3-gimel-552:

Daniel's time unit is 552 years with an additional 70 years (rather than the 490 total traditional years). This is the initial revelation which God graciously gave me which opened the various seals which we can now readily understand. This time unit of 552 years is the basic element of, firstly, Jeremiah's 70 years...it is also found in Daniel's 70 weeks...and further in Daniel's 3 and 1/2 times. It will lead us to Christ* and on to the doomsgate and then back to Adam. "In the first year of his (Darius') reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem."(Daniel 9:2). Jeremiah had plainly stated the 70 years as it was recorded in II Chron.36:21 (Jeremiah 25:9-12). Now, clearly, this was not a case where that man, greatly beloved, understanding science and skilful in all wisdom and cunning in knowledge finally was able to understand that 70 was 70. No, he understood a mystery...that 70 was not 70 in this case...in fact it was only 54 and yet it was truly 70 in another sense. Oh awesome Father...glory...thank you for the revelation of the 552 years. Daniel was taken into captivity in 606 b.c. and in the first year of Darius (Dan.9:1) over Babylon, the command (Dan.9:23) was given by Cyrus, now king of the new Persian Empire (II Chron.36) and relayed to Daniel; and the year was 553-2 b.c. How then was the 70 years completed? Haleys Handbook states that 606 to 536 yields the required 70 years. But Daniel knew that the decree of Cyrus permiting the Jews to return and restore and build Jerusalem was given in 553-2 b.c. and it had only been 54 years. So he realized that 70 years was to be spiritually understood as actually beginning in 622 b.c. when Josiah found the book of the law (II Chron.34). God in his great mercy had deducted the 16 years of Josiah for no other king served with all his heart and soul and might. The  70 years was the 70 years of Babylon's reign over all of the nations...all of the kings are listed in Jeremiah chapter 25 (see 25:29). All received the sword of Babylon's 70 year reign...yet each was captured on a different date. "And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years."(Jeremiah 25:11). ( see ** below for more info on 70 years)

Now we can proceed to look at Daniel's 70 weeks ( Daniel 9:22-27 ). The seventy weeks are divided into 7 plus 62 plus 1. Those who promote the 490 years theory (7x70 = 490) must look for a latter decree to restore Jerusalem and they can find no reason to divide the 70 weeks for there was not a significant event after 49 years.

However, having found the correct date of the decree of Cyrus it is simple to see the now obvious reason for the division (7x70 + 62 + 1x70 = 490 + 62 + 70 = 552 + 70 = 622). It was 622 b.c. when Josiah found the book and started his reforms...622 years later Christ was born. In 553-2 b.c. the seventy years ended. It was 553-2 b.c.*** when daniel's 70 weeks began. It was 70 a.d. when the 70 weeks ended. It was 70 a.d. when the three and one-half times began. And it will be 2002 when the end comes (3.5 x 522 + 70 = 2002). Daniel states that after the 62 weeks Messiah will be cut off...and he will confirm the new covenant with many for one week...and in the midst of that week he will cause the sacrifice to cease and leave the Jews desolate unto the end (para. Dan.9:26,27). Plainly, the last week was the 70 years between Christ's birth and the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 a.d. After the 490 and the 62 years were ended Christ was killed in the midst of the final week ( apx 30 a.d.). This ended all animal sacrifices and left the Jews desolate for all time ( no time periods remain for fanciful Jewish activities related to the endtime ).

Only, did the Jews survive as God's people, in that the remnant was joined with the gentiles to form the one body of Christ which is Abraham's seed ( the Jewish nation waxed old after the cross and died in 70 a.d. and no longer exists as far as Christ is concerned ).

A further proof text is Ezekiel 1:1,2 where Ezekiel clearly states that the thirtieth year of captivity was equivilent with Jehoiachin's fifth year (597-5=592). Thus the 70 years began in 622 b.c. (not 606 b.c.) whether Ezekiel was refering to the date that Josiah found the book of the law or to the Babylonian calendar (both I believe).

In chapter four Ezekiel lies on his right side 40 years for Judah to be restored in 552 (592-40=552). He lies an additional 390 days for the restoration of Israel for they were not restored except in a general sense with Christ at the cross ( 360 = a time) (390=a time + 30 =552 + 30 = 30 a.d.). He took on the very shape of Jesus hanging upon the cross as he laid upon his side. Shine forth awesome Father, revealer!!!

* The year of Christ's birth is confirmed by the 552 time unit to be correct as it is historically recorded at zero. Actually, the decree of Cyrus was in 553-2 b.c. and the birth of Jesus was in one b.c....see section 40. Scoffers are now saying that we paranoid christians should relax and not worry about endtime events related to the millennium since we don't know if Christ was actually born in 7 b.c. or perhaps 4 a.d. However the milllenium does in fact start with Y2K.

**Standard biblical dating states that Babylon reigned the same 70 years as was the captivity of Judah (606-536) but they are forced to search out a subsequent decree and reason for dividing the 70 weeks. This problem is eliminated by placing the decree of Cyrus properly at 552b.c. Now, in 625 b.c. Nabopolassar (father of Nebuchadnezzar) rebelled from Assyria; starting the 70 year Babylonian kingdom which ended in 555 b.c. as evidenced by the fact that in the period of 556-555 b.c. there were four different kings and none recorded after that date. This was because Cyrus placed Darius the Mead over Babylon and bypassed them to conquer Asia. Later, in 539 b.c., he walked through the open gates of the city unopposed for it had been his since 555 b.c., just as Jerusalem, under Zedekiah, was Babylon's for eleven years before it was finally destroyed in 586 b.c. So the 70 years can be viewed as 625 to 555 b.c. or 622 to 552 b.c. or 606 to 536 b.c. or as was Daniels' understanding, from 606 to 552 b.c. ( 54 years).

***below is a secular dating which clearly shows that the first year of Cyrus as King of Persia could easily have been 553-2 b.c. and the same year as the first year of Darius the Mede as king over the realm of the Chaldeans when the decree of Cyrus was issued through him to release the captive peoples as per Daniel ch. nine: