and connected the two rivers mentioned above.

The Karkheh or Karkhen (known as the Gihon[citation needed]—one of the four rivers of Eden/Paradise to the Bible and as the Choaspes[1] in ancient times; also called Eulæus; Hebrew: אולי Ulai[2]) is a river in Khūzestān Province, Iran (ancient Susiana) that rises in the Zagros Mountains, and passes west of Shush (ancient Susa), eventually falling in ancient times into the Tigris just below its confluence with theEuphrates very near to the Iran-Iraq border. In modern times, after approaching within 10 miles of the Dez River, it turns to the southwest and then, northwest of Ahvaz, turns northwest and is absorbed by the Hawizeh Marshes that straddle the Iran/Iraq border. Its peculiarly sweet water was sacred to the use of the Persian kings.[3] Ancient names for the Karkheh should be treated as conjectural because the bed of the river has changed in historic times, and because a nearby watercourse between the Karkheh and the Dez River, the Shaur, confuses the identification. [4]
The problem with the ancient names is that while the Karheh flows a mile or two west of Susa, another major watercourse flows parallel to the Karkheh within a few miles east of Susa. When these rivers are in flood stage, the entire area south of Susa can be flooded, as the waters of the two watercourses mingle. The watercourse a mile or two east of Susa, now called the Shaur, flows east between the Haft Tepe and Shaur ridges into the Dez River, north of where the Dez and Karun rivers merge. At some previous time, the Karkheh may have joined the eastern end of the Shaur. The timing of these changes is not known with any certainty. The ancient name of the Shaur may have been the Choaspes.
The river is mentioned in the Bible, Book of Daniel 8:2,16,[5][6] and should not be confused with the Choaspes River in modern-day Afghanistan, which flows into the Indus.
The river is currently the location of the Karkheh Dam and hydro-power plant in Iran.[7][8]


The Kārun (also spelled as Karoun) is Iran's most effluent, and the only navigable, river. It is 450 miles (720 km) long. It rises in the Zard Kuh mountains of the Bakhtiari district in the Zagros Range, receiving many tributaries, such as the Dez and the Kuhrang, before passing through the capital of the Khuzestan Province of Iran, the city of Ahwaz.
The Karun continues toward the Persian Gulf, forking into two primary branches on its delta - theBahmanshir and the Haffar - that join the Shatt al-Arab (Arvand Rud in Persian), emptying into the Persian Gulf. The important Island of Abadan is located between these two branches of the Karun. The port city of Khorramshahr is divided from the Island of Abadan by the Haffar branch.
In the Biblical tradition, the Karun is to be identified with the Pishon, one of the four rivers ofEden/Paradise, the others being the Tigris, the Euphrates and the Karkheh (the "Gihon" of the Biblical story). In early classical times, the Karun was known as the Pasitigris, which may point etymologically to the source of the Biblical name, Pishon. The modern medieval and modern name, Karun, is a corruption of the name Kuhrang, which is still maintained by one of the two primary tributaries of the Karun.

There Daniel sees a vision that “appalls” him, and  leaves him “ill” for days, (verse 8:27). Was it a vision of Alexander the Great and his conquest that so horrified Daniel?  No, the Angel Gabriel interprets this vision and tells Daniel three times that this vision is for the end times. “Understand that the vision concerns the time of the end.” (8:17) “I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wrath, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.” (8:19) The Scriptures clearly show that this is a prophecy for the last days. Alexander the Great did not live in the last days; however it is very possible that we do.

While Daniel is standing on the banks of the River Ulail (in Iran) , he sees a ram with two horns, the last horn coming up higher than the first. The ram is pushing toward the West, North, and South. It would seem that we have a ram that is continually fighting with it’s neighbors, with much success. But what does this ram represent? Gabriel tells Daniel that the ram represents the kings of Media and Persia. On today’s map Persia would be the area now occupied by Iran while  Media consist of Iraq and a portion of Syria. 

Let’s think about this in today’s terms. Daniel is standing in Susa and he sees a ram (Iran) with two horns, (Iraq and Iran). The biggest horn (threat) comes up second. It’s very possible that Iraq’s invasion of Kuwait could have been the beginning of Daniel’s vision.

Then Daniel saw a one horned shaggy goat coming from the west, crossing the whole earth without touching the ground. He charges the ram in a great rage, shattering the two horns and trampling him to the ground. The angel Gabriel identifies this shaggy goat as the king of Greece in verse 21. But the actual word that was used wasn’t Greece but Yavan(Javon) meaning;

Javon is a Hebrew name meaning Son of Japheth 

Javon means Clay, from Greece
Javan was the fourth son of Japheth, and grandson of Noah. His descandants settled in Greece. Javan is also the Hebrew word for Greece and its inhabitants. 

Javan was the name of a town in Arabia Felix. - See more at: http://www.biblical-baby-names.com/meaning-of-javon.html#sthash.Ore79k5q.dpuf

Yavon’s descendants were maritime people. While it is true that the Greeks were descended from him, they aren’t the only ones. Yavon’s descendants also settled Cyprus and Rhodes as well as many islands and the coasts of Italy, Portugal, Spain, and the Mediterranean. Since they were maritime people they didn’t stop there but settled many other lands. Yavon’s descendants carried their culture with them, thereby laying the foundation of our Western culture. 

So the goat is Javon or the Son of Japheth or people of Greek Origin or THE Clay of Daniel's prophesy.

The British royal family is Germanic in Origin which means they are children of Japheth. On top of that if you trace the royal line of Prince Philip you will realise they are link to Greek Royal lines and America is an offshoot of the British and many American political head of state are descended from Germanic and British related ancestry. So can we then say the Western World is the Goat? I leave that you the readers to determine that! But you can safely say all the western nations are the children of Japheth and most likely are the clay nations of Daniel chapter 2.

Gabriel describes the goat as being shaggy or rough. The actual word is sair or sayir, Strong’s #8163, and it means goat, hairy, rough or devil. It is actually translated as devil or goat-demon in Leviticus 17:7. 

Sayir means fallen angels or demons.

Interestingly, devil is the very word many middle-easterners have used to describe us and our Western culture. Next, he describes the goat as having a notable or prominent horn between its eyes. Gabrielle clarifies the meaning of the horn in verse 21;
"The shaggy goat is the king of Greece and the large horn between his eyes is the first king."
The goat represents the coalition of the West, with the horn representing the leader in the coalition. Could this be EU?

The goat crosses the whole earth, showing that he has traveled a considerable distance, without touching the ground. This would not have been humanly possible in Daniel’s day but with modern technology it is the norm to fly great distances.

This goat (Western World) travels by air to the River Ulai (Iran) to confront the aggressive ram with two big horns.

"He (the goat) came toward the two-horned ram I had seen standing beside the canal and charged at him in great rage." 8:6
The word for great rage is choler, #4843, and it means bitterness, grieved, and/or provoked. That one word, choler, describes perfectly the sentiment of 99% of Americans after 9/11. The war with Iraq started with the attack of World TRade Centre@911 which provoke USA into action against Terrorism of Al Qaeda and Taliban in  Iraq and Afghanistan. 
Overview: The Iraq War by New York Times http://www.nytimes.com/ref/timestopics/topics_iraq.html
"I saw him attack the ram furiously, striking the ram and shattering his two horns. The ram was powerless to stand against him; the goat knocked him to the ground and trampled on him and none could rescue the ram from his power." 8:7
The goat, in a state of choler attacks and breaks off the horns (Iraq and Iran). Iraq have already attacked since George Bush administration. The current issue in 2013 concerning Iran is to do with Iran's Nuclear Program. Israel have threaten to attack Iran to destroy their nuclear missiles before they are nuclear ready if the Western power do not disarm Iran
.
     “The goat became very great," 8:8

After US breaks the horn of Iran she will be at the height of her power, politically, militarily, and economically. The US is currently the strongest military power on earth. After the demise of Iran she will probably be seen as unstoppable, but she isn’t.
“but at the height of his power his large horn was broken off,” 8:8
Something dreadful will probably happens to the United States of America and it's Western allies, as the Goat's horn is broken off. The horn which represent political power is broken at the height of it's power. I speculate that the Nuclear War will devastate the Western Countries as they war with the Ram. The Goat and Ram are most likely not individual countries but Coalitions of political power. Refer to Ezekiel 38, 39 War Prophecy.


FOURTH VISION — Daniel 9 — BC 538 
In the first year of Darius, king of the Medes.

Gabriel appears to Daniel while he was fasting over the meaning of Jeremiah’s “70 years” and later the Messiah the “Son of Man” appears. The vision describes the 483 year time period from the 20th year of King Artaxerxes, in 457 BC, when by his commandment Nehemiah rebuilt the walls of Jerusalem (Nehemiah 2) to the baptism of Jesus Christ, in AD 27, when he first began to preach and execute the office of the Messiah.


Daniel seventy week
Daniel 9:20-27
The Seventy “Sevens”

20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23 As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[d] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[e]

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[g] The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’[h] In the middle of the ‘seven’[i] he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.[k]”[l]


C. The prophecy of the Seventy Weeks.

1. (24a) Seventy weeks are determined for the Jews and Jerusalem.

Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city,


a. Seventy weeks are determined: There is almost universal agreement among Bible scholars and commentators that this refers to seventy sets of seven years, or "weeks of years."

i. In ancient Hebrew, weeks simply refers to a unit of seven. The Hebrew word here is often used to mean a unit of seven days, but it may also be used for a unit of seven years.

ii. "The Jews had Sabbatic years, by which their years were divided into weeks of years, as in this important prophecy, each week containing seven years." (Clarke)

iii. Genesis 29:15-28 is an example of using this ancient Hebrew word (shabuwa') for both "seven days" and "seven years" in the same context.


b. For your people and for your holy city: The seventy weeks are  focused upon Daniel's people (the Jews) and his holy city(Jerusalem).

i. Unless the church has become Israel, it is not in view here. Talbot calls the seventy weeks "God's calendar for Israel" in that it does not focus on the Gentiles or the church.



2. (24b) What will be accomplished in the seventy weeks.

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 to anoint the Most Holy.

a. To finish the transgression: This means that transgression itself will be finished. Taken literally this means establishing an entirely new order on earth, with an end to man's rebellion against God.

i. "The culmination of appointed years will witness the conclusion of man's 'transgression' or 'rebellion' against God - a development most naturally entered into with the establishment of an entirely new order on earth.  This seems to require nothing less than the inauguration of the kingdom of God on earth." (Archer)

b. To make an end of sins: Taking these words at face value, this means not only the end of the guilt of sin, but an end of sin itself. It means to "seal up" or "restrain" sins. This looks to a new, redeemed world.

c. To make reconciliation for iniquity: Man's iniquity must be reconciled to God's justice and holiness. This work was clearly accomplished at the cross.

d. To bring in everlasting righteousness: One might take this in an individual sense, but there have always been righteousindividuals. Taking the statement at face value, this means a new order of society brought in by the Messiah.

e. To seal up vision and prophecy: This speaks of both the ending and fulfillment of prophecy, concluding the final stage of human history and culminating with the reign of the Son of God.

i. "It must include his enthronement." (Archer)

f. To anoint the most holy: Taken at its simple, literal meaning, this refers to a place, not a person. There is a most holy place - themost holy place of the temple - that will be anointed and blessed.

g. Taken as a whole, Gabriel made a remarkable announcement to Daniel. He told him that each of these amazing things would happen within the period of seventy weeks.

i. Looking back in history, we can only say this things have each been fulfilled if we ignore their plain, literal meaning and give them a "spiritual" meaning that ignores their plain meaning. Some like to say that these promises are fulfilled generally in the spread of the gospel over the centuries, but this ignores the plain and simple meaning of these words.



3. (25) The course and dividing of the seventy weeks.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince,there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.

a. From the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem: Here Gabriel reveals to Daniel the starting point for the seventy-weeks prophecy. There was a command to restore and build Jerusalem in history that began this specific time period.

i. The Bible presents four possible decrees that might fulfill this description:

·        Cyrus made a decree giving Ezra and the Babylonian captives the right to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple in 538 B.C. (Ezra in 1:1-4 and 5:13-17)

·        Darius made a decree giving Ezra the right to rebuild the temple in 517 B.C. (Ezra 6:6-12)

·        Artaxerxes made a decree giving Ezra permission, safe passage, and supplies to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the temple in 458 B.C. (Ezra 7:11-26)

·        Artaxerxes made a decree giving Nehemiah permission, safe passage and supplies to return to Jerusalem to rebuild the city and the walls in 446 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-8)

ii. Only the last of these four decrees was a command to restore and build Jerusalem. The first three each focused on thetemple, not on the street or on the wall.

b. Until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks: Gabriel's message to Daniel is simple and striking. 483 years - that is, 69 units of seven years - would pass from the time of the command recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8 until the appearance of Messiah the Prince.

i. Some say the 483 years were completed at Jesus' birth (5 or 4 B.C.). There is little chronological support for this date.

ii. Some say the 483 years were completed at His baptism, at the beginning of Jesus' ministry (if dated at 26 A.D.). This is possible if one begins with the earlier decree of Artaxerxes, and figures with our present measurement for years instead of the ancient measurement of years (360 days).

The year was 446 B.C. the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. The Hebrew month Nisan, which is our April, was the month this began to transpire. Each of the seventy weeks of Daniel are to be counted as one prophetic week, which would be seven years. The seventy weeks are also known as 490, years which would look like this: 7 x 7=49, years, which started on 446 B.C-397 B.C. Within these 49, years the wall, the Temple, and city was rebuilt and dedicated. 62 x 7=434, years together totaling to 483, years. These years began from 397 B.C.-37 A.D. But the Messiah was crucified in 30 A.D. The Jewish lunar year was 360, days long; so we must multiply 360 x 483, years which =173,880, days. Then we must take 173,880, days and divide it by our solar year of 365, days which brings us to 476, years. The 20th year of Artaxerxes, which was 446 B.C. must be subtracted from 476, years bringing us to 30 A.D. the same week of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt, and his crucifixion that Thursday. 

iii. Some say the 483 years were completed at the triumphal entry of Jesus (if dated at 30 A.D.). Sir Robert Anderson's significant work The Coming Prince follows this argument in great detail.

·        Anderson, using a 360-day year (which Israel used in Daniel's day), calculates 173,880 days from the decree to the triumphal entry, fulfilling the prophecy to the day. "It is customary for the Jews to have twelve months of 360 days each and then to insert a thirteenth month occasionally when necessary to correct the calendar." (Walvoord)

·        The year 30 A.D. (based on Luke 3:1) for Jesus' death is controversial  But recent attempts have made some case for the date: "A recent article attempts to give credence to the date of A.D. 30; cf. R.E. Showers, Grace Journal, XI (Winter, 1970), pp. 30ff. The evidence presented is worthy of notice." (Wood)

·        "No one today is able dogmatically to declare that Sir Robert Anderson's computations are impossible." (Walvoord)

iv. Some say the 483 years were completed at the exact time of the crucifixion.

c. Until Messiah the Prince: Taking Anderson's calculations as reliable, we see a remarkable fulfillment of prophecy. A Gentile king made a decree and 483 years later to the day, Jesus presented Himself as Messiah the Prince to Israel.

i. In our mind a Prince is a good step lower than a king. In the Hebrew vocabulary, "Prince" has more the idea of "strong, mighty ruler" than "son of a king and heir to the throne."

ii. "There was only one occasion in our Lord's earthly ministry on which He is depicted as presenting Himself openly as Zion's King, the so-called 'Triumphal Entry,' recorded in each one of the Gospels and fulfilling Zechariah 9:9 and Psalm 118:26." (Newell)

·        On that day, Jesus deliberately arranged the event to present Himself as Messiah (Mark 11:1-10)
·        On that day, Jesus welcomed praise (Luke 19:38-40) instead of quieting it (Luke 5:14 and 8:56)
·        On that day, Jesus made special reference to the importance of that day (Luke 19:41-42)

iii. This prophecy is so specifically fulfilled that it has been a significant testimony to many. "Others of the Jewish [scholars], by the evidence of these words, have been compelled to confess that Messiah is already come, and that he was that Jesus whom their forefathers crucified." (Trapp)

d. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times: This indicates that the rebuilding of the streets and wall of Jerusalem would happen in the first seven weeks mentioned. Then would follow another 62 weeks of years until the coming ofMessiah the Prince.

i. The seventy weeks are divided into three parts:

·        Seven weeks - 49 years, until the city and its walls are rebuilt
·        69 weeks (7 plus 62), 483 years from the decree, until Messiah the Prince appears
·        A final 70th week to complete the prophecy



4. (26) What happens after the first sixty-nine weeks.

And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.

a. After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off: The Biblical term cut off is sometimes used to describe execution (see Genesis 9:11 and Exodus 31:14). The Messiah will be cut off for the sake of others, not for Himself.

i. "Able chronologists have shown that the crucifixion of the Lord Jesus Christ occurred immediately after the expiration of 483 prophetic years, of 360 days each, from the time of Artaxerxes' order." (Ironside)

ii. Strangely, many able commentators simply ignore these numbers. "The numbers are symbolic and not arithmetical." (Baldwin)

iii. Cut off is a poignant description of Jesus' earthly life up to and including the cross. "Born in another man's stable, cradled in another man's manger with nowhere to lay his head during his life on earth, and buried in another man's tomb after dying on a cursed cross, the Christ of God and the Friend of the friendless was indeed cut off and had nothing." (Heslop)

b. Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: After the Messiah is cut off, Jerusalem and her temple would be destroyed again by an overwhelming army (with a flood). Most all Bible scholars and commentators agree that this was fulfilled in the Roman destruction of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.

c. The people of the prince who is to come shall destroy: The destroying army is made up of the people of the prince who is to come. This coming prince is described more in Daniel 9:26.



6. (27) The events of the seventieth week.

Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.

a. He shall confirm a covenant: The "he" Gabriel mentions is the prince who is to come mentioned in the previous verse. If we know that the prince's people destroyed Jerusalem in 70 A.D., then we know this coming prince has his ancestral roots in the soil of the ancient Roman Empire.

i. Therefore, the prince who is to come will in some way be an heir to the Romans, even as the final world government is an heir to the Roman Empire (Daniel 7).

b. He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week: The coming prince will make a covenant with Israel for the final unit of seven years, completing the seventy weeks prophesied for the Jewish people and Jerusalem.

i. Covenant with many: The word many here is a specific reference to Israel, not a general reference to a group. The ancient Hebrew says, "covenant with the many."

ii. With this covenant Israel will embrace the Antichrist as a political messiah, if not the literal Messiah. Jesus predicted this in John 5:43: I have come in My Father's name, and you do not receive Me; if another comes in his own name, him you will receive.

iii. Taking the description of what would be accomplished in the 70 Weeks from Daniel 9:24, we know that the 70 Weeks are not yet complete. Yet the events promised in the first 69 weeks are fulfilled, indicated that there is a lengthy "pause" in the 70 Weeks, between the 69th week and the 70th week. The 70th week will begin when the coming prince shall confirm a covenant with the Jewish people. These "gaps" or "pauses" in prophecy may seem strange to us, but they are common. Comparing Isaiah 9:6 and Luke 1:31-33 shows another significant "pause" or "gap" in prophecy regarding the coming of the Messiah.

iv. We can think of it in this way: God has appointed 490 years of special focus on Israel in His redemptive plan. The years were "paused" by Israel's rejection of Jesus. Now, there is no special focus on Israel in God's redemptive plan because this is the time of the church. God's focus will return to Israel when the church is taken away (at the rapture) and the last seven years of man's rule on this earth begin.

v. "The 70th week will begin when the Jewish people are restored in unbelief to their land and city; and among them will be found a faithful remnant, owning their sin, and seeking Jehovah's face." (Henry Ironside writing in 1911)

c. In the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering: The coming prince will break the covenant with Israel in the middle of the seven years, the final "week."

i. The Book of Revelation sees this seven year period with both its halves as yet future (Revelation 12:6, 13-14; 13:5-9, 14-15). The middle of the week and the end of sacrifice had not yet happened in 90 A.D.

d. On the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate: The ending of sacrifice will come with abominations, followed by tremendous desolation.

i. Abominations translates an ancient Hebrew word (shiqquwts) that is connected to horrific idolatry (Deuteronomy 29:17, 1 Kings 11:5-7, 2 Kings 23:13). The idea is that the coming prince breaks the covenant and brings an end to sacrifice and offering by desecrating the holy place of the temple with a horrific idolatry.

ii. Jesus called this the abomination of desolation (Matthew 24:15) and indicated that it would be a pivotal sign in the Great Tribulation. Paul referred to the idolatry of the coming prince in 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4.

e. Until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate: This breaking of the covenant and abomination of desolation has a promised consummation. Before the 70th week is completed, each of the things described in Daniel 9:24 will be accomplished and everlasting righteousness will reign.

Daniel chapter 9, talk's about "seventy weeks" which couldn't be talking about seventy literal weeks, but seventy weeks of years. In Genesis 29, Jacob works seven years for Rachel to become his wife, Laban call's these year's one week (v.15-30). These seventy weeks are given the same symbolism of Genesis 29. Dan.9:25,26, says "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. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined." Cyrus, king of Persia decreed that the Temple be built in Jerusalem, which was completed under Zerubabbel; but this study will be focused on the wall and the city completed prior to the finishing of the temple. Nehemiah 2:5, says that he asked the king Artaxerxes for permission to go to Judah and build it. The year was 446 B.C. the 20th year of the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia. The Hebrew month Nisan, which is our April, was the month this began to transpire. Each of the seventy weeks of Daniel are to be counted as one prophetic week, which would be seven years. The seventy weeks are also known as 490, years which would look like this: 7 x 7=49, years, which started on 446 B.C-397 B.C. Within these 49, years the wall, the Temple, and city was rebuilt and dedicated. 62 x 7=434, years together totaling to 483, years. These years began from 397 B.C.-37 A.D. But the Messiah was crucified in 30 A.D. The Jewish lunar year was 360, days long; so we must multiply 360 x 483, years which =173,880, days. Then we must take 173,880, days and divide it by our solar year of 365, days which brings us to 476, years. The 20th year of Artaxerxes, which was 446 B.C. must be subtracted from 476, years bringing us to 30 A.D. the same week of Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem on a colt, and his crucifixion that Thursday. This would then leave us with one more prophetic week to be fulfilled. Between the 69th week and the 70th week there is a time gap called the times of the Gentiles. Luke 21:24, says "And they 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."  http://adbookeronline.com/id19.html

According to his calendar, Daniel told us there would be 173,880 days between the decree and the arrival of Messiah the Prince.

Jesus said to the Jews of this day: If you had known, even you, especially IN THIS YOUR DAY, the things that make for your peace! (Luke 19:42) David said of this day in Psalm 118:24: THIS IS THE DAY which the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.






FIFTH VISION — Daniel 10,11,12 — BC 534 in the third year of Cyrus king of Persia.
In chapter 10, an angel came to Daniel while he was fasting for three weeks. The angel shows Daniel the wars and succession of kings in the Persian, Greek and Roman empires (Daniel 11) and the time period from the coming of Messiah to the reign of Vespasian and the great tribulation from 67 to 70 AD.

Chapter 11 
Medio-Persian Empire …….. from BC 534 to 336
Macedonia Greece ………… from BC 336 to 133
Roman Empire …………….. from BC 100 to AD 70
Pompey invades Jerusalem ………. BC 63
Death of Julius Caesar …………… BC 44

Chapter 12
The Messiah appears ……….. from AD 27 to 30
The Great Tribulation ………. from AD 67 to 70

<iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/V9DDH1PycBQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

http://joycebay.blogspot.sg/2013/10/behold-beast.html


6.2 Revelation
http://endtimepilgrim.org/70wks1.htm
http://endtimepilgrim.org/70wks3.htm
http://endtimepilgrim.org/70wks6.htm


http://joycebay.blogspot.sg/2013/06/calculations-of-daniels-prophecy-must.html?q=daniel




http://www.beholdthebeast.com/mathematical_precision_of_prophecy.htm

In one of Daniel's dreams we read:

1.  (KJV)  Daniel 10:1 In the third year of Cyrus king of Persia a thing was revealed unto Daniel, whose name was called Belteshazzar; and the thing [was] true, but the time appointed [was] long: and he understood the thing, and had understanding of the vision.

You can Yahoo confirmation of the first year of Cyrus in Babylon to be 537-536 BC which makes the third year of Cyrus 534-533 BC

Toward the end of this prophecy we read:

(KVJ) Daniel 12:7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, which [was] upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that [it shall be] for a time, times, and an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these [things] shall be finished.

Jews - both Messianic and some that don't yet recognize Jesus as their Messiah - translation of the Hebrew idiom "time, times and an half" is somewhat different than most of us Christians may have been taught.  Below is the above verse from a version of the Tanach:

Daniel 12:7 And I heard the man clad in linen, who was above the waters of the river, and he raised his right hand and his left hand to the heavens, and he swore by the Life of the world, that in the time of [two] times and a half, and when they have ended shattering the strength of the holy people, all these will end.
Link to chabad.org - But hey, what would Hebrew scholars know about Hebrew idioms, eigh? :-)

While Jews understand the idiom in the passage indicates a factor of 2-1/2, they will readily admit their books and commentaries are silent in regard to just what a "time" is, and thus what the verse indicates 2-1/2 of!

Most Christians are familiar with the following verse from the New Testament:

2 Peter 3:8  But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day [is] with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.

The Greek word that is translated as "day" in the above verse is "hemera".  It is an ambiguous word, the definition of which, is determined by it's context.
In 3 other passages in the KJV it is translated as "time" (in 12 verses in the NASB).

From Strong's:
New Testament Greek Definition:
2250 hemera {hay-mer'-ah}
from (with 5610 implied) of a derivative of hemai (to sit,
akin to the base of 1476) meaning tame, i.e. gentle;
TDNT - 2:943,309; n f
AV - day 355, daily + 2596 15, time 3, not tr 2, misc 14; 389

So if the Lord had meant for a "time" to be as a thousand years:

Then 2-1/2 "times" =  2500 years.  

2500 - 533 = 1967  The restoration of the Jews to, and end of the Gentile control of, Jerusalem.  The end of the "shattering the strength of the holy people".  

Is this a one "time" wonder?


 

In another of Daniel's dreams we find:

2. (KJV) Daniel 7:1 In the first year of Belshazzar king of Babylon Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed: then he wrote the dream, [and] told the sum of the matters.
You can Yahoo confirmation for the first year of Belshazzar to be 553-552 BC

Later in this dream we read:
(KJV)  Daniel 7:25 And he shall speak [great] words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time.

2500 - 552 = 1948  The restoration of the Jews to their covenant land, declaring an independent Israel.  End of the Jews being given into his (gentile oppressors) hand and being scattered among the "wilderness" of the nations.  

"His hand" being 'little horn" - from "Zondervan Handbook to the Holy Bible" - "Opposing God's people in different guises throughout history is the "little horn" (8, 20-21), until God finally removes its power."

Yahweh's covenant people restored to their covenant land, even while many are unfaithful and in unbelief, restored not for their sakes but for the sake of Yahweh's Holy name.




The probability of these two math problems being an accident, that span 2500 years in perfect parallel while also being well supported textually, would be statistically absurd.  Blessedly there even more problems that reinforce them.  For open eyes these problems aptly demonstrate that it wasn't until after the dates of 1948 and 1967 had come to pass, and we entered what Daniel's prophecy calls the "time of the end", that we could understand the solutions to these simple problems both mathematically and textually.

Here is YouTube summary of these first two problems.


The book of Daniel was sealed until the "time of the end":

Daniel 12:4 But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, [even] to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

God followed this up with a crystal clear statement of fact:

Daniel 12:9 And he said, Go thy way, Daniel: for the words [are] closed up and sealed till the time of the end.

What a perfect seal God had Daniel put on this book! Not a seal that some man or religion could take credit for unsealing, but rather being unsealed by the simple passage of time, until the right moment in time for understanding. This "time of the end".

These "times" problems are covered in more depth in "The False Prophet" at this link.  




DAY YEAR LANGUAGE OF PROPHECY

Within this traditional continuous historic context of study we also find a "language" of prophecy wherein we consider "each day for a year".  We learn that this day-year principle was well known prior to the 20th century, when we look to those of the "former age" and "search of their fathers", as the Bible instructs.

The following is a summary of seven more of the math problems explored in "The False Prophet" (available absolutely free by simply clicking on the link), that uniformly apply this day = year "language" of prophecy.  Much better to start the book at the beginning, rather than explore the math out of context, because "The False Prophet" is a brick by brick empirical argument.


Let's start this section with a problem involving 1260 "days" in prophecy, from John's vision detailed in Revelation:
Here is a link to a godtube video of this problem.

3. Revelation 12:6 (KJV): And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred [and] threescore days.

Most agree that Israel, is the "woman" in the context of this verse.  If we then consider that the end of the 1260 "days" was when Israel came out of "the wilderness" (of the people Ezekiel 20:35), or out from being scattered among the nations, returning home and declaring her independence in1948, and subtract 1260 years ("each day for a year"), we arrive at 688 AD.  


A quick Yahoo search reveals that this is widely understood to be the founding year of the construction of the Islamic mosque, the Dome of the Rock.


The founding verses of the Dome of the Rock "O you People of the Book, overstep not bounds in your religion, and of God speak only the truth.  The Messiah, Jesus, son of Mary, is only an apostle of God, and his Word which he conveyed unto Mary, and a Spirit proceeding from him.  Believe therefore in God and his apostles, and say not Three.  It will be better for you.  God is only one God. Far be it from His transcendent majesty that he should have a son."

Luke 24:39  Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have.

1 John 2:22  Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son. 23 Whosoever denieth the Son, the same hath not the Father: [(but) he that acknowledgeth the Son hath the Father also].

The blasphemous founding verses are written in the mosaic on the Dome of the Rock both inside and out.  Over the nearly 1400 years of Islamization of the Middle East, the Holy Land became spiritually desolated by the exile of Christians and Jews.  Today Iran is 99% Muslim, with Iraq at 98% and Syria at 90%, while Saudi Arabia is 100% and Turkey 99% Muslim.

Following is an image of a grand formerly Coptic church the "Hagia Sophia" located in what is today 99% Muslim Turkey, that was converted into a mosque, and today sports minaret. Perhaps Islam is part of God's judgments on a "church" that descended into dead formalism, and built such structures on the backs of the starving poor. The "church", that is the body or Christ or the "ecclesia" will never be a building, but will remain a "gathering of the elect" wherever we meet.


http://www.harvardhouse.com/prophetictech/new/adbe.htm

http://www.watchmanbiblestudy.com/biblestudies/BiblicalAstronomy.htm

Psalm 33:6-22

By the word of the Lord the heavens were made,
    their starry host by the breath of his mouth.
7 He gathers the waters of the sea into jars[a];
    he puts the deep into storehouses.
8 Let all the earth fear the Lord;
    let all the people of the world revere him.
9 For he spoke, and it came to be;
    he commanded, and it stood firm.
10 The Lord foils the plans of the nations;
    he thwarts the purposes of the peoples.
11 But the plans of the Lord stand firm forever,
    the purposes of his heart through all generations.
12 Blessed is the nation whose God is the Lord,
    the people he chose for his inheritance.
13 From heaven the Lord looks down
    and sees all mankind;
14 from his dwelling place he watches
    all who live on earth—
15 he who forms the hearts of all,
    who considers everything they do.
16 No king is saved by the size of his army;
    no warrior escapes by his great strength.
17 A horse is a vain hope for deliverance;
    despite all its great strength it cannot save.
18 But the eyes of the Lord are on those who fear him,
    on those whose hope is in his unfailing love,
19 to deliver them from death
    and keep them alive in famine.
20 We wait in hope for the Lord;
    he is our help and our shield.
21 In him our hearts rejoice,
    for we trust in his holy name.
22 May your unfailing love be with us, Lord,
    even as we put our hope in you


Belshazzar - Writing on the wall
http://dedication.www3.50megs.com/dan/belshazzar.html
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