This Revelation Timeline Decoded post reviews an article from Hugh Wesley Wilson of The Rapture and End Time Prophecies.
Hugh of The Rapture and End Time Prophecies wrote an article in response to a discussion on Facebook about the fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel 9. Hugh said “David Nikao Wilcoxson, You inspired me to add this to the website. This is from me, not someone else. You will see why I see there has to be a gap in time.”
Hugh’s text is in black, my rebuttal is in red.
Both historicist and preterist views see all 490 years, all of Daniel’s 70 weeks as occurring consecutively, meaning no gap of time after the 483 years and the last 7 years. If there is a gap of time then both of the view’s interpretation fall apart. Of course, if there isn’t a gap in time and the last 7 years did immediately follow the 483rd year, then the futurist view interpretation falls apart.
There is no declaration of a gap in between the 69th and 70th weeks, in Daniel 9:24-27. It’s only the false, futuristic explanations of the fulfillment of Revelation which cause people to insert a gap.
Well, let’s take a close look at Daniel 9 24-27. For the sake of the size of this lesson, I’m not going to address the 6 requirements listed in verse 24, being the main focus and how you would interpret verse 24 is if there’s a time gap between the 483rd year and the last 7 years. I do address them in the book.
Daniel 9: 24 “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.
It’s out of context to read that 70 sevens, or 490 years, are decreed by the Heavenly Father; but then provide an explanation that points to the prophecy taking 355+ weeks / 2,484+ years to fulfill.
25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death(cut off) and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
The NIV is based on corrupt Greek manuscripts and the Greek Bible of heretics Westcott and Hort, who didn’t believe in the deity of Messiah. So it’s not a good version to use, especially with a passage about Messiah showing up at an exact time.
The Hebrew word shâbûa‛ translated weeks (or sevens) refers to a period of 7 years, like our word decade refers to a period of 10 years. It literally means “a week of years.”
So, 70 weeks (or sevens) is 70 x 7 years or 490 years. This period is divided into three parts, 7 sevens (49 years) and then 62 sevens (434 years) for a total of 69 sevens or 483 years. Again, since the focus is if there’s a time gap and for the sake of the size of this lesson, I’m not going to address the 7 sevens and the 62 sevens. I explain the first 49 years and the next 434 years in the book. Then there’s the last week (or seven), 7 years. Gabriel’s revelation to Daniel was that the full allotted amount of time for Daniels’s people, the Jews and the holy city, Jerusalem would extend for “seventy “weeks”, 490 years. Verse 24, “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for (your people and your holy city). The final “week,” the “seventieth week” of verse 27 will be fulfilled when the Temple is desecrated by the abomination of desolation and the Messiah, Jesus returns.
We can see there is a clear prophecy of the Coming of the Messiah. Counting forward for 7 weeks of years (49 years) and 62 weeks of years (434 years), each from a decree giving the Jews permission to restore and rebuild Jerusalem and its walls which had been destroyed by the Babylonians, they should expect the Messiah. That’s a total of 483 years after the decree is issued. It was 483 years from this decree of (444 B.C.) that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey proclaiming himself to be the Messiah.
The original decree took place in 457 BC by Artaxerxes. Then the rebuilding stopped as the Jews were opposed. This is why Nehemiah was saddened. In 444/445 BC, Artaxerxes gave the command to restart the rebuilding. That means the Messiah died in the 70th week, which took place from 27-34 AD, proving that it’s not in the future.
This is confirmed by the Shemitah and year of Jubilee cycles, as the 7 weeks which start the 70 week prophecy, began an new cycle of seven Shemitahs. A year of Jubilee took place in 457 BC, which marked the captive Jews being set free to go rebuild the city. This is another confirmation of the 457 BC starting year.
1 Esdras, which is an extension of the book of Ezra, confirms that Artaxerxes gave the command to rebuild Jerusalem in 457 BC. I cover this in my The 70th Week Of Daniel 9 Decoded book.
That same week he was crucified, cut off. With the 444 BC decree of Artaxerxes, if one uses “prophetic years” of 360 days each, it is exactly 483 years from the day of Artaxerxes decree in 444 BC (Neh. 2:1) to the day of Christ’s triumphal entry into Jerusalem during the last week of His earthly life (Mt. 21). It was on that day in AD 33 that Jesus officially announced to the Israelites that He was the Messiah. Later that week He was “cut off” or crucified. The use of a 360-day prophetic year is taken from the Jewish calendar. The Jewish calendar is 360 days a year instead of 365.
This incorrect timeline is given because of the declaration that the command to start the prophecy was given in 444/445 BC, but that is a false narrative as that command was to restart the rebuilding of the city.
Besides that, it’s pointing to 490 literal years. Was the 70 years of captivity a literal 70 years? Yes! Does the 7 weeks that start the prophecy not point to the literal 49 year cycle of the year of Jubilee? Yes!
Saying that the years are based on the Jewish calendar invalidates the 70 years of captivity and the 49 year cycle of the first 7 weeks of the prophecy.
It’s pointing to 70 sevens of years, 490 years total for the prophecy to be fulfilled. This started in 457 BC and ended in 34 AD.
Daniel’s prophecy clearly reveals that the Messiah had to come in the time predicted in verses 25-26, that is, 483 years into the 490 years. So, we see with Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem that 483 years of the 490 years prophesied had been fulfilled leaving 7 years.
This prophecy is not pointing to when Messiah entered Jerusalem to die, but to His appearing on the scene years earlier to carry out His ministry. The disciples were expecting Him, as they understood the timing of the 70 weeks of Daniel 9 prophecy, and they proclaimed that we have found the Messiah.
The Gospels describes Messiah’s multiyear ministry, which started when He read the passage of Isaiah and proclaimed that it was fulfilled that day. Then He was anointed at His baptism. Daniel 9:24 points to the most Holy being anointed when John baptized Messiah. His ministry lasted several years. Then He died in the middle of the seven years of the 70th week and His blood sacrifice ended the need for temple sacrifices, just like Daniel 9:27 describes.
The historicist and preterist views see the Anointed One and the Ruler, Messiah and prince in the KJV one and the same. This partially comes from a miss translation from the KJV. The KJV didn’t put a comma between the two.
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, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Again, the NIV is corrupt, so proclaiming that there should be a comma is without merit.
Here’s the original Hebrew words. The Strong’s Hebrew,
maw-shee’-akh H4899
From H4886; anointed; usually a consecrated person (as a king, priest, or saint); specifically the Messiah: – anointed, Messiah.
naw-gheed’, naw-gheed’ H5057
From H5046; a commander (as occupying the front), civil, military or religious; generally (abstract plural), honorable themes: – captain, chief, excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
Look at what verse 26 says,
KJV 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:
NIV 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death(cut off) and will have nothing.
So, it’s clear that the Messiah, the Anointed One is referring to Jesus. But the prince or ruler cannot be. Look at the rest of verse 26.
Daniel declared that the word prince is associated with Messiah in Daniel 9:25. It makes no sense to proclaim that the prince in the next verse is pointing to someone else. Messiah is the prince to come, as the highlight of the 70-week prophecy is Messiah coming in the 70th week to carry out His ministry and die for our sins.
Many Jews believed in Messiah the Prince, 3,000 on Pentecost and more were added daily. Messiah’s Ekklesia was built on the foundation of Jews.
KJV and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary;
NIV The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
He said “the people of the ruler who will come”. We know from history that this took place by the Romans with the Roman destruction in 70 a.d. It was not Christians or Jews that destroyed the city and the Temple. The Romans were not the people of God or of the Messiah. So, we see with this that the Messiah and prince or Anointed One and ruler, cannot be the same.
It is not pointing to Titus, but to Messiah the Prince. The ‘people of the prince’ are the Jews, as Daniel already declared in verse 24 that the prophecy is about thy people, the Jews. Messiah is of the tribe of Judah and He is their promised leader.
The word prince is nagid in the Hebrew, which means; a commander (as occupying the front), civil, military or religious; generally (abstractly, plural), honorable themes:—captain, chief, excellent thing, (chief) governor, leader, noble, prince, (chief) ruler.
Messiah is our Commander; the captain of our salvation, Hebrews 2:10; the chief cornerstone, Ephesians 2:20, 1 Peter 2:6; the chief Shepherd, 1 Peter 5:4; and our Prince, Acts 3:15, Acts 5:31.
The Jews caused Jerusalem and the temple to be destroyed by continuing in their rebellion against the Father and for delivering Messiah up to be killed. This is why Daniel was so sad for three weeks, because he understood that the rebellious Jewish leaders would cause Messiah to be killed and that they punishment is that Jerusalem and the temple would be desolated.
Titus wanted to save the temple and Jerusalem, but the Jews’ wickedness in killing their own people caused Titus to destroy them. The Jewish zealots and other factions warred against each other, slit people’s throats, killed each other for food, etc. I cover this gory scene in detail in my book.
Now verse 27 “He (the ruler, the prince) will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.'(seven years) In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Ok, we see the ruler/prince confirms, makes a covenant agreement with the many, for 7 years.
This is not referring to the covenant of the New Testament Jesus made on the cross, it is an everlasting covenant. This covenant the Ruler makes is for only 7 years.
The word ‘for’ in Daniel 9:27 is added by the translators, making it seem like a 7-year covenant. It’s simply pointing to the last week of seven years. The word confirmed tells us that it preexisted.
It’s the same covenant that Daniel pleaded with the Heavenly Father to remember in regard to the Jews in Daniel 9:4, the everlasting covenant of mercy to those who believe by faith. “And I prayed unto the LORD my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments.”
The Jews had failed to keep the Sinai covenant. Daniel knew that they were still steeped in iniquities in Babylon. So he pleaded with the Father to remember His everlasting covenant to those who believe by faith and seek to obey Him.
Abraham looked to when the spotless Lamb would atone the sins of those who believe by faith. Hebrews 7:2 tells us that He is the surety of the covenant, that He is the bondsman who ratified it with His blood. Hebrews 8:6, 9:15-17, 12:24 say that He is the Mediator of the covenant. Hebrews 13:20 says that we’re saved through the blood of the everlasting covenant, shed by Messiah. Romans 15:8 says that He was sent to confirm the promises made unto Abraham. Galatians 3:17 points to Him confirming the covenant.
The covenant in Daniel 9:27 is not an antichrist covenant, it is the same covenant that Daniel pleaded with the Heavenly Father to remember in regard to the Jews in Daniel 9:4, which already existed, which Messiah came to confirm with His blood as the Spotless Lamb.
This is what starts the last 7 years. We are also told that He breaks this covenant in the middle of the 7 years. Jesus or God the Father has never or will never break an unconditional covenant with his people. So, this cannot be referring to any covenant made by Jesus. This did not occur after Jesus’ resurrection by a Ruler, prince to come. We have already established that the Messiah, Anointed One and the price, ruler is not the same, the original language has them two separate persons. We’re also seeing from the verses they cannot be the same. So, now we are seeing, since what is described of this ruler did not occur, for the last 7 years to be literal, there has to be a gap in time before the last 7 years. If the first 483 years were literal 483 years, then you have to take it that the last 7 years are literal years. There’s nothing in the verses to indicate otherwise.
The New Testament has many verses which point to Messiah coming to ratify the everlasting covenant, and there are zero verses about the antichrist making a covenant.
This is all a false narrative anyway, as it’s based on the concept of a one-man antichrist. In the 16th century, the enemy created the narrative of a futuristic 70th week of Daniel featuring a one-man antichrist, to deflect blame away from the Popes, as the Protestant Reformers proclaimed that the office of the papacy fulfills prophecy as the son of perdition and the antichrist beast of Revelation. Sadly, their deception has worked well. Read How The Deceptions Spread
We see in the middle of the last 7 years the Ruler, prince, will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” OK, if the prince is also referencing Jesus, just what end is decreed for Jesus. Don’t even try to say this is referring to Jesus’ death on the cross. That was not Jesus’ end, he rose from the dead and is now sitting at the right hand of God the Father. Also, Jesus died on the cross at the end of the 483 years. This end of the ruler, prince to come, is at the end of the 490 years. We see with Rev. 19 that the beast(anti-Christ), and the false prophet are defeated and thrown into the lake of fire by Jesus. The Ruler comes to his end. The decreed is poured out on him.
This abomination that causes desolation did not occur before or during the destruction of the Temple in 70 a.d. We see Jesus made reference to verse 27 in Matthew 24.
Mt. 24: 15 “So when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel—let the reader understand— 16 then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. 17 Let no one on the housetop go down to take anything out of the house. 18 Let no one in the field go back to get their cloak. 19 How dreadful it will be in those days for pregnant women and nursing mothers! 20 Pray that your flight will not take place in winter or on the Sabbath. 21 For then there will be great distress, unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again.
The abomination of desolation in Matthew 24 is the key sign which occurred before the desolation of the second temple in 70 AD. Messiah proclaimed these words after He walked out of the second temple. It is not about an end-times rebuilt temple.
The context of the ‘abomination of desolation‘ is Messiah declaring judgment on the Jewish leaders and the ‘desolation’ of the second temple; which took place in 70 A.D. It says when you see the abomination of desolation, then flee Judea, so it’s a sign that people in Judea saw. It’s not about the end times.
Luke 21:20-21 tells us what it was, an army surrounding Holy Jerusalem, which Josephus documented as taking place in November of 66 AD, when Cestius and his army came to Jerusalem to end the Jewish rebellion. Messiah’s saints in Judea saw the sign, and knew that they needed to take the first opportunity to flee to the mountains of Pella for safety.
That opportunity came when Cestius and his army left Jerusalem for no explained reason. Messiah’s saints urgently left Jerusalem like Messiah told them to, but the Jews stayed. Then three strong divisions of the Roman army were sent to Judea, which led to 1.1 million Jews dying in and around Jerusalem from famine, pestilence, infighting, suicide, crucifixion and by the Roman sword. Read The Abomination of Desolation
Ok, when you see standing in the holy place ‘the abomination that causes desolation,’ spoken of through the prophet Daniel— Standing in the Holy Place. The Apostle Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2 tells us that the day of the Lord, this last 7 years allotted to Israel will not come until the man of lawlessness(the anti-Christ) is revealed.
2 Thes. 2: 2 Concerning the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ and our being gathered to him, (concerning the rapture) we ask you, brothers and sisters, 2 not to become easily unsettled or alarmed by the teaching allegedly from us—whether by a prophecy or by word of mouth or by letter—asserting that the day of the Lord (the Tribulation) has already come. 3 Don’t let anyone deceive you in any way, for that day (the Tribulation) will not come until the rebellion occurs and the man of lawlessness is revealed, (the man doomed to destruction).
4 He will oppose and will exalt himself over everything that is called God or is worshiped, so that he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
The falling away took place in the fourth century, when Emperor Constantine and the Roman bishops created the false religion of Romanism, which is based on pagan-god worship with the veneer of Christianity. After harsh persecution, many believers fell away from their faith and joined with the Roman Catholic Church. Read The Falling Away of 2 Thessalonians 2
The restrainer was the Western Roman Emperor who was removed from power in 476 AD as part of the fourth trumpet judgment, which allowed the Popes to gain civil and ecclesiastic authority over the Roman beast kingdom in 538 AD. The Popes reigned in power for 1,260 years, until 1798 AD, when they were removed as part of the fifth bowl judgment. Read Prophecy Points To The Leader Of The Roman Beast
The Popes proclaim to lead Messiah’s church, thus the sit in the temple. Paul is not pointing to a physical temple, but the temple of Messiah’s Ekklesia of saints. He is the cornerstone, the disciples are the foundation and the saints are the stones which make up the walls.
The Popes proclaim a false salvation message and that Mary is the intercessor to the Father, so that today, 1.3 billion Catholics believe in a false Gospel and are lost in their sins.
The Popes have already proclaimed to be God, to be Jesus Christ in the flesh (which is in place of Christ, anti-christ), to forgive sins and to provide salvation; all of which is blasphemy. Read The Son Of Perdition Of 2 Thessalonians 2
Verse 4 is describing the abomination of desolation. … he sets himself up in God’s temple, proclaiming himself to be God.
We see an event that relates to the Temple and to the Ruler of the people (the Romans) who destroyed the Second Temple must occur in the middle of the last week, in the middle of the last 7 years. A ruler will make a covenant with “the many”, Israel and other nations, we can now see it will be with the so-called Palestinians and the Islamic nations. Most likely through the United Nations. While the specific nature of this “covenant” is not made clear here, it is clear that it relates to the Temple in some way. This did not occur historically with the Roman general Titus who destroyed the Temple and Jerusalem in 70 A.D. Titus who destroyed the Second Temple and his emperor father Vespasian enjoyed parading the Temple vessels through the streets of Rome. Neither one of them entered into the Temple as required with the description of ‘‘the abomination that causes desolation,” spoken of through the prophet Daniel as described by Jesus and Paul. And neither one of them made a covenant with Israel and the many.
It is with this prophecy that Bible scholars find that the Tribulation, in which Revelation chapters 6 thru 19 gives details of will be 7 years.
Most of Revelation has already been fulfilled during the last 1,900 years, which again invalidates your premise that it takes place in a future 70th week of Daniel 9.
Jesus also said, Mt. 24: 21 For then there will be great distress(tribulation), unequaled from the beginning of the world until now—and never to be equaled again. … The destruction in 70 a.d. doesn’t fit with all the conditions Jesus mentions in Matthew 24 as well as in Mark and Luke and in Revelation.
This took place during the Jewish-Roman War of 66-70 AD, when 1.1 million Jews died in and around Jerusalem from famine, pestilence. They were stacked up in the city, thrown into the surrounding valleys, left hanging on the crosses and trees that surrounded Jerusalem. Jewish historian Josephus documents the brutal scene in horrible detail. Messiah was not talking about the number that would die, but the sheer horror of the scene. Read The Great Tribulation of the Olivet Discourse
The killing of the Jews by Hitler was much greater than what the Romans did in 70 a.d. So, the destruction of the Temple and Jerusalem by the Romans couldn’t be what Jesus meant when He said to ‘never be equaled again’. This as well as the other conditions of Matthew 24 hasn’t happened yet. They will happen during the final 7 years allotted to Israel, the Tribulation. Because what is described with Mt. 24 verses 16-20 sound like they could apply to what occurred with the Roman destruction, you have to take all the conditions that Jesus mentions into account. We have just seen that verse 21 does not match with what occurred. All the other conditions do not match with what occurred with the Roman destruction. They do match with what we are told in the Book of Revelation. What occurred with the Roman destruction was just a foreshadow of what’s to come.
Since all the conditions of the prophecies concerning the abomination of desolation cannot be found in history, this requires that the seventieth week of Daniel be understood as eschatological, that is, having its fulfillment in the future, in the end time. So there has to be a gap in time between the end of the 483 years and the last 7 years.
If the entire Church age can be interposed between references to the first and second comings of Jesus in the Old Testament, it certainly sets a precedent for having a time gap between the 69th ‘seven’ and the 70th ‘seven of Daniel.
There is no such thing as a church era! The concept of dispensationalism is based on a faulty understanding of a futuristic fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel 9 and Revelation.
Messiah’s Ekklesia of saints is made up of believing Jews and Gentiles. There is no futuristic 70th week of Daniel or a pre-trib rapture or a seven year period for God to deal with the Jews again. That is all a false narrative.
See Isaiah 61 and Mt. 4:16-21. Isaiah foretells Jesus’ first and second comings and the earthly kingdom of God all in one prophecy. When Jesus read this in the synagogue he stopped before reading the second half that deals with his 2nd coming and the kingdom of God. Just like with Isaiah’s prophecy, Daniels’s prophecy spans the time from the issuing of the decree in 444 B.C. to the second coming of Jesus.
There seems to be a clue to the time gap with the descriptions after the second part of verse 26. First notice, after the 483 years have completed it says, “The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary”. Notice he said ‘the people’ of the ruler, not the ruler, not the anti-Christ. This would be referring to the destruction in 70 a.d. by the Romans.
After telling about the destruction of the city and the Temple, with verse 27 he goes into describing the last 7 years. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. Remember, this is what Jesus referred to in Matthew 24 and Paul in 2 Thes. 2.
Obviously, if the fulfillment of the last 7 years immediately followed the 483 years, then you could not consider the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a.d. as part of the fulfillment, since it occurred almost 40 years after Jesus’ resurrection which marked the end of the 483 years.
The six items in Daniel 9:24 were fulfilled in the 70th week by Messiah, as no Jew could fulfill them, only Messiah. Read Daniel 9:24 Fulfillment
The desolation of the city and temple is the punishment of the Jews for continuing in their rebellion against the Heavenly Father and for delivering Messiah up to be killed. They were given one generation, forty years, to repent and then the Jewish nation was desolation.
But Daniel has it after the 483rd year and before the last 7 years. He includes it in the prophecy of the 490 years. For the last 7 years to immediately follow the 483rd year, then the Temple would have had to been destroyed by the year 40 a.d. The completion of the 490 years would have had to been by the year 40 a.d. Remember, the Temple was destroyed in 70 a.d. There has not been a 7-year covenant made nor has the requirements of the abomination of desolation been met. This alone should show that the last 7 years does not immediately follow the 483rd year.
So, we see there are events described that take place after the 483 years but before the last 7 years. It just doesn’t tell us how long this will be. Since the destruction in 70 a.d. happened almost 40 years after the end of the 483 years we see there is still a gap of time. So, it can’t be argued that the last 7 years immediately followed the 483 years. Since there has not been a 7-year covenant agreement made with Israel and other nations by ‘the ruler that will come’ and the conditions for the last 7 years haven’t occurred, this gap is still continuing today, this gap is The Church age.
Further evidence there’s a gap in time is that John in the book of Revelation sees and mentions the Temple as to being present, but the Temple was destroyed in 70 a.d. If John received and wrote the book of Revelation before the year 70, don’t you think with all the other things that Jesus revealed to John that He would have also shown him the destruction of the Temple? But there’s no such revelation. Why, because the book of Revelation wasn’t received and written until 95 a.d.
John is not talking about a physical temple. In Revelation 11:1-2, measuring the temple means to use the ruler of Scripture to compare what a church teaches against the Bible, to see if they are part of the true temple of Messiah’s Ekklesia of saints? Or if they are an apostate church.
Catholic monk Martin Luther did this in the 16th century and he found out that the Roman Catholic Church is an apostate church, the harlot church of Revelation 17, and that the office of the papacy fulfills prophecy as the son of perdition and the antichrist beast. Read Revelation 11 – Measuring The Temple
All the early first, second and third century church fathers wrote that John was on the Isle of Patmos in the year 95 a.d. It wasn’t until the fourth century when the Roman Catholic Church was the ruling authority that the teaching started that John was on the Isle of Patmos and received the Revelation around 66 a.d. Many false teachings started around this time. What followed is what has come to be referred to as the dark ages.
Prophecies in the O.T., in the Gospels and in the book of Revelation refer to there being a Temple in Jerusalem at the time of Jesus’ 2nd coming. There has to be a Temple for the abomination of desolation that Jesus referred to in Mt. 24 to occur.
No there doesn’t, as Messiah was talking about the desolation of the second temple, which He has just walked out of and proclaimed that not one stone would be left on another.
As we have seen and know from past history this didn’t happen in the first century or since. Well, the Jews already have laid out the plans for rebuilding the Temple. They already have all Temple furniture, the priestly garments, they have already made all the Temple vessels, everything required for the priestly duties. They have identified men from the tribe of Levi, of line of Aron to be priests and are training them. Only men from the tribe of Levi were allowed to be Priests. And they have even already chosen the High Priest. They can rebuild the Temple now. From archeological findings etc. they have discovered actually where the Temple stood. It wasn’t where the muslim dome of the rock is located which fulfills what we see in Rev. 11. John was told to, “Go and measure the temple of God and the altar, with its worshipers. 2 But exclude the outer court; do not measure it, because it has been given to the Gentiles”. The muslim dome of the rock is in the outer court. Now that is amazing. And John was shown this 2000 years ago.
What is called the temple mount is the former mount of Roman Antonia Fortress. It’s the only thing that the Romans left in 70 AD as a sign of their authority. The temple was to the south of Antonia Fortress and was totally destroyed just like Messiah proclaimed. Read Not One Stone
Paul said this present Church age of Jews and Gentiles being one was a mystery to the Old Testament Saints and Prophets.
Romans 16: 25 Now to him who is able to establish you in accordance with my gospel, the message I proclaim about Jesus Christ, in keeping with the revelation of the (mystery hidden for long ages past), 26 but now revealed and made known through the prophetic writings by the command of the eternal God, so that all the Gentiles might come to the obedience that comes from faith—
Eph. 3: 4 In reading this, then, you will be able to understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which (was not made known to people in other generations) as it has now been revealed by the Spirit to God’s holy apostles and prophets. 6 This mystery is that through the gospel the Gentiles are heirs together with Israel, members together of one body, and sharers together in the promise in Christ Jesus.
Col. 1: 24 Now I rejoice in what I am suffering for you, and I fill up in my flesh what is still lacking in regard to Christ’s afflictions, for the sake of his body, which is the church.25 I have become its servant by the commission God gave me to present to you the word of God in its fullness— 26 the mystery that (has been kept hidden for ages and generations), but is now disclosed to the Lord’s people.
1 Cor. 2: 7 No, we declare God’s wisdom, (a mystery that has been hidden) and that God destined for our glory before time began.
This is why there is no mention in Daniel of the time period between the 483 years and the last 7 years. It’s why there’s no mention of the time of the Church age by the other Old Testament Prophets. What we do have are numerous scriptures on the last 7 years allotted to Israel and the Holy City Jerusalem. With Jesus’ death on the cross, the prophetic stopwatch stopped leaving a gap in time. The prophetic stopwatch for Israel’s last 7 years will start ticking again when Israel signs the covenant with the little horn, the anti-Christ.
This is all a false narrative, based on the concept of the prophecies in Revelation being fulfilled in the end times. In Revelation 1:1, Messiah declared that these things must take place shortly, and in the third verse, that the time is at hand.
The first seal was fulfilled shortly after John wrote down the apocalyptic vision. The ‘bow‘ in the first seal is pointing directly at Roman Emperor Trajan, who reigned shortly after John wrote down the apocalyptic vision. He was a descendant of people of the Isle of Crete, who were famous bowmen. There’s no arrow because the Romans used spears in their battles with Trajan, not bows.
Trajan was one of the most victorious Emperors and the Roman Empire conquered nations and reached its height of power. He rode on a white horse during military victory parades and he wore a laurel wreath crown. Read Revelation 6 – 1st Seal White Horse
In the scroll handed to Jesus by God the Father in Rev. ch. 5, it’s these 7 years that we are told the details of in chapters 6 through 19 in the book of Revelation. Daniel was told to seal up the scroll, Dan. 12: 4 But you, Daniel, roll up and seal the words of the scroll until the time of the end. .. In Rev. ch. 6 we see Jesus unrolling the scroll and breaking the seals.
The seal judgments were against the pagan Roman Empire, as Satan has used the Emperors to try to wipe out Messiah’s Ekklesia of saints, killing millions during ten persecution period. Here’s a summary of the fulfillment of the seal judgments which caused the pagan Roman Empire to decline.
2nd Seal – The Red horse represents a bloody time in the Roman Empire from 185-284 AD, as it went into a phase of revolution and civil war for 90 years, during which there were 32 emperors and 27 contenders for the throne.
3rd Seal – The Black horse represents a period of gloom and despair, as the Romans suffered under excessive taxes that were needed to pay for wars. The pricing for wheat and barley point to food scarcity from 222-235 AD.
4th Seal -The Pale horse represents 1/4th of Romans dying from famine, plague, pestilence and violence, from 250-300 AD. The word ‘earth‘ is pointing to the Roman Empire as the ‘land’ of prophecy.
5th Seal – It represents the millions of martyrs who were killed by the Roman Empire, especially the Smyrna church era martyrs who Emperor Diocletian persecuted for ten years, from 303-312 AD. Their blood cried out for Elohim to avenge their deaths.
6th Seal – Earthquakes in the prophecy represent great political upheavals. Eastern Emperor Constantine defeated Diocletian’s army in 312 AD, which ended the persecutions. Diocletian (the Sun) was so panic stricken, he died insane. Constantine defeated emperors Maxentius and Licinius to become sole ruler of both west and east by 324 AD. The Roman leaders (stars) fell and their power receded as a scroll. The mountains and islands that were moved out of place, were the countries and people that were affected by this political change.
7th Seal – It represents Messiah sealing His servants before He sounds the seven war trumpets of judgment against the Pagan Roman Empire.
Daniel 12 is not about the end times. Daniel was distraught as he understood that Jerusalem, the second temple and the Jewish nation would be desolated because the leaders would deliver Messiah up to be killed. So Daniel asked for more information about what would happen to the Jews.
Daniel 12 points to the 3 1/2 of the Jewish-Roman War of 66-70 AD, in which the unbelieving Jews who delivered Messiah up to be killed, were punished; as Jerusalem, the temple and the Jewish nation desolated.
The abomination of desolation took place in 66 AD, which gave the believing Jews the opportunity to escape Judea to the mountains and were saved. The unbelieving Jews stayed and three strong divisions of the Roman army came against them. 1,290 days after the sign of the abomination of desolation, the Romans flooded into Jerusalem and killed hundreds of thousands of Jews by the sword. The siege ended suddenly when the last stronghold of Jews surrendered after 45 days, fulfilling the 1,335 days. Read Daniel 12 Fulfillment
As is the case with researching anything, in this case, you must first determine do all the scriptures, do all the conditions in Daniel and in Matthew 24 match with what occurred in the first century before looking at any other scriptures. You must first lay the foundation. This is what you build on. Once you establish the foundation then you base all other scriptures on this. All other scriptures must line up and work with, agree with the foundation. The scriptures cannot contradict each other. If your interpretation of scriptures doesn’t line up and agree with what the foundation shows, then you must rethink your interpretation. And you can’t change what a plain sense reading of the scriptures say to make your view work. If a plain sense makes sense, then don’t seek no other sense or you’ll wind up with nonsense.
If you would like to see more from the scriptures see the lessons, ‘The Tribulation being 7 years’ and ‘Was all Bible Prophecy fulfilled by 70 a.d.’.
Maranatha, Our Lord Comes.
Hugh, your narrative of the fulfillment of Revelation is invalid, as it’s all based on the false concept of a futuristic 70th week of Daniel 9.
I get it, I used to believe the same things as you do. I pray that you will seek truth and use Daniel’s definitions, which show the fulfillment in 70 consecutive weeks.
My The 70th Week Of Daniel 9 Decoded book is available as a free PDF or a printed book. I pray that you will read it to get the detailed explanation. Seek Scriptural truth, not to defend a belief, for the enemy has worked hard to deceive the end-times saints, so that they don’t understand how the end-times will play out and will be unprepared for Messiah’s return.
Here’s a link to a one-page summary of the fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel 9.
Shalom,
David Nikao Wilcoxson
Here’s additional studies which reinforce the historical fulfillment of Revelation:
Prophecy Points To The Leader Of The Roman Beast Study
Historical Witnesses Against Antichrist
Prophecy Points To The Roman Catholic Church Study
Revelation Fulfillment Summary
