Fulfilled Messianic Prophecies Prove Bible Is Accurate!

cardensdesign.com

For the gospel writers, one of the main reasons for believing in Jesus was the way His life fulfilled the Old Testament prophecies about the Messiah. Following is a list of some of the main prophecies:

1. Messiah was to be born in Bethlehem – Old Testament, Micah 5:2 – New Testament, Matt. 2:1–6, Luke 2:1-20
2. Messiah was to be born of a virgin – Old Testament, Isaiah 7:14 – New Testament, Matt. 1:18-25, Luke 1:26-38
3. Messiah was to be a prophet like Moses – Old Testament, Deut. 18:15, 18-19 – New Testament, John 7:40
4. Messiah was to enter Jerusalem in triumph – Old Testament, Zech. 9:9 – New Testament, Matt. 21:1-9, John 12:12-16
5. Messiah was to be rejected by His own people – Old Testament, Isaiah 53:1,3, Psalm 118:22 –  New Testament, Matt. 26:3-4, John 12:37-43, Acts 4:1-12
6. Messiah was to be betrayed by one of His followers – Old Testament, Psalm 41:9 – New Testament, Matt. 26:14-16, 47-50, Luke 22:19-23

Nostradamus: Are His Predictions Accurate?

loveforlife.com.au

How did the 16th century psychic Nostradamus map out the future of the past four centuries? Or did he?

The summer of 1981 witnessed a strange sequence of events in Europe. Earlier that spring, against a Western tide of political conservatism, a socialist swept into power in France. Then came the near assassination of a Pope. And to the surprise of many, riots erupted in England.

Unrelated events? At first glance, it would seem so.

But a new translation of a medieval book of prophecy rocked Europe when it appeared to predict the above three events nearly four centuries in advance.

“Roman Pope do not approach the city in which the two rivers bathe,” reads an English translation of the obscure French writings of the 16th-century medical doctor Michel de Nostredame — better known as Nostradamus. “Your blood and that of your followers will flow near this place when the rose will flower.”

Mysterious Poetry

This verse is from Nostradamus’ 16th-century book The True Centuries — a book divided into 10 sections of about 100 verses or quatrains. This particular verse is number 97 from book II.

At first, these words would appear to be a meaningless jumble. But M. Jean-Charles de Fontbrune (a pseudonym), a French pharmaceutical executive, claims to have interpreted the “rose” in the latter part of the verse. He shocked Europe by claiming it as the party symbol of French President Francois Mitterrand. During the 1980-81 French campaign, President Mitterrand would often hold aloft a freshly cut rose as the symbol of forthcoming prosperity.

2012 (End Of World) Mayan Myth Debunked!

t4toby.wordpress.com

I recently had a discussion with a friend about the supposed impending approach of the end of the world, as allegedly foreseen by the Maya and represented by the “end” of their calendar on December 21, 2012. In a nutshell, this calendar is about to roll up the red carpet of time, swing the solar system into transcendental alignment with the heart of the Milky Way, and turn Earth into a shooting target for a rogue planet heading our way.

Already more than a half dozen books on the subject are marketing astronomical fears about the supposed 2012 end time. And of course there was the film “2012” which heavily promoted a focus on this particular date, along with cracking continents, plunging asteroids, burning cities, and a tsunami throwing an aircraft carrier through the White House. This is not much different than the Millennialism that was prevalent leading up to January 1st, 2000.

As a Christian, I can say without reservation that these claims are completely without merit. In Is.a 41:22, God says “Let them (doubters) bring them forth, and show us what shall happen: let them show the former things (of times past), what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come (in the future). Here God is defying those who claim to know things in advance, or in the past. He alone claims this power and man has no such ability.

However, I will also show that these claims also have no scientific merit either. The non-ending of this calendar ( as promoted by hucksters), mixes in a bit of mysticism, some astrology, some mayanism, and numerology, along with utter nonsense. The result is an incoherent mess of ideas and baseless claims, many of them contradicting each other.

The Mayan Calendar Explained

“The Mayan Calendar was constructed by an advanced civilization called the Mayans around 250-900 AD, who viewed time as a meshing of spiritual cycles. While the calendars had practical uses, this represents the Mayan date of approximately 1012 years, 7 months and 1 day.

So what does this have to do with the end of the world? The Mayan Prophecy is wholly based on the assumption that something bad is going to happen when the Mayan Long Count calendar runs out. Experts are divided on this issue, but as the Maya used the numbers of 13 and 20 at the root of their numerical systems, the last day could occur on 13.0.0.0.0. When does this happen? Well, 13.0.0.0.0 represents 5126 years and the Long Count started on 0.0.0.0.0, which corresponds to the modern date of August 11th 3114 BC. Have you seen the problem yet? The Mayan Long Count ends 5126 years later on December 21st, 2012.”

“Archaeologists and mythologists believe that the Mayans predicted an age of enlightenment when 13.0.0.0.0 comes around; there isn’t actually much evidence to suggest doomsday will strike. If anything, the Mayans predict a religious miracle, not anything sinister. Mayan archaeo-astronomers are even in debate as to whether the Long Count is designed to be reset to 0.0.0.0.0 after 13.0.0.0.0, or whether the calendar simply continues to 20.0.0.0.0 (approximately 8000 AD) and then reset. As Karl Kruszelnicki writes:

“…when a calendar comes to the end of a cycle, it just rolls over into the next cycle. In our Western society, every year 31 December is followed, not by the End of the World, but by 1 January. So 13.0.0.0.0 in the Mayan calendar will be followed by 0.0.0.0.1 – or good-ol’ 22 December 2012….” – Excerpt from Dr Karl’s “Great Moments In Science.”” (universetoday.com)

“We also have to consider that this is a theoretical reconstruction of the Mayan calendar, since it hasn’t been in use for hundreds of years. The Mayan epoch shown above was hotly debated by archeologists for many decades. The date shown is a consensus date, originally proposed by J.E.S. Thompson, and supported by carbon dating and other methods. However, this particular date for the Mayan epoch could still be off by some amount, possibly by years. Thus any eschatological theories based on this calendar would have to be adjusted accordingly.” (SacredTexts.com)

One thing to note for Christians: the Mayan calendar, as we have seen, dabbles heavily in pagan mythology and use, whereas the Bible tells us in Exod. 20:3 that we should have no other gods before the true God.

And Exod. 23:24 states:  “Thou shalt not bow down to their gods, nor serve them, nor do after their works: but thou shalt utterly overthrow them, and break down their images.”

Common Misrepresentations About 2012

On the Griffith Observatory site, it lists the five most common misrepresentations about the 2012 end of time date:

1. The Maya Calendar is “Ending”

FALSE. The Maya calendar is not spooling up the thread of time. It is coming to the end of a particular cycle in an unending sequence of cycles. According to the rules of the Maya calendar system, a primary interval, Baktun 13, for all practical purposes ends on the winter solstice, 2012. Although pseudoscientific claims have linked this calendrical curiosity to a Maya prophecy of the end of time, there is no evidence for ancient Maya belief in the world’s end in 2012 or even in any unusual significance to the cycle’s completion.

The Maya calendar relied on multiple cycles of time. In Maya tradition, these cycles of time run far into the future, and there are ancient Maya hieroglyphic inscriptions that project time into the future well beyond 21 December 2012. At the end of Baktun 13 (a period of 144,000 days or 394 years), a new baktun will begin. There is no Baktun-13 end of time. The notion of a Baktun-13 transformational end of time is modern. It originated in Mexico Mystique, a book published in 1975 by an American writer, Frank Waters, who made computational errors.

2. We Are Emerging from a Galactic “Beam”

FALSE. In 1987, the notion of the Maya forecast of the end times was linked to a “beam” from the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. The writer who introduced this galactic element also promoted it through 1987’s Harmonic Convergence. According to him, we emerge from the beam on winter solstice, 2012 because that’s when the Maya calendar “ends.” In reality, there is no galactic beam either observed or predicted). There is no astronomical or observational fact here, just assertion.

3. The Sun’s Pathway Through the Milky Way Is Somehow Related.

FALSE. Others have also noted the gradual precessional shift of the Sun’s position at winter solstice across the Milky Way. They have claimed the winter solstice Sun will coincide with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy in 2012. This is not true. The winter solstice Sun never coincides with the center of the Milky Way Galaxy. There is no “galactic alignment” on winter solstice, 2012. There is no meaningful midpoint across the Milky Way. A midpoint for the winter solstice sun’s precessional passage across the Milky Way cannot be defined to a century, let alone a single day (and certainly not to 21 December 2012).

4. A Planetary Alignment Will Destroy the Earth.

FALSE. Some have claimed an alignment of planets occurs on winter solstice, 2012, and will cause a catastrophic reversal of the earth’s magnetic field. There is no such planetary alignment on winter solstice, 2012, and even if all the planets did align in this fashion, it would not cause such a reversal of the Earth’s magnetic field. There have been numerous planetary alignments and they have had no effect on the Earth.

5. The Mysterious Planet Niburu Is Headed Our Way.

FALSE. Conspiracy fatalists are convinced that the imaginary planet Niburu is out there and headed our way. According to this bizarre scenario, NASA, the astronomical community, and presumably everyone else “in the know” allegedly have observed the approach of the planet, placed an embargo on this knowledge, and are deliberately misleading the public. Of course all of this is nonsense as there is absolutely no evidence of the existence of such a planet at all.

Scientific Explanations

“The primary source of the idea that the world will end on 2012 comes from Monument 6 of the Mayan ruin known as Tortuguero in the Mexican state of Tabasco. Monument 6 has the only known inscription depicting the end of the current 13-baktun era in 2012.

An incomplete inscription refers to “the end of the 13th b’ahktun which we will see in the year 2012,” along with the word “utom,” translated as “it will happen.” A crack in the inscription makes reading what follows difficult if not impossible, though there is a phrase translated as “he [perhaps a god] will descend.”Some see that as an indication of a cataclysmic event. But other Maya experts point out that the same verb (descend) is used as part of many Mayan dedication events and seems to not necessarily have a destructive connotation.

Many have taken that fragment of a sentence carved in stone and run with it, adding the supposed Maya knowledge that, according this sfgate article, “the Earth’s axis wobbles, slightly changing the alignment of the stars every year. Once every 25,800 years, the sun lines up with the center of our Milky Way galaxy on a winter solstice, the sun’s lowest point in the horizon. That will happen on Dec. 21, 2012, when the sun appears to rise in the same spot where the bright center of galaxy sets.”(Examiner.com)

Responding to all that doomsday talk with a healthy dose of skepticism, scientists at the National Aeronautics and Space Administration have launched a Web page to dispel the myths surrounding the momentous occasion. NASA explains the calendar ends like your kitchen calendar ends on December 31, 2009. That does not mean the world is going to end in 2009. It means you need a new calendar.

On an FAQ page called, “2012: Beginning of the End or Why the World Won’t End?” they point out that the Planet Nibiru was predicted to hit the Earth in May of 2003, and as far as we know, it didn’t. And someone just pushed reset, and now it’s coming in 2012. Even if a collision with Nibiru were real astronomers would have been tracking it for at least the past decade, and it would be visible by now to the naked eye.

NASA also states that the Earth reverses its magnetic polarity once every 400,000 to 500,000 years. There’s absolutely no reason to think it will happen now, [and] no reason to think it will cause a problem if it did.

As for dark rifts, this is just a place where there are dust clouds in the Milky Way. When did someone decide to be afraid of that?

So to lay it to rest, their website explains succinctly: “There are no planetary alignments in the next few decades, Earth will not cross the galactic plane in 2012, and even if these alignments were to occur, their effects on the Earth would be negligible. Each December the Earth and sun align with the approximate center of the Milky Way galaxy but that is an annual event of no consequence.”

So it seems that the only thing likely to hit Earth is a meteor shower of New Age philosophy, pop astronomy, Internet doomsday rumors and overhyped TV specials that cleverly mix predictions from Nostradamus and the Mayas to fool the unwary.

Russia, China And Europe: The Prophecied Clash To Come!

http://www.newprophecy.net

Much of the framework of all prophecy is found in two prophetic books—the books of Daniel and Revelation. But only in Revelation do we find events of various other prophecies correlated in order of time sequence” It actually details events leading to the return of Jesus Christ; events symbolized by seven seals, seven trumpets and seven vials. before I begin, I will visually lay out the story flow of the Book of Revelation:

Book Of Revelation Story Flow

7 Seals:

1. False prophets
2. War
3. Famine
4. Pestilence – these first 4 seals are the 4 horsemen of (Rev. 6:1-8)
5. Tribulation – (Rev. 6:9-11)
6. Heavenly Signs – (Rev. 6:12-14)
7. 7 Trumpets – beginning of the Day of the Lord

• 1st trumpet – Injury to the earth – (Rev. 8:7)
  
• 2nd trumpet – Injury to the sea – (Rev. 8:8-9)
  
• 3rd trumpet – Injury to rivers – (Rev. 810-11)
  
• 4th trumpet – Injury to heavenly lights – (Rev. 8:12)
  
• 5th trumpet or 1st woe – attack of beast power – (Rev. 9:1-12)
• 6th trumpet or 2nd woe – Asian counter strike – (Rev. 9:13-19)
• 7th trumpet or third woe – Seven Last Plaques

1. Sores on those who accept the mark of the beast (Rev. 16:2)
2. Sea turns to blood and all sea creatures die (Rev. 16:3)
3. Rivers turn to blood (Rev. 16:4-7)
4. Sun scorches humanity (Rev. 16:8-9)
5. Beast’s seat of government afflicted (Rev. 16:10-11)
6. Euphrates dries up, armies gather at Armageddon (Joel 3:9-17, Rev. 16:12-16)
7. Great earthquake and hail (Rev. 16:17-21)
   

The  seven seals, seven trumpets and seven vials portray a progression of catastrophic plagues God will inflict on mankind. These three world shaking events summed up are:

1. The Great Tribulation
2. The heavenly signs in the sun and moon and stars (immediately following the Tribulation)
3. The Day of the Lord

So let’s break these down in order.

The Great Tribulation (the first of three world shaking events)

The first four seals in Revelation 6:1-8 are:

1. False religion
2. War
3. Famine
4. Pestilence

These lead to the fifth seal, the Great Tribulation—the time of Satan’s wrath – described in Revelation 6:9-11 and other prophecies. The Tribulation  will last for 2½ years.

The Heavenly Signs (the second of three world shaking events)

In Revelation 6:12-14 it says:

“And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; And the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places.”

The heavenly signs signify the sixth seal of Revelation 6:12-14.

The Day Of The Lord (the third of three world shaking events)

This is the Day of the Lord—the time of God’s wrath, when God punishes mankind for their rebellion against Him and His government with plagues. Here he is trying to bring all sinners (who survive the previous disasters) to repentance (verses 15-17).

The Day of the Lord lasts for one year, but it is NOT the last year of the 3½-year period we read of, and is NOT a part of the Great Tribulation. It is a combination of the Great Tribulation, the Heavenly Signs and the Day of the Lord which collectively make up the 3½‑year period called “a time, and times, and half a time” (Revelation 12:14).

The beginning of the day of the Lord is at the opening of the seventh and final seal:

“And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour. And I saw the seven angels which stood before God; and to them were given seven trumpets” (Revelation 8:1-2).

These seven trumpet blasts occur after the seventh seal is opened during the Day of the Lord. They symbolize plagues sent from God as He intervenes in the affairs of mankind! This is the result of people refusing to listen to God and repent of their sins.

• The first four trumpet blasts of Rev. 8 destroy the environment, making living conditions on Earth unbearable.

• The fifth trumpet (also called the first woe) signifies world domination by a European beast power. Daniel 11:40 (speaking of the first woe) speaks of a clash (in this end time) between that European empire (the King of the North) and the King of the South, a radical Middle Eastern power (modern Iran).

Verses 40-41 speak of the Great Tribulation, when this European Beast Power will enter into the glorious land (called Israel today) and overthrow many nations. However, the spectacular military success of the beast power in the Middle East will be short lived:

“But tidings out of the east and out of the north shall trouble him …” (verse 44). If we see the modern nation of Israel as a reference point, we have to look north and east on a map, coming directly to Russia and China!

After destroying the radical Middle eastern power (King of the South), the beast power (King of the North), will be troubled by China and Russia in the east and north. This scripture is speaking of a massive clash between these two world superpowers, with the king of the north launching a preemptive strike against the Asian foe:

“Therefore he shall go forth with great fury to destroy, and utterly to make away many.”

This attack (the first woe of Rev. 9:1-11) is described as the beginning of all-out war between these two superpowers to determine world rule. The biblical language used is symbolic, because the apostle John had to use terminology of his day to describe technology of the future.

For example, verses 3 and 7-10 state that locusts “came upon the Earth with power in their tails like a scorpion.” This could merely be describing modern military helicopters firing missiles during an all out, five month military attack on the inhabitants of the earth. All is spearheaded by the devil, as verse 11 actually explains the king over these soldiers is Abaddon or Apollyon, which are names of Satan.

The Second Woe

Continuing in Revelation 9:

• The sixth trumpet of verses 12-13 (also called the second woe) sounds. Four angels are released specifically to amass an almost incomprehensibly large, 200-million-man army (verses 15-16).

Most Bible critics argue that it would be impossible to assemble an army this size. But the current population in China is over 1.3 billion. Russia has 142 million, India with 1.1 billion people has the fourth-largest army in the world. Japan, the nations of Southeast Asia, and the former Soviet republics could all be probable participants in this alliance. Adding up the populations, there will easily be a total approaching 3 billion people from which to make up an army of 200 million! It is hardly unrealistic to think these combined countries could not muster an army of 200 million men.

Joel 2:4 also speaks of this Asiatic force (there called God’s army) during what is titled an event in the Day of the Eternal. It is actually God who will inspire it to wreak havoc on the European beast power with a counterattack and obliterate it. The end result is the death of “the third part of men” (Revelation 9:15). Of course such a scenario has never transpired and it takes the awesome destructive power of modern super-weapons to achieve such carnage.

Babylon Falls

Jeremiah 50 also adds details to this story, now calling the political-religious system of the King of the North by the name of Babylon, though historically it was known as the “Holy” Roman Empire.

In verse 3, God says He will bring a nation out of the North which will make it desolate. Again, the massive Asiatic counterattack will overwhelm the beast power. This is the second woe.

And verse 9 states that it will be an assembly o many nations, which could only be Russia and China, along with various other nations which will join this power bloc. The devastating collapse of the Babylonian system, the beast power, is further described in Revelation 18:2-19.

These Russians and Chinese armies will be ruthless. To “slay the third part of men”, there can be no doubt that they will attack with nuclear weapons! In verse 15, God says this act is His vengeance, because the people of this beast power have sinned against him (Revelation 18:5-6). Revelation 18 and Jeremiah 50:29 show that Babylon is destroyed in the space of one hour!

Unbelievably, the last two verses of Revelation 9  reveal just how hard-headed and stubborn man can be, even after such severe correction, as those not killed continue on with their lives, unrepentant of their idol worship, their murders, fornication, thefts and so on (verses 20-21). Even after most of the Earth’s population has been personally afflicted by nuclear war and complete destruction, they still are not willing to turn to God and His law!

The Third Woe

Revelation 11:14-15 now speaks of the third woe. Two of the three woes are complete and after that, the kingdoms of this world are to become God’s Kingdom. Christ will return, and God’s government will again take over the Earth.

But even after all the destruction, verse 18 says the nations will be angry and wrathful toward Christ. Can you believe that? And now what’s left of the beast power and of Asia will actually gather to fight against Christ at the last trumpet. This battle is described in great detail throughout Revelation 15 and 16.

The final trumpet blast is divided into seven vials of God’s wrath—the last seven plagues (Revelation 15:1, 6), sent upon mankind because of their hard-headedness. In Revelation 16:12, God dries up the Euphrates River to prepare the way for these armies to gather near Jerusalem (in a place called Armageddon, verse 16). There they will turn their attention toward their one common enemy—the King of kings—Jesus Christ.

There is wonderfully good news in the midst of all these horrors. Both of these armies will gather at Armageddon to fight each other, but will end up fighting Christ at His Second Coming! The armies will make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb will overcome them (Revelation 17:12-14). The conclusion of that battle will mark the beginning of a new, peaceful age for the whole Earth!

Ezekiel’s Prophecy

Ezekiel also tells us about yet another burst of rebellion to spring from northeast of Jerusalem, with the Millennium only just begun. As unbelievable as it sounds, the people of Asia will muster their forces for one final attempt to overthrow Christ’s rule!

Reading Ezekiel chapter 34, we find that, after the Day of the Lord, God will gather His sheep—those enslaved Israelites left alive after the Day of the Lord—and rescue them from captivity. This is when God will remove the spiritual blindness from their eyes and they will seek God’s ways. God’s Kingdom will be set up to finally establish lasting peace (Isaiah 11:11; Romans 11:25-26; Micah 4:2-3).

Dozens of prophecies refer to the end-time descendants of Israel being scattered around the world during the Tribulation and the Day of the Lord. But Ezekiel 36 pictures the remnant of Israel returning to the land God originally promised them, to one place.

Ezekiel 37:15 begins to speak of Israel and Judah as two sticks united together after Christ’s return. God will take them from among the heathen and make them one nation (verse 22), with a resurrected, spirit-born King David being king over Israel (verse 24).

Chapter 37 also  speaks of a prophecy referred to as the valley of dry bones. Much of it pictures a literal fleshly resurrection of those who had long since died, never knowing the truth. This resurrection occurs at the end of the thousand-year reign of Christ.

What happens to Gog and Magog (the Asiatic Nations)?

The Russians and Chinese are used to punish the beast power just before Christ returns, but as a result, they too become proud and haughty, therefore needing correction from God. He even tells these nations to prepare for a coming battle with Him (verse 7), after Christ’s return. God prophecies against Gog and Magog , stating that His anger is against them (Ezekiel 38:2-3).

How do we know this? Notice that verse 8 says Israel has been “brought back from the sword.” Here the people of Israel are dwelling peacefully (verse 11). It is the remnant of the Asiatic hordes of the battle of Armageddon (who were not killed) which descend upon the glorious land a short time after it has been occupied by the re-gathered Israelites. It will only be a land of villages at this point early on in the Millennium. Gog and Magog will see how God has blessed His people and will target the people of Israel as easy spoil in a blessed and undefended land!

Now think about this, because it really makes the mind reel. Even after Christ returns, there will not be peace immediately. There will still exist those who haven’t submitted to God’s law and government. They will learn the “hard way” that God’s system is fair and equitable and that they must submit to it to be blessed. Imagine, having to force people to be happy.

Yet that is exactly what the Bible says God does. Only one sixth of those who come to attack Israel will live through the battle, even though the y have been pre-warned (Ezekiel 39:7). The number of dead will be incalculable, and the people of Israel will be called upon to bury the fallen fighters. “And seven months shall the house of Israel be burying of them, that they may cleanse the land” (verse 12).

According to Ezekiel 38 and 39, this is the last great rebellion this Earth will experience for 1,000 years! Then, at the end of the Millennium when Satan is loosed for a little season, and there will be another—Revelation 20:7-9. Through both of these, God will not only defend and deliver His people, but He will prove that He fights and wins our battles for us.

God will make sure that His wrath is felt and witnessed throughout all the Earth (Ezekiel 38:18-20). He will have the nations of Gog and Magog destroy themselves (verse 21). Only through  blood, pain and suffering will God finally have all skeptics—those who do not accept Christ’s rule; those who do not know God, come to the understanding that He is the Eternal.

And here’s the rub. God wants us to choose life, not death! He does not like to see anyone suffer. Only those who stand with God now in complete obedience will not have to suffer in the future.

Prediction Addiction Versus Prophecy: False Apocalyptic Dates

http://www.studionemo.com/.../

Here’s one to file under nonsense. A Canadian newspaper, the Toronto Sun, posted a short commentary on a coming Doomsday date which I would like to summarize here.

It quoted December 12, 2012 as a growing and recognized day of Armageddon, with books and blogs suggesting the 5,125-year long count cycle of the Mayans’ calendar (the survival and evolution of an ancient calendar) will draw to an abrupt close.

Wacky predictions are nothing new to man. There have been literal thousands of predictions and mass hysteria over dates and books supposedly giving us insight into what is to happen in the near future. NONE have been right – NONE. There are also future predictions still on the table, and guess what – NONE of these will be right either. There is a very good reason for this, as I will explain soon. Some of the more interesting recent predictions are:

• Works like Michael Drosnin’s best seller, The Bible Code, predict space meteors may plow into the earth.

• Self-described alien contactee and author, Riley Martin, has theorized a great mother ship could return in 2012.

• Author Dannion Brinkley predicts in his book, Secrets of the Light, humanity will finally go through a spiritual transition in the same year the world goes through physical changes.

• Some scientists argue an alignment of our entire solar system will take place.

• Others predict a legendary and much debated heavenly body — often dubbed Planet X — will enter our solar system to throw our world for a loop.

• Author Lawrence Joseph’s book Apocalypse 2012 talks about the threat of the Earth’s weakening magnetic field and the part the Sun may play as it pelts us with storms, devastating earthquakes, hurricanes, spiking global temperatures and tsunamis.

Ah, pundits who foretell the future. As the article pointed out so succinctly, “foretelling future events in the lifespan of the world is like predicting where the very first raindrop will land during a storm.” Just like Y2K, it may lead up to a lot of unnecessary hysteria, and then nothing will happen.

Unless your information is based on the Bible, and God’s revealed word, you have nothing but speculation. Indeed, the Bible has a lot to say about our immediate future. But then, wants to listen to free advice? We tend to believe in things only when we shell out hard earned cash for fallacious stories. This despite having a Creator desiring to educate His creation. It’s true, but sad – deceivement is a trait most desire so that they don’t have to pull their heads out of the sand and face reality.

Here is a fairly exhaustive list of historical dates set since after the time of Christ, taken from Bible.ca:

Year 44 – Theudas declared himself the Messiah, taking 400 people with him into the desert. Theudas was beheaded by Roman soldiers. Josephus records this.

53 – Even before all the books of the Bible were written, there was talk that Christ’s return had already taken place. The Thessalonians panicked on Paul, when they heard a rumor that the day of the Lord was at hand, and they had missed the rapture.

80 – Ben Zakkai died about 80, and expected the Messiah about the time of his death

100 -200 – Rabbi Eliezer ben Hyrcanus (1-2 Cent) thought the days of the Messiah would last 40 years. Before Bar Kochba the Mess. age was short; longer afterward

130 – Rabbi Jose, the Galilean, a contemporary of Hyrcanus and Azariah, thought the Messiah would come in three generations (60 years), after the destruction; namely 130 (Luther Martin, Date Setters, Guardian of Truth, Sept. 15, 1994)

381 – Return of Christ; Tichonus a writer of the 4th Cent (Luther Martin, Date Setters, Guardian of Truth, Sept. 15, 1994)

400 – Hippolytus “calculated that 5,500 years separated Adam and Christ and that the life of the world was 6,000 six full ‘days’ of years until the seventh the day of rest.” His calculations in 234 indicted there were still two centuries left. (from A History of the End of the World, Rubinsky and Wiseman, 1982)

400 – Rabbi Dosa (2-3rd Century) said the Messiah would come at the end of 400 years. This was based (?) on Gen. 15:13 (Luther Martin, Date Setters, Guardian of Truth, Sept. 15, 1994)

435 – Messiah comes; Rabbi Judah ha-Nasi (135-220) believed Messiah would come 365 years after Temple destroyed in 70 (Luther Martin, Date Setters, Guardian of Truth, Sept. 15, 1994)

470 – Messiah would come; Rabbi Hanina (3rd C), though Messiah would come 400 years after Temple Destruction. (Luther Martin, Date Setters, Guardian of Truth, Sept. 15, 1994)

500 – A Roman priest and theologian in the second and third centuries, predicted Christ would return in A.D. 500, based on the dimensions of Noah’s ark.

500 – Return of Christ; Hyppolytus (170-236) and Lactantius (250-330) said 500 would be the time for the second coming of Christ (Luther Martin, Date Setters, Guardian of Truth, Sept. 15, 1994)

950-80 – Letter on the Hungarians that speaks of widespread apocalyptic reactions among the population (“Un témoin de la crainte de l’an 1000: La lettre sur les Hongrois,” Latomus, 15 (1956), 224-38); considered the background of Adso’s treatise (see below #3).

950 – In A.D. 950 Adso of Montier-en-Der wrote a “Treatise on the Antichrist” which was a response to a number of mid-century crises that had provoked widespread alarm and fear of an end-time apocalypse.(5) Five years later, Abbo of Fleury heard a preacher in Paris who announced that the Antichrist would be unleashed in the year 1000 and that the Last Judgment would soon follow.(6) At about the same time a panic occurred in the German army of Emperor Otto I because of a solar eclipse that the soldiers mistook as a sign of the end of the world.(7) And when the last Carolingian dynasty fell with the death of King Louis V in 987, many saw this event as a precursor to the arrival of the Antichrist. King Otto II of Germany had Charlemagne’s body exhumed on Pentecost in the year 1000 supposedly in order to forestall the apocalypse. Both Halley’s comet in A.D. 989 and a super nova in A.D. 1006 were interpreted as signs of the end. About the same time, the Moslem caliph, Al Hakim, destroyed the Holy Sepulcher in Jerusalem prompting apocalyptic fear in the west as well as violent anti-Jewish outbursts.(8)

964 – “Dum saeculum transit finis mundi appropinquat…” [As the saeculum (century?) passes, the end of the world approaches.] Cartulaire de Saint-Jouin-de-Marnes, pp.1, 11, 17.

965 – Abbo hears a preacher in Paris announcing the unleashing of Antichrist for 1000 AD and the Last Judgment for shortly thereafter (see below # 7, 17).

968 – Panic in Otto’s army at an eclipse the soldiers took to portend the end of the world (Gesta episcoporum Leodensium, MGH SS IX, p.202)

990s-1010s – Preaching of Aelfric and Wulfistan, filled with images of Last Judgment, explicity linked at points to the year 1000 and the unleashing of Antichrist (Gatch, Milton McC., Preaching and Theology in Anglo-Saxon England: Aelfric and Wulfstan (Toronto, U. Press, 1977).

1000 – This year goes down as one of the most pronounced states of hysteria over the return of Christ. All members of society seemed affected by the prediction that Jesus was coming back on Jan 1, 1000 AD. There really weren’t any of the events required by the Bible transpiring at that time. The magical number 1000 was primarily the sole reason for the expectation. During December 999 AD, everyone was on their best behavior; worldly goods were sold and given to the poor, swarms of pilgrims headed east to meet the Lord at Jerusalem, buildings went unrepaired, crops were left unplanted, and criminals were set free from jails. The year 999 AD turned into 1000 AD and nothing happened.

1010 – Brythfird commentaries note that the 1000 years of the Apocalypse are completed according to human calculations, therefore supporting Augustine’s allegorical reading

1033 – This year was sighted as the beginning of the millennium because it marked 1000 years since Christ’s crucifixion.

1135-1202 – The Calabrian monk, Joachim of Fiore (ca. A.D. 1135 1202) stands out as a key figure in medieval apocalypticism. On Easter Sunday in 1183 he was inspired to write his massive Exposition on Revelation. Later near the end of his life, he summarized his prophetic knowledge in the Book of Figures. His writings influenced a wide range of medieval events. The Franciscan order was founded on the basis that they would be the spiritual elite described in Joachim’s “Age of the Spirit,” a future time when God would send revelation directly to believers. Using Joachim’s hints, writers concluded that the “Age of Grace” would end and the “Age of the Spirit” would begin in A.D. 1260. This prophecy, mixed with German social unrest, created a myth surrounding Frederick II. Having ruled from 1220 to 1250, many believed that Frederick was the “Emperor of the Last Days” who would usher in the new Millennium.The myth gained force when Frederick seized Jerusalem in 1229. When he died in 1250, a new myth started that Frederick would return from the dead. Two pseudo-Fredericks were burned at the stake by his successor to the throne. The Book of a Hundred Chapters stated that the returned Frederick would lead a fight against corruption in the state and the church, and that he will instruct his followers to “Go on hitting them” (referring to the Pope and his students) and to “Kill every one of them!” (Paul Boyer, When Time Shall Be No More: Prophecy Belief in Modern American Culture, Cambridge, Mass.: The Belknap Press, Harvard University, 1992, p. 53-55)

1186 – The “Letter of Toledo” warned everyone to hide in the caves and mountains. The world would be destroyed and only a few would be spared.

1420 – The Taborites of Czechoslovakia predicted every city would be annihilated by fire. Only five mountain strongholds would be saved.

1533 – Beginning of the Millennium, Anabaptists (Luther Martin, Date Setters, Guardian of Truth, Sept. 15, 1994)

1533 – Christ’s Coming and Judgment at 8:00 AM October 19, 1533; Michael Stiefel (1486-1567) Acq. with Martin Luther, and taken into Luther’s home when he had not given away all possessions. (Luther Martin, Date Setters, Guardian of Truth, Sept. 15, 1994)

1533 – End of the world, preceded by 3-1/2 years of apocalyptic tribulation. (Melchoir Hoffman, from S German Imperial Free City of Schwabish Hall.) Associated with Srousbourg Anabaptists, some called Melchoirites Emphasized “inner” word to “outer” written word (Gary K. Waite “David Joris and Dutch Anabaptism 1524-1543” Wilfrid Laurier University Press (Waterloo, Ontario), 1990.)

1534 – A repeat of the Muntzer affair occurred a few years late. This time Jan Matthys took over the city of Munster. The City was to be the only one spared destruction. The inhabitants of Munster, chased out by Matthys and his men, regrouped and lay siege to the city. Within a year everyone in the city was dead.

1534 – Easter: April 5, 1534 Return of Christ; Jan Mattijs, a “prophet” replacing Melchoir Hoffman (see 1533) who was imprisoned. Claimed Munster, not Strasbourg was the New Jerusalem; later Amsterdam. (Gary K. Waite “David Joris and Dutch Anabaptism 1524-1543” Wilfrid Laurier University Press (Waterloo, Ontario), 1990.)

1650-1660 – The Fifth Monarchy Men looked for Jesus to establish a theocracy. They took up arms and tried to seize England by force. The movement died when the British monarchy was restored in 1660.

1666 – To the citizens of London, 1666 was not a banner year. A bubonic plague outbreak killed 100,000 and the Great Fire of London struck the same year. The world seemed at an end to most Londoners. The fact that the year ended with the Beast’s number (666), didn’t help matters either.

1809 – Mary Bateman, who specialized in fortune telling, had a magic chicken that laid eggs with end time messages on them. One message said that Christ was coming. The uproar she created ended when she was caught forcing an egg into the hen’s oviduct by an unannounced visitor. Mary later was hanged for poisoning a wealthy client.

1814 – Spiritualist Joanna Southcott made the startling claim that she, by virgin birth, would produce the second Jesus Christ. Her abdomen began to swell and so did the crowds of people around her. The time for the birth came and passed – she died soon after. An autopsy revealed it had been a false pregnancy.

1836 – John Wesley wrote that “the time, times and half a time” of Revelation 12:14 were 1058­1836, “when Christ should come” (apud A. M. Morris, The Prophecies Unveiled, p. 361)

1843-1844 – William Miller was the founder of an end-times movement that was so prominent it received its own name– Millerism. From his studies of the Bible, Miller determined that the second coming would happen sometime between 1843-1844. A spectacular meteor shower in 1833 gave the movement a good push forward. The build up of anticipation continued until March 21, 1844, when Miller’s one year time table ran out. Some followers set another date of Oct 22, 1844. This too failed, collapsing the movement. One follower described the days after the failed predictions, “The world made merry over the old Prophet’s predicament. The taunts and jeers of the ‘scoffers’ were well-nigh unbearable.”

1859 – Rev Thomas Parker, a Massachusetts Minister, looked for the millennium to start about 1859.

1874 – invisible return of Christ; Original position of the Watchtower. Then Charles Taze Russell predicted the Rapture in 1910, followed by End of the World in 1914–later interpreted as invisible return of Christ. (99 Reasons Why No One Knows When Christ Will Return, by B J Oropeza, Foreward by Hank Hanegraaff, IVP publishing, 1994)

1914 – was one of the more important estimates of the start of the war of Armageddon by the Jehovah’s Witnesses (Watchtower Bible and Tract Society). They computed 1914 from prophecy in the book of Daniel, Chapter 4. The writings referred to “seven times”. The WTS interpreted each “time” as equal to 360 days, giving a total of 2520 days. This was further interpreted as representing 2520 years, measured from the starting date of 607 BCE. This gave 1914 as the target date.

1914 – Charles Russell, after being exposed to the teachings of William Miller, founded his own organization – the Jehovah’s Witnesses. In 1914 Russell predicted the return of Jesus Christ.

1914, 1918, 1920, 1925, 1941, 1975 and 1994 – Jw’s: Here are other dates that the Watchtower Society predicted. 1975 looked likely as it was computed as the 6000th anniversary of the creation of Adam in the Garden of Eden in 4026 BCE. They interpreted Psalms 90:10 as defining the length of a generation to be 80 years. Since 1914 plus 80 equals 1994, they predicted Armageddon would occur around that year. The latest estimate was 6000 years after the creation of Eve, for which no date can be determined with any accuracy.

1914 – End of World; Charles T. Russel, Jehovah’s Witnesses; later explained that Michael (ie Jesus) had defeated Satan in heaven

1914 – Jesus invisible and quiet return to the Earth. (Jehovah’s Witnesses, Book: This Means Everlasting Life, page 221) “So A.D. 1914 marks the time of Christ’s invisible return in spirit.” Explained after they said he would return in 1914

1917 – Nov. 1917, rebirth of God’s people Israel and awakening of Russia

1918 – In 1918, new math didn’t help the Jehovah’s Witnesses from striking out again.

1920 – NO DATE ON BOOKLET early this century, periods after names and sections. Franklin Ferguson of New Zealand Booklet: The Lord is Coming (23rd Ed.) “Our Lord’s long-promised Return appears to be at hand….We are not warranted in giving a date…we find the startling truth that everything predicted is now abundantly evident.” (inside cover)

1925 – The Witnesses had no better luck in 1925. They already possessed the title of most wrong predictions. They would expand upon it in the years to come.

1953-AUG – David Davidson wrote a book titled “The Great Pyramid, Its Divine Message“. In it, he predicted that the world would end in 1953-AUG.

1957-APR – The Watchtower magazine, quoted (1) a pastor from California, Mihran Ask, as saying in 1957-JAN that “Sometime between April 16 and 23, 1957, Armageddon will sweep the world! Millions of persons will perish in its flames and the land will be scorched.’

1960 – Piazzi Smyth, a past astronomer royal of Scotland, wrote a book circa 1860 titled “Our Inheritance in the Great Pyramid.” It was responsible for spreading the belief in pyramidology throughout the world. This is the belief that secrets are hidden in the dimensions of the great pyramids. He concluded from his research that the millennium would start before the end of 1960.

1967 – When the city of Jerusalem was reclaimed by the Jews in 1967, prophecy watchers declared that the “Time of the Gentiles” had come to an end.

1970″s – This 1970’s tract says: “very likely going to happen in the very near future” Ron Reese

1970’s – The late Moses David (formerly David Berg) was the founder of the Christian religious group, The Children of God. He predicted that a comet would hit the earth, probably in the mid 1970’s and destroy all life in the United States.

1970 – The True Light Church of Christ made its claim to fame by incorrectly forecasting the return of Jesus. A number of church members had quit their livelihoods ahead of the promised advent.

1973 – A comet that turned out to be a visual disappointment, nonetheless, compelled one preacher to announce that it would be a sign of the Lord’s return.

1975 – The Jehovah’s Witnesses were back at it in 1975. The failure of the forecast did not affect the growth of the movement. The Watchtower magazine, a major Witness periodical, has over 13 million subscribers.

1975 – Armageddon, 1975; Jehovah’s Witnesses; (Various publication, cited in Newsweek Oct. 15, 1984)

1977 – We all remember the killer bee scare of the late 70’s. One prophecy prognosticator linked the bees to Rev 9:3-12. After twenty years of progression and the bees are still in Texas, I’m beginning to think of them as the killer snails.

1979 – Sept. 10, 1979; Walter M. Simmons; (Booklet: The Day of the Lord, 1978, The final warning sign: June 28, 1967) “Therefore, adding the 12 years, 75 days to the June 28, 1967 date ends on September 10, 1979.” (p. 24).

1981 – Lindsey boldly declared that “The Rapture” would occur before Dec. 31, 1981, based on Christian prophesy, astronomy and a dash of ecological fatalism. He pegged the date to Jesus’ promised to return to Earth a generation after Israel’s rebirth. He also made references to the “Jupiter Effect,” a planetary alignment that occurs every 179 years, that would supposedly lead to earthquakes and nuclear plant meltdowns.

1981 – Rapture June 28, 1981; Bill Maupin & The Lighthouse Gospel Tract Foundation, Tucson. Figured a miscalculation; changed to Aug. 7, 1981; Return of Christ to occur May 14, 1988; based on Founding State of Israel, May 15, 1948 (Gary DeMar, The Debate Over Christian Reconstruction, Ft. Worth: Dominion Press, 1988.)

1982 – It was all going to end in 1982, when the planets lined up and created magnetic forces that would bring Armageddon to the earth.

1982 – A group called the Tara Centers placed full-page advertisements in many major newspapers for the weekend of April 24-25, 1982, announced: “The Christ is Now Here!” and predicted that he was to make himself known “within the next two months.” After the date passed, they said that the delay was only because the “consciousness of the human race was not quite right…” Boy, all these years and we’re still not ready.

1984 – The Jehovah’s Witnesses made sure in 1984 that no one else would be able to top their record of most wrong doomsday predictions. The Witnesses record is currently holding at nine. The years are: 1874, 1878, 1881, 1910, 1914, 1918, 1925, 1975, and 1984. Lately, the JW’s are claiming they’re out of the prediction business, but it’s hard to teach an old dog new tricks. They’ll be back.

1984 to 1999 – In 1983, Bhagwan Shree Rajneesh, Guru of the Rajneesh movement predicted massive destruction on earth, including natural disasters and man-made catastrophes. Floods larger than any since Noah, extreme earthquakes, very destructive volcano eruptions, nuclear wars etc. will be experienced. Tokyo, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Bombay will all disappear.

1986 – Moses David of The Children of God faith group predicted that the Battle of Armageddon would take place in 1986. Russia would defeat Israel and the United States. A worldwide Communist dictatorship would be established. In 1993, Christ would return to earth.

1987 – The Harmonic Convergence planned for Aug. 16-17, 1987, and several New Age events were to occur at that time. The second coming of the serpent god of peace and the Hopi dance awakening were two examples.

1988 – The book “88 Reasons Why the Rapture is in 1988” came out only a few months before the event was to take place. What little time the book had, it used effectively. By the time Sept 11-13 rolled around, whole churches were caught up in the excitement the book generated.

1988 – Rapture in Rosh Hashanna Sept. 1988 before Sept 21, Edgar C. Whisenant (Book: 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will be in 1988 (cites Joe Civelli as agreeing with his conclusions)

1988 – Return of Christ: May 14, 1988; based on Founding State of Israel, May 15, 1948 Bill Maupin & The Lighthouse Gospel Tract Foundation, Tucson.; Rapture June 28, 1981; Figured a miscalculation; changed to Aug. 7, 1981 (Gary DeMar, The Debate Over Christian Reconstruction, Ft. Worth: Dominion Press, 1988.)

1988 – Tribulation begins in 1988; J R Church (Book: Hidden Prophecies in the Psalms, clearly hints that 1988 will be the year.) “Psalms 88-94 seem to describe the future seven years of Jacob’s Trouble in chronological order. This is not to say that the Tribulation Period will begin in 1988” (p, 246).

1989 – After the passing of the deadline in 88 Reason’s, the author, Edgar Whisenaunt, came out with a new book called “89 Reasons why the Rapture is in 1989.” This book sold only a fraction of his prior release.

1989 – Rapture in Sept. 1989; Edgar C. Whisenant (Book: 88 Reasons Why the Rapture Will be in 1988; The Final Shout: Rapture Report 1989) Revised his thinking after it did not happen in 1988; documented in book Soothsayers of the Second Advent, Wm. Alnor.

1990’s – In 1992, David Koresh of the Branch Davidian group in Waco Texas changed the name of their commune from Mt. Carmel to Ranch Apocalypse, because of his belief that the final all-encompassing battle of Armageddon mentioned in the Bible would start at the Branch Davidian compound. They had calculated that the end would occur in 1995. After a 51-day standoff, on 1993-APR-10, 76 members died as a result of a deliberately set fire.

1991 – A local group in Australia predicted Jesus would return through the Sydney Harbor at 9:00 am on 31st March, 1991.

1991 – Nation of Islam Leader Louis Farrakhan proclaimed the Gulf War would to be “the War of Armageddon … the final War.”

1991 – Menachem Schneerson, a Russian born rabbi, called for the Messiah to come by Sept 9, 1991, the start of the Jewish New Year.

1992 – A Korean group called Mission For The Coming Days had the Korea Church a buzz in the fall of 1992. They foresaw Oct 28, 1992 as the time for the Rapture. Numerology was the basis for the date. Several camera shots that left ghostly images on pictures was thought to be a supernatural confirmation of the date.

1992 – Oct. 28, 1992, Rapture; Full page ad in USA Today, on Oct. 20, 1991, placed by the Hyoo-go (Rapture) movement. EP News service quoted one sect, “50 million people will die in earthquakes, 50 million from collapsed buildings, 1.4 billion from World War III and 1.4 billion from a separate Armageddon.” (99 Reasons Why No One Knows When Christ Will Return, by B J Oropeza, Foreward by Hank Hanegraaff, IVP publishing, 1994)

1993 – If the year 2000 is the end of the 6000 year cycle, then the rapture must take place in 1993, because you would need 7 years of the tribulation. This was the thinking of a number of prophecy writers.

1994 – In the book “1994 the Year of Destiny” F. M. Riley foretold of God’s plan to rapture His people. The name of his ministry is The Last Call and he operates out of Missouri.

1994 – Pastor John Hinkle of Christ Church Los Angels caused quite a stir when he announced he had received a vision for God that warned of apocalyptic event on June 9th, 1994. Hinkle, quoting God, said, “On Thursday June the 9th, I will rip the evil out of this world.”

1994 – Harold Camping in his book “Are You Ready?” predicted the Lord’s return in Sept 1994. The book was full of numerology that added up to 1994 as the date of Christ’s return.

1994 – After promising themselves they would not make any more end time predictions, the Jehovah’s Witnesses fell off the wagon and proclaimed 1994 as the conclusion of an 80 year generation – the year 1914 was the starting point.

1994 – John Hinkle On Trinity Broadcasting Network quote: “The most cataclysmic experience that the world has ever known sine the resurrection is going to happen.” He said, God said, “On Thursday, June the ninth, I will rip the evil out of this world.” TBN’s Paul Crouch later said maybe something was happening invisibly. (99 Reasons Why No One Knows When Christ Will Return, by B J Oropeza, Foreward by Hank Hanegraaff, IVP publishing, 1994)

1994 – Sept. 15, 1994: Last Day and Return of Christ; Harold Camping; Book: 1994 (pub in 1992) “Last Day and return of Christ sometime on or between September 15, 1994…and September 27, 1994.” (p. 531) “I will be surprised if we reach October 1, 1994” (p. 533)

1995 – Armageddon Delayed! Jw’s. In early November 1995 Jehovah’s Witnesses made newspaper headlines around the world. This time it was not a record crowd at a stadium convention or even a controversial blood transfusion case that attracted international attention, but the postponement of the End. One headline read: “Armageddon Not Coming,” and the related article stated that Jehovah’s Witnesses had announced that “Armageddon [had] been delayed and [that] the end of the world [was] no longer nigh.” (Victoria Times-Colonist, Sunday 12 November 1995, p. A2).

1996 – This had a special month, according to one author. He foresaw the month of Sept as the time for our Lord’s return. The Church Age will last 2000 years from the time of Christ’s birth in 4 BC.

1996 – California psychic Sheldon Nidle predicted the end would come when 16 million space ships converged upon the Earth on Dec. 17, 1996, along with a host of angels. Nidle explained the passing of the date by claiming the angles placed us in a holographic projection to preserve us and give us a second chance.

1996 – The book “The Return of Jupiter: End of the world in the light of the Bible” Dorrance Publishing, Pittsburgh PA predicted a disaster starting in the Pacific Ocean: “A terrible earthquake is going to break the oceanic earth crust under the Pacific Ocean by the year 1996 AD

1996 – Millennium Begins; Morgan Edwards (Book: Two Academical Exercises on Subjects Bearing the Following Titles: Millennium, and Las-Novelties written between 1742 adn 1744; pub 1788) Millennium to begin 3-1/2 years after the Rapture; (cited by John Bray reading The Life and Works of M Edwards, Thom. McKibbens Jr)

1996-OCT-23 – Since 1658, many Christians have accepted the calculations of James Ussher, an Irish archbishop, who estimated that the first day of creation occurred on 4004-OCT-23 BCE. This would make the time interval between the creation of the world and a common estimate of the birth of Christ to be precisely 4000 years. Some people believe that Ussher fudged the data to make it come out neatly. He also estimated that the end of the world would occur exactly 6000 years later, in the fall of 1996.

1997 – When Rabin and Arafat signed their peace pact on the White House lawn on Sept 13, 1993, some saw the events as the begin of tribulation. With signing of the peace agreement Daniel’s 1260 day countdown was underway. By Adding 1260 days to Sept, 1993; you get Feb 24, 1997.

1997 – Stan Johnson of the Prophecy Club saw a 90 percent chance that the tribulation would start Sept 12, 1997. He bases his conclusion on several end-time signs. The date of September 12 was chosen by Johnson because it will be Jesus’ 2000th birthday and it will also be the day of atonement, although not what is currently the Jewish Day of Atonement. Further supporting evidence came from Romanian pastor Dumitru Duduman. In several heavenly visions, Dumitru claimed to had seen the book of life. In one of his earlier visions, there were several pages yet to be completed. In his last vision he noticed the book of life only had one page left. Doing some rough calculating, Johnson and friends figured the latest time frame for the completion of the book of life would have to be September 1997.

1997 or early 1998 – The 1997-JUL-29 issue of the Weekly World News carried a statement by a spokesperson of the International Association of Psychics. 92% of their 120,000 members have had the same “end time” vision. Spokesperson Madame Vredeau predicts: A rise in religious belief. Prophets and saints will appear and lead the faithful to safety The oceans will shrink. Deserts expand. Crops will fail; there will be massive starvation Widespread emotional and mental collapse; increase in crime and violence Changing weather patterns; basic laws of nature will be disrupted Satanic demons will appear in broad daylight. War, pestilence, a worldwide plague Mankind will disappear around the year 2001 CE.

1997-1999 – Russian scientist Vladimir Sobolyovhas of the Rerikh Academy has analyzed prophesies made by Russian saints, by Nostradamus etc. (6) He announced his conclusions in1997-SEP: that the earth’s axis will suddenly tilt about 30 degrees sometime during the next two years. This will submerge the Scandinavian countries and Britain under water, in what is termed the Armageddon Flood. Siberia will be spared. He expects that aliens will intervene and lead the world into the fourth dimension. Right now, these aliens are on earth, but in hiding. Sobolyovhas said: “If we completely believed in them, we would get lazy. So they are clever. They stay hidden in the fourth dimension and only show themselves from time to time.”

1997 – End of World in 1997; Japanese Religious Sect: Aum Shinri Kyo 3000 members; located at base of Mt. Fuji. The words “shinri kyo” mean “supreme truth” and in English it is known as Aum Supreme Truth. Said by ABC News to be radical group; thought to be manufacturing nerve gas ABC World News Tonight, Mar. 21, 1995 Also info from AOL news.

1997-APR-10 – Dan Millar, of Surrey, BC, Canada and Bob Wadsworth of the Biblical Astronomy newsletter are two religious researchers. They are following the age-old tradition of looking for signs in the heavens for the arrival of the Antichrist, return of Christ, etc. Ancient prophecies told of heavenly events and even a cross in the sky in advance of momentous developments. Millar and Wadsworth have predicted the arrival of the Antichrist on APR-10.

1997-DEC-31 – The 1997-JUL-29 issue of the Weekly World News reported that the biggest end of the world scare since the Cuban missile crisis was circulating through Washington. President Clinton called a secret meeting with leading Bible scholars for the week of JUL-27. A confidential Pentagon memo sparked the scare; it predicts a worldwide cataclysm of unprecedented proportions. Earthquake activity is on a rise and will peak at year-end; the earth’s crust is shifting ominously.

1997-MAR-8 – The Vortex of the Star of David religious sect of Luskville, Quebec was quoted (2) as predicting the end of the world on Saturday, MAR-8. A father, Jean Leon Marcoux, was interviewed; he was worried because his children will be visiting their mother at the sect’s commune on that weekend. He approached the Quebec police but was unable to get them to take any action. A spokesperson for the sect stated that they do not have a doomsday scenario.

1997-NOV-27 – The Sacerdotal Knights of National Security report that “A space alien captured at a UFO landing site in eastern Missouri cracked under interrogation by the CIA and admitted that an extraterrestrial army will attack Earth on November 27 with the express purpose of stripping our planet of every natural resource they can find a use for — and making slaves of every man, woman and child in the world!”

1997-OCT-20 – A particularly wacky Jewish group, called the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement (with David Ben-Ariel) were expected to attempt to place the cornerstone of a new temple on the Temple Mount in Jerusalem. This is a small piece of real estate that is the most sacred spot in the world to Jews, and one of the most sacred to Muslims. The Rapture Ready home page has predicted that the “Tribulation” would be triggered by that event. Previous attempts had failed either because of riots, or police action. There was one report that they were going to try to airlift the stone by helicopter this time. On OCT-20, several thousand police officers were deployed throughout Jerusalem; they successfully prevented access to the Temple Mount.

1998 – Numerology: Because 666 times three equals 1998 some people point to this years as being a prophetically significant year. I had someone call me long distance just so they could pass on to me this earth shattering news.

1998 – A Taiwanese cult operating out of Garland Texas predicted Christ would return on Mar 31 of 1998. The group’s leader, Heng-ming Chen, announced God would return, and then invite the cult members aboard a UFO. The group abandoned their second coming prediction when a precursor event failed to take place. The cult’s leader said God would appear on every channel 18 of every TV in the world. Maybe God realized at the last minute, the Playboy Network was channel 18 on several cable systems, and he didn’t want to have Christians watching a porn channel.

1998 – On Apr 30, 1998 – when Israel will be age 50 – The tribulation could start. The reasoning for this date has to do with God’s age requirement for priesthood, which is between 30-50.

1998 – Marilyn Agee in her book “The End of the Age” has her sights set on May 31, 1998. This date will conclude the 6000 year cycle from the time of Adam. Agee looks for the Rapture to take place on Pentecost also known as the feast of weeks. Another indicator is the fact that the Holy Spirit did not descend upon the until 50 days from Christ’s resurrection before descending on the Church. Israel was born in 1948, add the 50 days and you come up with 1998. If this prophecy fails, numerology will mark itself as one of the most unreliable method of foretelling and yet the most repeated. After her May 31 rapture date failed, Agee, lacking the ability to face up to her error, continued her date setting by using various scripture references to pointing to June 7, 14, and 21.

1998 – Centro is a very active religious organization, largely centered in the Philippines. They predict that the world will come to an end in 1998. They recommend that their followers retreat to safe places.

1998 – The famous psychic Edgar Cayce predicted that a secret, underground chamber would be discovered between the paws of the Great Sphinx. Inside, there will be documents revealing the history of Atlantis. This revelation will trigger the Second Coming of Christ. This prediction is rather interesting, because two independent studies have revealed that there is in fact an underground structure just where Cayce said it would be!

1998-FEB-26 – Edgar Casey predicted that the earth would have a new pole during the winter of 1997-1998. Since the earth spins like a gyroscope, this would take an enormous amount of energy to achieve. That amount of energy would cause a massive disruption to the oceans and the earth’s crust. That could, in turn, cause very serious, worldwide tidal waves, earthquakes and volcanic eruptions.

1998-JUL-5 – The Church of the Subgenius predicts that on “X Day”, the end of the world will occur. At that time, “the Men from Planet X, or XISTS, will arrive on Earth, close a deal with “Bob,” rupture the card-carrying Ordained SubGenii up to the Escape Vessels of the Sex Goddesses, and destroy the remaining population of Earth, VERY VERY SLOWLY.” Bob is J.R. Dobbs, leader and High Epopt of the Church of the SubGenius, Living Avatar of Slack, the Saint of Sales. He was responsible for founding the Church on a shifting, sandy beach of hypocrisy.”

1998-MAR-31 – About 150 followers of a Taiwanese Christian-Buddhist spiritual sect have moved into Garland TX (a suburb in northern Dallas) to await God’s arrival. On MAR-25, God is expected to broadcast a commercial on Channel 18 in Garland. He will then be reincarnated into a man on MAR-31 at 10:00 AM, local time. They expect to draw a crowd of about one million who want to be touched by God. Their leader, Hoh-Ming Chen, selected Garland because it sounds like “God land”. News reports from Taiwan indicated that the group plans to commit mass suicide if God does not appear. These appear to be unfounded.

1998-OCT – The House of Yahweh, Abilene (™) predicts that an end-of-world scenario will start during 1998-OCT. By mid-2001, they predict that 80% of the world’s population will have been killed as a result of nuclear warfare.

1999 – TV newscaster-turned-psychic Charles Criswell King said in 1968 that the world as we know it will cease to exist on August 18, 1999.

1999 Sept – 30: Second Coming of Jesus Christ predicted by Kirk Nelson using Edgar Cayce’s Predictions in correlation with the Christian Bible.

1999 – Hon-Ming Chen has founded God’s Salvation Church in Texas. The group believes that a nuclear war will destroy parts of Earth in 1999. They have identified a nine-year old boy as the “Jesus of the East”, a reincarnation of Jesus Christ. They believe that if they can link him up with the “Jesus of the West” then 100 million lives will be spared. The second Jesus is supposed to live in Vancouver BC, look like Abraham Lincoln, and have been born in late 1969. Their search was unsuccessful.

1999-AUG-11 – The WWW site CALENdeRsign® lists a number of astronomical events that will happen as the millennium closes. There has always been an association between such alignments and momentous events in the mind of the public. Starting in late 1999, the following will be observed: 1999-AUG-11: total solar eclipse; visible from Europe 2000-JAN-21: total lunar eclipse; visible in Europe and US 2000-APR: Triple planetary conjunction involving Mars, Jupiter & Saturn 2000-MAY: “Great Conjunction” of Jupiter and Saturn. This also occurred in 7 BCE and is thought by some to be the star that some of the Gospels mentioned as leading the three wise men to Jesus.

1999-AUG-11 – According to the 1997-MAY-27 issue of Sun Magazine, the Anti-Christ is alive today and living in the Middle East. On AUG-11, the time of an eclipse of the sun, he will make himself known to the world. “It will be the ultimate war.” Many will perish, and their souls will travel to Heaven or Hell, depending upon which side that they supported during the conflict.

1999-AUG-6 – According to the latest interpretation of Biblical prophecy by the Branch Davidian sect, 5 months of major torment will begin as the sixth seal is fulfilled.

1999-DEC-19 – Sun Magazine listed a prediction of “Bible expert” Dotson Meade. He predicts that “something will happen that brings about the war which will end the world as we know it… There will be a vicious cycle of storms and earthquakes that lead to the final battle the world has awaited.” This date was derived from information in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

1999-JAN – According to the 1997-JUN-24 issue of Sun Magazine Pope John XXIII predicted in 1962 that visitors from outer space will arrive in chariots of flaming steel and will share their advanced knowledge with humanity. Our life span will be increased to 150 years or longer. Most diseases will be wiped out.

1999 – Concerned Christians This group, whose members were ordered deported from Israel, was started by Monte Kim Miller, who used to run an anti-cult network in Denver. People who know the cult say Miller believes he is the last prophet on Earth before Armageddon. Miller, who reportedly believed he talked to God each morning before he went to work, was said to claim that America was Satan and the government evil. Miller has predicted he will die on the streets of Jerusalem in December 1999 but will rise from the dead three days later. (Apocalypse Really Soon: ABC news, Jan 5, 1999)

2000 – The House of Yahweh A former kibbutz worker named Jacob — now Yisrael — Hawkins started the House of Yahweh, a group that prophesies that the end of the world will arrive very soon if the laws of Yahweh set down in the Bible are not universally obeyed, and the temple in Jerusalem not rebuilt to lie side by side with the Dome of the Rock Mosque. Hawkins has about 3,000 followers who believe he will announce the second coming of Jesus before being murdered by Satan. (Apocalypse Really Soon: ABC news, Jan 5, 1999)

2000 – Sukyo Mahikari A secretive Japanese group said by former members to spread a neo-Nazi, anti-Semitic dogma, it has established itself as a charitable organization in England. A group leaflet says as the year 2000 approaches, “mankind might be annihilated by the baptism of fire.” Similar language turned up in Aum Shinrikyo materials. Aum Shinrikyo was the cult famous for the deadly sarin gas attack in Tokyo. A spokesman for Sukyo Mahikiri has denied the cult is linked to Aum Shinrikyo or that it is anti-Semitic. (Apocalypse Really Soon: ABC news, Jan 5, 1999)

2000 – Elohim City In the Cookson Hills of eastern Oklahoma lies the fortress-town of Elohim City, where about 100 heavily armed inhabitants work, pray and conduct paramilitary drills. A former Mennonite preacher named Robert Millar, 73, who envisions a white Christian nation in North America, runs Elohim City in anticipation of an Asiatic invasion of the United States, an attack he considers inevitable. Millar, inspired by fundamentalist Christianity, KKK-style racism and astrology, believes that Christ has been revealing himself for the last two millennia. He also preaches that a series of disasters is about to strike, probably soon after the year 2000, during which time the unworthy and wicked will be cleansed from the Earth. Convicted Oklahoma City bomber Timothy McVeigh phoned friends of his in Elohim City before the blast. (Apocalypse Really Soon: ABC news, Jan 5, 1999)

2000 – Numerology: If you divide 2000 by 3, you will get the devil’s number 666.66666666666667.

2000 – The names of the people and organizations that have called for the return of Christ, at the turn of the century, is too long to be listed here. I would say that if there is day that Christ cannot come back on, it must be Jan 1, 2000. To come at an unknown time means an unknown time. I think Jan 2, 2000 would be a more likely day for Him to call His Church home – right after the big let down.

2000 – On May 5, 2000, all the planets are supposed to be in alignment. This will cause the earth to suffer earthquakes, volcanic eruption, and various other nasty stuff. A similar alignment occurred in 1982 and nothing happened. People fail to realize that the other 9 planets only exert a very tiny gravitation pull on the earth. If you were to add up the gravitational force from the rest of the planets, the total would be only amount to fraction of the tug the moon has on the earth.

2000 – Michael Drosnin, author of “The Bible Code,” found a hidden message in the Pentateuch (the first five books in the Bible) that predicts that World War III, involving a worldwide atomic [sic] holocaust, will start in 2000 (or perhaps 2006).

2000-2001 – Dr. Dale SumburËru looks for March 22, 1997, to be “the date when all the dramatic events leading through the tribulation to the return of Christ should begin” The actual date of Christ’s return could be somewhere between July 2000 and Mar 2001. Dr. SumburËru is more general about the time of the Christ’s second coming than most writers. He states, “The day the Lord returns is currently unknown because He said [Jesus] these days are cut short and it is not yet clear by how much and in what manner they are cut short. If the above assumptions are not correct, my margin of error would be in weeks, or perhaps months.”

2000 – Begin of Jesus’ reign from Jerusalem; Lester Sumerall; Book: I Predict 2000 AD; “I predict the absolute fullness of man’s operation on planet Earth by the year 2000 AD. Then Jesus Christ shall reign from Jerusalem for 1000 years.” (99 Reasons Why No One Knows When Christ Will Return, by B J Oropeza, Foreward by Hank Hanegraaff, IVP publishing, 1994)

2000 – Rapture; Implied in Hal Lindsay’s revision. 1st said 1948+40=1988; Later Israel did not have land until 1967 War; 1967+40=2007; Rapture seven years earlier.

2000-DEC-25 – According to the 1997-JUN-24 issue of Sun Magazine Pope John XXIII predicted in 1962 that Christ would appear in the sky over New York City. He will announce the creation of a 1000-year paradise, to be proceeded by six months of great sorrow.

2000-JAN-1 – According to the 1997-JUN-24 issue of Sun Magazine Pope John XXIII predicted in 1961 that Doomsday will begin with the detonation of an atomic bomb in a major European city by a Libyan terrorist group. This will trigger a massive six-month war that will cause the deaths of millions of people.

2000-JAN-1 – William Cooper, head of a militia group in St. John’s AZ, predicted that on this date the secret chambers of the Pyramid at Giza will be opened. Its secrets will be revealed and Satan will become a public figure. The American militia will engage in a massive war at this time. This, and the previous prediction, are the only two that we have been able to find which agree on the same day. Of course, it is an obvious date to select, because most people believe that the next millennium begins then. It doesn’t; it starts one year later on 2001-JAN-1.

2000-JAN-11 – According to Weekly World News of 1997-NOV-18, the CIA has caught a space alien who had crash-landed on JUN-20 in a New Mexico desert. He is from a species that is considerably more developed, both mentally and spiritually, than mankind. He is only survivor of the destruction of his world – a planet some 200 light years from Earth. He reports that God is “furious with His creations everywhere.” Apparently none of the species that he created turned out at all well. So, god is systematically working his way across the galaxies, setting fires to the planets and exploding them one by one. Earth will be next!

2000-MAY-31 – The Great Conjunction of Jupiter and Saturn in front of Taurus and the coming back of the Star of Bethlehem like 7.B.C. Some people expect a supernatural event comparable to the birth of Jesus.

2000-SEP-21 – Dan Millar, mentioned above, estimates this date as that of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ. Four events happen on that day, a Thursday. The sidereal day is reset. It is also the Jewish New Year, using the Canaanite calendar that was in use within ancient Israel prior to the Babylonian Captivity. It is the time of the Jewish “Feast of Jubilees” according to a message given by the Virgin Mary to Father Stefan Gobbi. This feast occurs only once every fifty years. This date is also the Autumn Equinox.

2001 – Jack Van Impe Ministries sponsors the largest Evangelical Christian program devoted to end-time prophecy. In his home page, he discusses his book “On the Edge of Eternity” in which he predicts that the year 2001 will “usher in international chaos such as we’ve never seen in our history.” He predicts that in 2001, and the years following, the world will experience “drought, war, malaria, and hunger afflicting entire populations throughout the [African] continent…By the year 2001, there will be global chaos.” Islam will become much larger than Christianity. (That would take a sudden growth spurt; Islam is currently followed by 19% of the world’s population vs 33% for Christianity). A one-world church will emerge; it will be “controlled by demonic hosts.” Temple rituals (presumably including animal sacrifice) will resume in Israel.

2001 – Because there was no year 0, the true millennium will not start until Jan 1, 2001. Most prophetic watchers still have their sights set on 2000. If the date passes uneventful, I’m sure they’ll realize their error and refocus on this year.

2001 – Charles Spiegel, a retired psychology professor, preaches from a small town near San Diego CA that the ancient land of Atlantis will emerge from the Caribbean circa 2001 CE. Shortly thereafter, 1000 extra-terrestrials from “Myton” in 33 spaceships will land there and bring new knowledge to humanity.

2001-2012 – Beginning of the Millennium, not the end of the world, 1000yrs yet to go. Jack Van Impe; TV show: JVI Presents week of 1-15-1995l; Rather Vague but cites Jewish Catholic and Christians as well as Notradamus

2001-JAN-31 – Sun Magazine reported in its 1997-OCT-14 issue that Noah’s Ark has been discovered intact in undamaged form on a slope near Mount Ararat in Turkey. Inside were a group of 6 copper-gold-silver scrolls, each 12″ square. Scroll 2 reveals that the sun will superheat the earth, melting both polar ice caps, and creating a world-wide flood. Scroll 3 reveals that Doomsday is set for 2001-JAN-31. Good people who repent of their sins will be saved; cruel tyrants will be cast into the burning fires of Hell.

2004 – This date for Jesus’ return is based upon Psalmology, numerology, the biblical 360 days per year, Jewish holidays, and “Biblical astronomy.” To figure out this date you’ll need a calculator, a slide rule, and plenty of scratch paper.

2004 – Arnie Stanton noted on 1997-SEP-16 that that evening was the fourth Jewish festival since 1996-APR-3 on which a lunar eclipse occurred. (7) He quotes Luke 21:25-26 which mentions “signs in the sun, in the moon and in the stars and on the earth distress of nations” He believes that “these recent lunar eclipses are the last known astronomical signs that will preceed a 7 year (360 day/year) countdown to Armageddon/Christ’s return to the Earth.” He expects that Christ’s return will occur within a few months of 2004-SEP-29 when Asteroid Toutatis will make a very close approach to the Earth – perhaps even a collision!

2007 – A False teacher named Shelby Corbett, of Bradenton, Florida has put up benches throughout town advertising the rapture will happen in 2007! She has little Bible knowledge and is tying to make money selling her book.

2007 – End of world; Implied in Hal Lindsay’s revision. 1st said 1948+40=1988; Later Israel did not have land until 1967 War; 1967+40=2007; Rapture seven years earlier. Also now says generation from 60-80 yrs. Puts it also at 2040, 2047

2008 April 17 – By January 2009, we (the United States) will be down the tubes… If we come to the point in time where what I’ve said doesn’t come to pass, the reality is that I’m just a false prophet. That’s the bottom line… The reality is if it doesn’t happen, then you’re just false…I’ll acknowledge my error, my wrong, if I’m wrong…(Ronald Weinland, 2008 – God’s Final Witness, Church of God)

2012 – New Age writers cite Mayan and Aztec calendars which predict the end of the age on Dec 21, 2012.

2012 – Michael Drosnin, author of “The Bible Code,” found a hidden message in the Pentateuch (the first five books in the Bible) that predicts that a comet will crash into the earth in 2012 and annihilate all life.

2012-DEC-22 – The Mayan calendar has many divisions of time: months of 20 days, years of 360 days, katun of 7200 days and a baktun of 144,000 days. Their calendar started on 3114-AUG-13 BCE with the birth of Venus. They expected the world to last for exactly 13 baktun cycles. They anticipated the end of the world near the Winter Solstice of 2012. (3)

Jerry Falwell “In a speech about the concern people have over the new millennium, The Rev. Jerry Falwell said the Antichrist is probably alive today and is a male Jew. Falwell also told about 1,500 people at a conference in Kingsport, Tenn., on Thursday that he believes the second coming of Christ probably will be within 10 years. (Williamsburg, Va., Associated Press, January 15, 1999; Falwell: Antichrist May Be Alive)

Order of the Solar Temple Since 1994, more than 74 members of the Order have committed suicide in Canada, Switzerland and France, leaving behind rumors of gunrunning in Australia and money laundering in Canada and Europe. Whether the group is a cold-blooded hoax that milks its victims of their money and then disposes of them or a more “genuine” suicide cult remains unclear. The Order was founded in 1977 by Luc Jouret, then 30, a Belgian born in Zaire who believed he was a third reincarnation of Jesus Christ and that his daughter Emmanuelle, whom he said was immaculately conceived, was the cosmic child. Although he killed himself, the Order still exists. The cult teaches that life is an illusion and after death followers will be reborn on a planet revolving around the dog star Sirius. (Apocalypse Really Soon: ABC News, Jan 5, 1999)

Church of the Final Testament Started in the early 1990s by a former Russian police sergeant named Sergei Torop who was dismissed from the force after he had a series of religious visions, the group holds particular fascination for former Communist Party members. Torop, who took the name Vissarion, rejects prohibitions on suicide. He tells his followers he is Jesus Christ, and looks the part with flowing dark hair and wispy beard. Currently building a “City of the Sun” on Siberia’s Mount Sukhaya, the Vissarionites are estimated to be the largest cult-like group in Russia with thousands of followers. Russian politicians have recently warned that the Church members may commit mass suicide as the millennium approaches. (Apocalypse Really Soon: ABC news, Jan 5, 1999)

Is The Christmas Tree Biblical?

library2.nalis.gov.tt/Default.aspx?PageConten..

Christmas and the use of the “evergreen” tree is one of the most unbiblical and pagan doctrines ever devised by man. And God hates it! Jeremiah was inspired to write: “Thus saith the Lord, Learn not the way of the heathen, and be not dismayed at the signs of heaven; for the heathen are dismayed at them. For the customs of the people are vain: for one cutteth a tree out of the forest, they deck it with silver and with gold; they fasten it with nails and with hammers, that it move not. They are upright as the palm tree, but speak not: they must needs be borne, because they cannot go. Be not afraid of them; for they cannot do evil, neither also is it in them to do good.”

Can anything better describe our modern custom of a Christmas tree? It’s almost as if God knew in advance that man would continue this practice right down to our time today. So although these scriptures picture the carved idols of Jeremiah’s time, they are also an accurate description of the Christmas tree we are familiar with today. The practice Jeremiah wrote about was a CUSTOM (verse 3) and was associated with “the signs of heaven” (verse 2) — just as Christmas today is a custom and is associated with the winter solstice. Many argue that they do not associate Christmas with the winter solstice, but that does not change its pagan origin.

Even though these scriptures no doubt had an application to the customs practiced some 2500 years ago, we must keep in mind that the book of Jeremiah is PRIMARILY prophetic. Just as with other prophecies, this was written for our time, to our people, and referring to the common customs of the modern world!

We should especially note that cutting down and setting up a tree is termed “the way of the heathen.” We are commanded not to learn or follow that way (verse 2). This whole passage clearly tells us that using a tree in this manner is idolatry. The basic commandment against idolatry, of course, is found in Exodus 20:4-6.

The 70 Weeks Prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 Explained!

http://www.pathlights.com/.../lessons/lesson_14.htm

To begin, let’s quote from “Halley’s Bible Handbook”: “The Captivity, which was then drawing to a close, had lasted 70 years. Daniel is here told by the angel that it would yet be ’70 weeks’ till the coming of the Messiah [see verse 24]. The ’70 weeks’ is generally understood to mean 70 weeks of years, that is, 70 sevens of years, or seven times 70 years, that is 490 years. As if the angel were saying, The Captivity has been 70 years; the period between the Captivity and the Coming of the Messiah will be seven times that long. Seven, and cycles of seven, sometimes have symbolic meanings; yet the actual facts of this prophecy are most amazing, as follows:

The date from which the 70 weeks was to be counted was the decree to re-build Jerusalem [see verse 25]. There were three decrees issued by Persian kings for this purpose … The principal one of these was 457 B C [the one given by Artaxerxes]. The 70 weeks is subdivided into 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and 1 week [see verses 25 and 27]. The 69 weeks (including the 7) equal 483 days, that is, on the year-day theory, Ezek 4:6, which is the commonly accepted interpretation, 483 years. This 483 years is the period between the decree to re-build Jerusalem and the coming of the ‘Anointed One,’ [see verse 25]. The decree to re-build Jerusalem, as noted above, was 457 B C. Adding 483 years to 457 B C brings us to 26 A D, the very year that Jesus was baptized and began his public ministry. A most remarkable fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, even to the year. Further, within 3 1/2 years Jesus was crucified, that is, ‘in the midst of the one week’ ‘the Anointed One’ was ‘cut off,’ ‘purged away sin and brought in everlasting righteousness,’ [see verses 24, 26, and 27]” (End quote).

There is however one slight correction to be made in Halley’s Bible Handbook. The overall calculations are correct, but it does not account for the ONE YEAR which is gained in making the transition from B.C. to A.D. dates. Because there is no year 0, one year is gained and must be added to the A.D. date. It was A.D. 27 when Jesus was baptized and began His ministry — not A.D. 26.

In conclusion, it is extremely noteworthy that in Daniel’s prophecy of the ‘seventy weeks’ (Dan. 9:24-27), Jesus was to be cut off ‘in the midst of the week.’ While this prophecy has the application of a day for a year, so that this 70th week became a literal seven years, Christ being ‘cut off’ after three-and-a-half years’ ministry, as He was, also denotes that He was ‘cut off’ on the middle day [Wednesday] of a literal week.”