Tribulation, Rapture & Millennium
Daniel's 70th Week
A study of the events leading up to Armageddon, typically called the Tribulation or Jacob's trouble (since this period deals with Israel & Jerusalem and the Jerusalem temple), seems more valid as the Millennium approaches. Such occurances as the "Coming of Antichrist" , the re-establishment of Israel's temple sacrifice in Jerusalem, the "abomination of desolation", and the resurrection of the dead are revealed in Bible prophecy, esp. the book of Daniel. Daniel contains a prophetic timeline that is to be taken literally (Daniel 8:26). By examining the prophecy given to Daniel concerning the Tribulation, Daniel's 70th Week, & the "Coming of Antichrist" , an accurate timeline showing the seasons to expect prophetic fulfillment can be derived. The time frame of Daniel's 70th Week is consistant with God's fulfillment of prophecy within the feast days of Israel.
Bible prophecy - 360 days in Year
Although the modern Jewish calendar roughly parallels the 365 day solar year, the events of Daniel's 70th Week, like all Bible prophecy fulfillment, will take place within 360 day Biblical/Prophetic years.
And he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week (7 yrs) and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease: and on a corner of the alter desolating abominations even until the end.
The covenant must be about the temple sacrifice if it is broken when he causes the sacrifice to cease! The seven year treaty of Daniel 9:27, signed between Israel and the Antichrist, allows that the temple be rebuilt. This will necessitate not only a revival of tradition with the temple sacrifice, but the reintroduction of the calendar in which to celebrate their feast days--a 360 day Biblical calendar. But whether or not the Jews keep the Feast Day calendar, God will fulfill His prophecy within His own prophetic timeframe.
Daniel 7:25 shows the Antichrists' power over the nations will last three and one-half Biblical years. Rev.13:5 & 11:2 further describe this power over the nations as consisting of forty-two months, a total of 1260 days.
Simple Addition & Subtraction
Since Daniel's 7 yr. treaty equals 2,520 days, the "midst" of that period falls on day 1260. Daniel 12:11 further describes the tribulation time line, "And from the time the regular sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that makes desolate set up, 1,290 days shall occur." This adds 30 days to the end of the seven years.
"How long is the vision, the regular sacrifice, and the desolating transgression, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled?"
That is, what is the combined duration for both the regular sacrifice on the Temple Mount, and the period of desolation?
"For 2,300 evenings and mornings, (a Jewish day begins at sundown, an evening and a morning are parts of one day), then the sanctuary will be vindicated."
How long, then, is the regular sacrifice -- the period of time where
Jews in Israel will once again be allowed to sacrifice on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem?
We know the length of the abomination of desolation, 1,290 days, and that it will commence from exactly the mid-point of the 7 years. After 7 years, 30 days from the signing of the covenant the desolation ends, so that has to be the point from which 2,300 days are counted backwards. If the desolation period 1,290 days is subtracted from the combined length of the sacrifice and the desolation, 2,300 days, there are 1,010 days from start of sacrifice to its interruption. The period of temple sacrifice lasts 1,010 days until the day when the Antichrist stops the daily sacrifice and sets up the abomination, at the mid-point of the 7 year treaty, day 1,260.
According to the time line of Daniel, this leaves 250 days from the start of the treaty of seven years, to the actual beginning of the daily sacrifice performed by the Levite priests. That is to say, once the treaty which allows the sacrifice to start again in Jerusalem is signed, there will be almost a year -- 250 days -- before the public will see the sacrifice actually performed. Why would there be 250 days between the treaty allowing for the temple sacrifice, and the actual beginning of the regular sacrifice?
There are exactly 250 days between the feast of Passover, Nisan 14th, and the feast of Dedication (Chanukah), Chisleu 25th, in a 360 day year.
Feast day typology points to Passover, Nisan 14, in the first month of the religious year, as the likely date of a treaty reestablishing temple sacrifice. Even though the Passover treaty allows eventually for the regular sacrifice to begin, The Levite priests cannot go up to the Temple Mount until Tishri 10, the Day of Atonement, to perform the necessary cleansing ceremonies according to Mosaic law. It must be remembered that this area has been defiled since the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD. During the crusades the temple mount was actually used for a garbage dump!
Even when the area is cleansed and properly prepared by the priests, the daily sacrificing to God on the temple mount would not just begin on any day. Such a momentous event as the first temple sacrifice in nearly 2,000 years in Israel would appropriately begin at the feast of Dedication or Chanukah, just as Joseph Macabee did on that date the last time the temple was rededicated. This feast day falls exactly 250 after Passover. One has to marvel at Daniel's faithful writing of the prophecy he received, no wonder he did not understand the time line, the feast of Chanukah did not even exist in his day! If the covenant of the Antichrist begins on Passover in the first month of the Jewish religious year, then according to Daniel, 1260 days later, 3 and 1/2 years in the "midst" of the 7 year treaty, it would be broken on the feast of Tabernacles (Tishri 15th), in the first month of the Jewish civil year.
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Daniel 12:11 "Even the time the regular sacrifice shall be taken away,
and the abomination that makes desolate set up,
a thousand two hundred and ninety days shall occur.
Blessed is he who waits
and comes to the thousand three hundred and thirty five days."
After the abomination of desolation is set up at the mid-point of the treaty, the prophecy of Daniel says that the vindication of the temple does not occur until 1290 days later. Then Daniel is told to wait to be blessed on a day 1335 days after the mid-point of the treaty. This adds an additional 45 days onto the end of the 7 years + 30 days .
If the religious year and the civil year are superimposed so that Passover in April, and the Day of Atonement start together, there are 75 days counted from the actual end of the 7 year treaty. Significantly, 75 days is the same amount of time between God's feast day of Atonement, when the high priest goes into the Holy of Holies, and the feast of Dedication, or Chanukah.
Seven years after the covenant of the Antichrist begins, 2520 days after the signing, it is once again Passover. Prophecy tells us Jesus will return on that day, at the end of the battle of Armageddon (Zach 14:4), at the mount of Olives.
If the covenant of the Antichrist begins on Passover in the first month of the Jewish religious year, then 1,260 days later in the "midst" of the treaty, it would be broken on the eve of the Feast of Tabernacles (Tishri 14th), in the first month of the Jewish civil year
