Tag Archives: Daniel 9

An Oath, the Book of Words, & Daniel 9

Authors Note:
This article will explore the profound influence the book of Deuteronomy and the story of Abraham & Isaac in Genesis 22 had on the numerical and literary framework of Daniel 9. May you be blessed (barak) by these words (dabar).

A Book of Words
In most English versions of the Bible, the 5^th book is titled Deuteronomy. The etymology of this word comes from the Greek deuteros and nomos – literally meaning the Second Law. In Hebrew, the 5^th book of the Bible is titled, Devarim (דברים) and comes from the Hebrew devar (dabar) and means “Words” or “The Words”.

Deuteronomy opens on the 1^st day of the 11^th month, of the 40^th year of Israel’s wandering. Israel is camped in the wilderness on the other side of the Jordan river in preparation for entering the Promised Land. Here at the end of the 40 years in the wilderness, with the Promised Land in sight, Moses for the last time, speaks to the children of Israel.

Deuteronomy 1:3
And it came to pass in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the first day of the month, that Moses spake (דבר dabar) unto the children of Israel, according unto all that YHWH had given him in commandment unto them;

An Oath of Sevens
In verse 8, just five verses after Moses begins to speak the “words” (dabar) of Yahweh to Israel, he provides them with the legal basis for their claim to the Promised Land. This legal claim, according to the text, originates when Yahweh sware (an oath) with Abraham which was confirmed with Isaac and Jacob.

Deuteronomy 1:8
⁸ Behold, I have set the land before you: go in and possess the land which YHWH sware [נשבע=shaba] unto your fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after them.

In Hebrew, the word shaba (sware) implies the making of an oath (shabuw’ah). As we’ll see in the text below, this oath originated in Genesis 22 when Abraham showed exceptional faith by his willingness to sacrifice his son Isaac as Yahweh instructed.

That act, taken in faith, believing that whatever the outcome, he and Isaac would return down off that mountain, was the catalyst for Yahweh’s unilateral declaration – His “shaba” with Abraham. This swearing (shaba) of an oath (shabuw’ah) in Genesis 22 was the first oath Yahweh sware with any man in the Bible. Take special note of Genesis 26:2-4 below, as it confirms that this shaba (swearing) with Abraham was in fact a shabuw’ah (oath).

Genesis 22:12-18
¹² And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. ¹³ And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son. ¹⁴ And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day, In the mount of YHWH it shall be seen.

¹⁵ And the angel of YHWH called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, ¹⁶ 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: 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;

¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

Genesis 26:2-4
² And YHWH appeared unto him [Isaac], and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall tell thee of: ³ Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath [shabuw’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;

Daniel 9 and Yahweh’s Oath with Abraham
This first oath in the Bible sworn unilaterally by Yahweh with Abraham was so important that not only did Moses use it in the opening verses of Deuteronomy as the legal basis for Israel’s claims to the Promised Land, but the prophet Daniel referenced it in his own opening words in the 9^th chapter of the book that bears his name. In Daniel chapter 9 verse 4, Daniel opens his “prayers and supplications” to Yahweh by quoting Moses in Deuteronomy 7. This passage referenecs the “covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments”.

Daniel 9:4
⁴ 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;

A careful examination of Deuteronomy 7:7-9 & 12 makes it clear that this “covenant and mercy” was the the “shaba” YHWH made with “the fathers”. These “fathers”, Moses goes on to clarify in Deu. 9:5, originated with Abraham. For further confirmation from the book of Deuteronomy see the following references: Deu. 1:8; 6:10; 9:5; 30:20; 34:4.

Deuteronomy 7:7-9, 12
⁷ YHWH did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:

⁸ But because YHWH loved you, and because he would keep the oath [shabuw’ah] which he had sworn [shaba] unto your fathers, hath YHWH brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt…

⁹ 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;…

¹² 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:

and I will perform the oath [shabuw’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;

Deuteronomy 9:5
⁵ Not for thy righteousness, or for the uprightness of thine heart, dost thou go to possess their land: but for the wickedness of these nations YHWH thy God doth drive them out from before thee, and that he may perform the word [dabar] which YHWH sware [shaba] unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

As you can see from the passages above, Daniel’s plea to Yahweh for His “covenant and mercy” was a call to remember the oath that Yahweh sware (shaba) with Abraham!

Numerical Considerations
The numerical peculiarities of this form of the word sware (shaba – (נשבע) as found in Deu. 1:8 and 7:8, 12 are worth noting. This word shaba, in context, originates from the events described in Genesis 22 as confirmed in Gen. 26:2-4 and the other references provided. This form of Shaba (swear) is used 22 times in Deuteronomy and another 22 times in the rest of the Old Testament.

A Swearing of Seven
The context is important here and requires a better understanding of the Hebrew root word shaba/sware (שבע). This word is the identical phonetic twin of the word sheba/seven (שבע). In other words, before vowel pointings were added to the Hebrew version of the Biblical text, the Hebrew spelling of both words was the same. From this duel meaning root word we get the Hebrew cognates, השבעה shabuw’ah (oath), שבעים shib’iym (seventy), שבעים shabuwa’ (Sevens). So, in other words, in Hebrew, the idea of swaring and its resulting oath is etymologically, phonetically, numerically, and symbolically related to the number seven and its related numerical derivatives.

This bit of Hebrew semantics allows us to look at the covenant Yahweh made with Abraham in Genesis 22 in a different light. That swearing with Abraham was quite literally an Oath of Sevens. This understanding brings new context to Daniel’s opening words in verse 4 where he calls to remembrance the “covenant and mercy” – that oath of Sevens Yahweh sware with Abraham.

Think about Yahweh’s answer to Daniel. The answer given to Daniel was the prophecy of Shabuwa’ Shib’iym (70 Sevens), a prophecy that was, as we have learned, the etymologic, numeric, and dare I say spiritual offspring of that ancient Oath of Sevens.

Returning to the word shaba as used in Deuteronomy, consider its numerical value. The value of this form of the word is 422. Remember this form of the word is used 22 times in Deuteronomy and 22 times in the rest of the OT. Regarding this word, it is fascinating to note that the Hebrew words for 70 & Seven (Shabuwa’ and Shib’iym) as found in Daniel 9:2, 24, and 25, not only share the same etymological roots as sheba’/shaba’ (seven/swear), but they also have the same numerical value.For those who might not be aware, in Daniel 9:24 the prophecy begins with the words שבעים שבעים (seventy sevens). In English, the words have been translated with two different meanings based upon the vowel pointings given by the Masorets. In Hebrew, the words as given are identical. The context was the original determining factor of their meaning. In the text below please keep in mind that Hebrew is read from right to left while the English version from left to right.

Daniel 9:24
שבעים שבעים נחתך על עמך ועל עירקדש לכלא

Daniel 9:24
Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city,…

With this contextual and numerical understanding of Daniel 9 and its origins in Deuteronomy and Genesis 22 in mind, I’d like to now attempt to explain to you the numerical and compositional genius of Daniel 9 and how Daniel used his divinely inspired skills to present his Jewish brethren with a literary, numerical, symbolic, and prophetic work of art that is unparalleled in recorded history.

Reconstructing Daniel 9
To give you a true sense of the compositional genius of Daniel 9 we need to start at the chronological beginning. When I say chronological beginning, I mean we need to determine the compositional order of the chapter. Thankfully Daniel provides us with that chronological fixing point. Take a look:

Daniel 9:21-23
²¹ Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. ²² And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. ²³ At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

What is helpful about this passage, if taken at face value, is that Daniel received the prophecy of 70 Sevens before he had written down a single word of what we know today as chapter 9. He was still in prayer when the prophecy was given to him. This takes on significant meaning when you realize that Daniel 9:23-27 is a distinct literary unit of 100 words and 418 letters. This is important because this passage of 100 Hebrew words is arranged around the two Hebrew words שבעה ושבעים pronounced sheba’ shabuwa’ (‘7 Sevens’ when read in Hebrew from right to left).

There are 49 words before words שבעה ושבעים and 49 words after, i.e. 49+2+49. Considering the thematic content of Daniel 9:23-27 it takes little imagination to see the intentional nature of such an arrangement.

Further evidence that this passage was an intentional numerical construction is found in the letter count of these 5 verses. There are 204 letters before the 2 words & 10 letters of שבעה ושבעים (7 sevens) and 204 letters after. It is beyond any reasonable doubt that this passage could have been coincidently arranged in this manner. This is further demonstrated when a close examination of the prophecy itself, its solution, the arrangement of the words, verse numbers, and word values are taken into consideration.

Literary and Numerical Construction Techniques of the Hebrew Bible
It has long been known that the authors of the Hebrew Bible constructed many of its passages using chiastic, acrostic, and other literary techniques to emphasize and embellish the text. Only recently though, have scholars been rediscovering that the Hebrew authors arranged certain words, passages, or ideas in a numerically structured manner so that those words, ideas, or themes of the text could be emphasized. Based upon the scribal notes of the Leningrad Codex, the oldest known complete Hebrew text of the Old Testament, the numerical structure of chapters, passages, and words in the Hebrew Bible is testified to as far back as the 1^st millennium.

The late professor Casper Labuschange, a pioneeer of Logotechnical analysis of the Hebrew text, explained the purpose of the ancient scribal efforts to count the verses, words, and letters of the Bible:

“The Masoretes and subsequent copiers of the text of the Hebrew Bible, who were responsible for handing down the text, carefully counted verses, words, and even letters of most biblical books and painstakingly located and registered their arithmetic centres. It is usually held that the purpose of this meticulous counting was to ensure that the text was transmitted correctly. However, in my opinion, it had a more specific purpose: namely to preserve the intricate, delicate numerical structures, which can be done only by recounting what has been counted earlier.”

The First 22 Verses
Clearly, Daniel 9:23-27 demonstrates an intentional numerical construction. This construction emphasized the numerical theme of the passage by centering it upon the Hebrew word שבעה ושבעים (7 sevens). This proves beyond a reasonable doubt that this was not an accidental construction.

Since this portion of the text was received before Daniel’s inspired pen composed the rest of the text of Daniel 9, that leads us to consider the possibility that the first 22 verses of Daniel 9 were also a numerical construction used as a literary device to bring special attention to the text.

A preliminary analysis of the text supports this consideration. Daniel 9 (in Hebrew), taken as a whole, is a passage of 462 words. Its verse structure is centered around 18 words of verse 15. There are 222 words before the 18 word numerical center of verse 15 and 222 words after (222 + 18 + 222). This indicates that Daniel purposely composed the first 22 verses of Daniel 9:1-22 so that when the prophecy of 70 Sevens was included in verses 23-27 its verse structure would be evenly balanced around the 18 words of verse 15. This provides compelling evidence that Daniel 9 was a single and cohesive work.

Daniel 9:15
¹⁵ And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand, and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

We already know that Daniel’s opening words in verse 4 are words quoted from Deuteronomy 7 and refer to the Oath of Sevens Yahweh sware with Abraham in Genesis 22. Remember that unilateral swearing by Yahweh with Abarham was, according to numerous references in the book of Deuteronomy, the legal basis for Israel’s claim to the Promised Land. Further a return to the Promised Land, at what Daniel understood to be the end of the prophecied 70 years desolations of Jerusalem (Dan. 9:1-2), was an important underlying theme of Daniel’s prayers and supplications made in the first 22 verses of Daniel 9.

Consider this. In Genesis 22:15 Yahweh swears (shaba) a Oath of Sevens with Abraham. This the text further describes as an irrevocable “blessing” that included (in part) a promise that through Abraham’s “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed.

The word “bless” in Hebrew is barak. In some cases, this Hebrew word is also translated kneel (bow a knee), and may originate in the sense of kneeling to receive a blessing.

The first occurrence of the root form of barak (bless) is found in Genesis 22:17. This occurrence is right at the heart of the promised blessings made in Yahweh’s Oath of Sevens with Abraham. Blessings that not only included a permanent land grand to the Promised Land, but more importantly those blessings include a promise that through Abraham’s “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed. Intriguingly, the root form of the word barak (bless) first used in Genesis 22:17 has a numerical value of 222.

So what do you think? Did Daniel just get lucky with a numerical verse structure of 222 + 18 + 222 for chapter 9? Or did Daniel purposely design the first 22 verses of chapter 9 so that when the prophecy of 70 Sevens was included it would highlight the promised blessings of Genesis 22 which he had in mind when he opened his pleadings to Yahweh in Daniel 9:4?

Genesis 22:15-17
⁵ And the angel of YHWH called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, ¹⁶ 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:

¹⁷ That in blessing [barak] I will bless [barak = 222] 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;

¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed [barak]; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

222 / dabar: Before & After
It might also interest you to note, that the Hebrew word value of 222 is found three times in Daniel 9. The first occurrence is found in Daniel 9:12 which is the first half of the 222 words structure (222 + 18 + 222). Here the word is translate “his words” and comes from the Hebrew root word dabar (דבר) which means word, speech, speak, utterance, matter, thing. In Daniel 9:12 the root dabar (דבר) preceeds its suffix (דבריו).

^KJVDaniel 9:12 And he hath confirmed his words [דבריו], which he spake [דבר] 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.

The third occurrence of 222 in Daniel 9 comes 10 verses later in verse 22. Verse 22 falls in the 2^nd half of the 222 word structure of Daniel 9 (222 + 18 + 222). Here the word dabar is translated as talked or spoke. This time the root dabar is preceed by (וי) (וידבר). Another way to look at this is that in the first half of Daniel 9 dabar precedes its suffix. In the last half of Daniel 9, dabar follows its prefix.
((דבריו) 222 + 18 + 222 )(וידבר)).

See the chart on the above left for a more visual explanation.

Daniel 9:22
And he informed me, and talked [וידבר] with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding.

The 2^nd occurrence of the 222 word value is found in Daniel 9:13. Here a form of the Hebrew word avon (iniquities) is used. For what is it worth, the only other occurrence of this form of avon is found in Ezra 9:13.

Jacob and 222
I’ve mentioned in past articles that 13 & 14 are often used in the Old and New Testament to represent Yahweh’s redemptive plan through Yeshua (Jesus) the promised “seed”. I believe I’ve also mentioned that the Hebrew word Jacob has a numerical value of 182 or 13×14 and as such, his name appears to have messianic symbolism.

With this in mind, it is worth noting what many consider a messianic prophecy in Numbers 24. Here Baalam prophecies that a star shall come “out of Jacob” and a scepter rise out of Israel. In this passage the 13^th Hebrew letter mem precedes the name Jacob. This additional letter gives his name a numerical value of 222.

Numbers 24:17-19
¹⁷ I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there shall come a Star out of Jacob [מיעקב = 222], and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth. ¹⁸ And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. ¹⁹ Out of Jacob [מיעקב = 222] shall come he that shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city.

Isaiah 65:9
⁹ And I will bring forth a seed out of Jacob [מיעקב = 222], and out of Judah an inheritor of my mountains: and mine elect shall inherit it, and my servants shall dwell there.

Genesis 28:13-16
¹³ And, behold, YHWH stood above it, and said, I am YHWH God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac: the land whereon thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; ¹⁴ And thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south: and in thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.

¹⁵ And, behold, I am with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that which I have spoken to thee of. ¹⁶ And Jacob awaked out of his sleep, and he said, Surely YHWH is in this place; and I knew it not.

The Mighty Hand of Yahweh
For the Biblical sleuths out there, can you tell me where the words “mighty hand” (ביד חזקה) are first used in the Bible to describe Yahweh’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt? How about the last occurrence of this phrase?

If you said Exodus 13, you are correct. Moses, when instructing Israel to keep the feast of Unleavened Bread, told them that when their sons asks why they keep the feasts they were to tell them this feast was related to Yahweh’s “mighty hand” that delivered them from Egyptian bondage.

Exodus 13:8-11
⁸ And thou shalt shew thy son in that day, saying, This is done because of that which YHWH did unto me when I came forth out of Egypt. ⁹ And it shall be for a sign unto thee upon thine hand, and for a memorial between thine eyes, that YHWH’S law may be in thy mouth: for with a strong hand [ביד חזקה] hath YHWH brought thee out of Egypt.

¹⁰ Thou shalt therefore keep this ordinance in his season from year to year. ¹¹ And it shall be when YHWH shall bring thee into the land of the Canaanites, as he sware [נשבע=shaba] unto thee and to thy fathers, and shall give it thee,…

Before continuing with this theme of the “mighty hand” of Yahweh, its worth noting here that Exodus 13:10 connects Israel’s return to the Promised Land with an oath the Yahweh “sware unto thee and to thy fathers”. Once you’ve noticed the significance of Yahweh’s swearing (shaba) with the fathers (beginning with Abraham) you’ll begin to see it mentioned throughout the OT.

Let’s drill down on the Hebrew phrase ביד חזקה (mighty hand) of Yahweh. Anyone care to guess which book of the Bible most often uses this phrase to describe the Exodus events? If you answered, The Book of Words or Deuteronomy, then you are correct. In fact, this phrase is used five times to describe Yahweh’s deliverance of Israel from Egypt. Here take a look:

In the following passage, the“mighty hand” of Yahweh is used in connection with the fourth commandment.

Deuteronomy 5:15
And remember that thou wast a servant in the land of Egypt, and that YHWH thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand [ביד חזקה] and by a stretched out arm: therefore YHWH thy God commanded thee to keep the sabbath day.

Here it is used in connection with reminding your son about the Exodus.

Deuteronomy 6:21
Then thou shalt say unto thy son, We were Pharaoh’s bondmen in Egypt; and YHWH brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand [ביד חזקה] :

Here it is used in connection with Israel’s cries of affliction and Yahweh’s answer to their prayers.

Deuteronomy 26:7-8
⁷ And when we cried unto YHWH God of our fathers, YHWH heard our voice, and looked on our affliction, and our labour, and our oppression: ⁸ And YHWH brought us forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand [ביד חזקה] , and with an outstretched arm, and with great terribleness, and with signs, and with wonders:

Here it is in connection with Moses’ pleadings with Yahweh not to destroy Israel and to remember His servants, “Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob”.

Deuteronomy 9:26-29
²⁶ I prayed therefore unto YHWH, and said, O Lord YHWH, destroy not thy people and thine inheritance, which thou hast redeemed through thy greatness, which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand [ביד חזקה] . ²⁷Remember thy servants, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; look not unto the stubbornness of this people, nor to their wickedness, nor to their sin:

²⁸ Lest the land whence thou broughtest us out say, Because YHWH was not able to bring them into the land which he promised them, and because he hated them, he hath brought them out to slay them in the wilderness. ²⁹ Yet they are thy people and thine inheritance, which thou broughtest out by thy mighty power and by thy stretched out arm.

Finally, here the phrase is used in connection with Moses explaining to Israel the real reasons that Yahweh delivered Israel from Egypt. Further, this is the very passage that Daniel refers to in verse 4 of Chapter 9 in his opening plea for Yahweh to restore His people to the Promised Land.

Deuteronomy 7:7-9
⁷YHWH did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: ⁸ But because YHWH loved you, and because he would keep the oath [shabuw’ah] which he had sworn [shaba’] unto your fathers, hath YHWH brought you out with a mighty hand [ביד חזקה] , and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt.

⁹ 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;

A variation on the “mighty hand” of Yahweh is used an additional 5 times in the book of Deuteronomy.

If you look at every instance of this theme in the book of Deuteronomy you get the sense that the “mighty hand” of Yahweh was employed on behand of Israel when they cried out to Him, when others pleaded on their behalf, when Yahweh was keeping His word or oath to others, and when He worked His sovereign will.

In consideration of how important this theme is to the book of Deuteronomy, the Oath of Sevens, and Israel’s return to the Promised Land, it is rather significant that the final occurrence of the “mighty hand” of Yahweh is found in Daniel 9:15, right in the numerical center of a passage pleading for Israel’s return. These pleadings are followed with a Divine prophetic answer we know as the prophecy of 70 Sevens. Daniel makes the “mighty hand” of Yahweh and the deliverance it provides, the numerical focal point of Chapter 9. Daniel further juxtaposes this deliverance with an unqualified admission of their collective guilt before Him.

Daniel 9:15
And now, O Lord our God, that hast brought thy people forth out of the land of Egypt with a mighty hand [ביד חזקה] , and hast gotten thee renown, as at this day; we have sinned, we have done wickedly.

The Sevens of Daniel 9
Acknowledging the fact that Daniel 9 and the prophecy of 70 Sevens is a prophecy in answer to Daniel’s prayers and supplication concerning the “covenant and mercy” of Yahweh – that ancient Oath of Sevens given by Yahweh to Abraham, it should not come as a surprise that the number 7 might also be an important numerical feature of the 22 verses Daniel composed to highlight this important prophecy. A composition, I might add, that I believe accurately reflected his inspired thoughts, prayers, & supplications up to the point when he received the 70 Sevens prophecy.

If we take the 100 words of the prophecy of 70 Sevens found in verses 23-27 and the 18 words of verse 15 at the numerical center of Daniel 9, we are then left with just 21 verses in chapter 9. These 21 verses include the 7 verses of Daniel 9:16-22 and the 14 verses of Daniel 9:1-14. Structurally, this means we can ascertain three 7 verse groups remaining in Daniel 9. These 7 verse contain 344 words. (Interestingly 344 is 7x7x7 + 1)

They can be arranged as indicated in the chart on the left. Here is why I believe this also was an intentional arrangement.

The Numerical Value of Yahweh’s Name
A careful exploration of the numerical compositional features of the Hebrew text of the Bible reveals that great emphasis was often put on the numerical value (or a factor of said value) of Yahweh’s proper name. In Hebrew each letter has a numerical value. Using the most common method of calculating the proper name of Yahweh’s gives a value of 26. Because 26 has as its factors 2 & 13, the number 13 (the 6^th prime) or multiple of 13 is often used to represent Yahweh’s name in the text. Interestingly, Lord (Adoni) and God (Elohyim), additional titles often used to represent Yahweh in the Hebrew text, also are multiples of 13.

Another, though less widely known, way of calculating the numerical value of Yaweh’s name was to use only whole numbers which gave a value of 17 (the 7^th prime number).

Numerically Woven into the Text
The numerical value of Yahweh’s name was showcased in the Hebrew text in several ways. One of the most common was to place the name at strategic locations in the text based upon the word or letter count of the verse. Another way was to arranged the structure of the passage to equal a multiple of the value of the name. In this way Yahweh’s power or presence could be represented in the text bringing additional underlying authority to the text. In some cases, it may have been used simply as an artistic embellishment. In either case, numerically weaving the name of Yahweh into the text was another way to honor the holy name of Yahweh. In the 9^th chapter of Daniel both compositional techniques described above are used.

Did you know that in the book of Daniel the proper name of Yahweh is only found in chapter 9? It is used 8 times. Of those 8 occurrences, all of them are found in one of the 7 verse groupings. The first occurrence of Yahweh’s name is the 13^th word of verse 2.

Note:(13 is a prime factor of the value of Yahweh’s name which is equal to 26 or 13×2)

The last occurrence of Yahweh’s proper name is the 13^th word of verse 20. The 4^th occurrence of Yahweh’s name is the 130^th word of Daniel 9. The 6^th and 7^th occurrence are the 206^th& 213^th words of chapter 9.

For those interested, the root form of the Hebrew word “dabar” (word) is used 4 times in Daniel 9. It’s numerical value is 206. The first occurrence is found in verse 2 along with the first occurrence of Yahweh’s name. In this verse it references the “word of YHWH” concerning the 70 years spoken of by Jeremiah. Take a look:

Daniel 9:2
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 seventy [shabuw’ah = 422] years in the desolations of Jerusalem.

Finally, running through the 13^th and 14^th verses of chapter 9 is a unique 15-word pattern where Yahweh’s name is used three times separated by 6 words each time for: Yahweh + 6 + Yahweh + 6 + Yahweh. Here Yahweh’s name is every 7^th word and there are 13 words between the first and last occurrence of His name in this pattern. In chapter 9 Yahweh is refered to by the titles Lord, and God 24 times. The occurrences are as follows:

10 – Lord / Adonay
1 – God / El
13 – God / Elohiym
8 – Yahweh

The Numerical Centers of the Sevens
The numerical genius of the first 22 verses of Daniel 9 shines through in another intriguing way. It has to do with the numerical structure of the 7 verse groupings. By the structure of verses 23-27 (49+2+49) and the overall structure of chapter 9 (222+18+222), it is apparent that Daniel understood the finer points of organizing Hebrew passages into equal halves around a numerical center in order to draw the readers attention to specific themes in the text. Daniel uses this numerical structuring technique when writing the 7 verse groups as well.

The 1^st Group of Seven
The first 7 verses of Daniel 9 are 109 words. The meaningful numerical center of this passage is the 13 words that begin Daniel’s prayer and supplications to Yahweh. These are the first words spoken by Daniel in chapter 9. There are 48 words before these 13 words and 48 words after (48 + 13 + 48).

Please forgive me but this bears repeating. The 13 word numerical center of the first 7 verses of Daniel 9, refers by way of Deuteronomy 7, to Yahweh’s Oath of Sevens made with Abraham in Genesis 22. How is that for divinely inspiration numerical genius!

Daniel 9:4
“… 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;”

Deuteronomy 7:7-9, 12
⁷ YHWH did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people:

⁸ But because YHWH loved you, and because he would keep the oath [shabuw’ah]which he had sworn [shaba] unto your fathers, hath YHWH brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt…

⁹ Know therefore that YHWH thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepethcovenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandmentsto a thousand generations;

Genesis 22:15-17
¹⁵ And the angel of YHWH called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, ¹⁶ 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:

¹⁷ That in blessing [barak] I will bless [barak= 222] 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;

¹⁸And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed [barak]; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

1 Chronicles 16:15-18
¹⁵ Be ye mindful always of his covenant; the word [dabar] which he commanded to a thousand generations; ¹⁶Even of the covenant which he made with Abraham, and of his oath [shabuwa’] unto Isaac; ¹⁷ And hath confirmed the same to Jacob for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant, ¹⁸ Saying, Unto thee will I give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance;

The 2^nd Group of Seven
The seven verses of Daniel 9:8-14 build upon Daniel’s admission of their collective guilt as a people. There are 113 words in these seven verses. 50 words before the 13 words of its numerical center and 50 after (50 + 13 + 50). The passage climaxes with the acknowledgment that they deserve the curse written by Moses. In the following passage the 13 word numerical center is bracketed in arrows:

Daniel 9:11-13
¹¹ Yea, all Israel have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is written in the law of Moses the servant of God,..

>>>because we have sinned against him. ¹² And he hath confirmed his words, 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. ¹³ As it is written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we not our prayer before YHWH our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth.

To get the fullest sense of what Daniel is saying in the passage above it is helpful to read all seven verses. Once you’ve done that take a look at the following passage where you get a sense that Daniel is again drawing from the words of Moses in Deuteronomy when talking about the curse upon Israel, if they do not obey Yahweh’s laws.

Did you know that Jewish tradition believed that Moses received the law on the 50^th day after the exodus? Indeed a case can be made from the Hebrew chronology of the Old Testament that this is the case. Interesting that this group of seven verses highlights the “law of Moses” and its numerical structure of 50 +13 + 50 seems to support this association.

This is especially relevant given Deuteronomy 30:1-5 where it says if Israel returns unto Yahweh (and His laws) He will lift the curse and bring them back to the Promised Land from wherever they are scattered in the world. Again, a return to the Promised Land is an underlying theme of Daniel 9:1-22 and Daniel pleading for this return is best seen within the context of Deuteronomy and the promised blessings of Genesis 22.

Deuteronomy 11:26-28
²⁶ Behold, I set before you this day a blessing and a curse; ²⁷ A blessing, if ye obey the commandments of YHWH your God, which I command you this day: ²⁸ And a curse, if ye will not obey the commandments of YHWH your God, but turn aside out of the way which I command you this day, to go after other gods, which ye have not known.

Deuteronomy 30:1-5 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt call them to mind among all the nations, whither YHWH thy God hath driven thee, ² And shalt return unto YHWH thy God, and shalt obey his voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thine heart, and with all thy soul; ³ That then YHWH thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither YHWH thy God hath scattered thee.

⁴ If any of thine be driven out unto the outmost parts of heaven, from thence will YHWH thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee: ⁵ And YHWH thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers.

The 3^ndGroup of Seven
The final group of seven verses in Daniel 9:16-22 is 122 words and reaches a broken climactic conclusion with the admission of Israel’s collective guilt and a thrice-repeated plea for Yahweh to act. The meaningful numerical center of this passage is 26 words. There are 48 words before this numerical center and 48 after (48 + 26 + 48).

That Daniel purposely chose this number to highlight the personal name of Yahweh and its value of 26, is indicated by the reference to “thy name” which bookends the 26 word numerical center of this passage. Here is the passage with the numerical center bracketed in arrows. Note that just as the numerical center of the first 7 verses of Daniel 9 began Daniel’s plea to Yahweh, the numerical center of this final group of 7 verses appropriately ends Daniel’s words in Chapter 9. Take a look:

Daniel 9:18-19
¹⁸ O my God, incline thine ear, and hear; open thine eyes, and behold our desolations, and the city which is called by thy name:

>>>…for we do not present our supplications before thee for our righteousnesses, but for thy great mercies. ¹⁹ O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name.<<<

70 Sevens and the Blessing of the Oath of Sevens
How do I summarize something as important and beautiful as the 9^th chapter of Daniel? I, frankly, feel inadequate to walk on such holy ground. But if I tried to make this subject as simple as possible I would hope this is not too far from the mark.

Daniel 9 is a prayer by a man of faith, to his faithful Creator. It is a prayer of a contrite sinner to a just and righteous God. It is the prayer, a pleading on behalf of himself and his people for Yahweh to remember an unbreakable oath sworn with their father Abraham. A Oath of Sevens and its blessings, that by way of Deuteronomy and the words of Moses, Daniel painfully explains to his readers why they as a people are totally unworthy to receive.

Nevertheless, by faith in the irrevocable word (dabar) of Yahweh, Daniel pleads for mercy, and for the “mighty hand” of Yahweh to act on their behalf. Just a Yahweh delivered Israel from the hand of Pharaoh, Daniel now pleads for Israel’s deliverance from the 70 years of Babylonian captivity prophesied by Yahweh through Jeremiah.

And once again Yahweh, in response to a man of faith, sets His mighty hand in motion. In answer to Daniel’s prayer regarding the Oath of Seven’s and the related blessings (barak) promised to Abraham, Yahweh sends though the angel Gabriel a prophecy of 70 Sevens. A prophecy that tells when a promised “anointed prince” would “finish the transgression, make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy”.

Daniel after receiving this gift of assurance in Israel’s coming redemption and restoration goes on to write this prophecy down in a manner which ensured that his readers would someday understand the significance of these important prophetic words. By framing the entire chapter 9 as 222 + 18 + 222 words including the 100 words verses 23-27, Daniel ensured that his readers would someday understand that the 22 verses that introduce the prophecy of 70 Sevens, were, by way of Deuteronomy 7, an acknowledgment that their return to the Promised Land would only be accomplished by the righteousness of Yahweh in keeping the Oath of Sevens that He sware with Abraham in Genesis 22. An oath that promised in part, that through Abraham’s “seed” all nations of the world would be blessed (barak = 222).

Maybe in the most inadequate and abbreviated way, one might say that Daniel 9 was Daniel’s inspired testimony to his brethern that the promised blessings (barak = 222) of Genesis 22:17-18 would be realized by the “mighty hand” of Yahweh and the redemptive work of His “anointed prince” described in the prophecy of 70 Sevens.

In closing I leave you with the words of Peter, Zacharias (father of John), and the apostle Paul, which confirm that Yeshua of Nazareth was the “anointed prince” of the 70 Sevens – that promised “seed” of Abraham through whom all nations of the earth would be blessed (barak):

Acts 3:25-26
²⁵ 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. ²⁶ Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless [barak = 222] you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities.

Luke 1:67-75
⁶⁷ And his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Ghost, and prophesied, saying, ⁶⁸ Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, ⁶⁹ And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David; ⁷⁰ As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: ⁷¹ That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; ⁷² To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; ⁷³ The oath [shabuw’ah’] which he sware [shaba’] to our father Abraham, ⁷⁴ That he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies might serve him without fear, ⁷⁵ In holiness and righteousness before him, all the days of our life.

Galatians 3:16-19
¹⁶ 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.¹⁷ 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. ¹⁸ For if the inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham by promise. ¹⁹ Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.

Darius & Artaxerxes: The Context of the Word to Restore & Build Jerusalem

Associates for Biblical Research Respond to the Artaxerxes Assumption

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Over the past year I’ve had the privilege of corresponding with Rick Lanser of the well respected Christian apologetics ministry – Associates for Biblical Research (ABR). Through their Biblical research and archaeological endeavors, ABR is an organization at the forefront of Biblical apologetics. Besides their great website they are the authors of the respected periodical Bible and Spade magazine.

Mr. Lanser is the Executive Editor of Bible and Spade magazine and author of numerous articles at their very informative website: http://www.biblearchaeology.org/

Last year I was intrigued by an ongoing research project by Mr. Lanser entitled, The Daniel 9:24-27 Project: The Framework for Messianic Chronology. As regular readers of this blog know, I am passionately interested in the 70 Sevens prophecy so naturally I was drawn to Mr. Lanser’s articles. As part of his research project, on a monthly basis all last year Mr. Lanser laid the chronological foundation for the life of Yeshua. In my opinion he did a fantastic job in showing why 30 AD is the most reasonable date for the death and resurrection of Yeshua.

Several times last year I wrote to Mr. Lanser offering comments and some constructive criticisms on this effort and he was gracious and thorough in his responses. We had a very nice and cordial conversation on several topics related to this subject.

At some point Mr. Lanser unbeknownst to me ran across articles on my website related to 2^nd Temple chronology, Ezra, Nehemiah, and their chronological relationship to Persian kings “Artaxerxes”. This past week Mr. Lanser wrote to me letting me know that these article really challenged him to dig into the subject and while he respected my research related to the 2 temple era he was publishing a critical article about it on the ABR website. His article is entitled: The Seraiah Assumption and the Decree of Daniel 9:25

I’ve read Mr. Lanser’s article and it is a very in-depth, yet critical exploration of my premise that the most reasonable reading of the Bible’s 2^nd temple era chronology places Ezra and Nehemiah as contemporaries of Darius ‘the great’ Artaxerxes. As many of you who regularly read this blog know, Ezra and Nehemiah and their chronological relationship to the Persian era, is the bedrock upon which Daniel 9 and the prophecy of 70 Sevens rests. Mr. Lanser, like few other scholars today, understands just how important this chronology is to our view of Daniel 9 and the 70 Sevens as well as so many other related chronological and eschatological subjects.

While I would have preferred a more agreeable view of my writings on the 2^nd temple era chronology, I am frankly thrilled that someone of Mr. Lanser’s knowledge and standing was willing to take a serious look at this most important subject. Like most of my critics Mr. Lanser has challenged me to look at the subject from another perspective and caused me to dig deeper into this wonderful subject than I’ve heretofore done. Just as importantly though, is the fact that Mr. Lanser has done all of us a great favor by bringing this often neglected subject out into the open where it can be discussed and better understood by the body of Christ.

For this I am and will be indebted to Mr. Lanser.

My hope is that those of you reading theses words will honor Mr. Lanser’s effort by carefully reading his explanations and criticisms of my work. Frankly, if you’ve ever read, preached, or talked to someone about Daniel 9 and the 70 Sevens prophecy then this is no less than your Berean’s duty. It’s just good stewardship.

Over the coming weeks I will be responding to the pertinent points of Mr. Lanser’s criticism in an effort to further clarify and refine my perspective on this very important subject. After reading Mr. Lanser’s article I believe there are several critical points of chronology and textual interpretation where he has made some serious errors and I will be addressing them in the same respectful but direct manner that he has shown in his article The Seraiah Assumption.

For ease of reading and hopefully clarity I won’t be responding to all of the points raised in Mr. Lanser’s article at one time. Instead, Yahweh willing, I will be responding to the important points of his articles one at a time over the coming weeks. In each article I hope to break the subject down into building blocks which stand alone in their own right, each of which we can then use to build a more thorough and contextual understanding of this very important subject.

The Persian Chronology of Ezra 4
To start with my first article will look at Mr. Lanser’s interpretation of Ezra 4 and its foundational context for understanding the Persian era and its relationship to Ezra’s and Nehemiah’s place in it. It is here that I believe Mr. Lanser makes a critical interpretational error which charts his exploration of the subject on an erroneous course. Out of respect for Mr. Lanser I’ve invited him to respond to these articles if he thinks it necessary to bring further clarity to his position and the subject in general.

I’d also like to hear your thoughts on this subject as we explore it over the coming weeks. Please keep you comments edifying. As I’ve stated in the past I will not tolerate any personal insults or innuendo at this blog. You are welcome to disagree or be critical of my or anyone’s interpretation but if you’d like your comments posted please keep them edifying and related to the subject at hand.

In the mean time I hope you’ll read Mr. Lanser’s article here: The Seraiah Assumption and the Decree of Daniel 9:25

Finally, it is my hope that this investigation will ultimately strengthen your faith in the Bible as an accurate testimony of past, present, and future history as it relates to Yahweh’s wonderful redemptive plan for mankind.

I look forward to exploring this subject with you over the coming weeks,

Maranatha!

Articles related to this series:
The Seraiah Assumption by Rick Lanser of Associates for Biblical Research
The Seraiah Assumption: Wrapping up Loose Ends by Rick Lanser

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

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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:

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

Book I - Description

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

Click for Free Download

Book 2

Book 2 - Description

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

Click for Free Download

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."

Click for Free Download

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!

Book 1

Book I - Description

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

Click for Free Download

Book 2

Book 2 - Description

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

Click for Free Download

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."

Click for Free Download

Sir Isaac Newton, Daniel 9, & the Rabbinic Forgeries Hypothesis

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 →

7 Weeks until the Messiah

The Flood, the Exodus, and the Coming Messiah

Noah Offering Sacrifices

In my last blog post, Finding Halloween in the Graveyard of Biblial Hisotry, we looked at the fascinating history of Halloween and the flood of Noah. Today I want to share with you how those events are related to Israel’s exodus from Egypt, the Biblical calendar, and the promise of the coming Messiah. Continue reading →

Sovereign For a Day

If you were the sovereign of this world for a day and you had a message for a generation 2500 years in the future, a message so important that their very lives depended upon it, how would you go about ensuring that they got the message?

Would you give this message yourself?
would the message have credible witnesses to support its authenticity?
Would the message have a clear date time stamp which could be historically verified?

I think most of us would agree, that at a minimum, the answers would be yes to the above three questions.

Now let’s take these questions one step further. If YHWH, the sovereign of this world, wanted to ensure that a future generation would know and understand, 2500 years in the future, the date He would send His son to redeem mankind, would He Continue reading →

Prophecy Hour Radio Program

This past Thursday Pastor Dan Catlin graciously invited me to talk about my books on his Prophecy Hour radio program. We talked about messianic symbolism of the 13^th Enumeration as well as the redemptive message of Daniel 9 and the Prophecy of 70 Weeks.

Here is the link for those who might be interested. Prophecy Hour Radio

I haven’t done many radio interviews but I enjoyed talking with Pastor Dan. If you appreciate the program please take a moment to share.

Next week, YHWH willing, I’ll finish our look at Daniel 9 and the “Commandment to restore and build Jerusalem” by sharing the one “commandant” most often overlooked when discussing this wonderful prophecy. Pastor Dan and I briefly discussed the subject during his radio program.

I hope you enjoy the adventure!

Book 1

Book I - Description

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

Click for Free Download

Book 2

Book 2 - Description

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

Click for Free Download

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."

Click for Free Download