GOD(JESUS) SETS THE DATE

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

INTRODUCTION

            As Jesus died onCalvary, He cried, ” It is finished” and the veil of the temple was rent in twain, from the top to the bottom. This was to show that the services of the earthly sanctuary were forever finished, and that God would no more meet with the priests in their earthly temple, to accept their sacrifices. The blood of Jesus was then shed, which was to be offered by himself in the heavenly sanctuary. As the priest entered the most holy once a year to cleanse the earthly sanctuary, so Jesus entered the most holy of the heavenly, at the end of the 2,300 days of Daniel 8, in 1844, to make a final atonement for all who could be benefited by His mediation, and thus cleanse the sanctuary.

THE WOUNDERFUL NUMBERER

            While Daniel was watching the havoc the “little horn” power of Daniel 8 ( Chapter-8) was to make among God’s people, one saint was heard asking the “Numberer of Secrets” ,” How long will it take for the vision to be fulfilled – the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, the rebellion that causes desolation, the surrender of the sanctuary and of the host that will be trampled underfoot?” .The “Numberer of Secrets” of the “Wonderful Numberer”, who is God Himself, said that it would take 2,300 days, then the sanctuary will be recons crated or cleansed.

The children ofIsraelwere told that they were to wander in the wilderness for forty years [a year for every one of the 40 days they explored thelandofCanaan]. Ezekiel was asked to lie down on the right and bear the sins of Israel for forty days stating that he had to do so a day for every year. from these texts we conclude that one prophetic day is equivalent to one literal year. therefore these 2,300 days would clearly mean 2,300 literal years.

THE 2,300 YEARS

In Daniel chapter-8 doesn’t give indication of when the 2,300 days commences nor when it ends. while Daniel was studying this prophecy, the angle Gabriel appeared to him and told “Seventy weeks of years are fixed for your people”.

            From the anointing of Saul to the Babylonian captivity too there were 490 years – 1095 to 606 B.C. In this prophecy they were to have “Seventy sevens cut off” for them. The only period previously mentioned from which they could be “Cut off” is the 2,300 years period of Daniel 8:14. it must be these years were “cut off” from the 2,300 year period. in other words, 490 of these 2,300 years were to be given to the Jews, as a nation; the other 1,810 would be given of them as individuals and to someone else. by finding the beginning of the 490 years period, we would have the beginning of 2,300 years period.

AT 31 AD (7 Days/Years) – ONE WEEK (Half Weeks)

THE 490 YEARS CUT OFF FOR THE JEWISH PEOPLE

There were at least six reasons for the giving to these seventy weeks to the Jewish people. they were:

1. “To restrain the transgression”.

2. “To seal up sins”.

3. “To make reconciliation for iniquity”.

4. “To bring in everlasting righteousness”.

5. “To seal up the…. prophecy”.

6. “To anoint the Most Holy”.

The seventy weeks or 490 years were to commence from the time of issuing of the decree to rebuild ?Jerusalem. Three decrees were issued concerningJerusalem. They are:

1. The decree of Cyrus for the rebuilding of the house of God, 536 B.C.
2. The decree of Darius of the prosecution of that work which had been hindered, 519 B.C.
3. The decree of Artaxerxes to Ezra, 457 B.C.

           This decree of Artaxerxes is the only on of the three that could be considered an answer to the “restore and…. buildJerusalem” idea. the other simply commanded to build the temple and restore the Jewish system of worship. Therefore, 457 B.C., is the date take as the beginning of the 490 years period.

 The seventy weeks are divide into three parts. they are:

1. “Seven weeks” or 49 Years – 457 to 408 B.C. – for the rebuilding ofJerusalem.
2. “Threescore and two weeks” (62weeks) of 434 Years – 408 B.C. to A.D.27 – to the anointing of “the Messiah the Prince” – Jesus baptism.
3. “One week” or 7 years – A.D27 to 34. in the midst week Jesus was to be crucified.

            Jesus was baptized in the fall [beginning of autumn] of A.D.27, being “about thirty years of age”. He was crucified at the time of the Passover in the spring of A.D.31. the gospel began to be preached to the Gentiles in A.D.34. the following three things are given as the closing of the 490-year period and expansion of the  work of the gospel top the rest of the world.

1. Stoning of Stephen in A.D.34 and the great persecution that scattered the believers “aboard throughout the regions of Judea andSamaria” and later to many others lands. they “went everywhere preaching the world”.
2. Peter, directed by God in a vision, visited the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius and baptized some of them. in his defense before his brethren he asked, “What was i that I could withstand God?”.
3. Saul of Tarsus, later Paul the apostle to the Gentiles, was converted as he was on his way toDamascusto the persecute the disciples of Jesus.

END OF THE 2,300 YEAR PERIOD

      Deducting the 490 years from the 2,300 years, we find that 1,810 years are left. adding 1,810 years to A.D.34, we come to A.D.1844. this is the date set by the “Numberer of secrets” as the year in which the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary should begin. In all parts of the world, prior to the ending of the 2,300 years in 1844, men arose preaching a message pointing to that which was to begin in 1844. they were mistaken in the exact way in which God planned to work, but their message was one of warning, fulfilling the Feast of Trumpets always celebrated on the first day of the seven month:

      The cleansing of the sanctuary is really announced by the message “Fear God and give Him glory, because the hour of His judgment has come. worship Him who made the heavens, the earth, the sea and the springs of water.”