Christ Return Compared to a Harvest and Seventieth Week of Daniel Untrue?





July 30, 2012
Written by: Gail Green


Christ return compared to a harvest:


When trying to understand end time prophecy it is important to look at time the same way God does. He doesn’t use the Christian calendar or better known to the secular world as the Gregorian calendar: He uses the Hebrew calendar where each month starts with a crescent moon. Back in the days before modern technology two Jewish men would wait for a couple of days and nights for the sliver to show itself, then the two witnesses would report it and that would be the beginning of a new month.

God gave the Hebrews two years in one: the year of creation also called the civil year which starts in the month of Tishri beginning in the fall: September-October of the Christian calendar. Tishri is the seventh month of the ecclesiastical year. The ecclesiastical year begins with the month Nisan in the spring (March-April), it is the start of the planting and harvest season. The harvest and planting year is the most important of the two years when considering God’s plan for the latter days. According to scripture his coming and gathering of his people are compared to harvest time.

There are many verses in the Bible that points us toward the harvest feasts as an end time scenario. The Bible refers to the followers of Christ as laborers for the harvest: Mat 9:37—Then saith he unto his disciples, the harvest truly [is] plenteous, but the laborers [are] few. The Bible speaks of the harvest time as when Christ reaps the souls who love him at the end of the world: Mat 13:39—The enemy that sowed them (weeds in with the good crop) is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. Rev 14:15 gives us a picture of Christ sitting on a cloud with a sickle in His hand as an angel cries with a loud voice: the harvest of the earth is ripe and it is time to reap. 

God commanded the Israelites to keep three main feasts in the year: the Passover (feast of unleavened bread), the feast of weeks (Shavuot), and the feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot). God uses these feasts as points in time when he fulfills his word: Christ was crucified on Passover, then fifty days later (after seven times seven weeks) on the Jewish holiday Shavuot (feast of first fruits) the Holy Ghost was given to the disciples; in the Christian world this is called the day of Pentecost. It is said that our redemption will be in the time of the feast of Tabernacles (Sukkot); the last feast of the harvest year: the time of ingathering.

Exodus 23:15-16—Thou shalt keep the feast of unleavened bread: (thou shalt eat unleavened bread seven days, as I commanded thee, in the time appointed of the month Abib (Nisan); for in it thou camest out from Egypt: and none shall appear before me empty ;) And the feast of harvest, the firstfruits of thy labors, which thou hast sown in the field: and the feast of ingathering, [which is] in the end of the year, when thou hast gathered in thy labors out of the field.


God commanded that the seventh day and the seventh year be kept holy:

As we all know God commands that the seventh day of every week be kept holy. In the Jewish world the seventh day is called the Sabbath. It begins at sundown on the sixth day (Friday) of the week and continues until sunset the following day (Saturday). God told the Israelites to get everything prepared on Friday so there was no need for anyone to work on his holy day: it is for rest and worship only. God also commanded the Sabbath year to be kept holy. In that year there was to be no planting and consequently no harvest. This commandment was made so that the land could rest. The Israelites did not obey this rule and that is one of the reasons why God caused them to be taken away captive by Nebuchadnezzar for seventy years.

God commanded seven times seven weeks of days to be counted and the fiftieth day (Shavuot) to be kept hallow.

Deut 16:9 Seven weeks shalt thou number unto thee: begin to number the seven weeks from [such time as] thou beginnest [to put] the sickle to the corn.

Num 28:26—Also in the day of the firstfruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the LORD, after your weeks [be out], ye shall have an holy convocation (gathering); ye shall do no servile work:

Not only does God expect the seventh day and the seventh year to be kept holy He commanded seven times seven weeks and seven times seven years be observed and counted. The counting of the forty nine days (seven weeks) was to be kept as a tribute of freewill offering to the LORD and there was to be rejoicing before God and all the people in the place where God chose to put his name. The seven weeks were also to be kept for the Hebrews to remember their days as slaves in Egypt (Deut 16:10-12). After forty nine days were counted the fiftieth day (Shavuot) was to bring the first fruits of the crop to be offered to the Lord. The Jews keep these weeks today in modern Israel; it is called “The Counting of the Omer,” The counting begins the second day after Passover and ends on the evening of the forty ninth day. The fiftieth day starts Shavuot (feast of firstfruits).

God  commanded seven times seven years to be counted and the fiftieth year (Jubilee) to be kept hallow.

To this day no one knows exactly when the last time the Jubilee year was observed. The fiftieth year named Jubilee year by God began with the sound of a trumpet (Shofar) on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the Day of Atonement. It was a time to be hallowed. Liberty was to be proclaimed throughout the land unto all the inhabitants. Every man returned to his possessions and to his family. Following the Day of Atonement in the fifteenth day of the seventh month began the feast of tabernacles that last for seven days.

Lev 25:8-11—And thou shalt number seven Sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven Sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shall thou cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth [day] of the seventh month, in the Day of Atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout [all] the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubilee unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubilee shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which growth of itself in it, nor gather [the grapes] in it of thy vine undressed.


Daniel's Seventy Weeks Untrue?



Jeremiah 34:14—At theend of seven years let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew, which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free.


Believe it or not this verse is a major key to understanding the prophecy of Daniel’s seventy weeks. When God counts time He uses inclusion time keeping, meaning that when He says seven years He means six years. He does the same when He says seventy years he means sixty nine years. In the verse above He says at the end of seven years let every man go free and then in the same breath He says after the man has served six years let him go free. He doesn’t need to explain the seventh year or in the case of a seventy year prophecy He doesn’t have to explain the seventieth year because those years are kept holy: they are Sabbatical years. We have a clear example of God doing this with the seventy year period of time concerning the Babylonian captivity.

Jeremiah 29:10—For thus saith the LORD, that after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.

Notice God says after seventy years are accomplished (ended) in Jer.29:10, but as I explain in “Daniel and the Babylonian Captivity” the exile started when Daniel was taken captive and ended sixty nine years later and as God promised the Jews returned to Israel and began the seventieth year, the tenth Sabbatical year, back in the land celebrating the Feast of Tabernacles. Upon examining Daniel’s seventy weeks we can see the same type of prophecy given: a seventy year period that involves sixty nine years not four hundred and ninety years.

Most believe that the weeks in Daniel’s prophecy are seventy times seven years: four hundred ninety years, but I contend that those weeks are feasts of weeks (a seven week period) times seventy years. Let’s take a look at the word “weeks” for a moment: we are not considering the word “week” only the plural use of the word in the Bible. This word is used fifteen times in the KJV. It is used three times describing a regular week: Monday, Tuesday, etc… The majority of times it is used are eight times and it is in connection to the “Feasts of Weeks” then it is used four more times in three verses of Daniel chapter nine and is said to mean years. Unlike the word “week” the word “weeks” is never used to refer to years in any other place in the Bible; however the word “week” is used in Gen. 29:27-28 and this is how we understand that a period of seven years is one week of years. The only time people (not God) says the word “weeks” is used as a period of years is in Daniel 9:24-26.

Considering and Understanding the Vision

Daniel 9:23—At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.

Now, let us do as Gabriel told Daniel to do and consider the vision. We have learned that God uses inclusive time keeping and that when He says seven or seventy He means that the seventh year or the seventieth year is kept holy because they are Sabbatical years. We have also learned that there are no verses in the Bible in which God uses the word “weeks” in the context of years and that it is man who has determined that the word “weeks” means years only in Daniel chapter nine. Let us too consider the article I wrote titled “Christ Return Compared to a Harvest” where it is explained that Jesus uses the analogy of a harvest for His coming: Joel 3:13, Matt. 9:37, 9:38, 13:30, 13:39, Rev. 14:15. Then last but not least let us consider what Jeremiah says in chapter five verse twenty four of his book: Neither say they in their heart, let us now for the LORD our God, that giveth rain, both the former and the latter, in his season:he reserveth unto us the appointed weeks of the harvest.

Daniel 9:24—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.

Dan 9:25—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 (7),and threescore and two (62) weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall (H2742: trench or ditch), even in troublous times.

In the book written by Sir Robert Anderson “The Coming Prince” he asserts that the last seven years is the seventieth week of Daniel but is there truly a “seventieth week” or could Daniel’s prophecy be another case of inclusive time keeping? Notice in Daniel 9:25 Gabriel says there will be seven weeks and sixty two weeks; nowhere does he say there will actually be seventy weeks when he is describing the period of time that is determined. In Mr. Anderson’s theory the seven weeks are counted before the sixty two weeks. If that was the way Gabriel meant it to be then why wouldn’t he say after sixty nine weeks rather than “after sixty two weeks” considering he describes another week in Daniel 9:27? The way I see it Anderson’s theory makes the claim that Gabriel mentions the seven weeks but doesn’t count them or describe them. Does that make sense to you? Isn’t it more logical that this truly is a case of inclusive time keeping and that what Gabriel is saying is that after sixty two years etc… and then the last seven years is from year sixty three until year sixty nine and that the seventieth year will be the time that Jesus begins to rule?

Not Convinced Yet?

Matthew 1:17—So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations; and from David until the carrying away into Babylon are fourteen generation; and from the carrying away into Babylon unto Christ are fourteen generations.

In the article  “A Generation Deciphered” it was concluded that Matthew 1:17 is a chronological passage listing important events of the Bible rather than a genealogical passage. And it was concluded that three of the four listed events were all seventy year periods (generations). We have already discussed here that the Babylonian captivity was a seventy year period that ended in the sixty ninth year. The generation of Jesus also ended in the sixty ninth year.

In Matthew 23:36 Jesus referred to the period of time He was living in as a generation. He told all those standing around Him (the multitude living at that time) that all the things He said to them would come upon that generation. Clearly from Matthew 1:1 (also talked about in “A Generation Deciphered”) the life and times of Jesus is a generation that began at His birth and ended with the destruction of the temple in 70 AD. In all reality the temple was not destroyed in the year 70AD but rather the year 69AD. The reason I say that is because there was no year zero. The Gregorian calendar went from 1BC to 1AD skipping the year zero. For the generation of Jesus to end in the actual year 70AD the calendar would have had to been like this: 1BC to year zero to 1AD but it wasn't it was like this 1BC to 1AD.

In Matthew 24:34 Jesus refers to the period of time that will see His coming as a generation just as He did His own generation and we understand that His generation was seventy years that ended after sixty nine years. Those sixty nine years just as the sixty nine years of the Babylonian captivity were a period of time that consisted of sixty nine (feasts of) weeks just as Gabriel describes to Daniel.

In conclusion I must ask: what makes more sense to you? A) The sixty nine weeks (483 years) of Daniel’s prophecy happened two thousand years ago and we are just waiting on the last seven years to pop up out of the blue or B) The seventy weeks of Daniel are seventy years of the feasts of weeks?









Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2012, fromhttp://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3767&t=KJV
King James Version of the Holy Bible.
The Coming Prince. (n.d.). Retrieved August 18, 2012, from Philologos:http://philologos.org/__eb-tcp/default.htm

All rights reserved! (2012)
Read More:
References:

Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2012, from http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3767&t=KJV
Jewish Holidays. (n.d.). Retrieved August 1, 2012, from Wikipedia: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jewish_holiday
King James Version of the Holy Bible.
 All rights reserved! (2012)

8 comments:

colin said...

Gail,

Well put together, and an interesting read.
For some, naturally there is a resistance to depart from orthodoxy.
This is the Abiding Word of God that we are handling, which must ever be treated with the utmost reverence.
As you make very clear, there would appear to be much confusion regards the word 'generation'. It can seemingly be applied in a diverse and multitude of ways. It almost has a liquid and intangible definition, yet as you correctly tell us 'God is not the author of confusion', the fault of misinterpretation, as ever is with us, not God. I have also recently accepted 'generation' to mean the generation or period of time of unbelieving national Israel since their rejection of their Messiah, thereby not limiting this word purely to a numerical figure.
I note that you are quite fond of employing the word 'logical', is there anything logical about the Word of God?
I have recently understood Daniel 12.4 to specifically mean that knowledge will be increased about Daniel's prophecy, NOT knowledge about technology etc,in these last days. If you really consider it, men the world over, especially in the west, have been trying to figure this prophecy out; running to and fro, look at the stuff that is on the internet! There is much that perplexes us. The temple situation (hieron/naos) regards Matthew 24.15/Daniel 9.26-27, is not easy to be dogmatic about.
Should we not be surprised? We should as the great Apostle said 'be not wise in our own conceits'.
My very limited knowledge of biblical prophecy teaches me that the best brains in Israel with all their understanding of the prophets were not wise to the Lord's first advent, yet the wise men from the east were!
As you say there are many who would have us believe that there 'is nothing new under the sun' regards prophecy. Justin Peters who is severely disabled runs a discernment ministry, which exposes the errant and heretical teaching of the Word Faith movement (Hinn,Copeland,Meyer etc)is one that takes the position that you describe. Yet that great man of God from years gone by, J.C.Ryle spoke oftentimes that 'greater light' would be shone in the latter days.
We must ever remember that a thousand years is to
God, but one day. The Lord has but departed nearly two days ago! Hebrews 1.2 tells us that God hath spoken to us in these 'last days' through His Son, and that was nearly two thousand years ago!
All this considered, if we are to believe that a generation is seventy years, and we all know what happened in 1948, coupled with the massive upheaval currently in the nations surrounding Israel, well the clock is rapidly approaching midnight!
I must admit that I have somewhat of a 'blind spot' regards mathematical calculations, not being an academic; I am not sure whether that is a blessing or not?
We must diligently study the Word. But without prayer, obedience to our God and His Holy Spirit guiding us, we will be as blind men in the noon day sun.

God bless you

Colin


Gail said...

Hi Colin,

Thanks so much for your honest opinion it is much appreciated. I do and always will take particular care when it comes to the word of God. I know how important it is not to promote (lack of better words) something that is untrue when it comes to the Word. A good example of that is the pre-trib rapture and we both know the damage it is doing!

“For some, naturally there is a resistance to depart from orthodoxy”

You are right and that is to be expected. I know that most won’t accept what I’m saying. It’s kind of hard for me to wrap my head around it but one has to admit it makes sense and there is so much more that goes with it. What you have read only touches the surface.

“I have also recently accepted 'generation' to mean the generation or period of time of unbelieving national Israel since their rejection of their Messiah, thereby not limiting this word purely to a numerical figure.”

The only problem with accepting that definition in reference to Matthew 24:34 is that Jesus was talking to His apostles about His second coming. He was telling them and all Christians about what they could expect in the period of time (generation) concerning His appearance; therefore I find it hard to believe that the generation Christ referenced would be a reflection on centuries of unbelieving Israel: but at the moment I have no proof of that and will certainly consider it further.

“I note that you are quite fond of employing the word 'logical', is there anything logical about the Word of God?”

If God’s word isn’t logical (sound, consistent) then whose is? Like we talked about He is not the author of confusion (bewilderment, disorder) so somewhere there has to be logic. Right?

“I have recently understood Daniel 12.4 to specifically mean that knowledge will be increased about Daniel's prophecy, NOT knowledge about technology etc, in these last days.”

I don’t know any other way to say what I am about to say when writing that it doesn’t sound haughty so please understand I say this with love and a true desire to know and understand your position on this matter, so please don’t take it any other way.

Why do you think knowledge increasing has to specifically be talking about Daniel’s prophecy? When you look up the word knowledge from Daniel 12:4 in the Strong’s Concordance, it doesn’t have any specifics on what knowledge is to increase: knowledge is knowledge. It is skill, perception, discernment, understanding, and wisdom: to put a limit on this word is not logical (whoops, there I go again using that word: -big smile!-). Reasonably (the word logic in disguise: I can’t help myself) the prophecy is concerning Daniel’s book but why can’t it also mean knowledge about other things?

I have really been enjoying our conversations and again I really do appreciate your input. I know I’m treading in new waters and if it didn’t line up the way it does I would have put it away a while back because the last thing I want to do is lead someone astray; God don’t take kindly to that!

I hope you and yours have a wonderful day filled with many blessings from God! I know He blesses me more than I can say and always has.

Please stop by on regular bases. I’m in the process of writing some other very interesting stuff that will further prove the reality of what I’ve been saying.

Gail

colin said...

Gail,
Thanks for that. I use my King James 1611 bible and my AV/RV interlinear version. I note on the margin of Daniel 12.4 there is a reference to Amos 8.12 which describes men running 'to and fro' in vain seeking the Word of the Lord. This in part would suggest that men are trying to find the meaning of Daniel's Seventy weeks.
And as the pre trib theory is the most widely held, (not according to DTW) then it goes without saying that if you are a pre tribber, any true and complete understanding of this great prophecy cannot be had? But of course I agree that you cannot totally restrict the meaning of the word 'knowledge'in this verse.
I think most of the 'to and fro' that goes on today is online anyway!

Gail said...

I felt the comment I left on Dec. 19 should be moderated so I did that and reposted it.

Hi Colin,

I apologize for just getting back to you I had to go to the doctor this morning. No big deal just had to get some blood work done.

Your welcome! I hope I never come off as a know it all because I don’t intend to. I certainly don’t know it all, as a matter of fact I know very little!

I didn’t post your comment earlier because I like to be ready to comment back when I post comments. One thing is for sure you won’t ever have to worry about me moderating or just not posting your comments unless I miss them somehow, I am only human! The only way that I’m intentionally not going to post a comment from anyone is if they are ugly. I am not going to have a bunch of nonsense. I don’t have it in my home and I’m not going to have it on my site.

I agree, if you believe in the pre-trib you are not going understand the prophecy. And yes there is a lot of travel being done on the internet!

Did you find my post about how to receive emails about comments being posted to a particular article?

Youtube name: AtrustedAuthority said...

another well thought out article.
Just something to consider, could the 7 weeks (7 Shavuots, or feasts of weeks)be point us to Jubilee years (7 Sabbath years, then a Jubilee?) I do think the prophecy of Daniel is referring to weeks of years until Messiah, but iis it a dual prophecy, also referring to feasts of weeks from the going forth of the commandment (Nov.1947)
As for the final 7 years. That common belief never made sense to me. What of Christs ministry? 69 weeks of years, then 3 1/2 years of His ministry with only 3 1/2 left?Wasn't He confirming the covenant, the New covenant with many people (all people who chose to believe in Him)
I am not saying, I am asking.
What do you think, is that possible?

Gail said...

Hi A Trusted Authority,

Thanks so much!

I don’t know that I believe the Sir Robert Anderson theory at all. Daniel 9 could be a duel prophecy but for that to be then some of the first happenings have to roll over into the last happenings. What I mean by that is if the prophecy of Daniel covers the first time Jesus came for the most part and the last seven or three and a half years happen two thousand years later then the first prophecy (so to speak) rolls over into the last prophecy with that being said it can’t be a dual prophecy. For it to be dual it would have to be that each prophecy had or will have a fulfilling of its own i.e. the prophecy would be totally fulfilled twice. I hope I am being clear I don’t know how else to explain it.

I don’t see how Dan 9:27 could be saying that Jesus confirms the covenant with many because it clearly says: HE confirms the covenant for one week then in the midst of the week HE (THE SAME HE) shall cause the sacrifice and the oblations to cease and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation…

Daniel is talking about a seven year period it was long after the crucifixion that Jerusalem was destroyed. Had it been within a seven year period that Jesus died and Jerusalem was destroyed I could believe that but seeing how it wasn’t then it doesn’t make sense to me.

I’m not sure I absolutely understand your question about the seven years pointing us to Jubilee years so I will answer the best I can.

I do believe the last seven years will end and the next year will be the Jubilee year but it takes seven time seven years (49 years) to fulfill a Jubilee cycle of fifty years: seven years alone won’t do it. I believe the last Jubilee cycle ended with the Jews winning back Jerusalem in 1967. In a Jubilee year all people are returned to their possessions: family, land, etc…

Many blessings!!!
Gail

Colin- (South Africa) said...

Hi Gail
I found your site through your comment at douglashamp.com.
You have much truth here. Yes I agree with you on what a generation is.
Since I have prayed to God to lead me to those who are teaching truth- I discovered a number of sites where truth is taught.
Other sites are;
lifehopeandtruth.com
ucg.org

On youtube I found Michael Rood and Ron Wyatt- search on youtube for their material.
All who have a good understanding of scripture appear to keep God's laws- yes, the 10 commandments and observance of the Holy Days- the festivals of the lord.
Love your work- keep on keeping on!
Colin- South Africa

Gail said...

Thank you Colin from SA. I appreciate your comment. It really means a lot! You have blessed me on a day I really needed it!I pray God blesses you even more so!