God’s Anointed One Cyrus King of kings in Typology

April 12th/ 2024

Part 2 of New Heaven & Earth: Type Isaiah 65 Vs. Antitype Revelation 21

1 The New Heaven and Earth had a foreshadowing or type during the Old Covenant age and it started after the Babylonian captivity with God’s anointed one King Cyrus writing the decree to build Jerusalem and the Temple which is what we see as Heaven and Earth in Isaiah 51:16. 2 That type was the New Heaven and Earth was in Isaiah 65 & 66, and it ended in AD70.

3 Then the “old” New Heaven and Earth was taken out of the way “destroyed AD70” so that John’s New Heaven and Earth which was the antitype could be confirmed in the unseen Spiritual realm; with God’s anointed one Jesus Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords the builder of the New Jerusalem and the Heavenly Temple.

4 Isaiah’s New Heaven and Earth in Isaiah 51:16 was the natural that was built by King Cyrus did in fact pass away. 5 John’s New Heaven and Earth with God’s anointed one Jesus Christ as it’s builder was the Spiritual one that came after the natural one built by King Cyrus.

6 Therefore to draw attention to the Heaven and Earth in Genesis 1 for the type for the New Heaven and Earth’s antitype is an oxymoron question. 7 But in a way makes sense if one is not aware of the New Heaven and Earth that was a type for the Spiritual New Heaven and Earth that is in the unseen Spiritual realm.

8 Sorry Covenant Creationist, but this puts you all in check mate on Genesis 1 not being literal but covenantal; and if the scriptures can not support that God Almighty created the literal Heavens and Earth then it leaves it open for evolution or any other god to have created them. 9 I hope this puts this to an end and brings peace between us so we can move on and win those lost in Futurism instead of being a stumbling block deceiving and causing others to fall into Outer Darkness.

10 Spiritual things that were always Spiritual from the beginning did not need to have a natural substance that we use natural first the Spiritual after according to 1 Corinthians 15:44-45. 11 I hope you can see this and somethings were never natural at all like God who is Spirit and the tree of Life that reflected His image and character. 12 The tree of Knowledge was also a Spiritual thing of knowing good and evil which has no natural substance to it as well as the serpent of old known as the Devil or Satan. 13 Eating from the Tree of Knowledge effects our lives in a way that we choose to decide what is good and what is evil which is not what God sees the same way. 14 We don’t eat apples or bananas for that to happen, this is all in the unseen Spiritual realm that comes with consequences that affect the natural realm we live in.

15 Robert E Cruickshank Jr. “Quotes”

The return from exile is described as a NH&NE in Isaiah 65.

The original creation (order from chaos) becomes a template for the return from exile (order from chaos).

The reality (Genesis 1) becomes a symbol (NH& NE) for the Restoration (return from exile).

To read the symbol (NH & NE) back into the reality (Genesis 1) is not progressive revelation, it’s regressive revelation.

It is reverse engineering the Bible, and the Bible does not give us any warrant to do that.

“End Quote”

16 That is absolutely right, the first was the natural, and then the Spiritual according to 1 Corinthians 15:44-45 which in the case of the Heaven and Earth in Genesis 1; because it was created in the natural/physical realm. 17 It was a template for the Tabernacle of Moses, which was a template for Isaiah’s New Heaven and Earth, which was a template for John’s New Heaven and Earth; which is the restoration of all things similar to how it was in the Garden of Eden before Adam sinned. 18 Do you see the progress here and not a regressive revelation like Beyond Creation Science portrays Genesis 1 as in a sin stained state needing salvation…? 19 But rather the New Heaven and Earth created by Jesus Christ we are living in now is the antitype of the New Heaven and Earth that God’s anointed one King Cyrus created in the natural realm that was the type for the children of Israel after they came out of the Babylonian captivity. 20 It has nothing to do with Mt Sinai or at Abraham or at Noah creating a “first heaven and earth” that they ask us to prove which is a straw man.

21 Unless the first is Spiritual instead of the natural like God because He is a Spirit, but God was manifested in the flesh which is natural, it can have a reverse order compared to 1 Corinthians 15:44-45; yet we have come back into the restoration of all things with all former things made new.

Acts 3:21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Revelation 21:5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

22 Just like love is Spiritual but it will show up in a natural way by how people treat one another. 23 Perhaps by giving something away to someone else like an inheritance for an example.

24 But in most cases when dealing with typologies from the scripture it is natural first as a type then the antitype which is Spiritual. 25 Using these methods helps us to understand the unseen Spiritual realm.

A Nation Be Born in One Day in Typology:

26 Abraham was the Father of the Covenant with Israel, but Adam was the Father of the whole creation until Christ the last Adam became a Life-Giving Spirit. 27 Then Christ became the Everlasting Father of the Whole Creation.

28 Eve was the mother of all living, then the Bride of Christ became the Mother of the Spiritual Offspring in the regeneration and restoration of all things.

29 After Israel came out of the Babylonian captivity she gave birth to a nation in one day after King Cyrus wrote a decree for them to be set free from their captivity and go build their city and temple for their New Heaven and Earth.

Isaiah 51:16 And I have put My words in your mouth;
I have covered you with the shadow of My hand,
That I may plant the heavens,
Lay the foundations of the earth,
And say to Zion, ‘You are My people.’ ”

Isaiah 66:

“Before she was in labor, she gave birth;
Before her pain came,
She delivered a male child.

Who has heard such a thing?
Who has seen such things?
Shall the earth be made to give birth in one day?
Or shall a nation be born at once?
For as soon as Zion was in labor,
She gave birth to her children.

Shall I bring to the time of birth, and not cause delivery?” says the Lord.
“Shall I who cause delivery shut up the womb?” says your God.

30 This was a type for the regeneration and restoration of all things that would come about at the end of the Age in AD70 when all Things would be made new. 31 After the adoption the Whole Creation became all nations under the rule and reign of Jesus Christ operating in the unseen Spiritual realm with a rod of iron.

Acts 3:20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21 whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

Romans 8:20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of Him who subjected it in hope; 21 because the creation itself also will be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation groans and labours with birth pangs together until now. 23 Not only that, but we also who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body.

Revelation 21:5 Then He who sat on the throne said, “Behold, I make all things new.” And He said to me, “Write, for these words are true and faithful.”

Revelation 19:14 And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. 15 Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. 16 And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written:

KING OF KINGS AND
LORD OF LORDS.

King Cyrus and God’s Anointed:

32 The alliance between King Cyrus and God’s Anointed One is stated clearly:

Isaiah 44:28 Who says of Cyrus, ‘He is My shepherd,
And he shall perform all My pleasure,
Saying to Jerusalem, “You shall be built,”
And to the temple, “Your foundation shall be laid.” ’

Isaiah 45:1-3 Thus says the Lord to his anointed, to Cyrus, whom he has taken by his right hand to subdue nations before him and strip the loins of kings, to force gateways before him that their gates be closed no more: I will go before you levelling the heights. I will shatter the bronze gateways, smash the iron bars. I will give you the hidden treasures, the secret hoards, that you may know that I am the Lord.

Isaiah 45:13 I have raised him up in righteousness, And I will direct all his ways; He shall build My city And let My exiles go free, Not for price nor reward,” Says the Lord of hosts.

2 Chronicles 36:22 Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, so that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and also put it in writing, saying, 23 Thus says Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth the Lord God of heaven has given me. And He has commanded me to build Him a house at Jerusalem which is in Judah. Who is among you of all His people? May the Lord his God be with him, and let him go up!

33 Among the classical Jewish sources, besides the Bible, Josephus (1st century AD) mentions that Cyrus freed the Jews from captivity and helped rebuild the temple. He also wrote to the rulers and governors that they should contribute to the rebuilding of the temple and assisted them in rebuilding the temple. A letter from Cyrus to the Jews is described by Josephus:

I have given leave to as many of the Jews that dwell in my country as please to return to their own country, and to rebuild their city, and to build the temple of God at Jerusalem on the same place where it was before. I have also sent my treasurer Mithridates, and Zorobabel, the governor of the Jews, that they may lay the foundations of the temple, and may build it sixty cubits high, and of the same latitude, making three edifices of polished stones, and one of the wood of the country, and the same order extends to the altar whereon they offer sacrifices to God. I require also that the expenses for these things may be given out of my revenues. Moreover, I have also sent the vessels which king Nebuchadnezzar pillaged out of the temple, and have given them to Mithridates the treasurer, and to Zorobabel the governor of the Jews, that they may have them carried to Jerusalem, and may restore them to the temple of God. Now their number is as follows: Fifty chargers of gold, and five hundred of silver; forty Thericlean cups of gold, and five hundred of silver; fifty basons of gold, and five hundred of silver; thirty vessels for pouring [the drink-offerings], and three hundred of silver; thirty vials of gold, and two thousand four hundred of silver; with a thousand other large vessels. (3) I permit them to have the same honor which they were used to have from their forefathers, as also for their small cattle, and for wine and oil, two hundred and five thousand and five hundred drachme; and for wheat flour, twenty thousand and five hundred artabae; and I give order that these expenses shall be given them out of the tributes due from Samaria. The priests shall also offer these sacrifices according to the laws of Moses in Jerusalem; and when they offer them, they shall pray to God for the preservation of the king and of his family, that the kingdom of Persia may continue. But my will is, that those who disobey these injunctions, and make them void, shall be hung upon a cross, and their substance brought into the king’s treasury.”.

34 Daniel wrote the 62 weeks or 434 years would be allotted for the building of Jerusalem and the Temple which began when Cyrus wrote the command to restore and build Jerusalem. 35 I know we call the Temple that God said Cyrus would build is called Herod’s Temple, but I’m officially going to call it from now on what it really is as Cyrus’s Temple that was taken out of the way in AD70; so that the Heavenly Temple that Jesus Christ built in the unseen Spiritual realm could be confirmed or established.

Hebrews 10:9 then He said, “Behold, I have come to do Your will, O God.” He takes away the first that He may establish the second.

Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.

25 “Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.

Jesus Christ God’s Anointed One the Antitype in Typology:

Hebrews 11:8 By faith Abraham obeyed when he was called to go out to the place which he would receive as an inheritance. And he went out, not knowing where he was going. 9 By faith he dwelt in the land of promise as in a foreign country, dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with him of the same promise; 10 for he waited for the city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.

36 Jesus was known as a carpenter but He build the New Jerusalem and the Heavenly Temple for the New Heaven and Earth in the unseen Spiritual realm in Revelation 21 & 22. 37 That was the antitype to what King Cyrus did with the New Heaven and Earth that was in the natural realm in Isaiah 65 & 66.

Mark 6:3 Is this not the carpenter, the Son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon? And are not His sisters here with us?” So they were offended at Him. 4 But Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honour except in his own country, among his own relatives, and in his own house.”

38 Jesus was doing His Father’s business for 56 years before the end of the age or you could say that the seven weeks and the last week of Daniel’s 70 weeks fits into the time Jesus had to fulfill all things spoke of by the Prophets in order to seal vision and Prophecy.

39 Sealing up vision and prophecy was not to seal them up like when Daniel was told to, shut up the words, and seal the book until the time of the end. 40 But to bring vision and prophecy to completion therefore to cease when the perfect came in AD70. 41 This is why Daniel was shown three segments of weeks because no man would know the hour and day the perfect came so there was a 116-117 year justified Biblical gap between the 62 weeks and last 8 weeks.

42 The Futurist have a unrealistic gap for the last week that is still ongoing for their unbiblical expect-ions of Christ returning in the flesh and setting up a material Kingdom for a thousand years. 43 Some Full Preterist look at this use of a gap and throw the baby out with the bath water because it has been so abused since Dispensationalism made a cult out of it that their false Prophet John Darby started in 1830.

44 Here are some scriptures that we can see how Jesus fulfilled the New Jerusalem and the Heavenly Temple not made with hands that Abraham had faith in and was waiting for.

1 Corinthians 13:8 Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away. 9 For we know in part and we prophesy in part. 10 But when that which is perfect has come, then that which is in part will be done away.

1 Corinthians 3:9 For we are God’s fellow workers; you are God’s field, you are God’s building. 10 According to the grace of God which was given to me, as a wise master builder I have laid the foundation, and another builds on it. But let each one take heed how he builds on it. 11 For no other foundation can anyone lay than that which is laid, which is Jesus Christ.

Acts 4:10 let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. 11 This is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’

Hebrews 12:22 But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, to an innumerable company of angels, 23 to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are registered in heaven, to God the Judge of all, to the spirits of just men made perfect,

Matthew 26:61 and said, “This fellow said, ‘I am able to destroy the temple of God and to build it in three days.’ ”

Acts 7:47 But Solomon built Him a house. 48 “However, the Most High does not dwell in temples made with hands, as the prophet says: 49 ‘Heaven is My throne, And earth is My footstool. What house will you build for Me? says the Lord, Or what is the place of My rest?

1 Corinthians 3:16 Do you not know that you are the temple of God and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If anyone defiles the temple of God, God will destroy him. For the temple of God is holy, which temple you are.

Ephesians 2:18 For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father. 19 Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, 20 having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

45 On April 12th 2024 I first saw how Isaiah 65 & 66 was a type for the New Heaven and Earth and how Revelation 21 & 22 was the antitype so I edited this article; and added the typology of God’s anointed one King Cyrus as a type to Jesus Christ the antitype as well for a part 2.

46 I hope by reading this article that the readers will be able to see the differences in how God describes King Cyrus as His Anointed One compared to King Artaxerxes as a shark by meaning of his name. 95 Artaxerxes had his brother Darius who was King at the time write a decree to stop the building of Jerusalem though later when he became the King wrote a decree to buy supplies for the wall. God never called Artaxerxes His Anointed One who would build Jerusalem and the Temple but many say he did so they can use his decree as to when Daniel’s 70 Weeks began in order to have an unbiblical consist run of 490 years without a gap which defeats the purpose of three segments within the 70 Weeks of 62 weeks, 7 Weeks and the last week with the daily sacrifices ceasing in the middle of the week.

47 Ed Stevens “quote” AD 66 — That prince (Eleazar b. Ananias) took full control of the temple and stopped all sacrifices for Gentiles and put the sacrificial system and priesthood in disarray. Thus began his reign of tyranny over the Temple complex. The other Zealot factions (John of Gischala and Simon b. Giora) polluted the temple and ravaged the city with their internecine strife. Throughout all that internal conflict, they also had to deal with the forces of Vespasian and Titus on the outside (constant war and desolations inside and out). “End Quote”

48 The Covenant Creationalist try to debunk others by insisting that their views are wrong by creating a straw man by saying when was the natural Heaven and Earth destroyed in order for the New Heaven and Earth to take it’s place. 49 I believe that by them seeing now how it was Isaiah’s New Heaven and Earth that was established after the Babylonian captivity that was destroyed about 500 years later in AD70 that them of them will leave that false view behind and move forward into the truth.

50 All of this was possible because of the framework Edward E Stevens put into his article and without it I would have been deceived, so here are two worthy quotes from what he said:

51 Ed Stevens in his article called Dan 9:24-27 – The Seventy Weeks – June 3, 2020 says Quote: I definitely agree that the seventy weeks ended in AD 70. However, I do not think that the seventy weeks were a strict literal 490 years. Otherwise, the Jews and Christians would have known exactly when the Messiah would appear. Yet the Jews and Jesus and everyone else did NOT “know the exact day or hour” of His coming. Instead, Jesus told them to watch for the signs. When they saw all these things take place, THEN they would know that His return was very near.

I believe the same thing holds true in Daniel 9:24-27. Daniel was not given a literal 490 years to calculate the time of the Messiah1s coming. Instead, he was given a length of time divided into three distinct periods, each of which were marked off by signs to look for. When those signs appeared and were fulfilled, THEN they would know when each of the three periods had been, or were about to be, fulfilled. So it was a sign-based reckoning, NOT a year-based calculation.

Daniel 9:24 lists all the things that had to be accomplished by the end of the seventy weeks. Several of those items in the list imply that the end of the seventy weeks was AD 70. And the beginning of the seventy weeks is marked off by the decree of Cyrus to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple in 536 BC (which was the end of the 70 years of Babylonian captivity). Thus the seventy weeks was a period of 606 years (536 BC + 70 AD). The difference between 606 and

490 is 116 years. That is where the gaps come into play. The Jews knew about the three different divisions of Daniel’s prophecy, and were watching the signs to determine when each of the three periods began and ended. It was not a literal consecutive 490 years.

Instead, it was three periods of time (7 weeks, 62 weeks, and 1 week), marked off by distinctive signs. This means that the three periods were either relative in length, or they had gaps between them. Again, if it was a literal consecutive 490 years, then the Jews and Christians would have known exactly when it was to occur. They would not have needed any signs to look for. This is why the Jews demanded that Jesus produce the signs to confirm that he was the Messiah that they were looking for. They could not be sure that it was the right TIME for the Messiah to appear, unless that would-be Messiah could produce the right SIGNS that they were looking for.

What I find extremely interesting is the premil suggestion that the “prince” mentioned in Dan 9:26 is the future antichrist. That idea would work just as well (or better) in the preterist past-fulfillment scenario. In my research for my historical book (Final Decade Before the End), I have begun to zero-in on this same idea. The Messiah Prince mentioned in verses 25 and 26 appears to be a different Prince than the one introduced in verse 26. Since the people of this other prince abominate the city and sanctuary, causing it to be completely destroyed and desolated, this seems to fit the Zealot leader Eleazar b. Ananias and his band of Zealots who polluted the city of Jerusalem and especially the temple area. Josephus talks about the abomination of the city and temple that was done by the Zealots in their internecine strife and rivalry. Since Eleazar “sat in the temple” and made numerous lawless changes in the sacrificial system, and lawlessly broke his covenant with the Romans and the Jewish people as well, it appears that he is the prime candidate for the “Prince” designation here in Dan 9:26, as well as the “man of lawlessness” prediction in 2 Thess 2. And he was a “prince” in the sense that he was the priestly (anointed) son of the most powerful High Priest at that time (Ananias b. Nedebaeus).

I am not totally convinced that the “anointed one” in Dan 9:25-26 is Messiah Jesus. I lean somewhat in that direction, but am open for a better explanation based on further analysis of the historical data in Josephus, Yosippon, Hegesippus, and Tacitus.

Obviously, I have not finished my research and landed on a firm position, but this will give you the basic framework that I am working within (past fulfillment at AD 70). I would recommend taking a look at Thomas Howe’s very helpful book. Hope that helps.

The interpretation of Dan 9:24-27 points decisively to the decree of Cyrus as the beginning point for the 70 weeks. This is inconsistent with the dates of fulfillment only if one insists (contrary to the vagueness of the word “weeks”) that weeks of ordinary literal years must be involved.

Jeremiah had also prophesied the fall of Babylon at the end of the 70 years (Jer 25:12). Babylon fell to Cyrus in 539-538. The logical conclusion from this language is that the beginning point of the 70 weeks basically coincides with the end of Jeremiah’s 70 years. That is, it occurs in 538 B.C. or shortly thereafter.

End Quote

52 From Ed Stevens article called: “Quote” “Sir Isaac Newton, Daniel 9, & the Rabbinic Forgeries Hypothesis” are true that most Christian scholars today follow in the erroneous footsteps of their Jewish predecessors (by claiming that the “Artaxerxes” of Ezra 6 & 7 is Longimanus):

An Artaxerxes Assumption

More importantly though, I call out my Christian peers who in self-righteous indignation point to

the chronological errors of the Jewish rabbis, claiming they were intentionally used to discredit

Yeshua (Jesus) as the promised Messiah, but themselves borrow the very same chronological

errors to prove their own Messianic expectations about Yeshua.

Think about the irony of the situation. Most of today’s respected eschatological teachers,

historians, and scholars claim that “commandment to restore and build Jerusalem” of Daniel 9:25 was given by Artaxerxes Longimanus in his 7th or 21st year. Yet, the very basis for this claim comes from the evolution of the Jewish chronology, (which said chronology erroneously

manipulated the Biblical statement of Ezra 6:14 that Darius “even” Artaxerxes was the Persian

ruler during whose reign when the divine decree was given) so that they (the Jewish people)

could claim their own Messianic heroes were the promised Messiah.

Not only do most Christian scholars today follow in the erroneous footsteps of their Jewish

predecessors (by claiming that the “Artaxerxes” of Ezra 6 & 7 is Longimanus) but they

compound this error by jettisoning the original kernel of truth that provided the basis for the

entire complicated mess in the first place. That original kernel of truth being the certain

knowledge that Daniel 9 and 70 “weeks” prophecy began with a divine command to restore and build Jerusalem by Yahweh the living God of the Bible.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Longimanus; large deep-water shark with white-tipped dorsal fin; worldwide distribution; most dangerous shark.

Artaxerxes of Persia who was surnamed in Greek as μακρόχειρ Macrocheir or Longimanus in Latin.

“End Quote”

Cyrus’s Temple:

53 From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Second Temple (Hebrew: בֵּית־הַמִּקְדָּשׁ הַשֵּׁנִי Bēṯ hamMīqdāš hašŠēnī, transl. ’Second House of the Sanctum’), later known as Herod’s Temple, was the reconstructed Temple in Jerusalem between c. 516 BCE and 70 CE. Defining the Second Temple period, it stood as a pivotal symbol of Jewish identity and was central to Second Temple Judaism; it was the chief place of worship, ritual sacrifice (korban), and communal gathering for Jews. As such, it attracted Jewish pilgrims from distant lands during the Three Pilgrimage Festivals: Passover, Shavuot, and Sukkot.

Construction on the Second Temple began in the aftermath of the Persian conquest of Babylon; the Second Temple’s predecessor, known as Solomon’s Temple, had been destroyed alongside the Kingdom of Judah as a whole by the Babylonian siege of Jerusalem around 587 BCE.^[1] After the Neo-Babylonian Empire was annexed by the Achaemenid Empire, the Persian king Cyrus the Great issued the so-called Edict of Cyrus, which is described in the Hebrew Bible as having authorized and encouraged the return to Zion—a biblical event in which the Jewish people returned to the former Kingdom of Judah, which the Persians had recently restructured as the self-governing Jewish province of Yehud Medinata. The completion of the Second Temple at the time of the Persian king Darius I signified a period of renewed Jewish hope and religious revival. According to biblical sources, the Second Temple was originally a relatively modest structure built under the authority of the Persian-appointed Jewish governor Zerubbabel, the grandson of Jeconiah, the penultimate king of Judah.^[2]In the 1st century BCE, the Second Temple was refurbished and expanded under the reign of Herod the Great, hence the alternative eponymous name for the structure. Herod’s transformation efforts resulted in a grand and imposing structure and courtyard, including the large edifices and façades shown in modern models, such as the Holyland Model of Jerusalem in the Israel Museum. The Temple Mount, where both Solomon’s Temple and the Second Temple stood, was also significantly expanded, doubling in size to become the ancient world’s largest religious sanctuary.^[3]

In 70 CE, at the height of the First Jewish–Roman War, the Second Temple was destroyed by the Roman siege of Jerusalem,^[a] marking a cataclysmic and transformative point in Jewish history.^[4] The loss of the Second Temple prompted the development of Rabbinic Judaism, which remains the mainstream form of Jewish religious practices globally.

Reconstruction of the temple under Herod began with a massive expansion of the Temple Mount temenos. For example, the Temple Mount complex initially measured 7 hectares (17 acres) in size, but Herod expanded it to 14.4 hectares (36 acres) and so doubled its area.

Solomon’s Temple and Herod’s “Cyrus’s” Temple both destroyed on August 9th or 10th:

Both temples were destroyed, and the main remnant is the outer western wall of the Second Temple courtyard, where people flock from all over the world to pray (known as the Wailing Wall, the Kotel, or the Western Wall). According to Jewish traditions, both temples were destroyed on the 9th of Av on the Jewish calendar.

When Did Daniel’s 70 weeks start with according to Daniel 9:25…?

Daniel 9:25 “Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.

54 “Quote” from P. Gerard Damsteegt, DTh, now retired, served as an Associate Professor in the Department of Church History at the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary at Andrews University, Berrien Springs, Michigan, U.S.A.

The decrees of Cyrus, Darius I, and Artaxerxes I all contributed to the restoration and building of Jerusalem.

The question in Daniel 9:25 of who issued the “commandment,” “word,” “decree,” or “command to restore and build Jerusalem,”¹ has occupied Bible scholars for centuries. Three major interpretations have emerged about the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. The first view states that the decree was issued by the Persian King Cyrus the Great (reigned 559–530 B.C.). The second view was that King Darius I (reigned 522–486 B.C.) issued the decree. The third view associates the decree with King Artaxerxes I Longimanus (reigned 465–425 B.C.). Today, most scholars hold to the first or second view; the traditional Adventist view supports the third option. There is historical and biblical evidence that the decrees of Cyrus, Darius I, and Artaxerxes I all contributed to the restoration and building of Jerusalem, but that the decree of Artaxerxes I is the one that qualifies as the decree of Daniel 9:25.

“End Quote”

55 The problem with P. Gerard Damsteegt’s view of Daniel’s 70 weeks starting with anyone other than King Cyrus is that from the command to restore and build Jerusalem included the troublesome times. 56 He is excluding the troublesome times as if what Daniel said means nothing and he is trying to make Daniel’s 70 weeks fit into a perfect timeframe without any gaps.

57 If it were the case of no gaps why didn’t any of the Apostles mention that Daniel’s 70 weeks were fulfilled…? 58 All we hear is crickets on Daniel’s 70 weeks being fulfilled; but the Apostles did mention the fulfillment of things happening at a later time after Christ was crucified and Ascended into Heaven.

Acts 3:20 and that He may send Jesus Christ, who was preached to you before, 21whom heaven must receive until the times of restoration of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began.

59 Just because there were troublesome times does not nullify what God said through Isaiah for the sake of a gap between the 62 weeks that started to 70 weeks timeframe and the 8 weeks remaining.

Where Did This Come From…?

60 “Quotes” from P. Gerard Damsteegt: Early Adventist commentators, including Ellen G. White, also interpreted the continual chronological order of the opposition harassments in Ezra 4 and mentioned that the Samaritans persuaded the False Smerdis, called Artaxerxes in Ezra 4, to issue a decree forbidding the Jews to rebuild their temple and city. Ellen White also held that in the Book of Ezra there were two kings named Artaxerxes. The first Artaxerxes in Ezra 4 was the False Smerdis (522 B.C.), the second Artaxerxes was Artaxerxes I Longimanus (465–425 B.C.) in Ezra 6 to 8.

In response to the question if Cyrus contributed to a decree to rebuild Jerusalem, research shows that Cyrus issued a decree that gave the returning Jews the permission to do just that. This means that Cyrus fulfilled Isaiah’s prophecy that he would issue a decree to build Jerusalem.

However, it is still needful to show that Cyrus issued the very decree of Daniel 9:25. Keep in mind that Daniel’s decree is part of the 70-weeks prophecy, which stipulates that from the “‘the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks’” (9:25). This means that there are a total of 69 prophetic weeks from the issuing of the decree to build Jerusalem till the coming of the Messiah. These 69 prophetic weeks amount to 69 x 7 = 483 prophetic days. Using the historicist hermeneutic that employs the year-day principle that a prophetic day is an actual solar year, most Protestants have used since the Reformation to explain the time element in apocalyptic prophecy, we arrive at a period of 483 years from the time of the issuing the decree till the appearance of Jesus Christ as the Messiah. If we accept that the proclamation of Cyrus’ decree took place circa. 537 B.C., we find that the appearance of Jesus Christ as Messiah would be 483 years later, which comes to the year 54 B.C. This is more than 50 years before the birth of Christ. It becomes clear that Cyrus’ decree circa. 537 to build Jerusalem does not qualify to be the decree of Daniel 9:25.

“End Quotes”

61 The Seventh Day Adventist movement was heavily influenced by John Darby who is the founder of Dispensationalism that turn Christianity into a cult with his end time views. In order to do that John Darby had to twist what the scriptures meant with views that were never held by others.

To make an end of sins

62 I already mentioned that to seal up vision and prophecy meant that the need for them was to cease because when the perfect came in AD70 with the coming of the Lord. 111 I can see the only other two things in Daniel 9:24 that were not fulfilled until the coming of the Lord are the make end of sins and what was determined for the people and their city.

63 Then Jesus appeared a second time was when He made an end to sins when He departed from the Most Holy Place in the Heavenly Temple like the High Priests would do on the day of Atonement and Hebrew 9:28 bears this out.

Hebrew 9:28 so Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many. To those who eagerly wait for Him He will appear a second time, apart from sin, for salvation.

64 For what was to be determined for people and for their holy city in order to be within the 70 weeks Daniel was wondering how long those things would be in Daniel 12:6.

Daniel 12:7 Then I heard the man clothed in linen, who was above the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever, that it shall be for a time, times, and half a time; and when the power of the holy people has been completely shattered, all these things shall be finished.

65 It took between the cross and AD70 for everything to fit in after the 62 weeks but we need the remaining 8 weeks to fit in the time between AD14 to AD70 to make everything fit in to complete Daniel’s 70 weeks. 66 Verse 26 already covers when Christ would be cut off which was at the cross. 67 The daily sacrifices ceased in AD66 in the middle of the last week, which was three and a half years before the Temple was destroyed and the end of the age in AD70.

Daniel 9:26 “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.

Daniel 9:27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”

68 Ed Stevens “quote” AD 66 — That prince (Eleazar b. Ananias) took full control of the temple and stopped all sacrifices for Gentiles and put the sacrificial system and priesthood in disarray. Thus began his reign of tyranny over the Temple complex. The other Zealot factions (John of Gischala and Simon b. Giora) polluted the temple and ravaged the city with their internecine strife. Throughout all that internal conflict, they also had to deal with the forces of Vespasian and Titus on the outside (constant war and desolations inside and out). “End Quote”

69 The middle of the last week has the wing of abominations following the end of the daily sacrifice and offerings and Daniel bears this out:

Daniel 9:12 11 “And from the time that the daily sacrifice is taken away, and the abomination of desolation is set up, there shall be one thousand two hundred and ninety days. 12 Blessed is he who waits, and comes to the one thousand three hundred and thirty-five days.

70 We have had a huge problem with people throughout history changing scriptures around to make Daniel’s prophecies to fit their views. 71 This has lead the world on a dangerous coarse especially with Dispensationalism; however some Preterist including myself in the past have done with Daniel’s timeframe beginning with the can of worms that comes along with King Artaxerxes instead of King Cyrus God’s anointed one who wrote the command to restore and build Jerusalem. 72 All Artaxerxes did was to convinced his brother King Darius to stop the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple. 73 Then after Jerusalem and the temple was restored and he was the king, Artaxerxes wrote a decree to buy timber for the gates of the walls. 74 And people believe that qualifies for the command to build Jerusalem and the temple in order for Daniel’s 70 weeks to begin. 75 Daniel’s 70 weeks is probably the most misunderstood thing in the Bible aside from the literal creation of Genesis 1 that Daniel had a hard time understanding the visions he was getting. 76 But the misunderstanding of the 70 weeks has caused Christendom to be deceived in a major way that threats to world we live in with people who are leader in the political world believing the whole planet has been prophesied to be destroyed.

77 Micheal said to Daniel: 9 And he said, “Go your way, Daniel, for the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified, made white, and refined, but the wicked shall do wickedly; and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.

Conclusion:

78 I think those who hold to King Artaxerxes as the starting point to Daniel’s 70 weeks might need to go back to the drawing board on that one.

Daniel 9:25 “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city,

79 The 70 weeks began with the command to restore and build Jerusalem.

25 “Know therefore and understand, That from the going forth of the command To restore and build Jerusalem Until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks

80 We know for a fact Isaiah said Cyrus was the one who gave the command to build Jerusalem in 538 BC.

81 All King Artaxerxes did was to write a decree in 458 BC to buy timber for the gates after the city and temple were built. 82 Some people use King Artaxerxes decree so the unbiblical 490 year without a gap would be possible, while sacrificing Daniel and Isaiah out to be a false Prophets by doing so.

83 This is why there was three segments of weeks of 62, 7 & 1 which makes a 116 or 117 year gap required in order to fulfill the prophecy without twisting the word of God.

84 There is no Biblical reason why the 490 had to run consistently and the AD33 view that the 70 weeks ended on makes some Full Preterist just as guilty of making Isaiah out to be a false Prophet as the Jews are for rejecting Isaiah because his prophecies pointed to the Messiah.

85 If it is heart breaking to those who see others giving credit to King Artaxerxes for restoring and building Jerusalem after the Babylonian captivity, when it was Isaiah who said Cyrus would do it. 86 Can you imagine how it grieves the Holy Spirit when He tries to guide His people into the truth and they reject it.

87 What is to be said about that is, that they will say that King Cyrus wrote a decree to build the Temple but not Jerusalem; And then say the King Artaxerxes wrote with a decree to buy timbers for the Gates in the wall which after Jerusalem and the Temple were built which qualifies as to when the 70 weeks began.

88 The Talmud says that Isaiah suffered martyrdom by being sawn in two under the orders of Manasseh.

89 Yet Jesus quotes from Isaiah many times from the Prophet they killed by sawing him in half which strikes at the very heart of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

Matthew 8:17that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet, saying: “He Himself took our infirmities And bore our sicknesses.”

The Sin-Bearing Messiah

Isaiah 53

He is despised and rejected by men,
A Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.
And we hid, as it were, our faces from Him;
He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.

Surely He has borne our griefs
And carried our sorrows;
Yet we esteemed Him stricken,
Smitten by God, and afflicted.

But He was wounded for our transgressions,
He was bruised for our iniquities;
The chastisement for our peace was upon Him,
And by His stripes we are healed.

All we like sheep have gone astray;
We have turned, every one, to his own way;
And the Lord has laid on Him the iniquity of us all.

90 What will those do when they get to Heaven and see Isaiah whom they have discredited his words about King Cyrus who God said would rebuild Jerusalem and the Temple though the words Isaiah said in chapters 44 and 45. 91 If Isaiah was a false Prophet then Ezekiel had some very harsh words to say.

92 Ironically Ezekiel 13:5 speaks of: You have not gone up into the “GAPS” to build a “WALL” for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord; which makes me think of the decree that King Artaxerxes wrote a decree to buy the timbers for the gates to the walls of Jerusalem.

93 Ezekiel 13:10-11 makes me thing of the Full Preterist who fill in the gap of 116 or 117 years to make a wall of a 490 years of a consistent run without any gaps by plastering it with untempered mortar; and then Ed Stevens comes along like the storm and tears it all down with just one article.

Woe to Foolish Prophets

Ezekiel 13:1 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 2 “Son of man, prophesy against the prophets of Israel who prophesy, and say to those who prophesy out of their own heart, ‘Hear the word of the Lord!’ ”

3 Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the foolish prophets, who follow their own spirit and have seen nothing! 4 O Israel, your prophets are like foxes in the deserts. 5 You have not gone up into the gaps to build a wall for the house of Israel to stand in battle on the day of the Lord. 6 They have envisioned futility and false divination, saying, ‘Thus says the Lord!’ But the Lord has not sent them; yet they hope that the word may be confirmed. 7 Have you not seen a futile vision, and have you not spoken false divination? You say, ‘The Lord says,’ but I have not spoken.”

8 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Because you have spoken nonsense and envisioned lies, therefore I am indeed against you,” says the Lord God. 9 “My hand will be against the prophets who envision futility and who divine lies; they shall not be in the assembly of My people, nor be written in the record of the house of Israel, nor shall they enter into the land of Israel. Then you shall know that I am the Lord God.

10 “Because, indeed, because they have seduced My people, saying, ‘Peace!’ when there is no peace—and one builds a wall, and they plaster it with untempered mortar— 11 say to those who plaster it with untempered mortar, that it will fall. There will be flooding rain, and you, O great hailstones, shall fall; and a stormy wind shall tear it down. 12 Surely, when the wall has fallen, will it not be said to you, ‘Where is the mortar with which you plastered it?’ ”

13 Therefore thus says the Lord God: “I will cause a stormy wind to break forth in My fury; and there shall be a flooding rain in My anger, and great hailstones in fury to consume it. 14 So I will break down the wall you have plastered with untempered mortar, and bring it down to the ground, so that its foundation will be uncovered; it will fall, and you shall be consumed in the midst of it. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

15 “Thus will I accomplish My wrath on the wall and on those who have plastered it with untempered mortar; and I will say to you, ‘The wall is no more, nor those who plastered it, 16 that is, the prophets of Israel who prophesy concerning Jerusalem, and who see visions of peace for her when there is no peace,’ ” says the Lord God.

17 “Likewise, son of man, set your face against the daughters of your people, who prophesy out of their own heart; prophesy against them, 18 and say, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Woe to the women who sew magic charms on their sleeves and make veils for the heads of people of every height to hunt souls! Will you hunt the souls of My people, and keep yourselves alive? 19 And will you profane Me among My people for handfuls of barley and for pieces of bread, killing people who should not die, and keeping people alive who should not live, by your lying to My people who listen to lies?”

20 ‘Therefore thus says the Lord God: “Behold, I am against your magic charms by which you hunt souls there like birds. I will tear them from your arms, and let the souls go, the souls you hunt like birds. 21 I will also tear off your veils and deliver My people out of your hand, and they shall no longer be as prey in your hand. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

22 “Because with lies you have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and you have strengthened the hands of the wicked, so that he does not turn from his wicked way to save his life. 23 Therefore you shall no longer envision futility nor practice divination; for I will deliver My people out of your hand, and you shall know that I am the Lord.” ’ ”

Idolatry Will Be Punished

Ezekiel 14:1 Now some of the elders of Israel came to me and sat before me. 2 And the word of the Lord came to me, saying, 3 “Son of man, these men have set up their idols in their hearts, and put before them that which causes them to stumble into iniquity. Should I let Myself be inquired of at all by them?

4 “Therefore speak to them, and say to them, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Everyone of the house of Israel who sets up his idols in his heart, and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, and then comes to the prophet, I the Lord will answer him who comes, according to the multitude of his idols, 5 that I may seize the house of Israel by their heart, because they are all estranged from Me by their idols.” ’

6 “Therefore say to the house of Israel, ‘Thus says the Lord God: “Repent, turn away from your idols, and turn your faces away from all your abominations. 7 For anyone of the house of Israel, or of the strangers who dwell in Israel, who separates himself from Me and sets up his idols in his heart and puts before him what causes him to stumble into iniquity, then comes to a prophet to inquire of him concerning Me, I the Lord will answer him by Myself. 8 I will set My face against that man and make him a sign and a proverb, and I will cut him off from the midst of My people. Then you shall know that I am the Lord.

9 “And if the prophet is induced to speak anything, I the Lord have induced that prophet, and I will stretch out My hand against him and destroy him from among My people Israel. 10 And they shall bear their iniquity; the punishment of the prophet shall be the same as the punishment of the one who inquired, 11 that the house of Israel may no longer stray from Me, nor be profaned anymore with all their transgressions, but that they may be My people and I may be their God,” says the Lord God.’ ”

Mathew 23:29 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, 30 and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.’

31 “Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers’ guilt. 33 Serpents, brood of vipers! How can you escape the condemnation of hell? 34 Therefore, indeed, I send you prophets, wise men, and scribes: some of them you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues and persecute from city to city, 35 that on you may come all the righteous blood shed on the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah, son of Berechiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 Assuredly, I say to you, all these things will come upon this generation.

Jesus Laments over Jerusalem

37 “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing! 38 See! Your house is left to you desolate; 39 for I say to you, you shall see Me no more till you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!’ ”

THE MARTYRDOM OF ISAIAH

https://www.ccel.org/c/charles/otpseudepig/martisah.htm

94 By erasing King Cyrus as God’s anointed on who wrote the decree to restore and build Jerusalem erases the type for Jesus the Messiah to build the Spiritual New Jerusalem as the antitype.

Fear God, Heed His Word

Isaiah 8:11 For the Lord spoke thus to me with [i]a strong hand, and instructed me that I should not walk in the way of this people, saying:

“Do not say, ‘A conspiracy,’
Concerning all that this people call a conspiracy,
Nor be afraid of their threats, nor be troubled.

The Lord of hosts, Him you shall hallow;
Let Him be your fear,
And let Him be your dread.

He will be as a sanctuary,
But a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense
To both the houses of Israel,
As a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem.

And many among them shall stumble;
They shall fall and be broken,
Be snared and taken.”

Bind up the testimony,
Seal the law among my disciples.

And I will wait on the Lord,
Who hides His face from the house of Jacob;
And I will hope in Him.

Here am I and the children whom the Lord has given me!
We are for signs and wonders in Israel
From the Lord of hosts,
Who dwells in Mount Zion.

19 And when they say to you, “Seek those who are mediums and wizards, who whisper and mutter,” should not a people seek their God? Should they seek the dead on behalf of the living? 20 To the law and to the testimony! If they do not speak according to this word, it is because there is no light in them.

21 They will pass through it hard-pressed and hungry; and it shall happen, when they are hungry, that they will be enraged and curse their king and their God, and look upward. 22 Then they will look to the earth, and see trouble and darkness, gloom of anguish; and they will be driven into darkness.

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