The traditional
understanding of the “seventy weeks” prophecy in Daniel
was that it foretold when Messiah would begin His ministry, and that
He was “cut off” in the “middle
of the week”
causing the Temple “sacrifice
and the oblation to cease”.
The prophetic “week” is seven years, and half of seven years is
three and one half years. Then there was a gap of close to forty
years being one “generation”
before the Temple was made “desolate”
in 70 AD; thus completely fulfilling the “seventy
weeks”
prophecy. In the 1800's the validity of the book of Daniel and all
it contained was challenged, and a new view of the “seventy
weeks”
called the pre-tribulation rapture theory began to take hold in
England and America in which the 70th
week became seven years of tribulation which believers would be
raptured from in which an “antichrist” broke a covenant after 3.5
years starting 3.5 years of great tribulation. In order to attribute
the 3.5 year period to an “antichrist” some now even challenge
Christ's 3.5 years of ministry. I provide an outline of Messiah's
3.5 year ministry given in John's gospel, which I place from Fall 29
AD to Spring 33 AD.
Overview of Seventy Weeks
The 1st of
Tishri is the “memorial of blowing” called Feast of
Trumpets and Rosh haShanah. Regnal years in the Bible are from
Tishri to Tishri, like a school year which begins in fall, but our
modern years are from January to January; hence the need to represent
biblical years as two modern years. Artaxerxes Longimanus had a
9-year coreign with his father Xerxes beginning in 475/474 BC. In
the 20th year of Artaxerxes' reign (455/454 BC), he made a
decree to rebuild Jerusalem which began the 70 Weeks clock in Daniel
9 until “Messiah the Prince”.
“Seventy
weeks
are determined on your people and on your holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation
for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal
up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know
therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem to the Messiah the
Prince shall be seven weeks, and three score and two weeks: the
street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
And after three score and two weeks shall Messiah
be cut off,
but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come
shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall
be with a flood, and to the end of the war desolations are
determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:
and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall
make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined
shall be poured on the desolate.” (Daniel 9:24-27)
Though
Nehemiah and Ezra saw Jerusalem's wall rebuilt in 52 days, I assume
that it took 7 “weeks”
(49 years) to fully restore the “streets”
and to return to business as usual by 406/405 BC. After another 62
“weeks”
(434 years) the Messiah was introduced as the “Prince”
or “Son
of God”
at His baptism when He was about 30 years old. 434 – 406 = 28, but
since there is no year zero, you must add one year to make 29 AD the
year of Christ's baptism. Evidence points to Jesus being born on the
1st
of Tishri in 3 BC. I believe Jesus was baptized on the 1st
of Elul, a month before His 31st
birthday. Jesus was 1 year old in Tishri of 2 BC when the magi began
their travels to see “he
that is born King of the Jews”
and encountered king Herod (who died in Spring of 1 BC when there was
a full lunar eclipse, not in 4 BC). Jesus was 2 in 1 BC, and He was
3 in 1 AD. 29 – 1 = 28. 28 + 3 = 31, but since Jesus was baptized
a month before His birthday, He was thirty years old; and Jesus began
His ministry of 3.5 years when He was aged 31. The first half year
of ministry was from Fall 29 AD to Spring 30 AD.
Outline of Four Passovers
1st
Passover was after the miracle of changing the Water into WINE at
Wedding in Cana.
Our Bridegroom, Jesus, was
in Jerusalem at Passover in Spring
30 AD.
“This
beginning of miracles did Jesus in Cana
of Galilee, and manifested forth his glory; and his disciples
believed on him. After this he went down to Capernaum, he, and his
mother, and his brothers, and his disciples: and they continued there
not many days. And the Jews' passover was at hand, and Jesus went up
to Jerusalem. And found in the temple those that sold oxen and sheep
and doves, and the changers of money sitting: And when he had made a
whip of small cords, he drove them all out of the temple, and the
sheep, and the oxen; and poured out the changers' money, and
overthrew the tables; And said to them that sold doves, Take these
things hence; make not my Father's house an house of merchandise. . .
. Now when he was in Jerusalem at the passover,
in the feast day, many believed in his name, when they saw the
miracles which he did. ” (John 2:11-16, 23)
In
the winter of 31 AD, Jesus spoke with the woman at the well in
Samaria, and His disciples returned and begged Him to eat.
“Jesus
said to them, My meat is to do the will of him that sent me, and to
finish his work. Say not you, There are yet four months, and then
comes harvest? behold, I say to you, Lift up your eyes, and look on
the fields; for they are white already to harvest.” (John 4:34-35)
“And
said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of your saying: for we
have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ,
the Savior of the world. 43Now
after two days he departed there, and went into Galilee. . . .
Then
when he was come into Galilee, the Galilaeans received him, having
seen all the things that he did at Jerusalem at the
feast:
for they also went to the
feast.
So Jesus
came again into Cana
of Galilee, where he made the water wine.
And there was a certain nobleman, whose son was sick at Capernaum.
When he heard that Jesus was come out of Judaea into Galilee, he went
to him, . . . Jesus said to him, Go your way; your son lives. And the
man believed the word that Jesus had spoken to him, and he went his
way. . . . So the father knew that it was at the same hour, in the
which Jesus said to him, Your son lives: and himself believed, and
his whole house. This is again the
second miracle that Jesus did, when he was come out of Judaea into
Galilee.”
(John 4:42-54 edited) [ v54 is the last in chapter 4]
“The
feast”
here refers to Messiah's first passover. The barley harvest is
celebrated after Passover during First Fruits in the month of Nisan.
The wheat harvest is celebrated two months later in Sivan. So Jesus
must have spent about six months in Judea before returning to Cana of
Galilee.
2nd
Passover after making a paralyzed man whole
“After
this there was a
feast
of
the Jews; and Jesus went up to Jerusalem. . . . And a certain man was
there, which had an infirmity thirty and eight years. . . . The weak
man answered him, Sir, I have no man, when the water is troubled, to
put me into the pool: but while I am coming, another steps down
before me. Jesus said to him, Rise, take up your bed, and walk. And
immediately the man was made whole, and took up his bed, and walked:
and on the same day was the sabbath.” (John 5:1-9 edited) [In
other manuscripts “a
feast”
is translated
“the feast” or
“passover”.]
3rd
Passover
after the miracle of feeding BREAD to over 5,000 who wanted to force
Jesus, the “Bread of Life”, to be king near the Sea of Galilee in
Spring 32 AD
“And
Jesus went up into a mountain, and there he sat with his disciples.
And the passover,
a feast of the Jews, was near. . . . There is a lad here, which has
five barley loaves, and two small fishes: but what are they among so
many? And Jesus said, Make the men sit down. Now there was much grass
in the place. So the men sat down, in number about five thousand. And
Jesus took the loaves; and when he had given thanks, he distributed
to the disciples . . . he said to his disciples, Gather up the
fragments that remain, that nothing be lost. Therefore they gathered
them together, and filled twelve baskets with the fragments of the
five barley loaves . . .When Jesus therefore perceived that they
would come and take him by force, to make him a king, he departed
again into a mountain himself alone. And when even was now come, his
disciples went down to the sea . . . and went over the sea toward
Capernaum. . . . And Jesus said to them, I am the bread of life: he
that comes to me shall never hunger; and he that believes on me shall
never thirst. . . . I am the living bread which came down from
heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the
bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of
the world. ” (John 6:3-17, 35, 51 edited)
John
7:2 is the Feast of the Tabernacles which occurs in the Fall.
John
l0:22 mentions the Feast of Dedication which is in Winter.
4th
Passover after Jesus, “the
resurrection and the life”,
called Lazarus back from the dead
in
Bethany prior to Christ's passion week in Spring 33 AD.
“Then
said Jesus to them plainly, Lazarus is dead. . . .
Then
when Jesus came, he found that he had lain in the grave four days
already. Now Bethany was near to Jerusalem, about fifteen furlongs
off: . . . Jesus said to her, I am the resurrection, and the life: he
that believes in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And
whoever lives and believes in me shall never die. Believe you this?
She said to him, Yes, Lord: I believe that you are the Christ, the
Son of God, which should come into the world. . . . Jesus said, Take
you away the stone. . . .
Then
they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And
Jesus lifted up his eyes, . . . he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus,
come forth. And he that was dead came forth, bound hand and foot with
grave clothes: and his face was bound about with a napkin. Jesus said
to them, Loose him, and let him go. . . .
Then
gathered the chief priests and the Pharisees a council, . . .
And
one of them, named Caiaphas, being the high priest that same year,
said to them, You know nothing at all, Nor consider that it is
expedient for us, that one man should die for the people, and that
the whole nation perish not. And this spoke he not of himself: but
being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for
that nation; And not for that nation only, but that also he should
gather together in one the children of God that were scattered
abroad. Then from that day forth they took counsel together for to
put him to death. Jesus therefore walked no more openly among the
Jews; but went there to a country near to the wilderness, into a city
called Ephraim, and there continued with his disciples. And the Jews'
passover was near at hand: and many went out of the country up to
Jerusalem before the passover,
to purify themselves.” (John 11:14-55 edited)
“Then
Jesus six days before the passover
came to Bethany, where Lazarus was, which had been dead, whom he
raised from the dead.” (John 12:1)
Jesus,
“the
Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world”,
died on Nisan 14th
before sunset in 33 AD. I think He is returning as the "Lion of Judah" on His birthday this year, September 16th.
