Third Time Prophecy (14:24)

Again, in Matthew, in answer to the question regarding the time of His Return, Jesus replies: (14:25)

When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand.) (mat 24:15) (14:26) see

Here is the prophecy of Daniel that Jesus spoke of: (14:27)

Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? (14:28)

And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (dan 8:13-14) (14:29) see

Daniel refers to the sanctuary, which is in the holy city being trodden under foot. Revelation echoes this same theme, as seen above: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (14:30)

Jesus clearly states that His reference to Daniel's prophecy relates to the time of His Return. Daniel states that the time for the fulfillment of this transgression, this abomination, is two thousand and three hundred days. As mentioned above, in the language of prophecy "2,300 days" signifies 2,300 years. see ancilliary (14:31) see

We know when the 2,300-year time period begins because the Angel Gabriel tells Daniel. In Daniel, Chapter 8, Daniel states that while he was trying to understand this vision, he saw the Angel Gabriel and heard a voice that said Gabriel, tell this man the meaning of the vision (Dan. 8:15-16 NIV). Gabriel then proceeded to explain to Daniel the meaning of the vision, but in the end, Daniel admits that he still did not understand. (14:32) see

In Chapter 9 of Daniel, he pours out his heart in prayer to God, and in answer to this prayer, Gabriel returns to help him understand the vision (dan 9:23). Among the things that Gabriel tells Daniel are: 1) the number of years that relate to the Jewish people, and 2) the point in time at which the vision begins. (14:33) see

1) The number of years that relate to the Jewish people:
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. (dan 9:24) (14:34) see

Seventy weeks times seven days for each week equals 490 days. In the language of prophecy, this "490 days" signifies 490 years. This prophecy is recognized by Christians as referring to the first coming of Christ-the anointing of the Most Holy. (14:35)

2) The point in time at which the vision begins:
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. (dan 9:25) (14:36) see

Here Daniel states the prophecy of the 70 weeks in a different way, explaining it as 69 weeks-after which (during the 70th week) the Messiah shall be cut off (dan 9:26), meaning Christ shall be crucified. (14:37) see

The vision begins from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem. In 457 B.C., Artaxerxes, king of Persia, issued a decree on the first day of the Jewish calendar month of Nisan (March 21), which eventually resulted in the rebuilding of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem. It was 490 years after the decree to rebuild the temple, when Christ was 33 years of age, that He was crucified. (14:38)

Daniel had predicted with complete accuracy the year of Christ's First Coming. He also predicted the year of His Return. (14:39)

The first 490 years of the 2,300-year prophecy relate to the Jewish people, and to the First Coming of Christ. In the verse Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people, the word in the original Bible manuscript that is translated as "determined" is the Hebrew word chathak. Some of the meanings of this word are "to cut," "to divide," and "to be marked out." These 490 years, then, are to be "marked out" of the 2,300-year period. (14:40)

After this time period, the time of the Jews was fulfilled. But both Jesus and Gabriel state that "2,300 years" refers to the time of the end-the Second Coming. And 2,300 years after the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem brings us to March 21, 1844. This is the time that Christ said He would appear, and the year the Baha'i Faith began. Thus, with these extraordinary prophecies, Daniel links Christ and Baha'u'llah together. (1 See Strong's Lexicon Hebrew reference number 2852) (For a fuller discussion of these prophecies, see Every Eye Shall See, Chapter 3: When Shall These Things Be?) see also (14:41) 51 12

We see that all three of these promises Jesus made to His disciples point to the year 1844: 1) The Gospel would be preached to all nations, 2) The times of the Gentiles would be fulfilled, and 3) The words of Daniel regarding the abomination of desolation would be fulfilled. (14:42)

As the year 1844 approached, based on these three promises of Jesus, over a thousand Christian ministers in Great Britain and the United States alone were preaching the imminent Return of Christ. They eagerly awaited His Coming. Some of their followers gave away all of their possessions. When Christ did not return with the great outward signs that they were expecting, this led to what is known today as the Great Disappointment. (14:43)

Prophecies are rarely given in an open, unequivocal, and easy-to-understand manner. They are almost always couched in symbols, metaphors and mysteries, and are only understood after they have been fulfilled. In response to the questions posed to Him about the time of His Return, Jesus could have told His disciples: I will return 1,844 years after my birth. But the Bible never gives such plain signs of things to come. This is why Matthew states, after Christ's response to His disciples, whoso readeth, let him understand. Just as it did upon Christ's First Coming, it takes a searching heart to recognize Him at the Second Coming. (14:44)

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