The Bible's Most Amazing Prophecy

Let us start with book of Daniel, chapter 8, verse 14.   "For two thousand three hundred (2300) days; then the sanctuary shall be cleansed. What does that means? What event is Daniel 8:14 actually pointing forward to? Daniel was a little perplexed when he thought about this 2300 days period. There are two things in this text: 1) There is a time period mentioned. 2) And then there is an event. –a time period and an event. “Unto two thousand and three hundred days,” that is the time period. “Shall the sanctuary be cleansed,” that is the event.
In Daniel verses  8: 15 and 16 it says: while I Daniel was watching the vision and trying to understand it, there before me stood one who looked like a man. And I heard a man’s voice from the Ulai calling, “Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision.”
When does the vision of the 2300 days apply? To what period of time? According to the 8: 17th verse the answer is the time of the end. He said to me, “Understand that the vision concern the time of the end.”
The time sequence prophecies of Daniel take us from Daniel’s day down to the major epochs of time to the second coming of Jesus Christ. We are going to study the major events in this 2300 days prophecy, which is rooted in Daniel’s day but takes us down the ages of time to our day and beyond.

 A Question of time

 In verse 8: 17 and 19, it says: “understand O son of man that the vision concerns the time of the end. I am going to tell you what will happen later in the time of wraith, because the vision concerns the appointed time of the end.” Now this question: How long is 2300 literal days? About seven years. Now do seven years take us from Daniel’s time down to the time of end?  Daniel lives in the day of Babylon and Medo-Persia. Seven years from Daniel’s time does not take us down to the time of the end.
In Bible prophecy, one prophetic day equals one literal year—just as in a map an inch equals a certain number of miles. The 2300 days prophecy in reality is a 2300 years prophecy. There are three ways that we can be absolutely sure without a shadow of a doubt that these 2300 days are not literal days, but 2300 prophetic days or 2300 literal years.
(a) As we know, the 2300 days prophecy is to take us down to the time of the end and 2300 literal days do not take us down to the time of the end.
(b) The Bible gives us the day-year principle in two places, Numbers 14: 34 and Ezekiel 4:6.
(c) Each event which the 2300 years prophecy predicts occurs exactly on time using the day-year method. Did you know that as part of this 2300 year prophecy the exact year for the baptism of Christ was predicted over 400 years in advance? Did you know that the exact year, including the month and the exact day for the crucifixion was predicted over 400 years in advance? Did you know that exact year that the gospel would be taken from the Jews, the exact year that the Jews would seal their destiny as God’s chosen people was predicted over 400 years in advance?

Daniel Struggles To Understand
Let us see what happened to Daniel, Verse 8: 26-27. “The vision of the evening and mornings that has been given you is true, but seal up the vision, for it concerns the distant future.” The vision of the 2300 days would not be fulfilled in Daniel’s time; it would take us down to the time of the end. Daniel, chapter 9 begins with Daniel’s earnest prayer and the God’s answer to Daniel’s prayer came. Daniel verse 9: 21-23. While I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came and he instructed me and said to me, “Daniel I have now come to give you insight and understanding. As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed Therefore consider the message and understand the vision.” Understand what vision? Answer: The vision of the 2300 years that Daniel did not understood in chapter 8 and Chapter 9 is an explanation of  chapter 8.
Daniel 9: 24. Says, “Seventy weeks are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put and end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring the everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.” When Gabriel gave this vision to Daniel, Israel was just coming out of seventy years of captivity, which the prophet Jeremiah predicted (Jeremiah 25). God said to Daniel, “Your people are coming out of seventy years’ captivity. They were in the captivity because of their rebellion against me. I will give them seventy weeks (seventy prophetic weeks of grace), to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins.”

Seventy weeks = 490 days. God now extends 490 years of grace to Israel. Seven times the amount

of time that they were in captivity. They were to use that time to make an end of sins. They were to

 use it to bring in everlasting righteousness.

 The Beginning Point

     The beginning part of the 490 years of the 2300 years were given to the Jews. The 490 years are the

     smaller segment of the 2300 years.

                                                                          2300 years

490 years

    When do these 2300 years begin?

  Daniel 9: 25. Says, “know and understand this: from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild

  Jerusalem until the Anointed One, there will be 7 weeks and 62 weeks.Daniel was in captivity at that moment. God predicted that at the end of Jeremiah’s seventy years, Daniel’s people would come out of captivity. From the time that they came out of captivity, when the decree was passed to restore and rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, He would then give them 490 years of mercy.  Since the entire time prophecy, both of the 2300 years and the 490 years begins at the decree to restore Jerusalem.

Let us see the book of Ezra 7: 11-15. Artaxerxes, in Ezra 7, made a decree. The day of the Artaxerxes when the decree was passed that Israel actually left to Jerusalem. 

The date of the Artaxerxes decree was 457 B.C. Since we have discovered this beginning date the entire prophecy fits together like pieces in a  puzzle. It was written some 500 years before Christ, predicted the exact date for Christ’s baptism. Verse 9:25. Know and understand this: from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (457 B.C.) until the Anointed One,

 There will be 7 weeks and 62 weeks.

          7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 weeks

          69 weeks = 483 prophetic days or 483 literal years. According to the scripture, from 457 B.C. down the timeline 483 years takes us to the year 27 A.D.

What happened in the year 27 A.D.?

Turn to the book of Luke, chapter 3: 1. It says, “The fifteen year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.” The records kept by the Romans were very accurate. The fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar was 27 A.D. Now what happened in this year? Luke makes a special point to notice that it was   the fifteenth year. Why? 3: 21-22. Now when all the people baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized and praying, the heaven was opened and the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, you are my beloved son; with you I am well pleased. In 27 A.D. just as the prophecy had predicted 500 years in advance, Christ was anointed by the Holy Ghost at His baptism. Chapter 9: 25. Know and understand this: from the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, from 457 B.C. unto the Anointed One 69 weeks or 483 years; and when you figure it out, it comes out to 27 A.D., and Christ was baptized in that exact year, precisely like the prophecy predicted. (Also read Mark 1: 9-1) Now look at the Mark 1: 15^th verse: And saying the time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent and believe the Gospel. Jesus, upon His baptism, said, “The time is fulfilled.” What time is He talking about? Remember the apostle Paul in book of Galatians said, “When the fullness of time was come, God sent forth His son.” Daniel’s prophecy was running out. The 483 years had passed. The 483 years of probationary grace had run out for the Jews. God had sent them prophet after prophet. Now as predicted, after the 483 years, God sent forth His Son. The Messiah was baptized, anointed, and God confirmed that this was His Son by speaking from heaven, thus He began His ministry of love to the chosen race. It is exciting to recognize that these prophecies were made hundreds of years in advance and fulfilled. The decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem went forth in the fall of 457 B.C. Christ was baptized in the fall of 27 A.D. but yet the prophecy contains truths that are even more amazing. Let us go back to Daniel, chapter 9: 26.

The “Cutting off” of the Messiah.

 Of the 490 years, 483 years have run out. So from 457 B.C. to 27 A.D. is 483 years. These 483 years is the part of the 490 years. So, there are 7 years then left after the 27 A.D. that were given to the Jews to make an end of their rebellion against God. Let us look at verse 26 of Daniel 9:- And after sixty-two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself. Sometime after 27 A.D. Christ the Messiah would cut off.
When would He be cut off?  If we will look in verse 9: 27, it tells us: - And He (the Messiah) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.

 What covenant is this talking about?

 Israel was coming out of the seventy years captivity and God said, “I am going to give you 490 years” that is the covenant. And God said to Israel, “If during that time you continue to rebel against Me, I am going to confirm that end that covenant, and my message is going to go from you to another people.”

From 457 B.C. to 27 A.D are 69 of the 70 prophetic weeks, or 483 years. If the 69 weeks run out in 27 A.D. we have one week left, we have the last 7 years of the 490 years left. What does it say in Daniel 9: 27:- He will confirm a covenant with many for one week. In the middle of the week, He will put an end to sacrifice and offering.  In the middle of that last week. So if we have 7 years after 27 A.D. and if we have something that will take place in the middle of that 7 years. That is half of the 7 years 3 ½ years. If we add 3 ½ years to 27 A.D we would get beyond 30 ½ or spring of 31 A.D.

What happened in 31 A.D.?

 The Crucifixion. The high priest of Israel was ready to slay the Passover lamb, and as he raised the knife to plunge the throat of the lamb, the veil in the temple split right down the middle. The priest dropped the knife out of his trembling hand. At that moment, Jesus, the sacrifice, the lamb of the God, died on the cross. The Christ was crucified in 31 A.D.

But watch something amazing. The decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem went forth in the fall of 457 B.C.; exactly 483 years from the fall of 457 B.C. take us to the fall of 27 A.D. Christ was baptized, but  3 ½ years from the fall of 27 A.D. take us to the spring of 31 A.D. The Passover ceremony took place in the spring of the year and it was exactly on the day of the Passover that Christ was crucified.

 I Corinthians 5: 7: For even Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us. Christ is the Messiah of prophecy crucified on the exact date that the prophecy of Daniel predicted over 500 years in advance. He was crucified in the middle of the last prophetic week.

 Hence there are 3 ½ years left. In the year 34 A.D. the last of the 490 years, the Jewish Sanhedrin passed their formal, official decree to renounce all responsibility in crucifying the Messiah, and culminated this decision in the stoning of Stephan. Therefore the gospel went to the gentiles.

This 490 years prophecy pinpointing the exact dates for Christ’s baptism, crucifixion and the ultimate rejection of the gospel by Jews is one of the most marvelous prophecies in the entire Bible.

 But as we have already studied, it is the smaller part of a much larger prophecy. The 490 years are cut off from the 2300 years. If the 490 years ended in 34 A.D., the remaining 1810 years takes us to 1844 A.D.

Decree             Baptism      Cross       Gospel went to the gentiles                Judgment

457BC              27AD        31AD       34AD                                              1844 AD               

|_____________|________|_________|_______________________________|

    |                     490 years                         |               1810 years                                                        

                         

  The Judgment Hour

Daniel 7: 9-13. As I looked, thrones were set in place, and the Ancient of the days took his seat. His clothing was as white as snow; the hair of his head was white like wool. His throne was flaming with fire, and its wheel was all ablaze. A river of fire was following coming out from before him. Thousands upon thousands attended him: ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him. In my vision at night I looked and there before me was one like a son of man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. The court was seated, and the books were opened. And another book was opened, which is the book of life. As surely as Christ was baptized in 27 A.D., crucified in 31 A.D. and the gospel went to the Gentiles in 34 A.D., So Christ entered upon the special work of the cleansing of the sanctuary in 1844 A.D. We are living in the special time of this earth’s history known as the judgment hour.                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                                              .