The “Seven Times” Punishment and Restoration of the Jewish Nation

Whether you love them or hate their presence in the middle east, the Jews of the modern nation of Israel are a great mystery of survival through the many holocausts, inquisitions and pogroms of history. The Jews were scattered three times among the nations starting with the lost ten tribes with the Assyrian conquests in 734 BC, the Babylonian temple destruction and seventy-year captivity in 587 BC and finally by the Roman temple destruction and final dispersion in 70 AD. But throughout these exile and punishment time periods, they have managed to retain their old covenant religious observances and maintain their own separate language for over 2500 years, without ever fully integrating (and disappearing) into the nations and continents that they passed through. Many Christians today do not support the idea and validity of a Jewish return to the modern nation of Israel. They also say this whole idea is fueled by the heresy of “Christian Zionism” of the Dispensationalist Protestants. This dislike is further exasperated by the current treatment and discrimination of the native Christians and Muslims in the Holy Land by the Israeli government, soldiers and the ultra-conservative Orthodox Jews since their return in 1948. Many accuse the Ashkenazi Jews, who emigrated to Israel in large numbers starting after World War II, that they have no claim to biblical lands because “evidence” show that they are not the true direct descendants of the lost tribes but ninth century Khazar converts.

Yet, many Christians may not realize that there is much evidence from both the old and new testament prophecies of the bible that actually foretell the exact year of the return of some group of Diaspora Jews after an extended period of Babylonian Captivity among the nations. No, of course the bible does not not tell us the exact year of their return in plain text within the verses, but it is hidden and brought out through the prophecies which could only be understood at the appropriate time (after the fact). So then, what does the authority of prophetic scriptures say about the matter, compared to recent DNA evidence and studies (see #1, #2, #3) supporting or denying any link of the Ashkenazi Jews to the lost tribes? The answer to this question might be found by examining the old testament prophecies describing a punishment for a period of Seven Times if the Jews didn’t repent and return to God. What exactly does this period of Seven Times mean? Well, the Seven Times prophecies are those first announced by Moses in Leviticus 26, then referenced again in Ezekiel 4 and Daniel 4. The application of this prophecy has been misinterpreted by Protestants through at least the last few hundred years. First to get the credit for missing the mark would be William Miller with his 1844 prediction of the second coming, which resulted in the “Great Disappointment” and helped to spur the Seventh-Day Adventist movement. Next to get credit for misinterpreting these scriptures would be the the Jehovah’s Witnesses, in attempting to calculate the second coming of Christ in 1914 for the sake of their “remnant” of 144,000 saved believers. But these groups fail to realize that these prophecies were targeted solely to the scattered Jews and address their long period of punishment and captivity, and eventual return and restoration. The Seven Times prophecies were not intended for the Protestants “New Israel” Christians of 19th century America.

The topic of this article is an overview and examination of these Seven Times prophecies. When interpreted correctly, the Seven Times demonstrate and validate the historical timing of the ending of the Jewish Diaspora. In addition these amazing prophecies reveal a striking “parallel of times” pattern of sequences centered around important Jewish temple events throughout history. For example, the sequence of patterns measured from both first temple destruction and second temple re-construction calculates the exact return from captivity in 1948 AD and 1967 AD. We will review the mathematical calculations based on different calendars in use today. Do these repeating parallel sequences and patterns reveal the date of the future construction and completion of Ezekiel’s (third) temple described in his prophecies? It might even be possible to suggest future projected dates for a full Jewish restoration and acceptance of their long awaited (and previously rejected) Messiah based around the second temple reconstruction in 518 BC. Let’s begin with the analysis of the Seven Times prophecies.

What do we exactly mean by the “times.” A times typically is equated to a year of “days”. Refer to the previous article for an overview of “times” and “seasons” of biblical prophecy. A “prophetic year” in bible prophecy is generally defined to be 360 days per year. Therefore, the common interpretation for the “time, times and half of a time” in Daniel 7:25 and Revelation 12:14 is interpreted to be 360 + 2(360) + 1/2(360) = 1260 “days”, or 42 “months” (assuming 1260 days/30 days per month = 42 months).

From a Historicist method of prophetic interpretation, it is often accepted that the “three and a half times” or “three and a half years” is interpreted to be 1260 literal years based on on the day-year principle. Similarly, the Historicists often interpret the Seven Times to be calculated as a period of 7 x 360 years, or 2520 years. The foundation of a 2520-year period of captivity can be found in the the old testament prophecies describe a punishment of Seven Times if the Jews didn’t repent and return to God. The timetable of measurement can be examined from when the Jews are scattered from their Assyrian and Babylonian captivities.

We may also consider the use of all 3 calendars for the Seven times period, the biblical, solar and lunar. This would equate to:

In order to properly interpret and understand the calculations of the Seven Times, we need to know many of the significant or important dates in the history of Israel. Instead of the lengthy history lesson, I will list out the most important events and dates in the table below:

We will also consider seven starting points for the calculation of the seven times, based around the most significant dates in the Jewish first temple destruction and second temple reconstruction:

The first Seven Times prophecy we will examine is Leviticus Chapter 26.

The Seven Times are the Kairoi which were pre-announced by God through the proclamation of Moses. In Leviticus 26 it states that God would punish the Hebrew people if they did not observe his commandments. The final fury would come if they did not obey the Messiah and Christ (Leviticus 26:27-28). The Seven Times are also equated in duration to the Seventy Weeks of Daniel (as 70 generations of Diaspora… this will be the subject of a future blog post). This interpretation was incomprecible before 70 AD, and even the destruction of Jerusalem in 636 AD by the invading Muslim armies. It could only well be understood once the nearing of the Seven Times was completed. Thus we began to see interpreters in the 18th and 19th centuries begin to interpret the Seven Times as a period of “years”. A few of them even came close to correctly expecting the approximate time of the return of the Jews. Let’s review the prophetic text which we will analyze:

There appear to be 4 chastisements of the Seven Times. The question is, do these refer to the same 7 Times, or does God refer to different parallel starting points? (Think of the concept of “linear time-invariant systems with simultaneous equations” in the field of mathematics and engineering). It appears that these reference different punishments, measured perhaps from the Assyrian captivity, Babylonian Captivity, Temple Destruction and Return. The final warning is a reference to the 70 AD temple destruction and final scattering until the Seven Times is completed.

Reviewing out starting points in the table above, let’s run some simple math calculations to confirm the accuracy and fulfillment of the prophecy using any of the biblical, solar or lunar calendars:

The next blog article will demonstrate in more details Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy and confirm that the 2484 lunar period of the Seven Times is also equivalent to the “69th week” of Daniel, using the biblical Seven Times period of 2520 years. When Daniel 9:27 states that the Jews will return to rebuild the town and walls in the 62th + 7th week, it means that the Jews would return in 2484 weeks in the “sixty-ninth” week. The chart above confirms many instances of a Jewish return in 69 Weeks by highlighting the number 2484 in the calculation. And the best demonstration and confirmation of a Jewish Return that was prophesied to occur after “69 weeks” is by examining the return from Babylon after the 70-year captivity foretold in Jeremiah and also with the 536 BC decree of Cyrus:

The Jews would return twice from Babylon with the Royal Decree and Daniel 9:25-27. Once in 536 BC and again in 1948!  The Seventy Year Captivity would have two interpretations and two returns to fulfill the Seven Times prophecies of Leviticus and Daniel. Let’s now move on to look at the Seven Times punishment from another perspective in Daniel Chapter 4.

Chapter 4 in the book of Daniel also discussed the same “Seven Times” punishment from a different perspective than Leviticus 26 with the seven-times madness of Nebuchadnezzar. Nebuchadnezzar has a strange vision of a tree with all of it’s trees and fruit removed, and it’s branches cut off, and the tree cut down to just a remaining stump and roots of the tree. Nebuchadnezzar is left to graze with the beast out in the fields for a period of seven times as a result of the decree handed down from the Most High. Let’s review the key text from that chapter.

Daniel interprets the vision for Nebuchadnezzar and provides more details.

Since Nebuchadnezzar is the ruler who led the Jews away to captivity to Babylon, it appears that God used him as the spokesperson or representative of the Jews “Seven Times” punishment. This is because Nebuchadnezzar was the first ruler of Daniel’s rise of empires that would rule over Jerusalem in period called the “Times of the Gentiles”, and thus he is the “father” of the 2520-year Gentile rule. The chapter describes the punishment and restoration of Nebuchadnezzar’s rule after a period in which he would go crazy and live out in the wilderness. But, it is not historically witnessed that he ever lost his Babylonian kingdom and reign and had it restored before the end of his life. So, this vision is instead a hidden prophecy of the punishment that would befall upon the Jewish nation which was under his subjugation. This dream reveals a great Tree that was to be cut down for a period of Seven Times as a judgment upon Nebuchadnezzar, but the Tree would be restored and regenerated at a later time. Daniel seems to be symbolically describing the Tree to represent the knowledge of the true God coming from the Jews, which grew with many branches and leaves and bore fruit in large quantities in their understanding and worship of the True God. But a holy one, the incarnate messiah, came down from heaven and commanded that the tree be cut down, but to leave it’s stump and roots in place to ensure in time it could regrow again. But it’s rebirth would only occur after a period of seven years or seven times in which the Jews are sent out scattered to live with the beasts among the nations of the earth. After that period the kingdom would be restored when they come to realize that the “Most High” rules in the kingdom of men, that is, when they recognize it was the rejected Messiah and King who led them away to captivity for 2520 years and restored them into the land of Israel.

This prophecy was fulfilled 2520 years after the Jews were first deported to Babylon in 604 BC. 604 BC + 2520 years + 1 (there is no year zero) = 1917 AD. This is the year of the Balfour Declaration.

This fruit bearing tree of Daniel chapter 4 is obviously a deciduous tree, cut down to it’s stump with it’s roots in place. One thing we know about deciduous trees cut down in this fashion, eventually they will grow tender shoots and branches and re-sprout into a new tree. This process is called “regeneration”. Another interesting note is this “deciduous tree” prophecy has similar characteristics to the Fig Tree prophecy in Matthew and Mark, and the grafting of the Jews back into the tree of Christianity spoken by St Paul. So how do we know the time of the restoration of the Jews to Christ is to occur? Jesus says:

This makes for an interesting play on words with: “this generation” of Jews would not pass away or disappear until until Israel is regenerated.

The regeneration process can also be accomplished through the grafting of a tree with different types of fruit. St. Paul speaks of a future restoration of Israel being the will of God, and that it will be accomplished through the grafting of the remnant Jews back into the tree of Christianity and the Gentiles in Romans chapter 11:

Romans 11 – 15:27 –“For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead? For if the firstfruit be holy, the lump is also holy: and if the root be holy, so are the branches. And if some of the branches be broken off, and thou, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them, and with them partakest of the root and fatness of the olive tree; Boast not against the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be grafted in. Well; because of unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not highminded, but fear: For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off. And they also, if they abide not still in unbelief, shall be grafted in: for God is able to graft them in again. For if thou were cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature, and were grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree: how much more shall these, which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree? For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob: For this is my covenant unto them, when I shall take away their sins.”

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Daniel Chapter 4 details a remarkable “Tree Prophecy” of Seven Times in foretelling the “Time of the Gentiles.”  The deciduous fruit tree would recover from the tree stump after a period of seven years through a process known as regeneration. This process of regeneration was hinted to us by Christ to know that the “end of the days” would be near when we recognize the fig tree would once again bear fruit. This “Tree Prophecy” also contains many similarities to the “grafting” spoken of by St. Paul with the future restoration of the Jews.

The next and final we will examine to demonstrate the Seven Times concept, is the prophecy of Ezekiel Chapter 4 which gives the timetable of return of the scattered lost tribes.

Ezekiel Chapter 4 is a remarkable prophecy because it defines the punishment duration for both the Northern Kingdom of Israel and the Southern Kingdom of Judah. While Ezekiel was a captured and taken to Babylon, he was given a vision that predicted the date of the Jewish return to be 1948 and 1967. Their punishment duration are set with different starting points, either with the fall of the Northern Kingdom in 722 BC to Assyria or the fall of the Southern Kingdom in 604 BC to Babylon. Let’s review the prophecy:

Ezekiel 4:1-7 – “You also, son of man, take a clay tablet and lay it before you, and portray on it a city, Jerusalem. Lay siege against it, build a siege wall against it, and heap up a mound against it; set camps against it also, and place battering rams against it all around. Moreover take for yourself an iron plate, and set it as an iron wall between you and the city. Set your face against it, and it shall be besieged, and you shall lay siege against it. This will be a sign to the house of Israel. Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year. Therefore you shall set your face toward the siege of Jerusalem; your arm shall be uncovered, and you shall prophesy against it.”

 

Ezekiel was told to lay on his right side for a few hours for 390 days and then for 40 days on his right side the Jews in Babylon learned of God’s remarkable prophecy. It is primarily this prophecy where we find validity in the year-day principle, because Ezekiel is told “I have laid on you a day for each year.” Israel was to be punished for a period of 390 years, while Judah was given a period of 40 more year, for a total of 430 years. So, God announced that the punishment would be a total 0f 430 years of world exile. The scattering of Judah occurred when Nebuchadnezzar invaded Jerusalem in 606 BC, and sent the Jews into exile in Babylon, and their exile ended in 536 BC. Only a small portion (5 %) of the exiles returned, as the vast majority (95 %) of Jews remained in Babylon and integrated in with the Medo-Persian Empire and did not repent of their paganism. In addition, the Northern 10 lost tribes were initially scattered back in 723 BC with the fall to the Assyrians, and these Jews were never to return.

The total punishment would be 430 years for Israel and Judah, but we must subtract 70 years from 430 since the Jewish exiles already served 70 years of their captivity:

This tells us that 360 years of additional punishment and exile remained after the 536 return from Babylon. However, since the Jews never repented and rejected their messiah, the punishment of 360 years remaining in exile would be extended by Seven Times, i.e. 360 x 7 = 2520 years.

However, the punishment of the Northern Kingdom is on a different time table, which is 390 “days.” Similarly, since they never repented their punishment would be extended Seven Times, i.e., 390 x 7 = 2730 years. We need to also consider the scaling of this number of years by the three calendars: biblical, solar and lunar:

The Northern Kingdom was first attacked in 743 BC when the Assyrian Leader Tiglath-Pileser III sforced the Israeli King Menahem to pay tribute, and it’s kingdom became a vassal state of Assyria. We can derive the 1948 return from this date by converting the number of years to the solar calendar:

The Northern Kingdom fell in 724 BC with the capture of the King of the Northern Kingdom and destruction of the government, and the Kingdom became a province of Assyria. The final rebel city of Samaria was captured 721 BC. If we add 2730 years of “Seven Times” punishment, we have: 721 BC + 2687 (Lunar Years) + 1 = 1967 AD, the year that Jerusalem was captured during the Six Day War.

Similarly, if we take 724 BC and use convert to solar years from biblical years, we can arrive at 1967 AD.

Ezekiel 4 is a very critical prophecy! Not only does it reveal a Seven Times return of the Jews from Babylon in 1948 and 1967 from the starting points of the return of 536 BC decree and the 518 BC temple construction, but it also reveals a Seven Times return of the norther lost tribes of Israel scattered from their exile in 743 BC and 724 BC until 1948 and 1967. We have a DOUBLE FULFILLMENT of the Seven Times for both the Northern and Southern Kingdoms which verify a 1948 AD and 1967 AD return and ending of the Time of the Gentiles!

The Seven Times Prophecies of Leviticus 26, Daniel 4, and Ezekiel 4 provide significant insight into the justice and patience of God to execute his divine judgements and show his glorious mercy. This is the case for even the unbelieving Jews who rejected Jesus Christ as their messiah. The Bible accurately predicts a restoration of Israel at the appointed time. When you hear people state that the current Jews in Israel have no business being there, remind them of these prophecies. These prophecies were not written for the Christians. But they are intended for the Jews at the proper appointed time to finally understand the mystery of their existence and come to repent and accept Jesus Christ as their Messiah and the Son of the Living God.

We are not done with the “Times”. We have not considered the completion of the “Seven Times” from the completion of the Second Temple and the towns and walls of Jerusalem in 457 BC and 445 BC. The Seven Times period also applies for the construction and completion of the Third Temple as measured from the Second:

These events are just speculation on my part, by using the seven times algorithm and observing the validity of the return from the first two decrees to return and rebuild Jerusalem in 537 BC and 520 BC.  We can then apply the same calculation from the starting point of final two decrees.  Thus, is becomes evident that the Seven Times are not yet fully realized until we include the completion of the 457 BC and 445 BC starting points from the second temple completion.  We also consider the solar calendar measurement of the Northern Kingdom’s Seven Times captivity based around a 390 year times. All of these times converge to the middle of the 21st century.

Time and history will soon reveal the final completion and the true wisdom of the Seven Times prophecies of Israel!