Category Archives: Bible Prophecy

Hanukkah, Christmas, & the Back-story of the Messiah’s Birth – PART II

PART II: I Am the Light of the Word

“Sent Him to Bless You!”

This week as we continue looking at the back-story of the Messiah’s birth, I hope to show you the thrilling origins of the apostle Peter’s statement (above), origins found in a promise made to the Jewish people by Yahweh, the living God of the Bible, in the 2^nd year of Darius ‘the great’ Artaxerxes. Intriguingly, we’ll find in Peter’s statement a connection to Daniel 9, Hanukkah, the glory of Yahweh, and the birth of Yeshua (Jesus), the Bible’s promised Messiah.

I Have Sworn – An Oath of Sevens
Part I of this series (here) looked at Yahweh’s Oath of Sevens with Abraham, also know in the Old and New Testaments as the “Covenant and Mercy” of Yahweh. This Oath of Sevens we learned was an ancient promise concerning (in part) the promised messianic “seed” through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed. We followed this Covenant and Mercy to Daniel’s opening words in Chapter 9 of the book that bears his name where we saw that Daniel’s prayer for Yahweh’s “covenant and mercy” (a.k.a Yahweh’s Oath of Sevens) was answered with prophecy of 70 Sevens, telling Daniel, the Jewish people, and indeed all mankind when that promised messianic hero would come.

So let’s briefly return to Daniel’s wonderful prophecy in order to further fill in the context and texture of the Bible’s most important prophetic utterance, the only prophetic utterance in the Bible, I remind you, that specifically tells mankind when that Messianic redeemer would come.

Thy Holy Mountain
We return now to look at Daniel 9 and Daniel’s impassioned prayer. As we’ve seen, Daniel opened his prayer with a plea for Yahweh to remember His “Covenant and Mercy” which as we now know was a call for the coming of the Messiah. Daniel goes on to plea with YHWH to restore Jerusalem, the holy city and Yahweh’s desolate sanctuary, that one place where Yahweh choose to meet with mankind and where Daniel’s people (the Jewish people) had the special distinction of serving the living God of the Bible.

I believe far too often most scholars and commentators separate the context of Daniel’s prayer to Yahweh in Daniel 9:4-19 from the prophecy of 70 Sevens. For some strange reason they don’t allow the context of Daniel’s prayer to inform their interpretation of the prophecy.

I encourage you to read Daniel 9:4-19 carefully. Daniel’s view of the restoration of Jerusalem was insuperably linked to the restoration of Yahweh’s desolate sanctuary. This restoration of Yahweh’s house was further linked to the coming of the Messiah by Daniel’s plea for Yahweh to remember His “Covenant and Mercy”. It makes no difference whether Abraham, Daniel, Zachariah, Peter, or even Mary fully understood the implications of Yahweh’s covenant and mercy (as discussed in Part I of this series). Nevertheless, in retrospect, we are all privileged to see the context and implications of those wonderful words. As the apostles and other early believers learned, Yahweh’s covenant and mercy was first and foremost a promise of the restoration of Israel’s spiritual fortunes, after which Yahweh in His mercy gave a special dispensation (times of the gentiles) to the nations so they too could be added to the family of God, and finally, at some point in the future, Israel’s physical/political restoration will take place with Yeshua’s return and rule from the throne of David in Jerusalem.

The Commandment to Restore and Build Jerusalem
So when Daniel 9:25 tells us that the 70 Sevens countdown to the Messiah begins with a “commandment” (Hebrew = dabar = word) to restore and build Jerusalem; we must look for this word with our understanding informed by Daniel’s original prayer for the coming of the Messiah and the restoration of YHWH’s desolate sanctuary. (The de facto event in the restoration of Jerusalem.) To refresh your recollections, the 70 Sevens prophetic countdown to the Messiah begins with these words:

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment [dabar = word] to restore [shuwb = return] and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks,… (Daniel 9:25)

Babylon Is Fallen!
Remember the context here, Daniel’s prayer and Yahweh’s subsequent prophetic answer originated at the tail end of the Jewish people’s 70 year exile in Babylon. The Babylon of Nebuchadnezzar and his descendants had just fallen to Cyrus of Persia and Daniel understood that the 70 years of exile was nearly over. The following verses provide a succinct summary:

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of YHWH came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish 70 years in the desolations of Jerusalem. (Daniel 9:1-2)

And this whole land shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon 70 years. And it shall come to pass, when 70 years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith YHWH, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual desolations. (Jeremiah 25:11-12)

That confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his messengers; that saith to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be inhabited; and to the cities of Judah, Ye shall be built, and I will raise up the decayed places thereof: That saith to the deep, Be dry, and I will dry up thy rivers: That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple, Thy foundation shall be laid. (Isaiah 44:26-28)

So now Daniel, after his opening plea for Yahweh’s “covenant and mercy” also pleads for the restoration of Jerusalem and Yahweh’s desolate sanctuary, pleadings that are themselves but reminders of Yahweh’s promises given through “his messengers” that Jerusalem and the temple would be restored.

Cyrus and the Temple Foundation
Today, there are many respected commentators on Daniel 9 who still believe that somehow it was the decree by Cyrus (which allowed the Jewish people to return and build Jerusalem and the temple) mentioned above and in 2 Chron. 36 & Ezra 1 that was the “commandment to restore and build Jerusalem” prophesied by Daniel 9:25.

Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of YHWH spoken by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, YHWH stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying, Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, All the kingdoms of the earth hath YHWH God of heaven given me; and he hath charged me to build him an house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? YHWH his God be with him, and let him go up. (2 Chronicles 36:22)

Indeed, as it is recorded in 2 Chronicles 36:22 (above) and repeated in Ezra 1:1, Cyrus himself claims that Yahweh charged him to “build the house of Yahweh God of Israel”. To be fair to those who see this as the “commandment to restore and build Jerusalem”, the context of Daniel’s prayer to Yahweh is in fact focused towards the restoration of Jerusalem which he (Daniel) understood as centered on the restoration of Yahweh’s “sanctuary that is desolate”. There is no way to escape the context here. Daniel’s view of Jerusalem’s “restoration” centered on Yahweh’s house and the return of His presence to that house.

The Prophecy of Isaiah Versus the boasting of Cyrus
Even though Cyrus personally boasted that Yahweh had charged him to “build him a house at Jerusalem” it is clear from the prophet Isaiah (below) that Cyrus’ contribution to building Yahweh’s house was to be limited to the restoration of the temple’s foundation. Here take a look again:

A careful reading of the book of Ezra confirms that in fact the prophecy of Isaiah as given by Yahweh concerning Cyrus was amazingly accurate. Cyrus’ decree allowing the Jewish people to return and build Jerusalem and the temple only resulted in the start of efforts to lay the temple’s foundation. The Jewish people left off building the temple and instead started working on their own houses. It would be 16 more years and another very special “commandment” to return and build Jerusalem before the temple construction would resume and the temple itself be restored. The following chart reflects the chronology discussed:

But after that our fathers had provoked the God of heaven unto wrath, he gave them into the hand of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, the Chaldean, who destroyed this house, and carried the people away into Babylon. But in the first year of Cyrus the king of Babylon the same king Cyrus made a decree to build this house of God. Ezra 5:12-13

Now in the second year [2^nd yr. of Cyrus as king of Babylon] of their coming unto the house of God at Jerusalem, in the second month, began Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua the son of Jozadak, and the remnant of their brethren the priests and the Levites, and all they that were come out of the captivity unto Jerusalem; and appointed the Levites, from twenty years old and upward, to set forward the work of the house of YHWH. (Ezra 3:8)

Think about that, it was 16 years after Cyrus’ initial decree and Yahweh’s house was no closer to completion – nearly a decade and a half and only some of the foundation had been laid! If Daniel was still alive at this time can you image his sorrow at the fact that Yahweh had allowed his brethren to return yet they had not been motivated enough to lay more than a few foundation stones of Yahweh’s desolate sanctuary.

As we will see, there was reason for this delay. In Yahweh’s divine redemptive plan it was not yet time for His countdown to the Messiah to begin. In fact, according to the book of Zechariah 1 those sixteen years from the decree of Cyrus were the final years of a 70 year period of Yahweh’s divine indignation against the Jewish people. The following verses explain:

Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius [520 BC], came the word of YHWH unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying…

Then the angel of YHWH answered and said, O YHWH of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these threescore and ten years? And YHWH answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith YHWH of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy.

… Therefore thus saith YHWH; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:7-16 excerpted)

A “Commandment”, Decree, Proclamation, or Word?
I hope you’ll stick with me here, because we are working towards the goal of understanding the context surrounding the “commandment” to restore and build as described in the prophecy of Daniel 9. This “commandment” in turn provides us with the foundation upon which to build our understanding of Daniel 9:25 and the countdown to the Messiah as it relates to the celebration of Hanakkuh, Christmas and the birth of the Messiah. Once again Daniel 9:25a provides us with that amazing prophetic countdown:

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment [Hebrew dabar = word] to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks,… (Daniel 9:25)

Did you know that the word “commandment” as used here in Daniel 9 is the Hebrew word dabar? Dabar interestingly in its plainest sense simply means ‘speech’ or ‘word’. In fact, according to my concordance dabar is used 1439 times in the Old Testament and of those occurrences the vast majority refers to the “word” of Yahweh.

Daniel 9, in fact, confirms this rule. Dabar is found four times in Daniel 9, including the occurrence of Daniel 9:25. Of those, the first three occurrences unambiguously describe the dabar or word of Yahweh, the living God of the Bible. Take a moment to see for yourself:

In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word [dabar] of YHWH came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. (Daniel 9:2)

And he hath confirmed his words [dabar], which he spake against us, and against our judges that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem. (Daniel 9:12)

At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment [dabar] came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision. (Daniel 9:23)

Astounding, isn’t it? Can you explain to me why, given that dabar is used three other times in Daniel 9 to refer to the literal words of Yahweh, the living God of the Bible, scarcely a single writer today, when commenting on the “commandment” of Daniel 9:25 acknowledges this most important context?

Compounding this egregious oversight is the fact that Ezra, Haggai, and Zechariah all testify that there was indeed a Divine word (dabar) to restore and build Jerusalem. We’ll get to this Divine word in a moment but for thoroughness sake let’s first take a quick look at four of the most often cited decrees that commentators today use to claim the fulfillment of the “commandment” (word) of Daniel 9:25. In chronological order those so called “commandments” are as follows:

The “proclamation” (Hebrew abar) of Cyrus which allowed the Jewish people to build Jerusalem and the Temple. (2 Chron. 36:22, Ezra 1:1) Ezra 4:3 describes this proclamation by Cyrus as a command (Hebrew tsavah) Ezra 5:13, 17, 6:3 & 14 describes this original proclamation as a “decree” (Hebrew te’em). Finally Isaiah 44:28 describes these events as Cyrus “saying” (Hebrew amar)
The undated “decree” (Hebrew te’em) given at some point during or after the 7th year of “Artaxerxes” as described in Ezra 7:13 & 21. This “decree” granted Ezra permission and resources to beautify the temple.
The “decree” (Hebrew te’em) given in the 2^nd year of Darius granting the Jewish people permission to continue building the house of YHWH (after Yahweh had already commandment them to restart construction), further Darius granted building materials and commodities in assistance of the building efforts. (see Ezra 6:8, 11, & 13)
The permission given in the 20^thor 21^st year of “Artaxerxes” allowing Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem and fortify its walls. This permission was certified in what the text describes as “letters” (Hebrew iggereth) that also seemed to include an appointment or command (Hebrew tsavah) which made Nehemiah governor of Jerusalem. (See Neh. 2 & 5) The text never describes these letters as commands or decrees nor does the text tell us when these letter or implied decrees/commands were given (it must be guessed at from the text).In the interest of thoroughness, Nehemiah 2:18 does describe “words” (Hebrew dabar) that King “Artaxerxes” spoke personally to Nehemiah, words Nehemiah shared with his brethren. The text doesn’t indicate though whether these words were related to King Artaxerxes’ letter, his implied decree or just personal words of comfort to Nehemiah. Here too the text does not provide us with a definitive date as to when these “words” were given.

In summary, it should be noted that none of these proposed proclamations, decrees, or letters clearly qualify as a “word” (Hebrew dabar) to restore and build Jerusalem described within the context of Daniel 9:4-20), and even more clearly none of these could be described as a divine word to restore and build Jerusalem. And options #2 & #3 above do not provide definitive dates upon which to calculate a starting point of Daniel 9:25.

A Divine Word to Return and Build
Here is where the congruency of the Bible really shines if you allow it to speak for itself. We’ve now established that in roughly 536 BC Cyrus gave a decree which allowed the Jewish people to return and build Jerusalem. The thrust of the initial efforts were directed towards the rebuilding of Yahweh’s desolate sanctuary. Those efforts did not get further than laying the foundation of the temple in fulfillment of Isaiah 44:26-28.

Then in the 2^nd year of Darius ‘the great’ Artaxerxes (circa 520 BC), Yahweh, through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah commanded Joshua the high priest, Zerubbabel, the governor, and Jewish people to return and build His desolation sanctuary. This so called “command” was given as a the “word” (dabar) of Yahweh through these two prophets. Notice in the following passage Ezra records that there were two witnesses for this divine word to return and build Jerusalem:

And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. (Ezra 6:14)

To complete the picture, here are the two so called words (dabar) of Yahweh commanding the Jewish people to return and build Jerusalem. Remember, from the perspective of Yahweh, Daniel, and the prophets we’ve explored in this article, restoring Yahweh’s desolate sanctuary (the temple) was in fact “building Jerusalem”.

The WORD given to Haggai

In the second year of Darius the king, in the sixth month, in the first day of the month, came the word [dabar] of YHWH by Haggai the prophet unto Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, saying,…

Then came the word [dabar] of YHWH by Haggai the prophet, saying,

Is it time for you, O ye, to dwell in your cieled houses, and this house lie waste?…

Thus saith the YHWH of hosts; Consider your ways. Go up to the mountain, and bring wood, and build the house; and I will take pleasure in it, and I will be glorified, saith YHWH.

Ye looked for much, and, lo, it came to little; and when ye brought it home, I did blow upon it. Why? saith YHWH of hosts. Because of mine house that is waste, and ye run every man unto his own house.

Then Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, and Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, with all the remnant of the people, obeyed the voice of YHWH their God, and the words [dabar] of Haggai the prophet, as YHWH their God had sent him, and the people did fear before YHWH.

Then spake Haggai the YHWH’S messenger in the YHWH’s message unto the people, saying, I am with you, saith YHWH. ¹⁴ And YHWH stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of YHWH of hosts, their God, In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. (Haggai 1:1-15 excerpted)

The WORD given to Zechariah

Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word [dabar] of the YHWH unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying… Then the angel of the YHWH answered and said, O YHWH of hosts, how long wilt thou not have mercy on Jerusalem and on the cities of Judah, against which thou hast had indignation these 70 years? And the YHWH answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words…

Therefore thus saith YHWH; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith the YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:7-16 excerpted)

A Window of Time
As seen from the two passages above (also confirmed by Ezra 6:14), Yahweh’s divine word to restore and build Jerusalem could be considered a window of time between the 1^st day of the 6^th month and the 24^th day of the 11^th month. I believe that this window in time, if the text provided no additional information, would be sufficient for calculating the starting point of the divine “word” of Daniel 9:25.

I believe though, there is reasonable grounds to consider a more specific starting date for Yahweh’s countdown to Yeshua (His Salvation) within this window. Following the chronology here, inside this 6 months window in time, as the prophet Haggai speaks the dabar “words” of Yahweh to Zerubbabel, the governor, and Joshua (Hebrew Yeshua), the high priest, words that are clearly Messianic in nature:

In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month, came the word of YHWH by the prophet Haggai, saying, Speak now to Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and to the residue of the people, saying,

Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing? Yet now be strong, O Zerubbabel, saith YHWH; and be strong, O Joshua, son of Josedech, the high priest; and be strong, all ye people of the land, saith YHWH, and work: for I am with you, saith the LORD of hosts: (Haggai 2:1-4)

Yahweh Dwells With Mankind
Notice the dates here. This Word of Yahweh came to Haggai on the 21^st day of the 7^th month (the final day of the Feast of Tabernacles). This word was a call to compare the glory of the 1^st temple with the glory of the 2^ndtemple along with encouragement to stay the course.

(Remember this is just one month after Yahweh gave His divine commanded to the Jewish people to return and build the temple and in the middle of Yahweh’s window of time between His divine word to restore and build.)

Then Yahweh further explains to Haggai that “in a little while” He will shake the heavens, the earth, and the nations, and this will result in that the “desire of all nations will come: and I will fill this house with glory saith YHWH of hosts.”

Keep in mind the amazingly congruent context here. Exactly 480 years earlier Solomon completed the temple and dedicated it during the Feast of Tabernacles. Here Yahweh is calling Joshua, the high priest, Zerubbabel, the governor, and the people to remember the former glory of Solomon’s temple, reminding them that that “glory” (Yahweh’s presence) came down out of heaven and consumed the sacrifices and filled the newly built 1^st temple during the Feast of Tabernacles (Yahweh’s divine appointment – mow’ed)

Now Yahweh is saying, be encouraged Joshua and the people because the glory of this 2^nd temple will be greater than the glory of the former. As you read these two passages think about the implications of this statement and how such a wonderful future even might be possible?

For thus saith YHWH of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith YHWH of hosts. The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, saith YHWH of hosts. The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith YHWH of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith YHWH of hosts. (Haggai 2:6-9)

Thus all the work that Solomon made for the house of YHWH was finished: and Solomon brought in all the things that David his father had dedicated; and the silver, and the gold, and all the instruments, put he among the treasures of the house of God. Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto Jerusalem, to bring up the ark of the covenant of YHWH out of the city of David, which is Zion. Wherefore all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto the king in the feast which was in the seventh month…

Then said Solomon, YHWH hath said that he would dwell in the thick darkness. But I have built an house of habitation for thee, and a place for thy dwelling for ever….

Now when Solomon had made an end of praying, the fire came down from heaven, and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices; and the glory of YHWH filled the house. And the priests could not enter into the house of YHWH, because the glory of YHWH had filled the YHWH’S house…

Also at the same time Solomon kept the feast seven days, and all Israel with him, a very great congregation, from the entering in of Hamath unto the river of Egypt. And in the eighth day they made a solemn assembly: for they kept the dedication of the altar seven days, and the feast seven days. (2 Chronicles 5:1-3; 6:1-2; 7:1-9 excerpted)

Let me emphasize that it was during the Feast of Tabernacles that Yahweh’s presence filled the 1^st temple. 480 years later it was on the 7^th day of Feast of Tabernacles that Yahweh promised Joshua, Zerubbabel, and the people that he would someday again fill His house with a greater glory and that He would bring peace. Does this sound like another prophecy you might have heard? Who but the Prince of Peace could fulfill such a prophecy?

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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of YHWH of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

Let the astounding implications of this set for a moment as we rejoin Joshua and Zerubbabel two months later (still inside our 6 months window of time) at another auspicious date. Don’t worry we will revisit these wonderful prophecies and show how amazingly congruent and connected they are.

Consider From This Day Forward I Will Bless You
Today, many claim that Hanukkah (the Jewish Festival of Lights / Dedication) is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament. While this may be true in letter, an argument can be made that it is mentioned in spirit. I’ll let you decide as you consider the word (dabar) of Yahweh to Haggai just two months after His amazing prophecy concerning the coming glory of His house.

Then answered Haggai, and said, So is this people, and so is this nation before me, saith YHWH; and so is every work of their hands; and that which they offer there is unclean. ¹⁵ And now, I pray you, consider from this day and upward, from before a stone was laid upon a stone in the temple of YHWH: …

Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of YHWH’S temple was laid, consider it. Is the seed yet in the barn? yea, as yet the vine, and the fig tree, and the pomegranate, and the olive tree, hath not brought forth: from this day will I bless you. (Haggai 2:14-19 excerpted)

As you can see from this passage the temple foundation was completed on the 24^th day of the 9^th month. I remind you of the context here as described by the book of Ezra. Joshua’s and Zerubabbel’s efforts to rebuild the temple were beset on every side by difficulties and resistance. It had been 15 years and the people’s heart had not been in the effort. They were surrounded by enemies who continually tried to resist their efforts to rebuild the temple. When this prophecy was given to Haggai the temple was still four years away from completion, yet here is Yahweh promising them to consider or count from this day forward because He promised to bless them.

Counting from the 24^th day of the 9^th month, the first day of blessing fell on the 25^th day of the 9^th month. This day nearly 350 years in the future would be celebrated by the cleansing and rededication of the temple by Judas Maccabaeus, a blessing indeed.

It was claimed by the Maccabaeus that after the cleansing of the temple there was only one day of oil for the 7 branched menorah which lighted the outdoor area around the temple, but miraculously the oil lasted for 8 days. Because of this miracle, with time, the celebration of Hanukkah (dedication) became also known as the Festival of Lights. This great event in Jewish history was celebrated in the time of Yeshua, and continues to be celebrated to this day. In fact, it was during this “feast of dedication” that Yeshua stood up in the temple and said “I am the Light of the World”.

I must work the works of him that sent me, while it is day: the night cometh, when no man can work. As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world. 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,…

Others said, These are not the words of him that hath a devil. Can a devil open the eyes of the blind? And it was at Jerusalem the feast of the dedication, and it was winter. And Jesus walked in the temple in Solomon’s porch. (John 9:5 – 10:23 excerpted)

Sent Him to Bless You
As enlightening as this history has been, (excuse the pun) the real blessing of counting this day forward is found in prophecy of Daniel 9. I remind you the countdown to the Messiah found in Daniel 9:25 begins with the following words:

The (word=dabar) to restore and build Jerusalem was given through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah in the 2^nd year of Darius ‘the great’ Artaxerxes. These divine words bookended a roughly 6 months window of time inside of which Yahweh told the Jewish people to remember the coming of the glory of Yahweh into the 1^st temple during the Feast of Tabernacles, and a yet coming greater glory. Two months later Yahweh again spoke to the Jewish people through Haggai and told them to count from the 24^th day of the 9^th month because He was going to Bless them.

So let’s consider or count Daniel 9:25 forward from the 24^th day of the 9^th month. Our first day of the count then begins on the 25^th day of the 9^th month in the 2^nd year of Darius ‘the great’ Artaxerxes. That date falls in winter of 520 BC.

Seven Weeks
To this day it The history we explored in the pages above showed us that Yahweh’s divine “commandment” still surprises me how most scholars ignore the plain statement of Daniel 9:25, which tells us the Messiah would come “seven weeks” after the “word” to restore and build. The Hebrew language is quite fascinating, and the usage of Hebrew in the Bible even more so.

As I’ve explained in the first part of this article and more fully in my recent article Seven, 70, & Sevens: Daniel 9 & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism, the number 7, Sevens, and 70 have great significance related to the Bible’s Messianic symbolism. Here in Daniel 9:25 the Hebrew words translated “seven weeks” (In Yellow below) by English scholars look like this in Hebrew:

As I’ve explained in my articles and books, when Daniel was given the prophecy there were no cantilation marks (vowel pointings) in Hebrew. They were added by the Mesoretes during the Middle Ages to provide the reader with their understanding of the Hebrew words. The cantilation marks are not inspired. Let that sink in a moment!

To be sure the Mesoretes did their best to interpret the Hebrew text in keeping with what they believed to be the most contextually accurate meaning of the words. But they didn’t necessary get it correct every time.

Look at Daniel 9:25 again. Based upon the Mesoretes’ vowel pointings, the King James version of the Bible translates the passage as “seven weeks”. Translated literally as the text was given to Daniel, the passage might be more accurately read Seven 70. This would mean then that Daniel 9:25 read literally as given would be:

As many scholars have noted through the centuries, Daniel 9 does not specifically state what measure of time is to be used when calculating the Seven 70. Yahweh could have easily said it would 490 Years to the coming of the Messiah.

That He did not say this should give all of us pause. In fact, it should make us carefully consider that something special is going on here. As regular readers of this blog know, I believe the “time” aspect of Daniel 9 seems a mystery to most of us because we are not familiar with how the Bible reckons time nor are we familiar with how that reckoning of time is related to the Bible’s messianic symbolism.

In short, the Bible’s calendar is lunar/solar. It is not based upon a strictly solar year nor is it based upon a strictly lunar year it is a hybrid between the two. In practical terms this means that the Bible’s year varies between 12 or 13 months. This means that the Bible’s calendar is a certain number of lunar cycles, and said cycles are then intercalated (synchronized) with the solar year. (For more on this subject please see my article: Calendar Confusion and the Basics of Biblical Time).

Many of you learned this year another fascinating fact which supports the use of a 13^th month Biblical year when calculating the 7 Seventies of Daniel 9:25. As I explained in the first part of this article Daniel’s plea for Yahweh to remember His “covenant and mercy” was in fact a call for Yahweh to remember His Oath of Sevens which He swore with Abraham, that oath which promised in part that through Abraham’s “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed.

You might recall that the Hebrew word ‘7’ and ‘sware’ are in fact the same word. From this Hebrew root we get the words sevens, 70, oath, and many other variations. So in fact Yahweh’s answer to Daniel with the prophecy of 70 Sevens, as I’ve stated before was physically, spiritually, and Hebrew grammatically rooted in an Oath of Sevens Yahweh swore with Abraham.

In Daniel 9, the Hebrew word 7 is only used once. That occurrence is found right here in Daniel 9:25 and is specifically related to the timing of the coming Messiah. It is beyond reasonable calculation to claim that it is a coincidence, accident, or happenstance that this single use of the word 7, has as its Hebrew numerical roots, a formula for the Biblical intercalary year of 13 months.

Here is the bottom line. The Divine “word” to restore and build Jerusalem was given in the 2nd year of Darius within a 6 months window of time between the 6^th & 11^th month. Inside that window of time is a call for the Jewish people to consider or count from 24^th day of the 9^th month, a date that would someday become the date for the start of the Feast of Dedication, also known as Hanukkah or the Festival of Lights. From that date 7 seventies using a 13 months lunar year gives us 515.02 years. This date likely takes us 5 centuries into the future Festival of Lights in the year 5 BC, a date which 9 months later around the Feast of Tabernacles in 4 BC has great Biblical support as the date of the birth of Yeshua.

Sent Him to Bless You
I ask you now to once again consider the words of the Apostle Peter where he reminds his Jewish brethren about the Oath of Sevens Yahweh made with Abraham. That oath which promised the coming Messiah, a Messiah Peter tells us Yahweh sent to “bless you, in turning away every one of you from your iniquities.”

Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:25-26)

Now also remember the words of Yahweh to the Jewish people given through Haggai which tells them to consider or count from the day the temple’s foundation was laid because Yahweh had promised that from this date He would “bless” them.

¹⁸ Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of YHWH’s temple was laid, consider it…

from this day will I bless you…

And again the word of came unto YHWH Haggai in the four and twentieth day of the month, saying, ²¹ Speak to Zerubbabel, governor of Judah, saying, I will shake the heavens and the earth; ²² And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. ²³ In that day, saith YHWH of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith YHWH, and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith YHWH of hosts. (Haggai 2:18-23)

Wonderfully congruent, isn’t it!

Click on Image for better Resolution

The Back Story is the Real Story
So now when you think of Yeshua’s words “I am the light of the world”, words spoken during the Festival of Lights in the final years of His ministry you now know the wonderful back- story to that statement. Indeed, we can say with the apostle John that Yeshua “was the light of men”.

My hope for you, in reading this information, is that it strengthens your faith in the amazing congruency of the Bible’s messianic message and that these two articles shed new light and glory on Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind. That message was based in part upon an ancient Oath of Sevens given to Abraham, which promised that through his “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed. That blessing, (that promised light) which Haggai called us to consider from the 24^th day of the 9^th month, which Peter reminded us was a blessing which intended to turn mankind away from their iniquities. A light which we can reasonably now claim was made “flesh” during the winter months of 5 BC during the Festival of Lights, then 9 months later that light “Tabernacled” with mankind when Yahweh’s Salvation, Yeshua was born into this world. Now we understand why Yahweh told Haggai that the “glory” of the 2^nd temple would be greater than glory of the first.

That glory was Yeshua (Hebrew = Yahweh’s Salvation) come to give light to this world!

Then Jesus said unto them, Yet a little while is the light with you. Walk while ye have the light, lest darkness come upon you: for he that walketh in darkness knoweth not whither he goeth. While ye have light, believe in the light, that ye may be the children of light. (John 12:35-36)

For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ. (2 Corinthians 4:6)

This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all. If we say that we have fellowship with him, and walk in darkness, we lie, and do not the truth: ⁷ But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin. (1 John 1:5-7)

It is the glory of God to conceal a thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter [dabar]. (Proverbs 25:2)
[matter in Hebrew = dabar = word].

Maranatha!

Hanukkah, Christmas, and the Backstory of the Messiah’s Birth – Part I — Here

A Note on Hanukkah and Christmas
I believe the above history provides a reasonable explanation of why the birth of Christ came to be associated with the Roman Catholic celebration of Christmas. In the early first centuries after Yeshua, as the gentile church distanced itself from its Biblical (Jewish) roots, the conception of Yeshua around 25th day of the 9th Biblical month (in nov/dec) easily would have merged with the celebration of the birthday of the Roman god Sol Invictus Mithra on the 25th of December.

For context sake, keep in mind that in the early first centuries of the church there was great animosity between Gentiles and Jews. (Both side bear blame for this schism.) In any event the Biblical celebration of Passover became Easter, the Passover supper became the Lords Supper, the 7th day Sabbath became the Lord’s Day on the 1st day of the week, and Shavout became Pentecost.

A Final Bonus
As a final bonus I leave you with a ribbon of Yahweh’s redemptive plan based in the promise of His coming Glory and strung together with the words of the apostles and prophets who gave them.

The Glory of Yahweh Shall Be Revealed
Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. ² Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of YHWH’s hand double for all her sins. The voice [John] of him that crieth in the wilderness [see Luke 3:1-6],

Prepare ye the way of YHWH, make straight in the desert a highway for our God. ⁴ Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the glory of YHWH shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the LORD hath spoken it. (Isaiah 40:1-5)

The Glory of this House will be Greater
In the seventh month, in the one and twentieth day of the month [final day of the Feast of Tabernacles], came the word of YHWH by the prophet Haggai, saying,

….For thus saith YHWH of hosts; Yet once, it is a little while, and I will shake the heavens, and the earth, and the sea, and the dry land; And I will shake all nations, and the desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith YHWH of hosts…

The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former, saith YHWH of hosts: and in this place will I give peace, saith YHWH of hosts. (Haggai 2:1-9 excerptd)

The Prince of Peace
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, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. ⁷ Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of YHWH of hosts will perform this. (Isaiah 9:6-7)

The Light of the World
In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. ² The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made.

In him was life; and the life was the light of men. And the light shineth in darkness; and the darkness comprehended it not.

… ¹⁴ And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-14 excerpted)

I Have Sworn – An Oath of Sevens
And said, By myself have I sworn [shaba=seven], saith YHWH, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: ¹⁷ That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. (Genesis 22:16-18)

That Keeping the Covenant & Mercy (Oath of Sevens)
And I prayed unto YHWH my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; (Daniel 9:4 )

The Blessing of Abraham
¹⁴ That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith. Brethren, I speak after the manner of men; Though it be but a man’s covenant, yet if it be confirmed, no man disannulleth, or addeth thereto.

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. (Galatians 3:14-18)

Consider From This Day Forward – I Will Bless You
Consider now from this day and upward, from the four and twentieth day of the ninth month, even from the day that the foundation of YHWH’s temple was laid, consider it…. from this day will I bless you. (Haggai 2:18-19 excerpted)

Sent Him to Bless You
Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:25 – 4:1)

YHWH sitteth upon the flood; yea, YHWH sitteth King for ever. YHWH will give strength unto his people; YHWH will bless his people with peace. (Psalm 29:10-11)

Lift up your heads, O ye gates; and be ye lift up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? YHWH strong and mighty, YHWH mighty in battle. Lift up your heads, O ye gates; even lift them up, ye everlasting doors; and the King of glory shall come in. Who is this King of glory? YHWH of hosts, he is the King of glory. Selah. (Psalm 24:7-10)

Book 1

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The 13th Enumeration
"A book that will change how you look at the Bible's Messianic Symbolism."

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Book 2

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Daniel's 70 Weeks -
"A book that will forever change how you understand the Bible's greatest Messianic prophecy."

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Book 3

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The Jubilee Code -
"A book that will show you real Biblical evidence for Yahweh's guiding in hand history bringing about His redemptive plan for mankind."

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Hanukkah, Christmas & the Back-story of the Messiah’s Birth

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Part I – I Have Sworn – An Oath of Sevens

We all know the thrilling story of Jesus’ (Yeshua’s) birth, of Mary and Joseph, of the angels sent to announce His birth, of the wise men bearing gifts, and even the merciless Romans and the brutal Herod. This week though, I want to share with you some Biblical history related to Christ’s birth that’s even more important than these wonderful traditions we are all so familiar with.

Today, I hope you’ll join me on a wonderful adventure as we explore the underlying Messianic message of the Bible as it relates to the coming of Christ. I’ll tell you right up front that it will take a bit of work to follow the momentous threads of this story, but I guarantee if you make the effort with me, you’ll have a new appreciation for the lengths to which Yahweh, the living God of the Bible, went to ensure that all of us would have the evidence necessary to believe that Yeshua (Jesus) was indeed His Salvation sent to redeem all of us from our sins.

To get you thinking a bit outside the box of your familiar traditions, let me ask you a question:

What was the real miracle of Yeshua’s first coming? Was it His birth, or His conception?

If we think about it carefully, it could be argued that the real miracle of Yeshua’s first coming was the unfathomable fact that YHWH, the living God of the Bible, made himself lower than the angels and took on human flesh so that He could redeem mankind from their sins. He, YHWH, when the righteous penalty for our sins was carried out, stood in our place and became our Yeshua. (Yeshua in Hebrew means – Yahweh’s Salvation) As wonderful as Yeshua’s birth was, it was simply the natural order of things following His miraculous conception 9 months earlier. To set off on the right foot, let’s look at a couple of passages which speak about Yeshua’s divine nature and His humble human incarnation.

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The same was in the beginning with God. All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made….

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among and dwelt [tabernacled] among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:1-3 &14 )

But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man. (Hebrews 2:9)

In this two part series we’ll explore the events leading up to the Messiah’s birth, events which were foretold with an amazing prophecy that lays out the roadmap for the coming of the Messiah and provides us with insights as to why YHWH, in His divine perfection (represented throughout the Bible by the number 7) lowered Himself and became human flesh (represented by the number 6).

Or as the apostle Matthew so beautifully and cleverly illustrates in the first chapter of the first book of the New Testament, Yeshua (through his legal father Joseph) came as the 13^th enumeration, a literal Homo Deus or God Man (6+7=13).

These events also provide us with enough Biblical history to understand the likely reason the Christian traditions of Christmas as the birthday of the Messiah superseded the more important and earlier date which marked the Messiah conception.

The Fall of Babylon and the Promised Redeemer
In fitting irony our story begins in Babylon of the Chaldeans, the rebuilt ancient metropolis where centuries before, mankind in their hubris and pride tried to make their own pathway to heaven. As is so often demonstrated in the Bible, man’s ways are not always in sync with God’s ways. In this case, Yahweh’s pathway for mankind to reach heaven didn’t begin with a tower but rather a humble manger.

So it’s in the first year of a conquered Babylon and its new Median king (Likely the viceroy of Cyrus the Great) that we find an ancient Jewish man on his knees, his face towards the distant homeland of his fathers, his body prostrate in prayer to the living God of the Bible, a man pleading for the restoration of Jerusalem and its desolate sanctuary, that once glorious, though temporary dwelling place of Yahweh, the living God of the Bible.

This prayer as it is recorded in the 9^th chapter of the book of Daniel is truly one of the most moving prayers you’ll find in the Bible. It is so moving in fact, that it touched the heart of Yahweh and caused Him to respond with a thrilling message to Daniel. This message you and I know as the prophecy of 70 Sevens, more commonly known to some of you as the Prophecy of 70 Weeks.

The Coming of the Messiah
Did you know that 70 Sevens prophecy is the only prophecy in the Bible which gives a specific date by which we can determine the timing of the Messiah’s first coming? In other words, this is the only prophecy in the Bible that links verifiable secular dates with a predicted date for the arrival of the Messiah.

Of all the hundreds and hundreds of other Messianic prophecies in the Bible, this is the only one that provides verifiable, datable chronology proving that Yeshua of Nazareth was the Bible’s promised Messiah. As I explained in my recent article Sir Isaac Newton, Daniel 9, & the Rabbinic Forgeries Hypothesis, this prophecy was so influential that it was used by the followers of nearly every Jewish messianic hero of the 1^st centuries BC & AD to prove that their hero was the Bible’s promised messiah. Unfortunately, they sought a warrior to restore Israel’s political fortunes when Yahweh’s plan included a humble carpenter (builder or craftsman) sent to first restore their spiritual fortunes.

An Answer To Prayer
Now you might be thinking, sure the Jewish messianic expectants of the first centuries BC/AD might have understood Daniel 9 to speak of the coming Messiah, but their messianic expectations were wrong. So how can we be any more confident that this prophecy speaks of Yeshua of Nazareth as the coming Messiah? Fair question, so let’s dig into that a bit.

First of all, keep in mind that Daniel 9 describes specific pleadings by Daniel and a specific answer by Yahweh, the living God of the Bible. We cannot separate the context of one from the other. With this in mind we find that the very first words out of Daniel’s mouth are incredibly significant.

And I prayed unto YHWH my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments;… ( Daniel 9:4)

The Covenant and Mercy
I can’t tell you how much Daniel 9:4 thrills me. The Bible is so congruent! Too often I think we look at the Bible as a bunch of books and stories, each with valuable insights and moral guidance but no single idea which binds them into a congruent whole. This couldn’t be farther from the truth.

The Bible is 66 books, each of which provide a piece of the panoramic picture of Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind. The Bible is the story of Yahweh’s Salvation for mankind. It is the story of His Yeshua! (To remind you, Yeshua (Jesus), in Hebrew means Yahweh’s Salvation or the Salvation of Yahweh). Here in Daniel 9:4 we find a major piece or thread if you will, of this redemptive panoramic.

It’s no accident that Daniel opens his pleadings on behalf of his people, his city, and Yahweh’s desolate sanctuary – with a call for Yahweh to remember the Covenant and Mercy “to them that love him, and that keep his commandments”.

You can read more about this Covenant and Mercy in my free book Daniel’s 70 Weeks: The Keystone of Bible Prophecy or my article Seven, 70, & Sevens: Daniel 9 & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism but in short, Daniel’s remembrance of Yahweh’s Covenant and Mercy is a direct quote from Deut. 7:9-12 where Moses (just as Israel is poised to enter the Promised Land) is reminding Israel about the covenant Yahweh swore (shaba) with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Here take a look:

Know therefore that YHWH thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;…

Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that YHWH thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware [shaba] unto thy fathers: (Deuteronomy 7:9-12)

Here is where this so called Covenant and Mercy gets really exciting. You see, if you follow this thread of covenant and mercy back through the Biblical story you’ll find it originates with the father Abraham and an “oath” (shebuw’ah) Yahweh, the living God of the Bible, swore (shaba) with him. To give you an added sense of the importance of this oath, take note that this was the first “oath” Yahweh swore (shaba) with any man or woman in the Bible. This oath in part, promised that through Abraham’s “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed. Here read the words for yourself:

And the angel of YHWH called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn [shaba], saith YHWH, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. (Genesis 22:15-19)

It was there on that holy mountain, when Abraham demonstrated his faith (by a willingness to sacrifice his only son in that ancient messianic foreshadowing) that Yahweh swore (shaba) that someday through Abraham’s “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed. Indeed centuries later it was on that very same mountain, where Yeshua became mankind’s salvation.

To Sware Sevens
For those of you not familiar with Hebrew, some fascinating details about the word “sworn” or “to sware” (shaba) and its relationship to the numbers 7, Sevens, and 70 is worth noting here.

Shaba, the Hebrew word for sware, is phonetically identical to the Hebrew word for the number 7. In other words, before vowel pointings or cantillation marks were added during the middle ages, context determined the meaning of the word shaba. For those of you, like me, who need a visual, here are the Hebrew words for shaba and seven. See if you can find any difference:

Interesting, isn’t it?

It is further worth noting that shaba (to sware / sworn) is also the root of the following Hebrew words and their variants. To aid in comparison I’ve provided the Hebrew letter value for each word. I’ve also highlighted the root “shaba” in every word.

Messianic Markers
The wonder of Yahweh’s redemptive plan and the ingeniousness of the way He incorporated evidence of that plan in the entire Bible should blow you away. Think of it this way, consider the Hebrew word shaba (Sware/Seven) as Messianic marker of divine perfection for Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind.

When Yahweh swore to Abraham that through his “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed, this swearing henceforth became known as the Covenant and Mercy of Yahweh.

Realistically, you could call this swearing an “oath of sevens”. After all to sware and seven are the exact same word! Centuries after Yahweh’s covenant with Abraham, the prophet Daniel was pleading for Yahweh’s “covenant and mercy” in Daniel 9:4. Immediately Yahweh sent Daniel a prophecy which provided Daniel with an answer to when that “covenant and mercy” of the promised seed would come, in other words – when the Messiah would come. Yahweh’s reply was the prophecy you and I know as the 70 Sevens or more accurately in Hebrew as Shabuwa/Shib’iym.

Do you see how awesome that is?

Yahweh’s answer to Daniel was a messianic prophecy rooted literally, spiritually, and Hebrew grammatically in the oath of “sevens” Yahweh swore with Abraham.

Yahweh’s oath of sevens with Abraham, centuries later was confirmed in a prophecy of 70 sevens, given to Daniel which precisely told Israel (and mankind) when that oath of sevens (the covenant and mercy) would become manifest.

I would call that divine ingenuity, wouldn’t you?

What more proof do you need that Daniel 9 is a prophecy which speaks of the Bible’s promised Messiah? Consider once more Yahweh’s words to Abraham and Isaac:

And said, By myself have I sworn [shaba], saith YHWH, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; (Genesis 22:16-18)

And the YHWH appeared unto him [Isaac], and said,

I will perform the oath [shebuw’ah] which I sware [shaba] unto Abraham thy father; ⁴ And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; (Genesis 26:2-4)

To round this aspect of the subject out here is the TWOT Bible Lexicon explaining the usage of the word “shaba”.

It is apparent that shaba “swear” is identical in its consonantal root to the word sheba “seven.” It is identical, of course, to the feminine form of seven-the masculine adding a fourth letter, “he”-and it is in the feminine in which the Hebrew counts his cardinal numbers! [another approach is to call shibâ the fem. from though it is used with masc. nouns, and sheba the masc. from used with fem. nouns. R.L.H.]

Not only is the Hebrew verb “to swear” identical in the ancient unpointed text to the number seven, but also a relationship is suggested by the 2000 B.C. incident of Gen 21:22-34 . Here Abimelech desires Abraham to swear to deal uprightly, while Abraham in turn requires Abimelech to swear that the well of water belongs to him, Abraham. Abraham then seals the oath by giving exactly seven ewe lambs as a testimonial witness to Abimelech, and the well is called Beer-sheba, or Well-of-the-seven-oath! Thus BDB has defined shaba by the pithy oneline paraphrase, “to… seven one self, or bind oneself by seven things” (p. 989). Gesenius cites Herodotus iii:8 and the Iliad, xix:243, to give evidence that in the ancient world it was not uncommon to seal an agreement by the septenary number….

An oath, shebûwâ, should be contrasted to a covenant, berît, in order to better understand both. An oath in the OT is a solemn verbal statement or pledge that is affirmed, while the covenant is the substance of an agreement itself. In the Hebrew idiom, one would swear (shaba) an oath (shebûwâ), e.g. Gen 26:3, “I [God] will perform an oath which I swore unto Abraham.” A covenant, however, would be either established (Hiphil of qûm, literally, “caused to stand”) as in Gen 17:19, or it would be cut (k¹rat) as in Jer 31:31, “I [God] will make (cut) a new covenant with the House of Israel.”

Oaths were made by Jehovah to show the absolute certainty of his performance of that which he promised (e.g. to Abraham, Gen 26:3; and Isaac, Psa 105:9). (excerpted from 2319a in the TWOT Bible Lexicon)

Wonderfully congruent, isn’t it?

But now let’s turn our attention to how the New Testament writers understood the Covenant and Mercy, that ancient oath of sevens made by Yahweh with Abraham.

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The Covenant and Mercy in the New Testament
Did you know that Paul, Zachariah (father of John), Peter, and even Mary the Mother of Yeshua all alluded to the Covenant and Mercy of Genesis 22, Deut. 7, and Daniel 9 as a promise fulfilled in Yeshua? Here read it for yourself:

And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed….

Did you catch that? Paul acknowledges that Yahweh’s covenant (oath) with Abraham that his “seed” would be a blessing to all the nations, was a Messianic covenant “confirmed” and fulfilled in Yeshua.

Zachariah and the Covenant
Zachariah, the father of John, even acknowledged that covenant and mercy that Yahweh “sware” to Abraham would be fulfilled through a “horn of Salvation” in the house of David. This “horn of salvation” which Zachariah acknowledged was spoken about by “his holy prophets, which have been since the world began”.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath [shebew’ah] which he sware [shaba] to our father Abraham,.. (Luke 1:68-73)

Mary and the Covenant
It was just a few months previous to this statement by Zachariah, that Mary the Mother of Yeshua, when visiting Zachariah and his wife Elisabeth acknowledged the following in response to Elisabeth salutation that she (Mary) was “blessed among women”.

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: And she spake out with a loud voice, and said, Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb. And whence is this to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?

And Mary said, My soul doth magnify the Lord, And my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Saviour. For he hath regarded the low estate of his handmaiden: for, behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. For he that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name. And his mercy is on them that fear him from generation to generation.

He hath holpen his servant Israel, in remembrance of his mercy; As he spake to our fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. (Luke 1:41-43, 46-49, 54-55 )

Peter and the Covenant
Just to leave no doubt in your minds as to the meaning of this Covenant and Mercy as understood by the New Testament apostles, here are the words of Peter in Acts 3 when speaking to his brethern on the temple mount in Jerusalem as they marveled about the Peter’s healing of the lame man:

And when Peter saw it, he answered unto the people, Ye men of Israel, why marvel ye at this? or why look ye so earnestly on us, as though by our own power or holiness we had made this man to walk? ¹³ The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, the God of our fathers, hath glorified his Son Jesus… And his name through faith in his name hath made this man strong,…

But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled. Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you:…

Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days.

Wow, powerful words, are they not? Here Peter is telling his Jewish brethren in the temple that Yeshua was a fulfillment of what Yahweh had promised by the “mouth of all his prophets”. Further that Yeshua’s death and resurrection was the fulfillment of the “covenant” Yahweh made with Abraham which promised that in his “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed, a blessing which at its heart entailed a spiritual restoration of the people by their “turning away” from their iniquities.

As we move on to the next messianic thread in Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind, keep the above words of Peter in mind. As you see, they are an important reminder of another ancient prophecy (we’ll look at in the next part of this series) which spoke of a promised blessing upon the Jewish people (and by extension the Gentiles as well).

…Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:26)

Yahweh willing, In Part II – I am the Light of the World, I will show you how Yahweh’s – oath of sevens- with Abraham, (as described in the prophecy of 70 sevens) was fulfilled in Yeshua. We will also look at how that prophecy and its fulfillment became the basis for Yeshua’s statement that He was the “light of the world” and further I will provide you with reasonable evidence to show how that light dawned upon mankind in the winter of 5 BC during the Jewish Festival of Lights, also known as Hanukkah. Finally, I will do my best to explain why this history is likely the origin of early Roman Catholic traditions related to Christmas.

Updated: You can read part two here: I am the Light of the World

Maranatha!

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The Masoretic Text, Matthew 1, & the Jubilee

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Authors Note:
This article is Part III in my exploration of Rabbinic forgery hypothesis. The following links will take you to the previous articles in this series.
Part I: The Septuagint, the Masoretic Text, & Matthew 1
Part II: Matthew 1, the Masoretic Text, & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism
Part III: The Masoretic Text, Matthew 1, & the Jubilee
Part IV: Sir Isaac Newton, Daniel 9, & the Rabbinic Forgeries Hypothesis

So did the Rabbinic Jewish scholars of the 2^nd century AD forge the Masoretic text to obfuscate the Biblical chronological evidence that proves Yeshua (Jesus) was the Messiah promised in the Scriptures? Remember this is the underlying premise of Rabbinic forgery’s hypothesis that contends the Masoretic text is not a reliable template of Old Testament chronological history.

To ensure we don’t lose sight of the underlying thread of the forgery’s hypothesis, here once again are excerpts from Mr. Sexton and Mr. Smith’s papers on the subject:

The evidence suggests that the chronology in the MT did not exist before the second century of the Christian era. Russell concludes that “in the days of Josephus, as well as in those of the annalists who preceded him as compilers from the Jewish Scriptures, there was no difference in the numerical statements of the Greek version, as compared with the text of the original Hebrew.”¹²⁸ ( Who Was Born When Enosh Was 90

Since Jubilees was immensely popular in Second Temple Judaism, I theorize that the rabbis were aware of this construct in Jubilees and adapted the concept into their Hebrew manuscripts of Genesis 5 to reduce the pre-Flood chronology by 600 years in order to discredit Jesus as the Messiah. (From Adam to Abraham: An Updated on the Genesis 5 and 11 Research Project: Dec. 16, 2017)

Before digging into the Jubilee aspect of this subject, I think it’s important to emphasize how many of the Jews and Christians of the 1^st century understood a past, present, and future panoramic view of Biblical history.

It may surprise some of you to learn that the millennialist view of Biblical history (6000 years of mankind’s labor under the curse of sin with a coming literal 1000 year reign/rest of Yeshua) was the predominant view of the early Christian church up until the time of the church father Origin. But this view wasn’t just limited to the early church of the first few centuries. In fact, Rabbinic traditions complied in the Talmud (100-500 AD) also held the millennialist perspective of Biblical history.

This needs to be repeated – up until the 2^nd century Christian and Jewish traditions shared a common eschatological understanding of the Biblical ages. A majority of both believed the messianic age was a literal and future 1000 year reign of the Messiah upon this earth.

The Septuagint version of the Bible’s chronology placed this future millennial age only 500 years into the future (from the birth of Yeshua). The Masoretic text on the other hand placed the millennial age nearly 2000 years from the birth of Christ.

What’s odd to me about the Rabbinic forgery’s hypothesis is that it seems incongruent with what the Jewish traditions actually taught about the Messianic age. You see, as evidenced by the Talmud, Biblical history was divided into three – 2000 year ages followed by the 1000 year reign of the Messiah. This view was based in the 6 days labor & 1 day rest of creation. The chart below reflects these Talmudic traditions:

As you can see Biblical history of the present age (Olam Hazeh) was divided into three 2000 year periods. Notice the third period from 4000-6000 (from Adam) was considered the age of the Messiah. I quote from the Talmud:

There is a Boraitha in accordance with R. Ktina: As in the Sabbatic period, the seventh year is a release, so will it be with the whole world that one thousand years after six will be a release, as above cited verse [Isa. xii. i] and [Ps. xcii. 11]: “A Psalm or song for the Sabbath day,” which means the day which will be all Sabbath. And as [ibid. xc. 4]: “For a thousand years are in thy eyes but as the yesterday when it is passed.”

The disciples of Elijah taught: The world will continue for six thousand years, the first two thousand of which were a chaos (Tahu), the second two thousand were of wisdom, and the third two thousand are the days of the Messiah, and because of our sins many, many years of these have elapsed, and still he has not come.

Elijah said to R. Jehudah, the brother of R. Sala the Pious: The world will continue for no less than eighty-five jubilaic periods, and in the last jubilaic period ben David will come. (anonymous. The Babylonian Talmud (Annotated) (p. 317). Unknown. Kindle Edition.)

Now think about the challenge this poses to the Rabbinic forgery’s hypothesis. The chronology of the Masoretic text (which was supposedly forged) places the birth of Christ about the year 4000 from Adam right at the start of the “Days of the Messiah”. If the Jewish Rabbinic authority had really forged the chronology of the MT text of the Scriptures to disprove that Yeshua was the Messiah, why then would they have changed the chronology of the Old Testament to show that Yeshua’s birth began those “Days of the Messiah”. Certainly a 5500 year birth date for Yeshua (as described by the LXX), towards the later end of the “Days of the Messiah” would have been less auspicious.

But let’s look back at history. Doesn’t the MT text of the Scripture accurately reflect the Messianic significance of Yeshua’s birth, death, resurrection, and the gospel age as seen through the lens of the Rabbinic tradition and the New Testament accounts?

Wouldn’t the past 2000 years as seen through the lens of the New Testament confirm the Rabbinic traditions concerning the Days of the Messiah? In fact wasn’t that exactly what the apostle Peter was telling his Jewish brethren when he reminded them of Hosea’s prophecy concerning their restoration after “two days”. (For more on this see my article: Did the Apostle Peter Believe in the Eminence of Christ’s Return? )

In a way don’t you and I as Christians consider these (nearly) two thousand years of the gospel age as the Days of the Messiah? It seems to me that the early church and traditional Judaism have a lot in common on this subject.

In any case by the time the Talmud was completed the Rabbinic authority believed that the times appointed for the Messiah had already come and gone. The New Testament confirms this by telling us that the Messiah Yeshua had indeed already come and gone at the start of Judaism’s “Messianic Age”, the only difference is that New Testament tells us that Yeshua, after a period of time would be coming again. For more on this see: After Two Days

As I’ve explained in my previous articles in this series (Part I & Part II), the Messiah is symbolized in the Torah as well as the New Testament by the typology of the numbers 13 & 14. The fact of the matter is that history has demonstrated that the chronology of the Masoretic text of the Scripture more accurately reflects the millennialist views of the early Jewish and Christian messianic expectants. It seems incredibly fantastic to believe that the Rabbis of the 2^nd century would have been so careless as to forge Biblical history so that the birth of Christ began their “Days of the Messiah”. In any case this is just another aspect of this theory that bears further scrutiny.

The Masoretic Text and the Jubilee
Let’s move on now to explore the Jubilee cycles as they related to the Masoretic text and Matthew 1.

My last article Matthew 1, the Masoretic Text, & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism provided some evidence to show that Yeshua’s lineage in Matthew 1 was indeed synchronized with Masoretic Text chronology from Abraham to Yeshua and the Jubilee cycles spanning that same period of time. This evidence gave reasonable cause to consider that Matthew purposely modified Yeshua’s generations to show Yeshua came in the 41 generation from Abraham which in real chronology was also the 41^st jubilee cycle from Abraham.

I noted that curiously, according to the Masoretic text of the Scriptures, there were also 41 jubilee cycles from Adam to Abraham. In light of the fact that Matthew purposely modified Yeshua’s lineage, it becomes difficult to dismiss this synchronization as a coincidence. Further, this synchronism makes it rather difficult to claim with absolute conviction that Matthew, by the mid to late first century, had no knowledge of the MT text’s shortened chronology as it is presented in most versions of the Bible today.

As I hope to demonstrate in this article, when the Masoretic text of the Bible is considered in light of the Jubilee cycles and Matthew’s fascinating lineage of Yeshua, we find further compelling evidence that supports the New Testament’s claims that Yeshua was the promised Messiah. We also find a compelling order or design, if you prefer, to the chronology of the Bible which I believe demonstrates the hand of Yahweh working out His redemptive plan for mankind.

I can’t stress enough here the significance of Matthew’s lineage of Yeshua as the opening argument in the New Testament’s case for Yeshua as the promised Messiah. I can’t believe it is an accident that Matthew 1, in addition to being a witness to Yeshua’s lineage from Abraham and David, also happens to be the chronological bridge which connects the Old and New Testaments into a synchronized and congruent testimony to Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind through Yeshua.

Ezekiel’s Jubilee
In my last article I demonstrated the intriguing fact that the 41 generations of Matthew 1 were equaled to 41 jubilee cycles. I know I did not provide all the calculations or references for that statement. For those who take this subject seriously you can check my work in the following PDF – 6000 Years of Biblical History.

That fact that Matthew represented Yeshua’s generations as actual jubilee cycles is in its own right thrilling. But it is only when you see those Jubilee cycles in the larger context of Biblical history that you get a real glimpse of just how special Matthew’s lineage of Yeshua really is.

Now there is a couple of ways to go about establishing the context of Jubilee cycles relative to the chronology of the MT text and Matthew 1. The first is to simply overlay the Jubilee cycles on top of the Masoretic text’s chronology of the Old Testament. As I’ve stated before, this approach places the birth of Abraham in the 41^st Jubilee cycle from Adam. Continuing with this approach then places the birth of Yeshua in the 82 Jubilee cycle from Adam (41×2). Running these calculations forward from the birth of Yeshua shows that we are now living in the 123^rd Jubilee from Adam (41×3).

The 2^nd way to provide context to the Jubilee cycles and Matthew 1 is to find any Scriptural references to the Jubilee or Shabbat (Shemitah) cycles in the Bible and determine their place relative to dated people or events in the Bible. This then would help us synchronize Biblical and secular history with the Jubilee and Shemitah cycles.

In Chapter 40 of the book of Ezekiel we find one of the most compelling examples of such a synchronism. Here Ezekiel describes the beginning or (rosh = head) of the year in the 10^th day of the month in the 25^th year of Judah’s captivity. This date was so important to Ezekiel that he also synchronized the date with the destruction of Jerusalem. Take a look:

In the five and twentieth year of our captivity, in the beginning of the year, in the tenth day of the month, in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten, in the selfsame day the hand of YHWH was upon me, and brought me thither. (Ezekiel 40:1)

What’s fascinating about this statement is that the only “year” which could possibly begin (rosh = head) on the 10^th day of the month is a Jubilee cycle “year”. (see Lev. 25:8-10.) For more details on this please see my free book download The Jubilee Code: Prophetic Milestones in Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan – (Chapters 9 & 10)

With this chronological statement from Ezekiel we are able to double check our chronology from Adam. If Ezekiel 40:1 is indeed referencing a Jubilee year then we should be able to use the 25^th year of the captivity and 14 years after the destruction of Jerusalem to triangulate this date relative to the Jubilee and further synchronize this Jubilee with our beginning of these cycles from Adam.

Long story short, a reasonable chronological case can be made that Ezekiel’s “beginning of the year” is in fact the 70^th Jubilee from Adam. This fascinating fact is further confirmed by Ezekiel 1:1 where he mentions the “30^th year” in the 5^th year of Jehoiachin’s captivity. This by reasonable chronological consideration is the 30th year of the 70 Jubilee which Ezekiel later mentions in chapter 40. The following chart reflects the pertinent facts of the chronology:

Consider how important this Jubilee chronology is relative to Old Testament history. This is the only place in the entire Biblical record where we can fix the Bible’s chronology relative to the Jubilee and Sabbath cycles and secular history. And Ezekiel gives us not one but two Jubilee chronological synchronisms. Now take a bird’s eye view of this chronology and you’ll see another reason this Jubilee was special:

In the chart notice that Ezekiel’s Jubilee (based upon a reasonable rendering of the MT) marks the 70^th Jubilee cycle from Adam. Further this Jubilee has the distinction of originating three important 70 year periods of time. In the chronological order they originate they are as follows:

The 70 years of captivity of Judah mentioned by Jeremiah (Jer. 25:11-12)
The 70 years of Divine anger mentioned in Zechariah 1
The 70 years period of desolation between the destruction of Solomon’s temple and the completion and dedication of the 2^nd temple in 6^th/7^th year of Darius ‘the Great’ Artaxerxes

Matthew 1, Zerubbabel, Yahweh’s Divine Anger, and Daniel 9
If you remember I mentioned in my last article (here) that in Matthew’s lineage of Yeshua, only four individuals were synchronized with the 41 Jubilee cycles between Abraham and Yeshua. One of those individuals was Zerubbabel and it was during his governorship of Jerusalem that Yahweh gave His divine command to “to restore and build Jerusalem”.

Upon the four and twentieth day of the eleventh month, which is the month Sebat, in the second year of Darius, came the word of YHWH unto Zechariah, the son of Berechiah, the son of Iddo the prophet, saying,…

And YHWH answered the angel that talked with me with good words and comfortable words. ¹⁴ So the angel that communed with me said unto me, Cry thou, saying, Thus saith YHWH of hosts; I am jealous for Jerusalem and for Zion with a great jealousy. And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease: for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction. Therefore thus saith YHWH; I am returned to Jerusalem with mercies: my house shall be built in it, saith YHWH of hosts, and a line shall be stretched forth upon Jerusalem. (Zechariah 1:7, 12-16)

And YHWH stirred up the spirit of Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the spirit of Joshua the son of Josedech, the high priest, and the spirit of all the remnant of the people; and they came and did work in the house of YHWH of hosts, their God, In the four and twentieth day of the sixth month, in the second year of Darius the king. (Haggai 1:14-15)

For those of you not familiar with this divine command to restore and build Jerusalem, here are the words of Ezra who confirms this divine command of Yahweh as given through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah. For more on this divine command see my free book: Daniel’s 70 Weeks: The Keystone of Bible Prophecy

And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king. (Ezra 6:14-15)

So the 70 years of Divine anger ended in the 2^nd year of Darius, and with the end of this Divine anger Yahweh personally commanded the children of Israel to return (shuwb) and build His house. In Matthew’s lineage Zerubbabel is represented by the 71 Jubilee from Adam. As I’ve showed in my book The Jubilee Code: Prophetic Milestones in Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan, a reasonable case can be made that this 2^nd year of Darius was in fact the end of the 71^st and beginning of the 72^nd Jubilee cycle from Adam.

Another way to look at this chronology is say that there were:

70 jubilees from Adam – which began
70 years of Divine anger – which ended on the 71^st jubilee and began the
70 Sevens countdown to the Messiah of Daniel 9 – which ended with
Coming of the Messiah at the start of the 2000 year “Age of the Messiah”

These synchronizations alone should dispel any notion that the chronology of the Masoretic text was forged. Think about the statistical difficulties of trying to make the case that the Rabbinic authorities, in order to hide the identity of Yeshua as the Biblical Messiah, dropped round numbers from the pre-flood ages of several of the descendants of Adam, and in so doing were lucky enough to still align the Jubilee cycles from Adam so that it perfectly synchronized with the Jubilee and Sabbath cycles of the 2^nd temple period. And still further, that somehow even after forging this chronology, they still managed to synchronize it with the New Testament’s premier chronological account of Yeshua as the promised Messiah found in Matthew 1. If this is forgery then what does an accurate representation look like?

For those interested in further confirmation of Ezekiel’s Jubilee the following comes from the Jewish Encyclopedia and it shows that by the time the Talmud was compiled Rabbinic scholarship understood Ezekiel 40 to be a reference to a Jubilee.

Jewish Encyclopedia
Talmudic and Samaritan Calculation of Jubilees.

“According to Talmudic calculations….

….the last jubilee occurred on the “tenth day of the month [Tishri], in the fourteenth year after that the city was smitten” (Ezek. xl. 1), which was the New-Year’s Day of the jubilee (‘Ab. Zarah 9b; ‘Ar. 11b-12b). Joshua celebrated the first jubilee, and died just before the second (Seder ‘Olam R., ed. Ratner, xi. 24b-25b, xxx. 69b, Wilna, 1895).” (excerpted by WS)

To give you yet another perspective on this chronology and how it relates I’ve taken the Rabbinic world view of the three 2000 year Biblical ages as represented in the chart I shared at the start of this article. In the following chart, I’ve overlaid the MT chronology as it relates to the generations of Matthew 1, Jubilee cycles and Daniel 9.

Again, there does not appear to be any conflict between the 1^st century Messianic traditions of the Jewish Talmudists and the New Testament’s representation of Yeshua as the promised Messiah. In fact, quite the contrary; there appears to be a quite startling synchronism between the traditional Rabbinic view of history and the chronological evidence we can ascertain from Masoretic text as it relates to the New Testament’s presentation of Yeshua as the Jewish Messiah found in Matthew 1 and elsewhere in the New Testament.

A Dwelling Place for Yahweh
Now let’s look at the Masoretic text chronology and the Jubilee cycles another way. Keep in mind here, we are looking for evidence which supports the hypothesis that the pre-flood chronology of the Old Testament was manipulated by the Rabbinic scholars of the 2^nd century to hide the fact that Yeshua was the Bible’s promised Messiah.

In Genesis, the Garden of Eden was the location that Yahweh chose to meet with mankind. At that time, before sin entered the picture, there was no barrier between God and man. God walked in the Garden with mankind. After mankind’s sin, that relationship changed. Mankind’s sin created a barrier to our fellowship with our Creator.

Then 2513 years later, according to the MT of the Bible, a pivotal milestone was reached, Yahweh instructed Moses and the Children of Israel to construct a Tabernacle where Yahweh could dwell with mankind. This temporary dwelling place was also the location where Yahweh instituted the bloody sacrificial redemptive rites of the Torah. These sacrificial rites, as we’ve seen in these articles, were rehearsals or shadow pictures of Yeshua, Yahweh’s ultimate sacrifice, the promised “seed” through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed.

This temporary dwelling place and those sacrificial rites were instituted in the 52^nd jubilee from Adam (4×13).

Nearly 500 more years pass before Yahweh gave instructions for a new more permanent dwelling place where He would meet with mankind and where the sacrificial rites of His redemptive plan would be rehearsed. This new dwelling place, constructed by David’s son Solomon, was built in Jerusalem on the same mountain where centuries earlier, Yahweh tested Abraham’s faith and asked him to sacrifice his only son in what would become one of the Bible’s most compelling symbols or allegories of Yahweh’s future redemptive plan.

This new dwelling place built by King Solomon was completed in the 62^nd Jubilee from Adam.

Several more centuries pass and because of Judah’s sins they were carried away captive by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon. Shortly thereafter Yahweh’s Shekinah departed the first temple and then a few years after this the temple was destroyed by the armies of Nebuchadnezzar. The departure of Yahweh’s Shekinah from the temple began the 70 years of Divine anger mentioned by Zechariah. The following chart provides the pertinent details:

Then in the 2^nd year of Darius ‘the Great’ Artaxerxes, Yahweh Himself, commanded Israel to return and build His house so that he could once again dwell with mankind. This commandment as I’ve shown in multiple articles at this blog and my book, Daniel’s 70 Weeks: The Keystone of Bible Prophecy was the “commandment” or word (dabar) which began the famous prophetic countdown to the Messiah found in Daniel chapter 9.

This new dwelling place was completed in the 6^th year of Darius during the 72nd Jubilee from Adam.

Finally, nearly 500 more years pass and in the 82^nd Jubilee from Adam (41×2) the prophesied Messiah of Daniel 9 comes and once again the terms of Yahweh’s dwelling with mankind change. Human flesh became the new dwelling place for Yahweh. Yahweh tabernacled with mankind becoming our Yeshua (Yahweh’s Salvation).

30 years later Yeshua stood in our place to take upon Himself the righteous penalty for all of our sins.

And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt [tabernacle] among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth. (John 1:14)

These epics are visualized by the following chart:

A Divine Appointment
Multiple times over the years I’ve shared with you all how much I appreciate the story of Yahweh’s test of Abraham’s faith in asking him to sacrifice his son Isaac. That story became one of the Bible’s most illustrious allegories of Yahweh’s future redemptive plan through Yeshua.

That test of faith had divine repercussions which have rippled across the Biblical ages. This story as seen in light of the Masoretic text and the Jubilee cycles has special significance.

This allegory concealed in real Biblical history begins in the 42^nd jubilee from Adam when Abraham and Sarah where told they would have a son in their old age. This message was brought to them by an angel who told them that at the “set time” in the following year a son would be born to them.

But my covenant will I establish with Isaac, which Sarah shall bear unto thee at this set time [mow’ed] in the next year. (Genesis 17:21)

For Sarah conceived, and bare Abraham a son in his old age, at the set time [mow’ed] of which God had spoken to him. (Genesis 21:2)

The phrase “set time” comes from the Hebrew word mow’ed which means appointed place or appointed time. This is the same word Yahweh uses in Genesis 1:14, when describing the Bible’s calendar, a Biblical reckoning of time, and its related divine appointments.

¹⁴ And God said, Let there be lights in the firmament of the heaven to divide the day from the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons [mow’ed = appointements], and for days, and years: (Genesis 1:14)

In any case, this set time, or divine appointment if you will, was marked for the following year. What is intriguing about His divine appointment is that it fell on the 43^rd Jubilee from Adam. In other words, exactly on the 50^th year of the 43^rd Jubilee cycle (from Adam) Isaac was born to Abraham and Sarah.

At some point in that 43^rd Jubilee cycle, while Isaac was still a “lad” (na’ar), Abraham was told to get up to the land of Moriah and offer his son Isaac as an offering. The Bible tells us that Abraham obeyed, but he did so in the knowledge that Isaac was Yahweh’s promised seed and when all was said and done, he and the lad would return again.

And Abraham said unto his young men, Abide ye here with the ass; and I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come again to you.

And Abraham took the wood of the burnt offering, and laid it upon Isaac his son; and he took the fire in his hand, and a knife; and they went both of them together. And Isaac spake unto Abraham his father, and said, My father: and he said, Here am I, my son. And he said, Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt offering?

And Abraham said, My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt offering: so they went both of them together. (Genesis 22:5-8)

Indeed Yahweh provided that lamb in place of Isaac. In fact, it was on that very same mountain that nearly 2000 years later that Yahweh provided “Himself” as the lamb of God which taketh away the sins of the world.

Keep in mind here that because of Abraham’s faith, Yahweh swore (shaba) an oath of seven with Abraham that promised in part that through Abraham’s “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed.

Would it surprise you to learn that according to the Masoretic text of the Bible, that oath

Yahweh swore with Abraham saw its initial fulfillment with the birth of Yeshua in the 39th (13×3) Jubilee cycles from the birth of Isaac, Abraham’s promised “seed”. In other words, the birth of Yeshua took place in the 82 Jubilee (41×2) from Adam. This 82^nd Jubilee was the 39^th (13×3)Jubilee from the birth of Isaac.

What’s more, on the 40^th Jubilee anniversary of Isaac’s birth the last atonement sacrifice was offered in the temple in Jerusalem in 69 AD. The following year in 70 AD the temple was destroyed and now for the past 40 Jubilee cycles Israel has had neither a temple nor a sacrifice.

That chronology is summed up in the following charts:

Again I wonder why, if the rabbis of the 2^nd century were trying to hide the identity of Yeshua as the promised Messiah, did they align the major events in Yeshua’s life with the chronology of the Old Testament and the Jubilee cycles? A simple addition or reduction of the chronology by just a few years would have completely erased all of these synchronized chronological pictures which show Yahweh’s hand working His redemptive plan of Yeshua through the Biblical ages.

The Epics of the Promised Seed
For those familiar with Biblical history, it is evident that the number 40 is often associate with important chronological periods of time in the Bible. There are three 40 years periods which define Moses’ life and his interactions with the children of Israel. We also have the 40 years between Yeshua’s resurrection and the destruction of Jerusalem. Then there are the forty days of Jonah and the 40 days of Yeshua in the wilderness, to name just a few.

But in terms of Bible chronology, the granddaddy of 40 periods of time are the jubilee. One of the most thrilling examples of this relates to what I like to think of as the Epics of the Promised Seed.

As I’ve mentioned before, after mankind’s sin in Eden, Yahweh promised that someday Adam and Eve’s seed would bruise the serpent’s head. This promise became the foundation for the Bible’s Messianic redemptive theme.

After Cain slew Abel that promise appeared to be in jeopardy. Then in the 130th year of Adam, Seth was born and Yahweh gave Adam and Eve a new “seed” through whom that redemptive promise would be carried down through the Biblical ages. Seth’s birth not only came in the 130^th year of Adam but in the 3^rd Jubilee of Adam’s creation.

39 (13×3) Jubilee cycles later in the 99^th year of Abraham’s life (his 2^nd Jubilee) Yahweh confirmed the covenant of the promised “seed” with Abraham by promising him that at the “set time” (mow’ed) in the following year a son would be born unto them.

Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. (Genesis 17:5-7)

That following year on the 43^rd Jubilee cycle from Adam, Isaac was born. This auspicious date marked the 40^th Jubilee cycle from Seth and a new era in Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind.

As stated previously, 39 (13×3) more Jubilee cycles pass and that covenant of the promised seed realizes its fulfillment in Yahweh becoming our Yeshua (Salvation). It was during this 39^th Jubilee cycle from Isaac that an angel appeared to Mary (and later Joseph) telling them of the miraculous conception of Yeshua, the promised seed.

The following Jubilee, in the 40^th Jubilee cycle from the promised seed of Isaac and the 80^th Jubilee cycle from Seth, Yahweh’s promise that Adam and Eve’s “seed” would bruise the serpent’s head, finds partial fulfillment in the death and resurrection of Yeshua. I say partial fulfillment because, with this event Satan did indeed received a mortal wound, but his ultimate destruction has been set for another period of time in the future.

The above chronology leads naturally into our next example.

The Miracle of Israel’s Rebirth
For our next example of the congruency of Masoretic text chronology, the Jubilee cycles, and the Bible’s Messianic message, I’d like to show you where the miraculous rebirth of the nation of Israel fits it.

It’s important to note here that not only did Yahweh swore with Abraham that in his “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed, but also that Abraham’s “seed” would inherit all the land Yahweh promised to Abraham.

As we saw above Israel was uprooted (for a time) from the land of Israel. With their city in ruins and Yahweh’s house completely demolished, the children of Israel were scattered throughout the nations. This desolation was prophesied by Yeshua himself in Matthew 23.

O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. ³⁹ For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Matthew 23:37 – 24:1)

Did you know that in the 39^th Jubilee cycle (13×3) from Jerusalem’s destruction, the nation of Israel was reborn and the city of Jerusalem once more came under the control of the Jewish people? Yes, both those events (according to the projected chronology of the MT) took place in the 122^nd Jubilee cycle from Adam.

Another way to look at these events is just as the 39^th Jubilee cycle from Abraham saw the birth of the promised Messiah and the following Jubilee, the 40^th saw the end of the sacrificial service, the destruction of Jerusalem, its temple, and the start of the times of the gentiles – the 39^th Jubilee from those terrible events saw the rebirth of nation of Israel in fulfillment of Bible prophecy. And today as we watch events unfold in the 40^th Jubilee from the destruction of Jerusalem we see the times of the gentiles drawing to a close and the Jewish people and the nation of Israel becoming what the book of Zechariah describes in an eschatological Messianic context, as the “burdensome stone” for the nations.

Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem.

And in that day will I make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people: all that burden themselves with it shall be cut in pieces, though all the people of the earth be gathered together against it. (Zechariah 12:2-3)

And it shall come to pass in that day, that I will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications:

and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn.

In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon. Zechariah 12:9-11

A Jubilee of Jubilees
For confirmation of the significance of the above chronology related to the Jewish people and their return to the land, let’s take one more step back in history to the destruction of the 1^st temple by Nebuchadnezzar and Cyrus’ decree allowing the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem and build the house of Yahweh. It’s worth noting that in a Jubilee year the Torah instructs that the land reverts back to its original owners. This we see fulfilled in a unique way by looking at a Jubilee of Jubilees. The following chart provide a panoramic:

As you can see from the above chronology if you count Jubilee cycles from Cyrus’ decree allowing the Jewish people to return to Jerusalem, you’ll find that it was in the 50^th Jubilee cycle from Cyrus’ decree until the Balfour Declaration (1917) and the related British Mandate (starting in 1923) allowed the Jewish people to return to their homeland.

If you also count Jubilee cycles form Yahweh’s divine “word” to restore and build Jerusalem in the 2^nd year of Darius ‘the great’ Artaxerxes, you’ll find that it was during the 50^th Jubilee from this divine word that Israel was reborn as a nation in 1948.

And finally in consideration of the fact that the Bible describes the new Jerusalem (a city 12×12) coming down out of heaven after the 1000 year reign of Yeshua, it is worth noting that if the Jubilee cycles were projected into the future, the 144^th Jubilee cycle begins in the 8^th day or 7008^th year from Adam.

Design or Forgery?
In summary then, I think it is important to consider all of this Masoretic chronology and the related Jubilee cycles in light of Matthew 1. Yeshua’s lineage in this first chapter of the New Testament, as arranged by Matthew, can reasonably be considered the chronological key of the Bible’s redemptive message. This lineage is the focal point of Biblical history. We can look backwards and forwards from this amazing list of names and we find it has astounding relevance and congruency when viewed in light of Yahweh’s redemptive plan for the Jewish people and the gentile nations.

Consider once again that only four men in this lineage lived in the Jubilee cycle represented by their place in the lineage. The events and prophecies associate with each of those men are critical witnesses to the Bible’s body of evidence which proves Yeshua was the Messiah.

Each of those men, when viewed within the larger chronological context of the Bible’s chronology based in the Masoretic text, fit seamlessly into a discernable framework of Jubilee cycles originating with Adam. This in my opinion is beyond human invention.

In consideration of this evidence, it is my belief, that Matthew did indeed have knowledge of a shorter Old Testament chronology based in the Masoretic text of the Bible. It also appears evident that this knowledge also included a view of Biblical history which synchronized important events in Yahweh’s redemptive plan with the Jubilee cycles. Further, that the chronological key to Matthew’s evidence is witness by his synchronization of Yeshua’s 41 generations from Abraham with 41 Jubilee cycles which span that period of time in real Biblical chronology.

This evidence, I believe is fatal to the hypothesis that the Jewish rabbis of the 2^nd century forged the Masoretic text to obfuscate the Biblical evidence that Yeshua was the Bible’s promised Messiah. In fact, I believe the contrary is evident. In light of the evidence explored in these articles, I believe a reasonable case can be made that in fact, the Old Testament chronology of the Masoretic text, was divinely ordered to provide mankind with compelling evidence that Yeshua is mankind’s promised redeemer.

Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure:…

¹³ I bring near my righteousness; it shall not be far off, and my salvation shall not tarry: and I will place salvation in Zion for Israel my glory. (Isaiah 46:9-13)

Maranatha!

Next Time:
Rabbinic Forgery’s Hypothesis in Light of the 70 Weeks of Daniel 9
Yahweh willing, next time we will look at the Rabbinic forgery’s hypothesis in light of the chronology of the 2^nd temple era and the prophecy of Daniel 9. As we’ll see, the indefensible irony of this hypothesis is that many who hold it, unknowingly use the chronological errors arising from it, to try and prove that Yeshua fulfilled the prophecy of Daniel 9. I hope you’ll continue this adventure with me.

Book 1

Book I - Description

The 13th Enumeration
"A book that will change how you look at the Bible's Messianic Symbolism."

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Book 2

Book 2 - Description

Daniel's 70 Weeks -
"A book that will forever change how you understand the Bible's greatest Messianic prophecy."

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Book 3

Book 3 - Description

The Jubilee Code -
"A book that will show you real Biblical evidence for Yahweh's guiding in hand history bringing about His redemptive plan for mankind."

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The Two Comings of the Messiah

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The Two Comings of the Messiah:
As Represented Typologically & Chronologically in Matthew 1

I missed something awesome in Matthew 1 that I’d like to share with you today. The past few weeks I’ve been working on an article related to the differences in the chronology of the MT & LXX texts of the Old Testament and in the process of that exploration I realized something that I’ve never shared with you before.

This is a rather short article this week but I think you will find its symbolical and chronological significance thrilling. Stay tuned, Yahweh willing in a week or two I’ll explain why this information is significant to those who accuse (falsely in my opinion) the 1st century’s Jewish rabbis of chronological forgeries related to the Old Testament.

Suffering Servant & Reigning King
If you were a Biblical author tasked with coming up with a way to graphically represent the Biblical statement that the Messiah would come as a suffering servant (sacrifice for sin) as well as a future king, could you do it? What if that graphic representation also had to identify this Messianic figure and provide chronological proof that this person was the Messiah promised in the Old Testament?

Pretty tough challenge, don’t you think?

Well, today I’ll share with you how one Biblical author accomplished such a challenge and left mankind with unique evidence that proves a single individual in recorded history was the Bible’s promised Messiah. Continue reading →

Context, Chronology, & Daniel 9

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William Struse responds to Nelson Walters’ Reasonable Doubt

What if I told you that nearly everything you believe about the Bible’s future prophecies is somehow influenced by an assumption originating in the historical details of Ezra and Nehemiah’s place in the 2^nd temple era?

What many don’t know is that there is a little known and less understood fact of Biblical history, that is the basis for much of what you and I believe about the 7 year tribulation, the rapture, the 2^nd coming of Christ, the identity of the anti-Christ, and most of the events described in the book of Revelation. What I’m talking about is the chronological assumption regarding Ezra and Nehemiah’s place in the 2^nd temple era as it relates to an unnamed Persian king who the Biblical record only identifies by the Persian title “Artaxerxes”.

You see, there are multiple “Artaxerxes” in the Bible and 99% of teachers and scholars who write about Daniel 9 and the 70 “Weeks” date the starting point of the prophecy from a “commandment to restore and build Jerusalem” which they believe was given during the reign of the Persian king “Artaxerxes” Longimanus. This assumption, in nearly every case, is given without a single Biblical chronological fact from which a reader might attempt to verify the claim.

This is important because nearly every event described in the book of Revelation is organized within a framework based at least in part on the 70 Weeks prophecy of Daniel 9. Every interpretation of Daniel 9 and the 70 “Weeks” in turn finds its basis in a “Commandment to restore and build Jerusalem” which is set during the era of Ezra, Nehemiah, and a Persian king who bares only the title “Artaxerxes”. Despite all the incredible theological weight resting upon this 2^nd temple era chronology, it is one of the best kept secrets of Bible prophecy. And for good reason as you’ll soon understand.

Unfortunately, most of today’s scholars, teachers, and writers on the subject of Bible prophecy are either unaware of the subject, unwilling to deal with the implications, or they are simply depending upon the ignorance of their readers to give them a pass. Frankly, the few who are aware of the challenges this subject poses to our understanding of Bible prophecy are loath to Continue reading →

Nelson Walters: A Guest Post on 2nd Temple Chronology

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* A note from William Struse:
This week I’m sharing with you a guest post written by Nelson Walters. As many of you probably know Nelson is a popular and respected prophecy teacher at The Gospel in the End Times. Over the past couple of months Nelson and I have been having a spirited discussion on the 2nd temple era chronology as it relates to Daniel 9 and the prophecy of 70 Weeks. We have different perspectives on the chronological basis for this wonderful prophecy, so we decided in the interest of bring clarity to this important subject that we would have a public discussion. This week Nelson offers you his perspective. In a couple of weeks after you’ve had a chance to digest Nelson thoughts on the subject I will reply to Nelson’s article.

Updated: My response to Nelson’s Article: Context, Chronology, & Daniel 9

Accelerated Ezra Chronology – An Examination
By Nelson Walters – 06/2018

Introduction
This article is really the story of two books about Daniel’s 70 Weeks Prophecy: Daniel’s 70 Weeks (2015), by William Struse, and my latest book, 70 Times 7(2018). This article is being posted both on my website, at www.thegospelintheendtimes.com, and on Struse’s website, at www.the13thenumeration.com.

When Struse’s book was first published, I believed several of his insights were quite profound — specifically, that the “decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” in Dan. 9:25 was a command of the Lord (a dabar of the Lord) and that the “Prince who is to come” in Dan. 9:26 was the Lord himself. I incorporated both insights into a rough draft of my own book and sent it to Struse for review. I sent it to eight other teacher/authors who represented the full spectrum of eschatological thought as well. The insights of these teachers — some of whom agreed with me and some of whom did not — led me to revise my draft in very significant ways.

When Struse read what I had written in my book, we began a rather earnest email dialog, because it was clear that I no longer supported his position and had, in fact, come to believe in my own very different principles for the Daniel prophecy. Still, we found that as brothers in the Lord, we were able to share our differences and advance our common understanding of this important prophecy. It’s that discussion that led to this article and to the posting of the article on both websites.

With that background, I’d now like to “pull back the curtain” Continue reading →

Seven, 70, & Sevens: Daniel 9 & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism

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Did you know that the Bible tells us that someday all mankind will offer an oath of seven to YHWH, the living God of the Bible? This week we’ll learn about this oath, a covenant made with Abraham, the prophecy of 70 “Weeks”, and how all share a common thread in the Bible’s messianic symbolism.

In the past several articles we’ve explored the amazing influence the law of Moses has had on Bible prophecy in general and the Bible’s messianic symbolism in particular. We can say with the Apostle Paul that indeed the “law” is a shadow of good things to come.

If you haven’t read the other articles in this series I’d encourage you to do so. They provide important context for the thrilling information I’m going to share in today’s blog post.

Bible Prophecy and the Law of Moses
Part I – The Bible’s Holy Days: Pictures of the Messiah
Part II (a) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part II (b) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part III – Seven, 70, & Sevens: Daniel 9 & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism

At the heart of the Bible’s messianic symbolism, that is entwined into the law of Moses, are what I’ve termed in these articles, the Messiah Factors. The Messiah Factors are the numbers 7, 13 & 14, and they are part of the Bible’s messianic symbolism that points us to Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind through Yeshua (Yahweh’s Salvation). These numerical symbols exemplify divine perfection, the messiah, atonement, and redemption.

As amazing as this exploration has been so far, I now want to show you another reason these numbers were chosen by Yahweh to represent His Yeshua (salvation) to mankind and why Continue reading →

The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence for Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan – Part II (b)

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Last week we looked at the Messiah Factors of 7, 13 & 14 and their relationship to the Bible’s sacred festivals and a Biblical reckoning of time. Today in Part II of this fascinating exploration of the Bible Messianic symbolism we will look at the 13th Enumeration, the Root of David, the Hebrew word behind “His Anointed”, and how each of these are important parts of how Yahweh describes His redemptive plan for mankind.

The 13^th Enumeration
We’ll start today by looking at one of the most fascinating enigmas of the Bible, namely the lineage of Yeshua as presented by the apostle Matthew in the 1^st chapter of the New Testament.

For those who don’t know, it has long been understood that Matthew wrote his account of Yeshua’s life and ministry to his Jewish brethren. In other words, this gospel account uses Biblical (Jewish) idiom, symbolism, and type. So when reading this gospel account it’s important to view it through this contextual lens.

So what do we find as the opening argument in Matthew’s account of Yeshua as the promised Messiah? We have a lineage of Yeshua as a son of Abraham and David. This lineage is used to establish Yeshua bona fides as a legitimate descendant of the two main Biblical heros through which the promised Messiah was prophesied to come.

Take a look at Matthew’s lineage of Yeshua. See if anything stands out to you. Once you’ve had a chance to study this ancient list of names, we’ll explore it in depth and I’ll show you some important details that will really thrill you.

The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of David, the son of Abraham…

So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generations; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations. (Matthew 1:1 & 17)

Matthew’s generational listing of Yeshua’s ancestors is unique in the Biblical record on several accounts:

First of all, it is arranged in three epics or groupings of 14 generations. In consideration of the sacrificial symbolism we have explored in Part I of this article it should come as no surprise that Matthew would emphasis the number 14 in relationship to Yeshua as the promised Messiah.
Second, while this list is described a grouping of three 14 person generations, in actual fact, Matthew presented only 14 + 14 +13 generations. In other words, there are only 41 names in Yeshua’s lineage instead of the 42 implied by the 3×14 generational grouping. Matthew made Yeshua the 13th generation or what I like to call the 13th Enumeration.
Third, Matthew purposely left out 4 of Yeshua’s ancestors in order to present his arrangement of Yeshua’s lineage the way he did. These omissions were chosen to emphasis some very important information Matthew was trying to convey in this list.

I want to stress here, that for Matthew to take the liberties he did with Yeshua’s lineage he had to have had a Continue reading →

Bible Prophecy and the Law of Moses

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Over the next few weeks I’m going to explore the subject of Bible prophecy and its relationship to the Bible’s holy festivals and their related sacrificial service as described in the Torah (law). Seeing the subject through this contextual lens, I believe, will give you a new appreciation for the beauty and congruency of YHWH’s redemptive plan for mankind (it has for me).

In this series, I hope to show you, there is more to the sacrificial symbolism of the Bible than most have understood and that symbolism points us to the inescapable conclusions that Yeshua (Jesus) is the Messiah promised in the Scripture.

We will start this series by looking at the significance of Yeshua’s fulfillment of the Bible’s holydays. We’ll then dig below the surface to show how these holydays and their associated sacrificial rites provide us with an amazingly congruent picture of the Messiah’s redemptive mission. Finally, in Part III will take that symbolism, shadow, and type and show why it is an integral part of Daniel’s 70 Weeks, the only prophecy in the Bible which gives a specific date for the coming of the Messiah Yeshua.

Bible Prophecy and the Law of Moses
Part I – The Bible’s Holy Days: Pictures of the Messiah
Part II (a) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part II (b) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part III – Seven, 70, & Sevens: Daniel 9 & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism

So without further introduction, here is Part I in my exploration of Bible Prophecy and the Law of Moses:

The Bible’s Holy Days: Pictures of the Messiah
Did Yeshua (Jesus) fulfill the law? This is one of the most controversial questions of the church age. Interestingly, both extremes of this discussion often point to the following words of Yeshua as evidence for their position.

Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil [pleroo]. ¹⁸ For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled. (Matthew 5:17-18)

One extreme says that Yeshua’s death and resurrection fulfilled all the law so that now the church is under a period of grace where no law applies. The other extreme of the argument says that all the law and the prophets have not yet been fulfilled, so the church is still under all 613 commandments of the law.

What if both side are looking at the subject from the wrong perspective? Continue reading →

Did the Apostle Peter Believe in the Imminence of Christ’s Return?

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Peter & Paul

This week I’d like to look at the controversial question of Christ’s “imminent” return for the church, but from a different angle than most of you might have approached the subject before.

Today many of my peers believe that this event could have taken place at any point after the death and resurrection of Yeshua and that there is no “prophesied event” that needs to take place before this “rapture” of believers transpires. Here is how two of today’s highly respected evangelical prophecy teachers see the subject:

A foundational aspect of the rapture, as taught in Scripture, is that it is imminent. By imminent we mean it could happen at any moment, and there is no prophesied event that has to take place first before the rapture can occur. It is the next event on the calendar. (Ed Hindson & Hitchcock, Can We Still Believe in the Rapture? (p. 123). Harvest House Publishers. Kindle Edition.)

Is Mr. Hindson & Mr. Hitchcock’s perspective on the subject accurate? To be fair, it’s a perspective shared by many respected expositors of the Bible.

To hopefully give you some additional insight into this question I want to look at the subject through the perspective of the apostle Peter. You know, I sometimes forget that the books of the Bible that comprise our New Testament are for the most part actually letters written by the apostles to specific members or groups of what became known as the “Christian” church. Often in my mind I lump them together as just a collection of books written to the church without considering the context and perspective of those to whom those letters or epistles were written.

Let me give you an example of why context is so important. How many of you can tell me what the words in the following picture mean?