The 7 Times of Moses
The Law of Moses includes a prophecy about four periods of "7 times."
Together these four periods span the entire period since the Babylonian
captivity. They provide a framework for relating Jeremiah's prophecy of
70 years captivity and the three parts of Daniel's 70 weeks. The chart
below illustrates the relationship between these three important
prophecies.
When ancient Babylon fell, Daniel realized that the time of 70 years
captivity that Jeremiah had foretold was about to end. (Daniel 9:1):
In the first year
of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was
made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
In the first
year of his 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.
The prophecy Daniel refers to above is Jeremiah 25:11- 12:
And this whole land
shall be a desolation, and an astonishment; and these nations shall
serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
And it shall
come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish
the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their
iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans, and will make it perpetual
desolations.
A separate prophecy says the Jewish captives will return from the exile
in Babylon. (Jeremiah 29:10)
For thus saith
the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will
visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to
return to this place.
In his prayer of confession which is the setting to the prophecy of the
70 weeks, Daniel also refers to the curse in the law of Moses, which he
says has been poured out on God's people because they had not obeyed
God, and had transgressed the law. (Daniel 9:11-14)
Yea, all Israel
have transgressed thy law, even by departing, that they might not obey
thy voice; therefore the curse is poured upon us, and the oath that is
written in the law of Moses the servant of God, because we have sinned
against him.
And he hath
confirmed his words, which he spake against us, and against our judges
that judged us, by bringing upon us a great evil: for under the whole
heaven hath not been done as hath been done upon Jerusalem.
As it is
written in the law of Moses, all this evil is come upon us: yet made we
not our prayer before the LORD our God, that we might turn from our
iniquities, and understand thy truth.
Therefore hath
the LORD watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the LORD
our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not
his voice.
The Old Covenant between God and Israel, made when he gave them the law
through Moses, promised blessings, if they followed God's commandments,
and a
curse if they did not. The curse specified an initial period of
punishment, followed by four periods of "7 times" in which various
plagues and punishments would come upon them. These four parts of the
curse, described in
Leviticus 26, may be correlated with the 70 years of Jeremiah's
prophecy, together with the three main sections of the 70 weeks of
Daniel 9. The chart below shows this relationship between the "7 times"
periods of the curse mentioned in the Law of Moses, Jeremiah's prophecy
of 70 years captivity, and the 70 weeks of Daniel 9. The four periods
of 7 times in the left hand column correspond to the time periods in
the prophecies of Jeremiah and of Daniel.
7
times
Lev 26:18 |
70 years of captivity in
Babylon
Jer 25:11-12
Jer 29:10
|
7 times
Lev 26:21 |
7 weeks
Daniel 9:24-27 |
7 x 7 leap years = 133 years
(1 leap year = 13 months) |
538 BC - 405 BC |
7 times
Lev 26:24 |
62 weeks
Daniel 9:24-27
|
62 x 7 years = 434 years |
405 BC - 28 AD |
7 times
Lev 26:28 |
1 week
Daniel 9:24-27
Christ confirms the covenant
for 1 week
|
3.5 year ministry of Jesus |
28 AD - 31 AD |
"time, times and a half"
or
42 months
or
3.5 years
or
1,260 days
All of the above refer to
the remaining time of the Church.
The "holy city" is the Church. |
31 AD - ? |
See Also:
Copyright © 2005 by Douglas
Cox