Daniel 9:27 – The End to Sacrifice

Guest post by Truth:

“He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the midst of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.”

Daniel 9:27

In this article, two scripturally independent pathways are shown to lead to the same date for the “end to sacrifice” in Daniel 9:27. Timelines are detailed in the prophecy spreadsheet v4.2.24 that accompanies this article. That spreadsheet may be downloaded HERE.

<Edited by Justsheep on 11/30/2012 to add new comments/content from Truth>

New spreadsheet version here. Prophecy_v4.3.1

With the following assumptions:

1) Sacrifice starts on September 4, 2013.

2) There is a future ‘seven’ to come.
3) The stopping of the sacrifice and the Abomination of Desolation occur together on April 26, 2016.
4) The ENPI is set aside from consideration.

<end 11/30/2012 edit>

(For those of you who have downloaded previous versions of my prophecy spreadsheet, you will find new content in cells J11, J15, T5, T20, Y22, P40, R40, T40, S44 through S48, T51, U51, and V51.)

Disclaimer: I am not a prophet. I have not been given that divine calling and I do not claim that office. I could be wrong. This article is presented for your consideration and your comments. I strongly urge you to determine for yourself the validity of the assumptions and conclusions presented below.

PATHWAY 1

In previous articles posted here I have relied on the start and end dates (January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2013) of the European Neighbourhood and Partnership Instrument (ENPI) to establish a date for the “end to sacrifice.”

11 It set itself up to be as great as the commander of the army of the Lord; it took away the daily sacrifice from the Lord, and his sanctuary was thrown down. 12 Because of rebellion, the Lord’s people and the daily sacrifice were given over to it. It prospered in everything it did, and truth was thrown to the ground.

13 Then I heard a holy one speaking, and another holy one said to him, “How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled—the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and the trampling underfoot of the Lord’s people?”

14 He said to me, “It will take 2,300 evenings and mornings; then the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.”

Daniel 8:11-14

Daniel 9:27 provides us with the start of the 2,300 days.  The start occurs “in the midst of the ‘seven.'” I believe that the ‘seven’ are the seven years of the ENPI.

Daniel 8:11-14 provides us with the end of the 2,300 days. The end occurs when “the sanctuary will be reconsecrated.” I believe that the words “the sanctuary will be reconsecrated” means Hanukkah.

Hanukkah, also known as the Festival of Lights, is an eight-day Jewish holiday commemorating the reconsecration of the Holy Temple (the Second Temple) in Jerusalem at the time of the Maccabean Revolt of the 2nd century B.C.

The start of the 2,300 days can be calculated by working backward from Hanukkah. For example:

August 15, 2012 is 2,300 days prior to Hanukkah 2018 (December 2, 2018)

September 4, 2013 is 2,300 days prior to Hanukkah 2019 (December 22, 2019)

August 24, 2014 is 2,300 days prior to Hanukkah 2020 (December 10, 2020)

Of these dates, only the first two fall within the start and end dates (January 1, 2007 and December 31, 2013) of the ENPI. Any Hanukkah from 2020 and forward is too far into the future to be the end date of a 2,300 day period that begins within the time span of the ENPI. They can be eliminated from further consideration.

Of the remaining two dates, August 15, 2012 is history. Even though August 15, 2012 falls within the ‘seven’ of the ENPI, it can be eliminated from further consideration because the “end to sacrifice” did not occur on that date. The “end to sacrifice” did not occur on any earlier date within the time span of the ENPI, either.

Starting with the ‘seven’ of the ENPI, the only possible date for the “end to sacrifice” is September 4, 2013.

PATHWAY 2

For this second pathway, assume that we are not aware of the ENPI, and further, that we are not aware of the ‘seven’ of Daniel 9:27. Can we arrive at a date for the “end to sacrifice” by relying on different scripture? Yes, if we take the “Seventy ‘sevens'” of Daniel 9:24 to be Sabbatical sevens.

The Seventy Sevens

A Sabbatical seven is seven periods of seven years each with each year being 360 days long.

8 “‘Count off seven sabbath years—seven times seven years—so that the seven sabbath years amount to a period of forty-nine years. 9 Then have the trumpet sounded everywhere on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement sound the trumpet throughout your land.”

Leviticus 25:8-9

Now listen to what Daniel says.

“Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.”

Daniel 9:24

1) Daniel 9:24 tells us that “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city” (the ‘sevens’ clock only runs if the people [of Yahuah] are in possession of the holy city [Jerusalem]).

2) Daniel 9:25-26 tells us that sixty-nine (69) of those ‘sevens’ were complete by the time of the first coming of the Messiah, thus leaving only one ‘seven’ left to fulfill.

69 x 7 x 7 years x 360 days/year = 1217160 days. 1217160 days divided by 365.25 days/year = 3332.4 years. This correlates closely with historical and archeological evidence of the age of Jerusalem. Finds of pottery vessels in tombs to the south of the present walls of the Old City indicate that the site was first settled around 3,500 B.C. If we add another 70 years to account for the Babylonian captivity (when the people were not in the holy city), we get to approximately 3,400 B.C. I think that it we can agree that 3,400 B.C. is “around 3,500 B.C.”

3) I believe that the last ‘seven’ of Daniel 9:24 began on June 7, 1967 when Moshe Dyan and his troops parachuted into Jerusalem and took control of it.

4) The last ‘seven’ of Daniel 9:24 cannot have already have been fulfilled historically. If they were, then the ‘seven’ that began on June 7, 1967 would be the seventy-first  ‘seven.’  That would contradict scripture, so an historical fulfillment of the last ‘seven’ can be ruled out.

5) It cannot be shorter. If the last ‘seven’ of Daniel 9:24 were ‘seven years’ it would have been fulfilled by June, 1974; any time of Israeli control over all of Jerusalem beyond then would contradict scripture. Daniel 9:24 says “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed…,” not more, not fewer. Therefore the ‘seven’ of Daniel 9:24 is NOT seven years.

6) It cannot be longer. If the ‘sevens’ of Daniel 9:24 were longer than Sabbatical sevens, that would contradict the historical and archeological evidence concerning the age of Jerusalem.

7) Daniel 9:24 states that “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city…” The difference between June 7, 1967 and September 23, 2015 is exactly 7 x 7 years x 360 days/year = 17,640 days. The holy city of Jerusalem was captured (gained) on June 7, 1967. September 23, 2015 is a Yom Kippur, also known as The Day of Atonement.

Do you remember the “to atone for wickedness” in Daniel 9:24 and the reference to the Day of Atonement in Leviticus 25:8-9? I believe that it is by Yahuah’s design that the Sabbatical seven that began on June 7, 1967 ends on September 23, 2015, the Day of Atonement.

In my opinion, the last ‘seven’ of Daniel 9:24 began on June 7, 1967 and will be complete on September 23, 2015. Jerusalem will be captured (lost) on September 23, 2015. The Israelis will have sovereignty over Jerusalem until then; not a day fewer, not a day more.

So, what happens next?

The Gentiles Trample Down Jerusalem

But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles. They will trample on the holy city for 42 months.

Revelation 11:2

The 42 months of Revelation 11:2 cannot begin until the last ‘seven’ of Daniel 9:24 are complete. They begin at the end of the last Sabbatical seven of Daniel 9:24 (September 23, 2015) and end 42 months later (March 6, 2019). [September 23, 2015 + 42 months x 30 days/month = March 6, 2019.]

When those 42 months end, the holy city will be taken away from the Gentiles. It will not, however, be returned to the people of Yahuah. According to Daniel 9:24, their time of possession of the holy city will have ended on September 23, 2015.

On March 6, 2019, the holy city will not be in the hands of the Gentiles, nor will it be in the hands of the people of Yahuah. So, who takes over the holy city? There is only one possibility.

The Day of YHWH

Yahuah will take possession of the holy city. That event will happen during the Day of YHWH. In other words, March 6, 2019 is a day that is within the Day of YHWH.

So, how long is the Day of YHWH? What is its earliest possible start date, its latest possible end date, and what can be determined from knowing these dates?

Isaiah tells us that the Day of YHWH is [“…a year of retribution…” (Ref. Isaiah 34:8) or “…the year of my redemption…” (Ref. Isaiah 63:4)].

If we make the generous assumption that the Day of YHWH is as much as a third (1/3) longer than a calendar year [“…a year of retribution…” (Ref. Isaiah 34:8) or “…the year of my redemption…” (Ref. Isaiah 63:4)], then the latest that the Day of YHWH could end is approximately sixteen (16) months after March 6, 2019, which is June 28, 2020. That date is more than five (5) months short of Hanukkah, 2020 (December 10, 2020). Therefore Hanukkah 2020, and Hanukkahs beyond 2020, are excluded as possible end dates for the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14.

In the other direction, the earliest date that the Day of YHWH could begin is approximately sixteen (16) months prior to March 6, 2019, which is November 11, 2017. Hanukkahs that occur after November 11, 2017 but before Hanukkah 2020 include Hanukkah 2017 (December 12, 2017), Hanukkah 2018 (December 2, 2018), and Hanukkah 2019 (December 22, 2019). Using the same reasoning that we did earlier, the start of the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14 can be calculated by working backward from Hanukkah.

August 26, 2011 is 2,300 days prior to Hanukkah 2017 (December 12, 2017)

August 15, 2012 is 2,300 days prior to Hanukkah 2018 (December 2, 2018)

September 4, 2013 is 2,300 days prior to Hanukkah 2019 (December 22, 2019)

Both August 26, 2011 and August 15, 2012 are history. They can be eliminated from further consideration because the “end to sacrifice” did not occur on either of those dates. The 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14 did not start on August 26, 2011 nor did they start on August 15, 2012.

That leaves December 22, 2019 as the only possible Hanukkah on which the 2,300 days of Daniel 8:14 can end.

Working backward 2,300 days from December 22, 2019, we arrive at September 4, 2013.

Starting with the “Seventy ‘sevens'” of Daniel 9:24, the only possible date for the “end to sacrifice” is September 4, 2013.