What is Daniel’s 70 week prophecy?

The prophecy in Daniel 9: 24-27 reads:
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy 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 unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore 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 unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst 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 upon the desolate."

Daniel had been earnestly praying for his people, the Jews, who were in captivity in Babylon when he was given this vision.It is the most amazing and accurate prophecy about the coming of the Messiah. The timeline begins in 457 BC with the decree of Artaxerxes to rebuild the temple.

Ezra 7:8-17 shows that the decree went out in the seventh year of the reign of Artzxerxes, so history can confirm the year.In Bible prophecy they work on the day for a year system, Ezekiel 4:6 “...I have appointed thee each day for a year” so therefore 70 weeks, 490 days is 490 years.

This prophecy is split into three sections. Seven weeks (49 years, which is the time it took to rebuild the temple), 62 weeks (434 years) till Messiah the Prince. This takes us to the year the year AD27, which is the year that Jesus was "annointed" and began His ministry, and finally there is another week, 7 years. It says that in the midst of the final seven years the Messiah will be "cut off, but not for himself" (showing that Jesus would die after 3 1/2 years of ministry) and would cause the "sacrifice and oblation to cease". Jesus' one time perfect sacrifice on Calvary put an end to the need for animal sacrifices once and for all. What happened in the final 3 1/2 years of this prophecy? The gospel message was still preached exclusively to the Jews, but at the end of this period, Stephen was stoned, marking the final decision of the Jewish leaders to reject Christ as the Messiah and from this time on the gospel was taken to the gentiles.

This prophecy also predicted the destruction of the temple “the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” which occurred in AD70, and signified the final “desolation”. The destruction of both the first and the second temple were both as a result of the people’s rejection and disobedience to God.

This event signified that the sacred appointment of the Jewish people as God’s chosen ones was forever annulled. Through Christ a new covenant was made, that all who followed Him would be called the children of God and seed of Abraham. Galations 3:29 “And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise.”What a wonderful display of the power of God these prophecies are. To foretell almost 600 years ahead of time, when He would send His son to this world to die for our sins. How Jesus would “confirm the covenant” and cease the need for performing the sacrifices that had been put in place as a shadow of the fulfilling work of our Lord.

Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire http://www.lulu.com/content/333221 and Christian Investing and Money Management http://www.lulu.com/content/378757

What is the Mark of the Beast?

It is a common misconception that when the Bible refers to the Mark of the Beast, that the beast if Satan. A beast in prophetic terms is a religious, political or regal power. Daniel 7:23 “Thus he said, The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and break it in pieces”. Daniel 7:17 “These great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the earth”. Revelation also clearly shows that there is a distinction between the devil and the beast. Revelation 20:10 “And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever”. The second beast referred to in Revelation is a false religious system with political power.

The fifteenth century protestant reformers, such as John Wesley, John Huss etc all clearly stated that the fourth beast or “little horn” power of Daniel 7 that also correlates to the first beast of Revelation could be identified as the false system of religion, and persecuting power found within the papal system. The non-biblical doctrines instituted by the Roman Catholic Church had replaced many scripturally based doctrines with traditions of man. During the dark ages millions of people were tortured and killed as ‘heretics’ for now bowing down to all of the precepts of the Roman church.

The Bible also tells us that the “little horn” power of Daniel 7:25 would “think to change times and laws”.

One of the most notable changes implemented by the papacy was the changing of the day of worship that God had implemented, the seventh day Sabbath, with Sunday worship.

The papacy go so far as to say that the action of changing the Sabbath to Sunday, without any scriptural grounds is the ‘Mark’ of their authority, showing that they have the power to override even the institutions of God. "Sunday is our mark or authority...the church is above the Bible, and this transference of Sabbath observance is proof of that fact." Catholic Record of London , Ontario, September 1, 1923.

When people say that 666 is the devil’s number, this is also an incorrect conclusion. 666 is the number of a man (being the leader of the political-religio system). Revelation 13:18 “Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is Six hundred threescore and six.” It is interesting to note that one of the names given to the Pope, which is written on his triple tiered crown is VICARIUS FILII DEI, and that if you add up the Roman numerals for each letter it comes to 666.

Revelation predicts that at the end of time a second beast will arise that will be an image of the first beast, carrying out the same persecuting acts and holding the same false doctrines as the first. Revelation 13:12-13 “And he exerciseth all the power of the first beast before him, and causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast, whose deadly wound was healed” Revelation 13:15-17 “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: And that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name.”

This shows that anyone who does not take the mark of the beast will be persecuted or killed. Then it goes on to speak of those true followers of God, who do not take the mark of the beast. Revelation 14:12 “Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus.”

It is interesting that the differentiating factor is that those who are saved will be “keeping the commandments”, and that the “Mark” of the papal system is that they changed the fourth commandment, the Sabbath to Sunday.

It seems then that the religio-political system, when it comes to power will enforce, upon consequence of death, the observance of worship on the counterfeit day, the day on which the pagans worship the sun god.

Those that stay true to the Bible based teachings and keep the commandments have the following promise to look forward to. Revelation “And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years.”

All Bible references are from the King James Version.

For more information on this topic please visit http://www.666MarkOfTheBeast.org.
Debra Lohrere is the author of Peace, Prophecy and False Fire http://www.lulu.com/content/333221 and Christian Investing and Money Management http://www.lulu.com/content/378757