Why are people looking for the Ark of the Covenant and the Holy Grail when we have a much more important piece of the Divine puzzle right in front of us. We have billions of Bibles throughout this earth with inscribed “divine keys†that can help the avid student unlock amazing mysteries that are being unveiled in our time. The most important puzzle piece and key are found in the 9th Chapter of the Book of Daniel.
The mighty king Cyrus announced in his first year of consolidated power that he would bless Israel by returning them to their homeland. Cyrus, kind of Persia, announces to the Jews, “All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of Heaven has given me, and He has commanded me to build him a house in Jerusalem which is in Judah.†Cyrus who had defeated the Babylonians and had taken the Israelites captive, would now help this captive nation return and worship in their homeland. Never in history had a victorious conqueror set a priority to help his captives go free and form a nation. Seventy years earlier the prophet Jeremiah warned the nation of Israel that they would be taken captive for a total of 70 years for their transgressions. These transgressions relate to the nations failure to honor the Sabbath year unto which every debt by every person was to be forgiven. For 490 years they had failed to honor this divine command given by God through Moses in the wilderness. A period of 490 years is composed of 70 Sabbath years. When those 70 years had expired, God would give the command to let them return.
The Cyrus declaration runs parallel to Trump’s announcement in December of 2017, after his victory in the elections. Trump announced that he would move the American Embassy to Jerusalem and thus legally mark Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. In the eyes of many Jews in Israel Trump had become the new Cyrus. Jerusalem had been captured by the Ottomans and held by them for 400 years until finally liberated by the British General Allenby. Then 1917, Lord Balfour, a Christian, set in motion a series of events that set aside a large portion of land for the Jews in the land of Palestine. Many Jews moved to the land but it was only in 1947 when President Truman declared his support for the formation of a new nation called Israel. The nation was approved by the league of Nations and Israel became a nation in 1947-48. 70 years later Trump becomes President, a man who was born in the time of Truman who was so touched by the Jewish cause that he declared in his tears that “I am the new Cyrus.†Here you have two American Presidents who carry on the Kingly power of Cyrus to announce Israel’s Holy Prophetic ownership of God’s city of Jerusalem.
The number 70 comes into play again in the 9th Chapter of Daniel, when Gabriel announces to Daniel the prophetic 70-sevens countdown that would begin at the next announcement of a Persian leader. This leader was Artaxerxes, who in 457 BC, declared that he would help Israel rebuild not only the Temple but also the walls of Jerusalem – thus establishing the new city. Notice that it is not just the number 70 but again the combination 70 X 7 or seventy sevens equaling 490 years. Amazing that God generated this special moment bracketed by two 70- Sevens Prophetic periods! Gabriel explains to Daniel the amazing thing that will happen during this period; the birth, introduction, and “cutting off†of the promised Messiah! Just as God promised, Jesus the Messiah appears on the scene in an official way at the Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem fulfilling this remarkable countdown laid down by Gabriel, at the perfect time. This should get your attention. God is weaving a perfect promise. All this is explained in detail in my book Cosmic Crossroad Countdown.
Note that Gabriel appears to Daniel at the time of “the final sacrifice.†So why are we told this? Probably because God wants us to know that he is shaping history with an intricate pattern. For we know that Jesus Christ was the “final sacrifice†who also died at the 3 P.M. hour. Through the Prophet Zechariah God states that he will make Jerusalem “ a cup that will make all the nations tremble.†He has indeed done this even in our time as most nations have refused to recognize Jerusalem as being Israel’s capital. Pundits were declaring that a war would start and condemnations of all kinds were spewed out by the Arab countries and by the UN. Israel has received more declarations of condemnation from the UN than all the evil, corrupt nations of the world combined!
Now we know that Daniel was the chief Magi in the Babylonian/Persian era and therefore his students would remember all the methods that God imparted to Daniel on how to discern and observe the time and place of any divine sign. That sign was the Bethlehem Star that may have been an exploding star in the “womb†of the constellation Virgo. This Virgo-Leo combination with Drago the dragon sitting above waiting for the birth is explained in my book and stated in Revelation 12: 1-4 in the Bible. So Daniel connects us to both the first and 2nd Coming of Jesus Christ. The 70 weeks have not been fulfilled, for a final week of 7 years has yet to happen. This final week of 7 years will happen soon to fulfill the pattern and complete the tapestry that God has set before us. What else can we discern from Daniel that may help us?
We know that the first 69 sevens or 483 years have taken place and led to very day that Jesus entered Jerusalem on the fowl of a donkey. Why did God separate these last 7 years? Obviously he has a reason which we cannot perceive completely. My thought is that God is giving mankind every opportunity to turn to Him and repent. He is very patient and has already added on nearly 2000 years. He promised the Jews that they would return to their land and they did in 3 important stages: 1917 the Balfour Agreement open a big door ; 1948 opened the door even wider with the formation of the nation of Israel; 1967 the door to Jerusalem was opened when the Jews took control of the Temple Mount; and in 2017 the legal status of Jerusalem was proclaimed by the most powerful leader of the most influential “empire†of our time the President of America. Now understand that 2017 also marked the 70th year of the formation of the nation; the 50th year (Jubilee) of the liberation of Jerusalem from Islamic control; and the 100th year of the liberation of the Promised Land from the Ottoman Empire!
Other Amazing Observations: 1) During the 1967 battle for the Temple Mount the some of the Jewish soldiers were surprised to see a rabbi among them. This rabbi blew the shofar celebrating the victory and his name was Goren which in Hebrew means “Threshing floor.†If you remember it was David who first purchased the Temple Mount from the owner of its threshing floor. And if you also remember it was Jesus who called himself the Bread of life, who was born in the city of Bread, Bethlehem. He broke bread with his disciples and reminds us at each Lord’s Supper that his body was given up for us as we eat the “bread of life.†Now realize that no shofar was blown when the President of the U.S. legalized the Jewish capital of Jerusalem- but note that his name is “TRUMP†– so in God’s way his voice and declaration was the “trump†that declared God’s promise fulfilled!
2) General Allenby’s declaration of victory over the Ottoman control of Palestine occurred in the first week of December. This was also true of Truman’s declaration and of Trumps declaration. Why this pattern? Are there other patterns that can help us understand what is about to happen?
3) On the Jubilee year the trumpet is sounded and the land is returned to the original owner. 1917 was a Jubilee year and the land was returned to its original owner: God’s people. In 1967 a Jubilee year, Jerusalem was returned to its original owner: God’s people. In 2017 another Jubilee year, the legal status of God’s people over the city of Jerusalem was guaranteed by the leading power in the world.