12/31/06 - “The 2300 Year Prophecy – Part 2” - 53L - FM
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Hello!  This is Richard Vaughn

Today’s subject – “The 2300 Year Prophecy – Part 2”

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 the vision of the 2300 days, (which were prophetic, therefore 2300 years.) 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 in two parts for us. 
 
In review Daniel 9:23, "At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly beloved:  therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision."
	The angel says, "Consider the vision." The vision of the 2300 years that was given in Daniel 8, but he fainted. Gabriel comes back a number of years later, in answer to Daniel's prayer to help him understand that vision.  
	 
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." 
Let's read that verse slowly and understand what it means,
"Seventy weeks (prophetic weeks), are determined, (The Hebrew word determined literally means "cut off" like an amputation) . . . 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, (looking forward to Jesus' 1st coming), and to seal up the vision and prophecy…”
We need to remember that time in prophecy is not literal. A prophetic day equals a literal year. Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:6
So obviously this time period has to be symbolic. The angel deals with the first 70 weeks of the prophecy of 2300 days.  And so we'll deal with this first 70 weeks also. 
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city."  Here's the key question:  Who is "thy people" referring to? The Jewish nation.  Daniel was a captive Jew in Babylon, and so he says it's a specific prophecy for "thy people" or the Jewish nation. 
	God made a covenant with the Hebrew people, to make them His own.  The covenant was originally made to all of the Hebrews—all twelve tribes.  But as time went on, ten of the twelve tribes proved unfaithful and they were cut off even before this.  Then there were left two tribes, the tribe of Benjamin, and the tribe of Judah.  Benjamin became absorbed into Judah, and so all we had was the tribe of Judah. Daniel was of the tribe of Judah.   
	Then it says "thy holy city."  What city is the holy city?  It is  Jerusalem; this is a prophecy specifically for the Jews and for the city of Jerusalem.  
God had promised Israel blessings if they would obey and curses if they would not, (Lev.26:31) God said He would scatter Israel and lay their cities waste. Daniel in his prayer in chapter nine recognizes the fulfillment of those words, and yet in spite of their captivity, the Jews had not repented.  
	So God's promise was inherited by the tribe of Judah. God had promised to make them His witnesses on Earth. But a covenant is between two people, or two parties.  Whenever God makes a covenant with people, it is made on condition that we fulfill our part, so that He can fulfill His part. So God's covenant to bless His people is on condition.  When God calls to bless a nation or a people, such as Israel, that is always a conditional promise that those people fulfill their part of the bargain to be obedient.  (Just as his agreement with Adam and Eve was conditional)
	So the first part of this prophecy, the 70 weeks or 490 years applied to the Jews. What God is saying in this prophecy to Daniel is, "Listen, Daniel, I love my chosen people.  We have made a covenant together, but they're not sticking with it. So I'm going to give a final probationary period of time, of 70 weeks, or 490 years, to the Jewish nation and to the city of Jerusalem. 
	God is giving Israel a certain amount of symbolic time to represent a certain amount of literal time. The Jewish nation would have 490 years of opportunity or probation, a period of grace, to make things right with God, and finally accept their true Messiah.
So the angel is simply saying, "There are 490 days out of the 2300 days that we're going to deal with first."  We apply that well known principle of a day representing a year in Bible prophecy, (Ezekiel 4:6, Numbers 14:34) which results in us understanding the prophecy to be for 490 years.  
	If we can find when this starts, we'll know when the probationary time for the Jewish people ran out. There must be an event or something that takes place to let us know when to start this prophecy, and that event is mentioned in the next verse. 
Daniel 9:25, "Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build (what city?) 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?  To get the Bible answer, keep your finger here, but turn back a few books to the book of Ezra. 
	Ezra 6:14 "And the elders of the Jews builded and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. 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." 
 	Here we have the prophecy about rebuilding the city of Jerusalem.  But it says there are three kings that gave decrees.  There was first of all Cyrus who gave the decree in 537 B.C.  Next was Darius in 520 B.C.  Then there's Artaxerxes in 457 B.C.  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).  The city was not rebuilt, therefore they don't meet the requirements of the prophecy. 
	In the third choice, found in Ezra 7, the command was completed by Artaxerxes. When Artaxerxes comes on the scene, he favors God's chosen people, the Jewish nation, and he gives the major decree, in which Ezra was given permission to reconstruct the city.  Artaxerxes command is the one Ezra concentrates on.  It was the most complete command because it was the one that allowed them to be established again as an independent nation. Much of the next chapter is dealing with this command.  
	Ezra 7:13  "I make a (what?) decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee." 
 He let everybody go that wanted to go back to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.  He gave a decree to Ezra the priest, reestablishing the governmental autonomy of Judah.  They began to rebuild the city, which took years.  
	It is clear in the Bible that the decree of Artaxerxes is the one that restored and rebuilt Jerusalem.  And you say, "When did it happen?"  
	Ezra 7:7 tells us this decree was issued "in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes," or 457 B.C.  According to all historical data, whether it be calendars, cuneiform tablets, records of the eclipses, etc., that decree went in 457 B.C. It's one of the most archeologically proven dates we have.   
	According to history, this decree went forth in the fall of 457 B.C. to restore and build Jerusalem.  
Now let's go back to Daniel, and with this knowledge, really get into the heart of this exciting prophecy.   Daniel 9:24
	The 2300 day/year prophecy is the longest stretching prophecy in the Bible.  But then part of that would be cut off and measured from the larger time period. Both these prophecies start together at the same time.  
	We start at our beginning date, 457 BC.  In Bible prophecy, one prophetic day equals a literal year.  Seventy prophetic weeks = 490 literal years. That part, which is cut off from the 2300 years is the 70-week prophecy or 490 years. 

Well the clock says we’re cut off or out of time for this week.
Next Week: “The 2300 Year Prophecy - Part 3”

	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. 

	And 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. 

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.