Re: Daniels 42nd week – Sabbatic cycle confirmed
Thanks Vic.
OK, let’s have a look at the 42nd week of Daniel. As shown in the chart it extends from 170 BC to 164 BC. Now, a ‘week’ is a block of seven years in the old Hebrew calendar similar to our ‘decade’ but smaller. The final seventh year was always a Sabbath and that was when the land was rested. (Leviticus 25:1-7) So the 42nd week of Daniel looked like this:
Year 1 – 170 BC
Year 2 – 169 BC
Year 3 – 168 BC
Year 4 – 167 BC
Year 5 – 166 BC
Year 6 – 165 BC
Year 7 – 164 BC (Sabbatical)
The obvious question will be, “Is there any independent evidence that 164 BC was a Sabbath year?” The answer is yes, and it is found in the war of the Maccabees:
Bethsura surrendered to the Greek army because their supplies had run out, with no crops in the ground because it was fallow. And the year of the Greek invasion … ? 164 BC!
This brings us back to the point I made about 444 BC being a Sabbath year. It means we can calculate increments of seven from confirmed dates and uncover the rest of the 7-year cycle. We now have
TWO confirmed dates. This means the actual, original Sabbath years can be followed backwards to Moses and followed forwards to Christ! It impacts on our previous estimates of Daniels ‘weeks’ since they are part of the Sabbath / Jubilee system.
Most importantly, it shows that Christ is the fulfillment of the Jubilee. (Luke 4:16-21)
Helloooo. Anybody interested in this stuff?
I think you've nailed this stuff. Good work! And in keeping with that line of thought, the 43rd week looks like this:
Year 1 – 163 BC
Year 2 – 162 BC
Year 3 – 161 BC
Year 4 – 160 BC
Year 5 – 159 BC
Year 6 – 158 BC
Year 7 – 157 BC (Sabbatical)
And what's significant about 157 BC?
In 159 BC, the Seleucid General Bacchides came to Jerusalem and took high-ranking Jewish official's sons hostage and put them in one of the Temple's towers as prisoners there.
One of his commanders, Alcimus, issued orders that the walls of the inner court of the Temple be pulled down, and also had the "works of the prophets" destroyed. However, as he began to have the walls pulled down, he was stricken "with a palsy" that prevented him from speaking and quickly led to his death.
When Alcimus died, Bacchides returned to Seleucia (near Antioch, Syria) and spent the next 2 years there, giving the Maccabees a two-year respite from the war.
During this time, however, Hellenized Jews in Jerusalem (who started the whole civil war with their Orthodox brethern, calling Antiochus IV to assist them) went to Bacchides and told him the Maccabees were "dwelling without care" and assured him this would be the time to strike.
So in 157 BC, Bacchides returned to Judea with a fresh army to quell the Maccabean Revolt once and for all. Here's how that story ended:
{64} Then went he and laid siege against Bethbasi; and they fought against it a long season and made engines of war.
{65} But Jonathan left his brother Simon in the city, and went forth himself into the country, and with a certain number went he forth.
{66} And he smote Odonarkes and his brethren, and the children of Phasiron in their tent.
{67} And when he began to smite them, and came up with his forces, Simon and his company went out of the city, and burned up the engines of war,
{68} And fought against Bacchides, who was discomfited by them, and they afflicted him sore: for his counsel and travail was in vain.
{69} Wherefore he [Bacchides] was very wroth at the wicked men that gave him counsel to come into the country, inasmuch as he slew many of them, and purposed to return into his own country.
{70} Whereof when Jonathan had knowledge, he sent ambassadors unto him, to the end he should make peace with him, and deliver them the prisoners. {71} Which thing he [Bacchides] accepted, and did according to his demands, and sware unto him that he would never do him harm all the days of his life. {72} When therefore he had restored unto him the prisoners that he had taken aforetime out of the land of Judea, he returned and went his way into his own land, neither came he any more into their borders.
{73} Thus the sword ceased from Israel: but Jonathan dwelt at Machmas, and began to govern the people; and he destroyed the ungodly men out of Israel.
1 Maccabees 9:63-73 (KJVApocrypha)
157 BC: another "Sabbath year" in Daniel's "70 weeks" when the Jewish war with the Seleucids ended.