Daniel's 70 Weeks

Daniel in the Old Testament and Revelation in the New Testament discribe symbolic visions of the future.  In Daniel's case, his vision foretells both the circumstances leading up to the coming of the Messiah as well as Christ's Second Coming in the Latter Days.  With regard to Revelation, John's parallel revelation applies to the Latter Days. 

God has said that He would do nothing without revealing His secrets (divine council) to His servants the prophets. (Amos 3:7).  While no man may yet know the exact day or hour of Christs Second Coming. scripture may give us details about the events prior.  Also, we should remember that scriptures are not given for us to make future predictions, but to confirm major events after they've happened.

Many Christians interpert Daniels 70 weeks as foretelling a final 7-year period of Tribulation. In the middle of that final period a terrible event would occur entitled the Abomination of Desolation.  This terrible prophetic event was associated with a disruption in the daily service in the Lord's temple.  This has found multiple fulfillment in history. First when the Greek Antiochus, king if Syria captured Jerusalem in 167 BC and desecrated the temple offering a pig to Zeus in the temple.  Next, was the destruction of the temple itself by the Romans in 70 AD.  In the last days, this prophecy will again find fulfillment with respect to the final "Burning of Babylon".   No doubt such a widespread event will impact daily temple service like the COVID-lockdown did in 2020. 

The timing leading up to the coming of the Messiah in 1 BC and destruction. of the temple in 70 AD began with the Edict of Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, in 539 BCE.  The Edict of Persia was the decree that the Jews who were taken captive by Babylon, would be permitted to return to Israel and Jerusalem and rebuild the temple. This 539 BCE date is 77 x 7 years before the birth of Jesus Christ and 87 x 7 years before the destruction of the Second Temple. 

The timing of this final Burning of Babylon is foretold to occur in the last week of a 70 weeks period.  The word used in the scripture is "Shabua" which relates to the Jewish Feast of Weeks or Pentecost which is a Jewish holiday that occurs each year, 50 weeks after Passover and means "seven".   Shabua and can be intepreted as weeks, years, or weeks of years.   When this prophecy is applied to the Last Days, the timeline would likely begin with, I believe, the Jewish "Law of Return" in 1950 CE.  77 years following would be 2027.

John's Revelation talks about 7 seals opening each 1000 year period. Beginning with Adam and Eve 4000 BCE,  the 7th and final seal would be opened 2000 CE.  The Second Coming does not happen at the opening of the 7th Seal. Rather there are a few final events that occur after its opening to complete some final preparations for Christ's coming in glory.  John, after the opening of the 7th seal, describes a 1/2 hour of silence or 20.8 year period (1 day =1000 years) before a final tribulation period would begin symbolically associated with the sounding of 7 trumpets.  This silence and trumpet imagery goes back to Joshua leading the Tribes of Israel around the walls of Jericho silently before they blew their trumpets and the walls of the city collapsed. 

Because "Shabua" means "seven" can be interpreted to mean years or weeks of years,  I was thinking if this final tribulation period and 7 trumpets could all occur in a brief 7 year period or in a 49 year period (7 x 7 years).  2020 is 70 years after the "Law of Return" in Israel and follows John's 1/2 hour of silence.

In either event, if COVID pandemic represents trumpet 1 or trumpet 4, there are events such as the second solar ellipse in 2024 which crosses the path of the previous 2017 eclipse in southren illinois which was the exact location in southern tip of Illinois (center of the land) where Lachoneas in the Book of Mormon defended his people against the Gadianton Robbers according to Heartland geography.  The Salt Lake Temple renovation is not scheduled to be complete until 2025.  

So, I'm just thinking if 2024 being mid-7 year period or 2027-8 being mid- 49 year period makes more sense here.  In either case, we may not know for sure until after it happens and we see how all the prophetic puzzle pieces fall perfectly into place.   In either case, Isaiah 17:1-3 assurs us that Ephraim's fortress is safe as long as the city of Damascus, Syria (The oldest continuously inhabited city) continues to be a city and not a "ruinous heap."   I get tired of the continual doom predictions.  But like Methuselah' death predicted the Great Flood in Noah's time, the continuation of Damascus in Syria gives me daily comfort that despite a little petsonal and global tribulation, today can be a good day.

President Hinkley in 1998 gave a prophetic warning citing Joseph in Egypt and the dream of Pharoah: 2001 9/11, 2008 Housing, 2014 Crimea, 2020 COVID, 2027-8 ????