God created time therefore he is outside of time and not constrained by it. He is however keenly aware of time and how humanity operates within it. His prophesies through Daniel are evidence of just how precisely God uses time in his fulfilment of prophecy.
Daniel was told in a vision while he was praying over the nation of Israel that seventy weeks would commence when the decree was issued to rebuild Jerusalem. “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, 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. After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. 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. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven’. In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” Daniel 9: 25-27.
In the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord stirred his spirit to issue a decree (Isaiah 44:24, 28 and Ezra 1:1-4). This happened in 538 BC, however king Cyrus stopped short and only decreed that the temple be rebuilt and not the city. It wasn’t until Nehemiah lamented before king Artaxerxes in the twentieth year of his reign (444 BC) that Jerusalem still laid in ruins, which resulted in Nehemiah travelling to Jerusalem to begin the rebuild. So in order to calculate Daniel’s seventy weeks, 444 BC is the correct starting point for determining the time that would elapse during the 69 weeks of years (seven ‘sevens’ and sixty-two ‘sevens’) to when the “Anointed One” would be cut off.
Beginning at 444 BC and adding 483 years, but remembering that the Jews used the lunar calendar of 360 days in a year, the math looks like this: 483 x 360 then divide by 365 and you have 476.34 years. Add 476.34 to 444 and then add 1 year, for the year zero which isn’t counted and you arrive at 33.34 AD or Easter of 33 AD, which is the exact time of the crucifixion of Jesus, when he was “cut off and had nothing.” The people of the ruler who will come were the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the temple in AD 70 and that end came like a flood resulting in the Jewish diaspora.
The final ‘seven’ will commence with the signing of a covenant with many, which will be a treaty between Israel and her middle east Arab neighbors. Today we are witnessing an aggressive agenda to accomplish this and provide a solution to the Palestinian problem. However, Daniel tells us that the facilitator of this accord will dishonor the agreement and set up the abomination of desolation. Jesus highlights this in in his warnings about the last days (Mathew 24:15). He then elaborates to illustrate the severity of the tribulation that will come.
“For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now – and never to be equaled again. If those days had not been cut short, no one would survive, but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened.” Mathew 24:20-22. Thank God that time will be limited to 3 ½ years. Daniel’s prophecy states in the middle of the ‘seven’ and in Revelation 13 we are told 42 months.
Let’s reexamine what the signs that would precede the end of the world will be. We once again turn to Mathew 24 where, “Jesus answered, ‘Watch out that no one deceives you. For many will come in my name, claiming, ‘I am the Messiah,’ and deceive many. You will hear of wars and rumors of wars, but see to it that you are not alarmed. Such things must happen, but the end is still to come. Nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom. There will be famines and earthquakes in various places. All these things are the beginning of birth pains.
Then you will be handed over to be persecuted and put to death, and you will be hated by all nations because of me. At that time many will turn away from the faith and will betray and hate each other, and many false prophets will appear and deceive many people. Because of the increase of wickedness, the love of most will grow cold, but the one who stands firm to the end will be saved. And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in the whole world as a testimony to all nations, and then the end will come.’” Mathew 24:4-14.
Does our world resemble what is described in these verses of scripture? There have been false preachers claiming that they are the real Messiah. There have been wars and plenty of them. In fact, there was more deaths due to war in the 20th century than in the previous two thousand years since Christ, combined. The twentieth century has been called the century of war. We have had an increase in famines. Some say due to global warming however that has not been conclusively proven. It doesn’t matter though, what is causing the famines and droughts, what matters is that it is a sign that the earth is groaning. Paul wrote, “We know that the whole creation has been groaning as in the pains of childbirth right up to the present time.” Romans 8:22. So for the past two thousand years, the birth pains have been happening. They have been getting more intense and closer together as we approach the advent of the second coming of Christ.
Additionally, Jesus prophesied he would tear down the temple of his body and rebuild it again in three days, which he did by resurrecting on the third day. When Peter wrote, “But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years , and a thousand years are like a day. The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2 Peter 3:8-9, he was implying that God’s timing is independent of human timing. God’s ways are higher than our ways.
Jesus prophesied that the Jews would be scattered among the nations. “They will fall by the sword and will be taken as prisoners to all nations. Jerusalem will be trampled on by the Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.” Luke 21:24. Understanding God’s use of time is requisite to comprehending the signs of the times and establishes our situational awareness. Jesus gave us signs that would precede his return and these signs are evident in our present age. “When these things begin to take place, stand up and lift your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.” Luke 24:28.
