1/07/07 – 1LAW “The 2300 Year Prophecy – Part 3” 
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Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today’s subject – “The 2300 Year Prophecy – Part 3”

Before we begin today’s program, shall we reverently seek God’s presence. Heavenly Father we ask for divine guidance through the agency of the Holy Spirit, as we open the word and study the longest time prophecy in the Bible.  In Jesus name Amen.
I continue to keep my pledge to cry aloud and spare not, lift up my voice like a trumpet and to show God’s people where they are transgressing God’s Law.

Today, we're continuing to study the longest time prophecy in the Bible. Last week we left off with the angel Gabriel explaining the vision of the 2300 days, and since they were prophetic, it is therefore a period of 2300 years. As you recall, Daniel 8:14 said, “Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.” Now we're going to go through this prophecy of 2300 years until the sanctuary is cleansed, and to make it easier, the angel divides the prophecy into two parts for us. 
 
In quick review we found out that Gabriel came back to help Daniel understand the 2300 day/year vision, which was split in two parts. He learned that the Jewish people were given a probationary period of 70 weeks or 490 days. Remembering that a prophetic day equals a literal year, Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6, the Jewish people had 490 years left, to get their act straight, or be cut off. Let’s reread Daniel 9:24
	 
Daniel 9:24. He says, "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." 
Daniel 9:25 gives us the clue as to when the two parts, the 2300 years and the 490 years begin, "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem... ."
Now here is our beginning event.  When the commandment goes forth to restore and build the city of Jerusalem, that's when all this is going to begin. When did that commandment go forth to restore and rebuild the city of Jerusalem?  We learned last week that there were three kings that gave decrees, but it was only the decree of Artaxerxes in 457 B.C. that was the one applicable to the prophecy since the first two decrees that were given by Cyrus and Darius resulted only in the reconstruction of the Temple, which was completed in 516/515 B.C. (Ezra 6:15-18). In Ezra 7, the command was completed by Artaxerxes. It was the most complete command because it was the one that allowed them to be established again as an independent nation. 
	Ezra 7:7 tells us this decree was issued "in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes," or 457 B.C.  
Now let's go back to Daniel, and with this knowledge, really get into the heart of this exciting prophecy. Daniel 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.” 

All right now we have a new time period of seven weeks and threescore and two weeks until Messiah the Prince. Seven weeks or 49 days plus threescore and two weeks, that’s 62 weeks or 434 days = 483 days, added together = 69 weeks. That’s a period of 483 prophetic days or 483 literal years. Why do you suppose it broke the 69 weeks into seven and sixty-two? Seven weeks or 49 prophetic days = 49 literal years. The prophecy says, “…the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.”  It took 49 years to rebuild the walls and the city and it was done under extreme stress. Often those who worked on the wall had to have a tool in one hand and a weapon in the other.

The 483 years from the fall of 457 B.C. takes us to the fall of A.D. 27. Keeping in mind that there was no zero year. The year that followed 1 B.C. was 1 A.D.  The prophecy says “…unto the Messiah the Prince …” What happened in the fall of A.D. 27? Jesus left his carpenter trade and began His ministry as the Messiah. At His baptism He was anointed. In the Hebrew, the meaning for Messiah is "the anointed one."  And guess what the meaning for Christ is in the Greek?  "The anointed one."  So whether you have "Messiah" in the Old Testament Hebrew, or whether you have "Christ" in the New Testament Greek, they both mean the same thing, "the anointed one."  Now let’s read the next two verses, Daniel 9: 26,27 “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, …”

The prophecy tells us that at some time after the 69th week, Messiah would be cut off. Then it predicts the destruction of both the city and the temple, something that actually did happen in 70 A.D. Verse 27 says the He shall confirm the covenant for one week, 7 prophetic days or 7 literal years. From the fall of 27 A.D., that takes us to the fall of 34 A.D. What was significant about 34 A.D.? The 490 years of probationary time for the Jewish people was to come to an end. Notice this prophecy also says, “…and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, …” That means the middle of this 7 year period. 3-1/2 years after His baptism, in the Spring of 31 A.D., Jesus, the anti-typical Lamb of God was crucified, and the whole system of animal sacrifice ended. Right on schedule in God’s perfect timing.

But in 34 A.D. something happened that changed the emphasis of the gospel from going to the Jews. Let's read the story and see how this prophecy was perfectly fulfilled. Turning to Acts 7, we see this fulfilled, word for word, in Bible prophecy. 
Jesus had left the earth three and a half years prior to this.  And He told His disciples, "I want you disciples to preach to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  Show them Bible prophecy.  Show them that I was truly the Messiah."  And the disciples pled with the Jewish people, especially the leadership of the day. But those leaders continued to harden their hearts and they continued to resist the Holy Spirit. Stephen was boldly preaching a sermon, and the Bible says they were convicted in the heart, but they got angry and bitter with Stephen and the Bible says they gnashed their teeth.
  They decided, "We're going to kill this guy.  We don't want to hear any more about Jesus Christ the Messiah."  Acts 7:59, "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying, Lord Jesus, receive my spirit."
	The Sanhedrin, the Jewish supreme council, passed a decree rejecting Christianity.  The signal event of this was the stoning of the deacon Stephen, a devoted follower of Christ.  And at that point they not only had killed Jesus, but began to kill His followers.  
	In 34 A.D. Stephen was the first Christian martyr and he died in the streets of Jerusalem, the rejection of the gospel by the Jewish leaders, ended their probation. And who was a main culprit behind that? Saul of Tarsus. 
  	Acts 8:1,2 "And Saul was consenting unto his death.  And at that time there was a great persecution against the church which was at (what city? The city of) Jerusalem; and they were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judaea and Samaria, except the apostles. And devout men carried Stephen to his burial, and made great lamentation over him."
	 Notice what happens in verses 3-5, "As for Saul, he made havoc of the church, entering into every house, and haling men and women committed them to prison. Therefore they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them."
That was the Samaritans.  The Jews hated the Samaritans—they wouldn't even talk to them. In fact, in the Bible they called them dogs.  But what happened here was Israel had used up their probationary time. God had been long suffering toward them. God didn’t want to cut them off—through disobedience they cut themselves off. It was then time for the gospel to go to the world, and not just the Jewish people. 

The disciples had to leave God's former chosen people, and go out to the whole gentile world and spread the gospel to those that would accept it. Saul of Tarsus was converted and became Paul. His mission was to bring the gospel to the Gentiles.

Let's go now to Acts 13:45, 46   
"But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy, and spake against those things which were spoken by Paul, contradicting and blaspheming.  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 if from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn (to who?) to the Gentiles." They tried to share the gospel of Jesus Christ with the Jews, but in general they wouldn't accept it, so they had no other choice but to go to the Gentile world.  
	It goes on in verse 48 and says, "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord:  and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed." 
	It says in verse 50 though, "But the Jews stirred up the devout and honourable women, and the chief men of the city, and raised persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them out of their coasts." 
Here again, we see the Jews rejecting the gospel.   

Well the clock says we’re cut off or out of time for this week.
Next Week: “The 2300 Year Prophecy - Part 4”

	If you want some more information or even Bible studies, contact me by writing to: Pastor Vaughn that’s V-A-U-G-H-N, at PO Box 727, South Hill, VA 23970. Once again that’s Pastor Vaughn that’s V-A-U-G-H-N, at PO Box 727, South Hill, VA 23970.  

	And remember, you are always welcome to worship with us each seventh day Lord’s Day (that’s Saturday mornings) at the Victory Seventh Day Adventist Church located at 117 W. Danville Street in the center of South Hill, VA. 

Until next week, Jesus said in John 5:39, “Search the Scriptures, for in them ye think ye have eternal life: and they are they which testify of me”. Even so, Come Lord Jesus.