The Greatest Deception In Modern Christianity (Part 4) -By Joe Dauda

The 70-week prophecy of Daniel Chapter 9 (verses 24-27) can be divided into four parts.

1. 7 weeks = 49 years +
2. 62 weeks = 434 years
3. 7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 weeks = 483 years
4. 70th week broken into equal halves of 3.5 years each

The segmentation above is based on statements by angel Gabriel, and they can all be found embedded in Daniel 9:25-27, bearing in mind the fact that verse 24, which mentions the 70 weeks as a whole, simply lists the spiritual mission of Jesus Christ to the world. For example, part of this mission of Jesus Christ was to “finish the transgression” (Daniel 9:24) and, while on the cross, Jesus Christ did say, “it is finished.” John 19:30.

But this mission of Christ was closely linked with the probation of the Jews as God’s special people because it clearly says the 490 years contained in the 70 weeks were determined upon “thy people” — meaning Daniel’s people, the Jews. Specifically, angel Gabriel also indicated that the 70 weeks had something to do with Jerusalem, which he referred to as “thy holy city.” After the 490 years of probation (see Matthew 18:22 to understand this 70×7 principle) the protocol God used since the Exodus of the Israelites from Egypt was going to end and the Gentiles would begin to be recipients of the oracles of God also. The exclusive status of the Jews will come to an end. Although Jesus Christ was born to be killed, it was the Jews that would be the ones to instigate His crucifixion and even go after His disciples — after His death and resurrection — thus giving God the perfect opportunity to say something like: “since you have rejected My only begotten Son, killed Him, and have started killing His followers also, perhaps it is time to begin to actively relate with the Gentiles and see if they will believe the gospel.” There is an example of this kind of logic in the Bible, and, interestingly, it is even about this issue of Jewish versus Gentiles, with respect to their reception of the gospel.

Acts 13:46
“Then Paul and Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it off from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.”

Even from this understanding alone, we can count 490 years backwards from the stoning of Stephen in Acts Chapter 7 (which was when the gospel officially began to be taken to the Gentiles) and unlock the 70-weeks prophecy by determining when to start counting.
Stephen was stoned in AD34. 490 years before that seminal event will take us back to 457BC — a date we would encounter again and fully understand before the end of this piece.

What happened when Deacon Stephen was stoned?

Speaking prophetically, Jesus Christ had told His disciples that they would be His witnesses in Jerusalem, in Judea, in Samaria, and then to the uttermost parts of the earth. Basically, this meant they will begin with the Jews and then carry His gospel to the rest of the world.

Acts 1:8
“And ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.”

Nevertheless, Newton’s First Law of Motion states that everybody will remain in its state of rest (or uniform motion in a straight line) except compelled by external forces to act otherwise. The external force that compelled the first Christians to carry the gospel to the Gentiles was the persecution that immediately followed the stoning of Stephen.

Acts 8:1
“And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.”

The comfort zone of these early Christians (who were virtually all Jews) was Jerusalem. But, after the great persecution started, notice how they began to spread out. Gradually, the prophetic instruction of Jesus Christ was being fulfilled. The fact that Paul sought letters to go to Damascus (in Syria) and punish followers of Jesus Christ is proof positive that there were followers of Jesus Christ in Damascus. In fact, these people were first called Christians far away from Jerusalem — in Antioch — proving the validity of the words of Jesus Christ. Although the gospel began to be preached to the Jews only, it was being carried to the Gentiles. The New Testament provides further evidence that the gospel was taken to Rome, all over Europe, Asia, Africa, and to the ends of the earth, as confirmed in Colossians 1:23. But the crux of the matter was when this gospel began to be preached to the Gentiles, marking the end of the Jewish probationary period. This was in AD34, when Stephen was brutally killed. 490 years before that sad event takes us to the beginning of the 2300 years of Daniel 8:14 and the beginning of the 70 weeks of Daniel also, as explained in Part 3 of this piece.

As already stated, 490 years before the stoning of Stephen brings us to 457 BC. Note that, when counting from AD to BC, you subtract one from the year and when counting from BC to AD, you add one to the year.

What happened in 457BC?

There are other means of understanding the fulfillment of the 70-week prophecy. God seemed to have made that prophecy impossible to misunderstand by creating multiple layers of confirmation for its correct interpretation. For now, let’s look at the segmentation of the 70 weeks.

Daniel 9:25
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks.”

There shall be seven weeks and three score and two weeks. This is simply 69 weeks because a score is 20 and three score is 60. Why did the Bible divide 69 weeks into 7 and 62, mentioning the 7 first? Remember that seven weeks contains 49 days, which is actually 49 years in its fulfillment. The 62 weeks contains 434 years.

Why was the prophecy segmented into 49 years and 434 years respectively?

The answer is right there in the last part of Daniel 9:25

“The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”

The “street” and the “wall” are a clear reference to Jerusalem, which had been destroyed by king Nebuchadnezzar. Gabriel was telling Daniel in Daniel 9:25 that Jerusalem was going to be rebuilt. But note that Solomon’s Temple was also destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar. According to 2 Kings 25:8-9, it was Nebuzaradan, “a servant of king Nebuchadnezzar” that burnt down “the house of the LORD”, which is a reference to the first temple, built by king Solomon. And this was also going to be restored. Within 49 years.

Interestingly, there is a statement in the New Testament that proves that the second Temple (which was still standing during the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ) was built in 46 years — that is to say, within the 49-year time limit given by the prophecy for the restoration of the “city and the sanctuary”.

John 2:20
“Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days?”

Of course this statement by the Jews was in response to Jesus Christ when He said to them:

“Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”

Jesus was not referring to the temple building but to His body-temple.

John 2:21
“But He spake of the temple of His body.”

So the first 69 weeks of the 70 weeks were divided into 7 weeks and 62 weeks because, within those 7 weeks (49 years) both Jerusalem and the temple were to be rebuilt.

Why was the 70-week prophecy itself broken into 69 weeks and one week?
We already read the answer — in Daniel 9:25 — but, at that time, we were not interested. We were chasing another information.

Here is why the 69th week matters and why the 70 weeks had to be separated into 69 weeks and one week. Some would say the end of the 69th week is the meat of the 70-week prophecy.

Daniel 9:25
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks.”

Messiah the Prince is, of course, Jesus Christ. The prophecy is saying that, 69 weeks (or 483 years) after the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, the Messiah shall be revealed.

If we know when the Messiah was anointed (baptized with the Holy Spirit) this should be easy. All we would need do is count back 483 years and we would get to the beginning of the 70-week prophecy. But remember that a decree is supposed to have been given by the beginning of this 70-week prophecy — the decree to restore and to build Jerusalem. So if we know when Jesus Christ was baptized and count back 483 years, that year must also coincide with the giving of the decree to restore and to build Jerusalem — for it to be reliable and 100% confirmed.

Although not many people are aware of this, the Bible clearly indicates the year Jesus Christ was baptized. According to Luke 3:1-2, it was in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar, a Roman Emperor who was important enough for the record of his life to be part of European history and even world history. When you make up for all the controversies surrounding when Tiberius actually began to reign over the Roman Empire, the year you arrive at for his 15th year as Emperor is AD27. And that was the year John the Baptist baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River. It was exactly 483 years after the beginning of the 70-week prophecy. And that is why Christ began to preach, saying:

Mark 1:15
“The time is fulfilled.”

Have you ever been told what time Jesus Christ was referring to?
It is nothing but the 69th week of the 70-week prophecy of Daniel, which is the burden of Daniel 9:25. The reason why the 70 weeks was broken into 69 weeks and then one week is because, after 69 weeks, the Messiah shall be anointed. Mind you, Messiah is just the Hebrew word for “Christ” and both words mean “anointed.” Although Jesus Christ was alive before AD27, He did not become the Messiah until AD27 when He was anointed. And we know He was anointed in AD27 because that was the year He was baptized (Luke 3:1-2) and the Bible states that His anointing took place immediately after His baptism — just moments apart!

Matthew 3:16
“And Jesus, when He was baptized, went up straightaway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto Him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon Him.”

For those who may not know, the anointing of Jesus Christ by God is what you just read above. Jesus Christ was anointed, not by oil — which is just a symbol of the Holy Spirit — but by the Holy Spirit.

Acts 10:38
“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power.”
And the Bible indicates that Jesus Christ had an unlimited amount of the Holy Spirit poured on Him, for John said of Him:

John 3:34
“For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him.”

Again we ask:

What happened in the year 457BC?

Remember that counting back 490 years from when Stephen was stoned should take us back to this date, just like counting back 483 from AD27 (when Jesus Christ was baptized) should also take us back to this date.

Ezra 6:14
“And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered . . . And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.”

When was the decree of king Artaxerxes given concerning the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple?

Ezra 7:7
“And there went up some of the children of Israel . . . in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.”

On the basis of world history, the 7th year of king Artaxerxes was 457BC.

Glory to God!

It is important to clarify that, before the decree of Artaxerxes concerning Jerusalem, there were two others (as stated by Ezra in Ezra 6:14) and even another one after that – by the same Artaxerxes. So it is Cyrus, Darius, Artaxerxes, and Artaxerxes. This 4th decree concerning Jerusalem was given to Nehemiah in the 20th year of Artaxerxes — 444BC. But only the decree given to Ezra in the 7th year of Artaxerxes fulfils the requirement of the prophecy and serves as the beginning of the count for the 490 years/70 weeks prophecy, as well as the longer 2300 years prophecy.

How so?

The decree of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the house of God was given in 536 B.C. and recorded in Ezra 1: 1-4. That of Darius for the continuation of the work (which had been hindered) was given in 519BC and recorded in Ezra 6: 1-12. As already stated, that of Artaxerxes was given in 457BC. The fact is that the decrees of Cyrus and Darius were mainly for the restoration of the temple and the temple worship of the Jews — not the restoration of their civil state and polity, all of which must be included in the fulfilment of the prophecy. For angel Gabriel had told Daniel that this decree was “To restore and to build Jerusalem.” And a look at the decree Artaxerxes gave to Ezra proves that it was to restore the Jewish state — civil and ecclesiastical — according to the law of God and the ancient customs of that people. Apart from being given an unlimited amount of treasure to beautify the house of God, to procure offerings for its service, and to do whatever else might seem good to him, Ezra was empowered to ordain laws, set magistrates and judges, and execute punishment even unto death. In other words, Ezra was empowered to restore the Jewish State to its Jewish roots, making the decree he received the one that compliments and perfects the other two, and which must, thus, mark the beginning of the count of the 490 years and 2300 years prophecies respectively. Note that, as for the decree given to Nehemiah, when Nehemiah arrived in Jerusalem, he found rulers and priests, nobles, and people, already engaged in the work of building Jerusalem. (Nehemiah 2: 16.) All these mentioned people were, no doubt, acting under the decree given to Ezra thirteen years earlier in 457BC. This proves that the decree of Artaxerxes given to Ezra indeed resulted in the rebuilding of Jerusalem.

However, as angel Gabriel told Daniel, “the streets shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.” Daniel 9:25. There is categorical evidence that the rebuilding project did not go smoothly. It had many adversaries — and these adversaries were sometimes successful in temporarily stopping the work. You can see an example of this in Ezra Chapter 4, as proven by the last verse.

Ezra 4:24
“Then ceased the work of the house of God which is at Jerusalem. So it ceased unto the second year of Darius king of Persia.”

Please note that, just like the current King Charles of Great Britain is King Charles the Third, written as King Charles III (meaning two other kings have borne that name before him, he being the third) there were a couple of Persian kings that went by the name Artaxerxes. So, in case you are researching this teaching, bear in mind that we believe that the Artaxerxes the Bible was referring to in Ezra 6:14 is king Artaxerxes the First, written as Artaxerxes I. Fortunately for students of prophecy, this Artaxerxes is also known as Longimanus. According to Encyclopedia Britannica, he reigned from 465BC to 425BC, making 457BC the seventh year of his reign and 444BC the 20th year of his reign, when Nehemiah was granted permission to go and do some work in Jerusalem. Perhaps out of malice against Christianity and the Bible, some websites (which I will not name) provide a list of the kings of Persia with information about Artaxerxes Longimanus curiously missing, even though this means that, in such lists, there is no record of who was in charge of Persia between 465BC and 425BC. This is a warning for researchers to bear in mind the fact that, especially as we near the end, stringent efforts are being made to deny the validity of the Bible or confuse those honestly trying to research secular history in a bid to establish biblical prophecy. Except for Britannica and other sources, if you check for the list of Persian kings in certain websites, there will be no record of who was in charge in the 40-year period between 465BC and 425BC, all in a bid to hide the existence of Artaxerxes Longimanus, whose decree is the linchpin for understanding one of the most consequential end time prophecies in the entire Bible because it marks the beginning of the 70-week period and also the 2300-year period. No wonder a super majority of Christians will worship the Antichrist because the lack of understanding of Daniel (including the sealed portion, which cannot be unlocked without knowing the timing of the decree of Longimanus) gives the Antichrist an overwhelming advantage in confusing end time prophecy and even making honest Christians believe outrageous fallacies, such as that the rapture will take place before he is revealed and before he is in a position to fulfill Revelation 13:8.
With 457BC settled as the date the decree by Artaxerxes for the restoration of Jerusalem was given (after those of Cyrus and Darius) only Jesus Christ fulfills the prophecy concerning the Messiah because He was anointed at the end of the 69th week, which is the same thing as saying, at the beginning of the 70th week. That year was AD27 — exactly 483 years or 69 prophetic weeks after the decree. The implication of the 457BC decree by Artaxerxes is that, if any of the other three decrees are taken as the beginning point for the 70-week prophecy, it would be impossible to establish the fact that Jesus Christ is the Messiah. And none of the other decrees will fit world history, confirm Bible prophecy, or support the credentials of Jesus Christ as Messiah, bearing in mind the fact that He was baptized in AD27.

Moreover, three and a half years after His baptism (that is, in the midst of the 70th week; AD31) Jesus Christ was crucified.

But was He guilty of any crime?

Luke 23:4
“Then said Pilate to the chief priests and to the people, I find no fault in this man.”

He was innocent, meaning He was crucified (cut off) but not for Himself. That is exactly as prophesied by Gabriel.

Daniel 9:26
“And after (seven weeks and) threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself.”

Everybody knows that the earthly ministry of Jesus Christ lasted three and a half years. But have you considered that three and a half years is exactly at the middle of seven years? So, when the Bible says “in the midst of the week” it is referring to the middle of seven years, which is three and a half years.
Jesus Christ was baptized at the beginning of the 70th week — or at the fulfillment of the 69th week — and, three and a half years later, He made animal sacrifices obsolete. Because He was the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, after His death, there was no need for sacrifice and oblation anymore. Again, this is exactly as prophesied by angel Gabriel.

Daniel 9:27
“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.”

The practice of animal sacrifice was instituted by God Himself. But the Bible describes Christ as the real Passover Lamb (1 Corinthians 5:7) and doubles down on that theme by declaring that it is impossible for the blood of bulls and of goats to to take away any man’s sins; Hebrews 10:4. Besides, John, the Identifier of Jesus Christ, clearly referred to Him as the “Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” It means, like every enlightened Christian knows, all those animal sacrifices before the death of Jesus Christ, pointed to Him. And it was through His death that He made these sacrifices to cease — because they were no longer necessary.

The moment Jesus Christ died (after declaring that it is finished) something happened in Jerusalem to indicate that the temple there was no longer what it used to be. A new era in God’s programme for humanity had begun.

What happened?

Matthew 27:51
“And behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom.”

This veil basically exposed what used to be the holy of holies, which was supposed to host the presence of God and be out of bounds to all Israelites, except the high priest, and that, only once a year. By the death of Jesus Christ, this former holy place was made common by being exposed to the eyes of everyone. The Levitical Priesthood (stationed on earth) had come to an end and the heavenly priesthood of Jesus Christ Himself was about to begin. So Jesus Christ made the old temple desolate — long before it was destroyed by General Titus the Roman in AD70. Something desolate is abandoned — no longer useful.

But who was Titus?

Titus was a Prince.

How so?

His father was the Roman Emperor, Vespasian.

When did Titus destroy the second temple at Jerusalem?

Even secular history agrees that this was done in AD70. And he did not only destroy the second temple but also Jerusalem itself.

Did Gabriel say anything about this?

Before reading the answer, please note that the word “sanctuary” is another word for “temple.”

Daniel 9:26
“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.”

Notice that this prince (who comes with his people) is Titus and the prophecy says he will wage war against Jerusalem and, at the end, both Jerusalem and the sanctuary (or temple) shall be destroyed in a process that will be reminiscent of a flood.

That was exactly what happened when Titus attacked Jerusalem in AD70. According to the Roman historian, Josephus, the destruction of the second temple was a terrible event and it is estimated that over a million Jews perished during the siege of Jerusalem, which resulted in its destruction and the desolation of the temple.

Recall these words of Jesus Christ:

Matthew 23:38
“Behold your house is left to you desolate.”

After initially calling the second temple “my father’s house” (John 2:16) Jesus Christ now, in a gesture of final rejection and an announcement of the coming doom, calls this same temple “your house” while speaking to the Jews, and says it is left to them desolate. Note that word “desolate” for it was only an echo of what Daniel had prophesied in Daniel 9:26-27.

So, it was Jesus Christ, by His death, that made the temple desolate and His rejection by the Jews confirmed this desolation because, since they did not recognize Him as Messiah, they kept sacrificing animals in that temple even after the only begotten Son of the living God had given His life as the only worthy sacrifice that could atone for the sins of mankind. This post-Calvary practice of animal sacrifice was an abomination of the highest order and God only endured it for about 40 years after the death of Jesus Christ in AD31. In AD70, “the overspreading of abominations” (which made the temple even more desolate than the fact that the presence of God was no longer there) was consummated.

Daniel 9:27
“And for the overspreading of abominations, he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”

The “he” is Jesus Christ; the “desolate” is the temple; the period of the “consummation” is AD70; the “consummation” is the utter destruction of the temple, and what was determined and poured upon the desolate was the calamity of the invading army of Titus.

The ministry of Jesus Christ lasted for three and a half years, leaving another three and a half years before the end of the 70th week. This was the amount of time that elapsed between the death of Jesus Christ (in AD31) and the stoning of Stephen (in AD34). Thus, within the one week (7 years) from the beginning of His ministry until the stoning of Stephen, Jesus Christ confirmed the covenant with many of the Jews. By the time Stephen was stoned, it was AD34 and the 70 weeks were finished. The gospel began to be preached to the Gentiles.

During the very last days, the Antichrist (directly sponsored by Satan) will be the dominant power on earth. You can read about that in 2 Thessalonians 2:4. It is through this dominance that Revelation 13:8 will be fulfilled. You cannot force people all over the world to worship the beast unless you control all the instruments of coercion in the whole world, either by a one-world government or a body like the United Nations (remember Covid and the power of the World Health Organization), or through an agreement based on global concord — like the Paris Climate Accord. But, to deceive Christians and make them believe that the Antichrist cannot be revealed until after the rapture/second coming of Jesus Christ, a devilish interpretation of the 70th week of Daniel 9:27 was concocted. Instead of the death of Jesus Christ causing the sacrifice and oblation to cease (and this makes 100% sense) the crooked interpretation claims that the Antichrist is the “he” in Daniel 9:27. It teaches that he will only be revealed after the rapture and then go on to have a 7-year peace agreement with Israel and then break off the agreement after three and a half years, thereby causing sacrifice and oblation to cease. If you have ever heard about the building of a third temple, it is based on this satanic theology. According to this theology, a third temple will be built in Israel and the Jews will be sacrificing inside that temple before the Antichrist would then break off the peace agreement that permitted them to build the temple and cause their sacrifice and oblation to cease. This is a wicked and a terrible lie — and it does not even make sense because it forces the Bible to say what it never said. But 99% of Christians believe it. No surprise because, as stated in Part 1 of this series, 99% of Christians also believe the exact opposite of 2 Thessalonians 2:1-3, which warned in categorical terms that the second coming of Jesus Christ will not take place until the Antichrist is revealed. For it is Jesus Christ Himself that will destroy the Antichrist with the Spirit of His mouth and with the brightness of His coming; This is clearly stated in 2 Thessalonians 2:8. Like I also stated in Part 1, my personal opinion on the matter is that the Christians who believe the lie that the second coming will take place before the Antichrist and the great tribulation are not simply being mischievous. I truly believe they think this is what the Bible teaches, perhaps because of the overpowering influence of preachers whom they trust. The problem is that even these preachers may not be teaching this false doctrine out of sheer mischief but because they themselves have been deceived to believe it is true. So now is the opportunity to reject the lie (no matter how popular and convenient) and greedily accept the truth. After all, in the end, only the truth matters. But if you don’t believe that completely honest Christians who have enough faith for healing, preaching, and casting out real demons and are absolutely confident of inheriting the kingdom of God can absolutely be deceived and absolutely disappointed on the last day and chased out of the presence of Jesus Christ — and even called workers of iniquity — then read Matthew 7:21-23 and note that what you are reading are the words spoken directly by Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, Who is the One ordained by God to judge the world.

John 5:22
“For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son:” See Acts 17:31

Especially for Christians who will live through the brief reign of the Antichrist in these last days and go through the great tribulation, a lack of understanding of the sealed portion of the prophecies of Daniel (which I am addressing through this series) could make Matthew 7:21-23 find an unfortunate fulfilment in their lives. May God forbid! But it will be helpful for you to pay sober attention to what you are learning through this series because it is the precious truth — though unknown by the majority.

Having tantalized you with the correct interpretation of Daniel’s 70-week prophecy, the responsibility is yours to seek for more information, study more, and free yourself from this lie, which will make people worship the beast without a guilty conscience — because they have been terribly and completely deceived. Remember 2 Thessalonians 2:10-11 which warned that God will allow those who reject the truth to be deceived. This is going to be a big problem because such a deception will have no remedy, coming with God’s angry permission.

So what is the summary of the 70 weeks prophecy?

Gabriel was basically telling Daniel that the Jews will return to Jerusalem and even restore the city and the sanctuary, following a decree to that effect. But just like the first temple was destroyed along with Jerusalem, this second temple will also be destroyed and Jerusalem along with it also. But, 69 weeks after the decree to restore and build Jerusalem, the prophesied Messiah will enter into His office and, three and a half years later, He will cause a cessation of sacrifices and oblation by being “cut off” (that is, dying) in complete innocence. This prophecy was thus a gospel message for it foretold the coming of the Messiah and when He will be revealed, how long His ministry would last, and when the gospel would begin to go to the Gentiles.
It is noteworthy that, sometime in AD66 — three and a half years before Titus came and destroyed both the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (the second temple) —Sixtius came. And he surrounded Jerusalem. This was the sign that had been given to the disciples by Jesus Christ Himself signaling they had to flee Jerusalem in a hurry.

Luke 21:20-21
“And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolations thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are in the countries enter thereinto.”

See the parallel passages of this prophetic warning in Matthew 24:15 -18 and Mark 13:14-16.

Indeed, the surrounding of Jerusalem by the Roman army led by Sixtius was the abomination of desolation but, apart from this mention, going into details about the abomination of desolation will lengthen this piece beyond measure. What is important here is that it was a specific sign, given to the people of God. If you knew about the sign, it was equivalent to life insurance; if, on the other hand, you were ignorant of this sign for any reason or group of reasons, then that was like a death sentence because of the things that eventually happened during the siege of Titus. This prophecy has application for the last days and this series is part of the knowledge the people of God need and it is equivalent to a knowledge of the abomination of desolation in AD66, which was what saved the disciples from partaking in the calamity that befell Jerusalem in AD70. Even secular people are referring to this generation as Generation Z – inadvertently preaching the gospel to blockheads that the end is near. And the end will not be a pretty time. This is why Jesus Christ urged His followers to take heed – and to pray.

Luke 21:34-36
“And take heed to yourselves, lest at any time your hearts be overcharged with surfeiting, and drunkenness, and cares of this life, and so that day come upon you unawares. For as a snare shall it come on all them that dwell on the face of the whole earth. Watch ye therefore, and pray always, that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to pass, and to stand before the Son of man.”

When the followers of Jesus Christ saw the surrounding of Jerusalem by Sixtius, they remembered the words of Jesus Christ and promptly fled the city — even though Sixtius suddenly withdrew his forces for no apparent reason and suffered some loses as he was chased down by the Jewish army. The inexplicable withdrawal of Sixtius (in spite of a superior army and superior fire power) was a divinely orchestrated opportunity for the Christians to leave Jerusalem without harassment from anybody — no Romans besieging the city and the Jewish army momentarily distracted because they were hotly pursuing Sixtius. No wonder, by the time that Titus came in AD70, none of these Christians was affected by his horrible siege because all of them had departed during the siege of Sixtius. So the coming of Sixtius was not the consummation mentioned in Daniel 9:27. What was determined to be poured upon the desolate temple was utter destruction, and that only happened in AD70 by the hand of Titus, son of Emperor Vespasian, who was the “prince” that was to come, referred to in Daniel 9:26.

Having made the above brief explanation of the 70-week prophecy, it should not be forgotten that the sealed portion of Daniel mentioned 2300 years. The 70 weeks were only a part of that 2300 years. After the 70 weeks (490 years) there was still 1810 years left before the end of this prophetic period. A simple calculation shows that, from 457BC, 2300 years ends in 1844. Alternatively, from AD34, when the 490 years of the 70-week prophecy was fulfilled, 1810 years also ends in 1844. There is no escaping that seminal year.
And what did angel Gabriel tell Daniel will happen in 1844 — that is, 2300 years after the decree to restore and build Jerusalem, given in 457BC?

Daniel 8:14
“And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”

2300 years after the decree (that is, in 1844) the sanctuary shall be cleansed.

2300 – 457 = 1843

But, as earlier pointed out, when moving from BC to AD, you add one year.

So it is 1843 + 1 = 1844.

In Part 2 of this piece, we explained how, based on Revelation Chapter 10, the understanding of this sealed portion of the Book of Daniel only came after a great disappointment.

Watch out for Part 5 of this series to understand how Daniel 8:14 was unsealed and the message the unsealing gave to the people of God.