THE PARALLEL BETWEEN THE APPOINTED TIMES OF THE NATIONS AND THE SEVEN APPOINTED TIMES IN DANIEL CHAPTER 4 IS DISCUSSED IN DETAIL
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The expression “the appointed times of the nations” is found in Luke 21:24, in the great prophecy of Jesus about his presence and his coming as the judge of all the nations. I quote Luke 21:24, 29-33 (above) and Matthew 24:36 (below):
24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.
29 With that he spoke an illustration to them: “Note the fig tree and all the other trees: 30 When they are already in the bud, by observing it YOU know for yourselves that now the summer is near. 31 In this way YOU also, when YOU see these things occurring, know that the kingdom of God is near. 32 Truly I say to YOU, This generation will by no means pass away until all things occur. 33 Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will by no means pass away.
“Concerning that day and hour nobody knows, neither the angels of the heavens nor the Son, but only the Father.
Jesus says that when his followers see “these things occurring,” which includes the sign consisting of events in the world and the fulfillment of the appointed times of the nations, they should know that “the kingdom of God is near.” But they should not know the day and hour for the coming (erkhomai) of the Son of man. We should have this in mind when we now study the expression, “the appointed times of the nations.”
FINDING THE REFERENCE OF “THE APPOINTED TIMES”
The key to understanding the Holy Scriptures, as I demonstrated in Part I, is the belief that every account in the Scriptures is included with a specific purpose and a specific meaning. This includes the expression “the appointed times of the nations (kairoi ethnōn).” In addition to this basic principle, Jesus said that his followers should understand this expression, as I have shown above.
There are many clues in Matthew chapter 24, Mark 13, and Luke chapter 21 for the understanding of the different expressions, particularly that the same things often are expressed with different words from different angles. But there is nothing in these three chapters that can throw any light on the meaning and fulfillment of “the appointed times of the nations.”
Because this expression should be understood, the next step is to search for the Greek words kairos (“appointed time”) and ethnos (“nation”) in the Christian Greek Scriptures. The word kairos occur 80 times. But only two places are the word connected with a particular time period that is fulfilled, in Mark 1:15 (above), and Revelation 12:14 (below).
15 and saying: “The appointed time (kairos) has been fulfilled, and the kingdom of God has drawn near. Be repentant, YOU people, and have faith in the good news.”
14 But the two wings of the great eagle were given the woman, that she might fly into the wilderness to her place; there is where she is fed for a time (kairos) and times (kairos) and half a time (kairos) away from the face of the serpent.
The words in Mark evidently refer to the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 about the 69 weeks until the Messiah should come. This appointed time was fulfilled in the year 29, and therefore cannot refer to the appointed times of the nations which, according to the context, would continue after the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE.
The first verse in Revelation says that the prophecies of this book refer to a time after the book was written, about 98 CE. Therefore, the mentioned 3 1/2 appointed times cannot refer to “the appointed times of the nations,” which according to Luke 21:22-24 would include the situation in Jerusalem in the last part of the first century CE.
This means that we cannot find any clue in the Christian Greek Scriptures regarding the meaning and reference of the appointed times of the nations. Therefore, we must look for clues in the Hebrew Scriptures. And let us do some reasoning.
In Matthew 24:15, Jesus urged the readers to use discernment in connection with “the disgusting thing that causes desolation.” Jesus may, or may not have made some comments regarding the identity of this disgusting thing (Matthew 24:15, 16; Luke 21:20, 21), but Jesus exhorted his followers to use discernment. To do that, disciples who did not hear the Hebrew words of Jesus at the time he uttered them, had to rely on the later recorded Greek translation of his words, bdelugma tēs erēmōseōs, while those who heard Jesus’ words could look for the Hebrew words he used.
How could they come to an understanding of these words and use discernment? By looking up similar words in the Septuagint, or, if Hebrew was their mother tongue, they could look for Hebrew words with similar meaning. In both cases, only three passages containing a reference to ‘disgusting thing(s)’ can be identified, namely, Daniel 9:27; 11:31; and 12:11. By reading these passages in context, an identification of the abomination could be possible.
This is an important principle: When prophetic words are used in the Christian Greek Scriptures, we have to look to the Hebrew Scriptures to see whether the prophetic words are taken from one of the Hebrew books. This is particularly important when there are few clues in the Christian Greek Scriptures as to the meaning of particular prophetic words.
In his great prophecy, Jesus referred several times to the book of Daniel. In Matthew 24:21, he referred to the great tribulation, which is mentioned in Daniel 12:1. In Mathew 24:30 and 25:31, he refers to the Son of man, who is mentioned in Daniel 7:13. Moreover, the Kingdom of God is the principal theme of Daniel, as it is also the principal theme in the great prophecy of Jesus. (Matthew 24:14; 25:31) And there are some words in the Greek text of Matthew 24 whose equivalents are found in the Hebrew text of Daniel, such as synteleia (“conclusion”; Hebrew, qēts), which is used 23 times in Daniel and one time in Matthew 24:3. There can be no doubt that Jesus had Daniel in mind when he uttered his great prophecy.
| Jesus referred to the book of Daniel several times in his great prophecy. Daniel can also help us understand the reference of “the appointed times of the nations.” |
THE LINGUISTIC PARALLELS BETWEEN LUKE 21:24 AND DANIEL CHAPTER 4
The words of Jesus in Luke 21:24, kairoi ethnōn, have no other clues in Luke except that the subject is “Jerusalem.” Therefore, if these words are to have any meaning for us, we have to look for clues in the Hebrew Scriptures.
The first question to ask is in which language the words were uttered. Jesus either used Hebrew or Aramaic, and the evidence suggests that the language Jesus used when he spoke with his disciples was Hebrew. However, we see from the evangelists that Jesus could use Aramaic words as well. If Jesus spoke in Hebrew, he most likely used the plural form of mō‘ēd where Luke has kairoi. Both the word mō‘ēd and the word kairos refer to a specific time, an appointed time. If we look at the passages where this word is used in the Hebrew Scriptures, we find that only in one place is this Hebrew word stipulated by numbers, indicating specific times, and that is Daniel 12:7: “one appointed time, appointed times and a half.” Both the Greek Septuagint and Theodotion use kairos in this passage.
In the Aramaic text of Daniel 7:25, we find the same numbers mentioned, and the Aramaic word used is ‘iddān, which indicates that ‘iddān in Aramaic and mō‘ēd in Hebrew both refer to an appointed time. Interestingly, both the Septuagint and Theodotion use kairos both in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7. The Aramaic word ‘iddān is also stipulated by numbers in Daniel 4:16, 23, 25, 32. Thus, we see that there are only three chapters in the Hebrew Scriptures where the Hebrew or Aramaic word for “appointed time” is stipulated or qualified by a particular number.
If Jesus spoke Aramaic, he would have used ‘iddān in Luke 21:24, but because people in his day understood both Hebrew and Aramaic, regardless of which language Jesus used, the three mentioned chapters in Daniel would be the only ones that could be antecedents of kairoi ethnōn in Luke 21:24. While the Hebrew mō‘ēd of Daniel 12:7 and the Aramaic ‘iddān of 7:25 are translated by kairos in the Septuagint and in Theodotion, the four examples of ‘iddān in Daniel 4:16, 23, 25, 32 are translated by the plural form of etos (“year”) in the Septuagint and by kairos in Theodotion. The rendering etos in the Septuagint is an interpretative translation, which deviates from the usual rendering of kairos for ‘iddān. Moreover, the Greek translation of Theodotion, which is much closer to the Hebrew and Aramaic texts of Daniel than the Septuagint, and which is the one that is quoted by the writers in the Christian Greek Scriptures, has kairos also in Daniel 4:16, 23, 25, 32.
Thus, one or more of the three mentioned passages must have been what Jesus had in mind in Luke 21:24. But which one? The contexts of Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 indicate that the mentioned time periods are fulfilled during the time of the end, during the presence of Jesus Christ. Because the appointed times of the nations include events from the first century CE, Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 cannot be the appointed times of the nations.
Both if Jesus used the Hebrew word mō‘ēd or the Aramaic word ‘iddān, the natural Greek equivalent for a writer of the Christian Greek Scriptures to choose would be kairos. This indicates that there is a definite linguistic link between Luke 21:24 and Daniel 4:16, 23, 25, 32.
| There is a linguistic parallel between “the appointed times” in Luke 21:24 and the seven appointed times in Daniel chapter 4: The Aramaic word ‘iddān means “appointed time” just as the Greek word kairos. Thodotion’s Greek translation of Daniel uses kairos in Daniel chapter 4 where the Aramaic text has ‘iddān. |
In Luke 21:24, the city of Jerusalem is connected with the appointed times of the nations. Jerusalem would be trampled on by the nations during the appointed times of the nations. But what is the reference of “Jerusalem”?
THE REFERENCE OF “JERUSALEM” IN LUKE 21:24
Most people would take the word “Jerusalem” as a reference to the city of Jerusalem, which is mentioned in the context. But that is not necessarily the case.
In the Bible, a city can have at least three references: 1) the inhabitants of the city, 2) the material part of the city (houses, walls, and brickwork), and 3) what the city represents or stands for. The city as a geographical place is referred to in Matthew 2:1, and the inhabitants are referred to when “Capernaum” is used in Matthew 11:23. The most important use in our context is 3), so let us look at some examples. Second Kings 23:19 speaks of “the towns of Samaria.” But “Samaria,” which itself was a town, evidently represented or stood for the whole Northern Kingdom; the same is true in Ezekiel 16:46.
On this basis, when we find the word “Jerusalem” in Luke 21:24, we cannot at the outset know what it refers to. When we look at the use of cities in prophetic contexts in the Hebrew Scriptures, what the prophets evidently had in mind, in most cases, is what the city represented. This suggests that “Jerusalem” in Jesus’ prophecy at Luke 21:24 refers neither to the people of Jerusalem nor to the city as a geographical location, but rather to Jerusalem in its representative sense.
Against this, it can be argued that the literal destruction of the city of Jerusalem was in the mind of Jesus, as shown in Luke 21:20, and in this verse, “Jerusalem” must refer to the city and its inhabitants. So, if “Jerusalem” in v. 24 does not refer to the literal city of Jerusalem, then the single word “Jerusalem” must be used in two different senses in the near context of verses 20 and 24. But is this natural?
Taking Biblical patterns into account, there is nothing strange or uncommon in such a use. In Matthew 2:1, “Jerusalem” refers to the city as a geographical area, but in verse 3, “Jerusalem” refers to the inhabitants of the city. In Matthew 11:23-24, Jesus first uses “Sodom” to refer to the city, but the phrase “the land of Sodom” refers to its inhabitants. It is even possible to use a single definite substantive in two different senses within the context of the same thought or sentence.
In John 2:19, we read ‘“In answer Jesus said to them: “Break down this temple, and in three days I will raise it up.” Grammatically the pronoun “it” must refer to “this temple” (the literal temple), but in verse 20, it is stated that he referred to “the temple of his body.” This means that “the temple” that should be broken down was the literal temple in Jerusalem, but the temple that should be raised up was a spiritual one. The references to words can also change in prophecies.
DIFFERENT USES OF “JERUSALEM” AND “ISRAEL”
If Jesus in Luke 21:24 had the literal city Jerusalem in mind, this would require that the Jews continued to be God’s chosen people, or at least that they would become his chosen people again at the end of the appointed times of the nations. However, this is contradicted by the Scriptures. Exodus 19:5, 6 shows that the Jews would not always be the people of God, but only if they fulfilled the condition of obeying Jehovah’s laws. The people did not do that, and at a certain point in time, they received their last chance to repent during a period of seventy weeks. (Daniel 9:24–27) When they did not repent, they were rejected. On this basis, it would be strange if Jesus uttered a prophecy alluding to a restoration of the literal city of Jerusalem at the end of those “appointed times of the nations”.
In the Christian Greek Scriptures, it is shown that “Israel” can be applied to two different groups. In Galatians 6:16, Paul speaks about “the Israel of God,” which implies there is another Israel that does not belong to God. The same is implied by the words “Israel in a fleshly way” in 1 Corinthians 10:18, and it is explicitly stated in Romans 9:6–8.
It is interesting to see how this difference between the two Israels or Jerusalems is expressed in the prophecies. For example, in Isaiah chapter 60 there is a prophecy regarding Zion or Jerusalem (v. 14). The words of this prophecy are not applied to fleshly Jews or to the literal Jerusalem, but rather to the “New Jerusalem,” which is the kingsom of God. The following parallels show this:
Table 1.1 Different uses of “Jerusalem”
| Isaiah 60:1–2, 19 | Revelation 21:23 |
| Isaiah 60:3 | Revelation 21:24 |
| Isaiah 60:11, 20 | Revelation 21:25 |
| Isaiah 60:5 | Revelation 21:26 |
Jeremiah 31:31 has a prophecy about a new covenant “with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah.” These words are quoted in Hebrews 8:7–13, and this indicates that the law covenant would be abolished. Then the words of Jeremiah are quoted in Hebrews 9:14, 15, and it is shown that “Israel” and “Judah” in the prophecy do not refer to the literal “Israel” and “Judah,” but to “the ones (anointed Christians) who have been called.” Based on the passages above, we must conclude that it is extremely unlikely that the prophetic use of “Jerusalem” in Luke 21:24 refers to the literal city Jerusalem or its inhabitants.
JESUS’ USE OF FIGURATIVE WORDS IN HIS GREAT PROPHECY
In Matthew 24:2, Jesus speaks about the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem. The disciples connected this with the return and presence of Jesus and the conclusion of the system of things. Jesus described a sign of events that would occur in the first century, down to the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem in 70 CE. This sign would have a bigger fulfillment in the time of the end.
I compare Matthew 24:15-21 and Luke 21:20-21:
15 “Therefore, when YOU catch sight of the disgusting thing that causes desolation, as spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in a holy place, (let the reader use discernment,) 16 then let those in Ju·deʹa begin fleeing to the mountains. 17 Let the man on the housetop not come down to take the goods out of his house; 18 and let the man in the field not return to the house to pick up his outer garment. 19 Woe to the pregnant women and those suckling a baby in those days! 20 Keep praying that YOUR flight may not occur in wintertime, nor on the sabbath day; 21 for then there will be great tribulation such as has not occurred since the world’s beginning until now, no, nor will occur again.
20 “Furthermore, when YOU see Jerusalem surrounded by encamped armies, then know that the desolating of her has drawn near. 21 Then let those in Ju·deʹa begin fleeing to the mountains, and let those in the midst of her withdraw, and let those in the country places not enter into her. 22 because these are days for meting out justice, that all the things written may be fulfilled. 23 Woe to the pregnant women and the ones suckling a baby in those days! For there will be great necessity upon the land and wrath on this people; 24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.
I will now compare some events of the sign that literally were fulfilled in Judea and its environments in the first century CE, and that have a bigger, and often figurative fulfillment in the time of the end.
In the year 66 CE, the armies of the Roman general Cestius Gallus encircled Jerusalem and conquered parts of the city, including parts of the temple area. When the armies were on the point of conquering the whole city, they retreated, and the city was no longer surrounded. Now the followers obeyed the words of Jesus and fled from Judea to the mountains.
Let us connect this situation with the prophecy of Jesus. If we compare Matthew 24:15 with Luke 21:20, we understand that the abomination causing desolation was the Roman armies — seeing the disgusting thing and the surrounding armies should cause the same reaction of fleeing to the mountains. These armies were disgusting because in 66 CE, they stood on the temple area with their banners, which they venerated as if they were divine. The Roman armies caused desolation when they returned to Jerusalem in 70 CE and destroyed the city. So, they were the abomination causing desolation.
The fulfillment of all the parts of Jesus’ prophecy in the first century was literal; it happened in Judea, and the city of Jerusalem was destroyed. However, the prophecy would have a larger fulfillment in the time of the end, in the 20th and 21st centuries. And this fulfillment must be both literal and figurative. Let us see.
In Part I, I demonstrated that the organization causing desolation in the end times is the United Nations, represented by the wild beast with seven heads and ten horns in Revelation chapter 17. Can we draw a parallel with the Roman armies of the 1st century CE? In the first century, the Roman armies represented a political entity that would cause the destruction of a religious entity, Judea, and the city of Jerusalem. In our time, the United Nations is the political entity representing all nations of the world. Its symbol, the wild beast, will cause desolation of a religious entity, Babylon the Great, which is a symbol of all the false religions of the world, which is also mentioned in Revelation, chapter 17. The United Nations is a disgusting thing because the idea is that this organization is the only hope for mankind for peace and security. Thus, it is a rival to the established God’s kingdom.
When the followers of Jesus saw Jerusalem surrounded by armies, those who were in Judea should flee to the mountains. The figurative use of this is that when the United Nations emerged from the abyss in 1945, those who witnessed this should act in a similar manner to those who were in Judea in the first century CE who fled to the mountains. How so?
The religious entity that corresponds to Judea and Jerusalem is Babylon the Great, which will be desolated and destroyed by the United Nations. Fleeing to the mountains during the time when the United Nations is visible is expressed in Revelation 18:4:
4 And I heard another voice out of heaven say: “Get out of her, my people, if YOU do not want to share with her in her sins, and if YOU do not want to receive part of her plagues.
The followers of Jesus who were in Judea and Jerusalem in the first century CE, and who did not flee to the mountains, probably lost their lives. Those who do not get out of Babylon the great will experience “death and mourning and famine” according to 18:8.
The last clauses of the quotation above from Luke 21:24 say:
and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.
The reason for my long discussion above of the literal and figurative application of the disgusting thing that causes desolation is to find the meaning and reference of “Jerusalem” in verse 24. What does “Jerusalem” refer to at the point of time when the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled?
In the literal fulfillment of Jesus’ prophecy in the first century, Judea was a literal district, and Jerusalem was a literal city from which those who saw the Roman armies should flee. In the bigger figurative fulfillment, Judea and Jerusalem represent Babylon the Great, from which people who see and understand how God views the United Nations must flee.
In a similar way, the destruction in 70 CE was of the literal city of Jerusalem, and the inhabitants of Judea and Jerusalem, literally speaking, would “fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations,” as Luke 21:24 says. But the word “Jerusalem” at the end of the appointed times of the nations does not refer to the literal city Jerusalem any more than Judea refers to the literal district in the Middle East. But as I will show in the next section, the word “Jerusalem” refers to the kingdom of God, which is the setting and the basic theme of the great prophecy of Jesus.
THE WORD “JERUSALEM” AS THE KINGDOM OF GOD
When we reject a literal interpretation of “Jerusalem” in Luke 21:24, we need to find a definition of its prophetic use. Jehovah gave a promise to David about an everlasting kingdom (1 Chronicles 17:11–15), and this kingdom was connected with Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 29:23; Isaiah 24:23; Jeremiah 3:17) Jerusalem is called “the city of the grand King” (Psalm 48:1, 2), and Jesus applies these words to Jerusalem in his day, even though there was no human king in the city. (Matthew 5:35) The prophecies in Isaiah chapter 60 about Jerusalem, which I have quoted above, are applied to the heavenly Jerusalem, which is God’s kingdom, in Revelation 21:23-26.
Hebrews 11:10 refers to “a city,” which Abraham waited for, and in 12:22, this city is called “heavenly Jerusalem.” In Hebrews 12:28, we learn that this city represents “a kingdom that cannot be shaken,” and this kingdom must be God’s Kingdom. The difference between the literal Jerusalem and “the one to come” is also mentioned in 13:14. On the basis of all these passages, I conclude that the name “Jerusalem” stands for the Kingdom of God.
THE TRAMPLING OF “JERUSALEM”
The word “until” in Luke 21:24 indicates that the trampling of “Jerusalem” (the Kingdom of God) would end at a certain point of time, when “the appointed times of the nations” ended. Thus, a restoration is implied in the words of Luke 21:24, and this restoration is prophetically mentioned in many places in the Bible, including in Acts 3:21. Taking this restoration as a point of departure helps us to see that “Jerusalem” stands for the Kingdom of God and also helps us to understand how this Kingdom was trampled upon during the appointed times of the nations.
A restoration is mentioned in Acts 15:15, 16, namely, “to rebuild the booth of “David”. (Amos 9:11, 12)[2] What is this “booth of David”? The Watchtower of 1949, page 281, answers that it is “the royal house of David made up of the heirs to the kingdom covenant,” and this is a good explanation. The first members of this royal house were connected with the Christian congregation from the day of Pentecost in 33 CE.
The prophecy about the booth of David and its restoration parallels Luke 21:24 because David’s booth represents the Kingdom of God or Jehovah’s throne on the earth, and this dynasty of kings is connected with Jerusalem. (1 Chronicles 29:23) Thus, the restoration of “Jerusalem” after “the appointed times of the nations” have ended is another way of speaking about the rebuilding of “the booth of David”. This “booth” did not fall in 70 CE when Jerusalem was destroyed (its destruction being implied in Luke 21:20–23), but it fell when the last king of David’s dynasty, Zedekiah, lost his kingdom in 607 BCE. (Ezekiel 21:26, 27)
THE BEGINNING OF THE TRAMPLING
The Greek verb pateō (“tread on; trample”) is rendered by Bible translations with future tense: “and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations.” Would not the future tense contradict the view that the trampling already had begun some time ago and had continued for many years by the time Jesus gave the prophecy? Not necessarily.
In the Christian Greek Scriptures, the future tense occurs 1,625 times, and of these, there are 18 examples of periphrastic future, i.e., constructions with a finite verb in the future tense followed by a participle. In Luke chapter 21, we find 26 examples of simple future and three examples of periphrastic future. So, the question is whether there is a difference in meaning between simple future and periphrastic future in the Christian Greek Scriptures.
When we consider this question, we should keep in mind that rarely can we say something like: “Because of the use of this particular tense, this author must mean . . .” We can better say: “The use of this particular tense corroborates this meaning . . .” Simple future and periphrastic future can have about the same meaning, and they can have different meanings as well. In Luke 21, the words of Jesus are quoted, and which form of the Hebrew or Aramaic verb could he have used in Luke 21:24?
Because Luke only used periphrastic future in 2.6 percent of instances with future reference, i.e., Luke makes an exception in his default use of tense and deliberately shifts to periphrastic future, it is logical that the Hebrew or Aramaic verbs used in these instances had a different meaning compared with the verbs used in the other 97.4 percent instances.
We find an example that is a good parallel in 2 Samuel 7:16:
And your house and your kingdom will certainly be steadfast (The Septuagint: simple future) to time indefinite before you; your very throne will become (The Septuagint: future + perfect participle) one firmly established to time indefinite.
The important point in this passage is that at its time of writing, David already had ruled as a king for many years. Nevertheless, the passage says that his kingdom “will be steadfast” and “will become firmly established” to time indefinite. This shows that both Greek simple future and periphrastic future can refer to a future situation, which is already in place and has held for some time. Why did the Greek translator choose a periphrastic future in this verse? Probably because the Hebrew or Aramaic text has an imperfect of the verb “to be/become” plus a passive participle.
We also find an interesting example in Isaiah 47:7: “And you kept saying: To time indefinite I shall prove to be (The Septuagint: future + present participle) the mistress, forever.” The daughter of the Chaldeans was already the mistress, but her wish was that this should continue forever. This is expressed in the Septuagint by a periphrastic future, but the Hebrew text has no participle, but only an imperfect of the verb “to be/become.” This indicates that both Hebrew imperfect and imperfect plus participle and Greek simple future and periphrastic future can refer to a situation that both had already existed for some time and will continue into the future.
The problem in both languages is that there is no single verb form that can unambiguously convey that a situation has existed for some time and will continue into the future. This means that to signal such a thought, either two verbs (one referring to the past/present and one to the future) must be used, or the context, together with the use of one verb or a combination of one finite verb and a participle could also signal that situation.
A situation that has existed for a long time and will continue into the future is a special circumstance. The easiest way to signal such a situation would be to use a verb construction that is special (or rare) as well. The use of imperfect + participle is very rare in Hebrew, so when such a construction occurs, the reader may rightly expect something unusual. The same is true in Greek, where a future plus participle is rare.
Thus, the rare use of a periphrastic future in Luke 21:24 would be a great way to signal that the trampling upon “Jerusalem” had lasted for some time and would continue into the future — instead of using a simple future. And because the periphrastic future is so rare in Greek, it is most likely a translation of a Hebrew imperfect plus participle.[3]
We also have some interesting examples in the Christian Greek Scriptures. In Acts 13:10, we read:
And Paul said: “O man full of every sort of fraud and every sort of villainy, you son of the Devil, you enemy of everything righteous, will you not quit distorting (future plus participle) the right ways of Jehovah?”
Clearly, the actions described by the periphrastic future in this verse do not solely refer to the future, because this man evidently had already distorted the ways of Jehovah for some time.
In Mark 13:13 we read: “and you will be objects of hatred (future plus present participle) by all people on account of my name.” The disciples had already been an object of hatred when these words were uttered. And in Acts 6:4 we read: “but we shall devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word.” Most manuscripts have a simple future in this verse, but Codex Cantabrigiensis (D) has future plus present participle. The twelve had already “devoted themselves to prayer,” and they would continue to do so into the future as well.
The passages above demonstrate that a periphrastic future may describe a situation that has already lasted for some time, while also indicating that the situation will continue into the future. This shows that the expression “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations,” which is expressed by a periphrastic future, need not only refer to the future, but the trampling may have been occurring for some time already when Luke wrote his book.
| The use of periphrastic future in the clause “and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations” may indicate that the trampling was going on already and would continue into the future. |
[1]. See my article, «The Sign 4: The abomination that causes desolation Matthew 24:15” (https://mybelovedreligion.no/2024/09/01/the-sign-4-the-abomination-that-causes-desolation/).
[2]. See also Psalm 78:67–70, which indicates that a “tent” or “booth” may represent a dynasty of kings.
[3]. If Jesus spoke Aramaic where imperfect plus participle is used more often than in Hebrew, the same argument would hold.
THE TREE IN DANIEL CHAPTER 4 AND JERUSALEM IN LUKE 21:24
The book of Daniel is the only biblical book where the time of the conclusion (“end”) is mentioned, and nations coming and going on the world scene are put into a temporal frame relative to the Kingdom of God. (Daniel 2:36-45; 7:3–12; 8:3–25; 11:2–45; 12:7–13) The time of the coming of the Messiah, the king of God’s Kingdom, is also mentioned (9: 24–27), so it would be fitting if the time of the coming of the Messiah in the power of the Kingdom and the elevation of the booth of David would be mentioned as well.
The dream of Nebuchadnezzar II was given at a critical time in the history of God’s people when the Davidic dynasty was cut down, and the person who received the dream was the one who executed this as the acting servant of Jehovah. The subject of the dream is, according to Daniel 4:17:
that people living may know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that to the one whom he wants to, he gives it and he sets up over it even the lowliest one of mankind.
Clearly, the dream relates to the Kingdom of God!
Trees, and twigs, and stumps are often used to symbolize kingdoms and dynasties of kings. (Ezekiel 17:1–24; particularly v. 23) Isaiah 10:33–11:10 shows how trees that represent kingdoms will be cut down, but a twig out of the stump of Jesse will be fruitful. Also, in Jeremiah 23:5 and Zechariah 6:12–13, the Messiah is depicted as a sprout. In Isaiah 53:3, 7–9, the Messiah is portrayed as “the lowliest of mankind” (cf. Matthew 11:29), which fits the description of “the lowliest of mankind,” whom God “sets up over” the kingdom. (Daniel 4:17)
Just as a city that is the capital of a kingdom can symbolize the whole kingdom; similarly, a tree can symbolize a kingdom. I quote Daniel 4:10-17 (above) and Luke 21:24 (below):
10 “‘Now the visions of my head upon my bed I happened to be beholding, and, look! a tree in the midst of the earth, the height of which was immense. 11 The tree grew up and became strong, and its very height finally reached the heavens, and it was visible to the extremity of the whole earth. 12 Its foliage was fair, and its fruit was abundant, and there was food for all on it. Under it the beast of the field would seek shade, and on its boughs the birds of the heavens would dwell, and from it all flesh would feed itself.
13 “‘I continued beholding in the visions of my head upon my bed, and, look! a watcher, even a holy one, coming down from the heavens themselves. 14 He was calling out loudly, and this is what he was saying: “CHOP the tree down, and cut off its boughs. SHAKE off its foliage, and scatter its fruitage. Let the beast flee from under it, and the birds from its boughs. 15 However, LEAVE its rootstock itself in the earth, even with a banding of iron and of copper, among the grass of the field; and with the dew of the heavens let it be wet, and with the beast let its portion be among the vegetation of the earth. 16 Let its heart be changed from that of mankind, and let the heart of a beast be given to it, and let seven times (‘iddanin) pass over it. 17 By the decree of watchers the thing is, and [by] the saying of holy ones the request is, to the intent that people living may know that the Most High is Ruler in the kingdom of mankind and that to the one whom he wants to, he gives it and he sets up over it even the lowliest one of mankind.”
24 and they will fall by the edge of the sword and be led captive into all the nations; and Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations, until the appointed times of the nations are fulfilled.
I have already argued that “Jerusalem” that is mentioned in Luke 21:24 stands for Gods kingdom. The last words of Daniel 4:17 indicate that the tree also stand for the kingdom of God. It was Nebuchadnezzar who lost his mind and ate grass like an animal. But the words “the Most High is ruler in the kingdom of mankind” refer to Jehovah God, and he gives the kingdom of mankind to whom he wants and puts the lowliest one of mankind over it. This could not refer to Nebuchadnezzar.
Based on the discussion above, we are now in the position that we can outline the parallels between Daniel 4:10–17 and Luke 21:24.
Table 1.2 Parallels between Daniel 4 and Luke 21
| Jerusalem = the Kingdom of God. | The tree = the Kingdom of God. |
| Jerusalem is trampled on. | The tree is cut down. |
| The trampling of Jerusalem occurs during the appointed times of the nations. | The stump of the tree is without sprouts during a period of seven appointed times. |
| Jerusalem will no longer be trampled upon after the appointed times of the nations have ended. | The stump of the tree will sprout after seven appointed times. |
It is important to note that there is both a topical and a linguistic parallel between Daniel chapter 4 and Luke 21:24. The topical (thematic) parallel is seen in Table 1.2, and the linguistic parallel is seen in the word kairoi (Aramaic ‘iddānin) in Luke 21:24, which parallels kairoi —(Aramaic ‘iddānin) in Daniel 4:16, 23, 25, 32.
| There is both a linguistic and a topical (thematic) parallel between “the appointed times of the nations” in Luke 21:24 and the “seven times” in Daniel chapter 4. This suggests that when Jesus spoke about “the appointed times of the nations,” he had the words of Daniel chapter 4 in mind. |
Because Luke 21:24 is a part of a prophecy, where only half of what we need is written, we must always be open for the possibility that our interpretation (the half we need to find the meaning, i.e., the intended application) is wrong.
However, the words of Jesus that his followers should understand his great prophecy also include “the appointed times of the nations.” There are only three instances in the Hebrew Scriptures where “appointed time” is qualified by a number. And only the four instances of the Aramaic word ‘iddānin (Greek, kairoi) in Daniel chapter 4 occur in a chapter where God’s Kingdom is mentioned.
Therefore, because there is both a linguistic and a topical (thematic) parallel between Luke 21:24 and Daniel chapter 4, our application of the appointed times of the nations to the seven appointed times in Daniel chapter 4 has a strong backing.
CALCULATING THE APPOINTED TIMES OF THE NATIONS
If we accept that the “seven times” in Daniel chapter 4 represent “the appointed times of the nations,” first we must know how many days seven times represent. Revelation 11:2, 3 shows that 42 months represent 1,260 days, which is 30 days per month. In seven years, there are 84 months, which represent 2,520 days.
However, since the Davidic line of kings who represented the Kingdom of God was not restored a mere 2,520 days after Zedekiah was removed in 607 BCE, we must apply the prophetic rule that one day represents one year (Numbers 14:34; Ezekiel 4:6), so that the 2,520 days can scripturally have a greater fulfillment. In keeping with this, the seven appointed times would prophetically amount to 2,520 years.[1] We have seen in the discussion above that “the appointed times of the nations” is the time from the destruction of Jerusalem, when the last king of the dynasty of David reigned, until God’s heavenly kingdom is established.
But how do we find the right starting point? Almost all lexicons and textbooks tell the readers that Jerusalem was destroyed by Nebuchadnezzar II in 587 (or 586) BCE. If we count 2,520 years from this time, we arrive in 1934 (or 1935) when nothing unusual happened. However, if we start with 607 BCE and calculate 2,520 years, we arrive at the year 1914, which was the year of the start of World War I.
There is a common problem or tradition that we see in Academia, namely, that a conclusion that was drawn by a scholar 50, 100, or even 200 years ago is authoritatively repeated from generation to generation without ever being reexamined or scrutinized for accuracy. This is, for example, seen in the view of the meaning of the conjugations of Classical Hebrew which has been held for 150 years. I challenge this view in my doctoral dissertation of 2004.
Please consider the following example:
Spinach is good for your health because of its high iron content!” This claim has been repeated over and over again in nutrition books and health magazines in a great part of the 20th century. Cartoonists have made use of it for humorous design, and children have been fed, more or less against their will with this green. Yet the claim turns out to be wrong; its basis is a misunderstanding. Due to a typographical error by a printer of the decimal-point location in the 1920s, the iron content was placed ten times too high. The error was not discovered, because no one made an inquiry, until 1979 when G. W. Lohr of the University of Freiburg routinely checked the old numbers and found that they were wrong. It may be added that the iron of spinach is not in the form that the body easily can absorb.[2]
The primary piece of evidence in favor of the year 587 is the Babylonian astronomical diary VAT4956. A German article calculating astronomical positions on this tablet appeared in 1915,[3] and these calculations suggested that Nebuchadnezzar II destroyed Jerusalem in 587 BCE. For the next 70 years, the conclusions of Neugebauer and Weidner were used in all lexicons and textbooks, and no one published an article showing that they had made an independent translation of the tablet and checked the astronomical positions obtained in 1915. In 1988, an English translation of the tablet was published by H. Hunger.[4] This English translation made by Hunger was close to the German translation made 73 years earlier, but the volume has no astronomical calculations. From the comments at the end of the entry, it appears that the calculations made by Neugebauer and Weidner were accepted by Hunger.[5]
In 2005, I visited the Vorderasiatisches Museum in Berlin. I collated the tablet, and I took electronic pictures of its signs. I studied the tablet based on a magnification of each sign, but several signs were indistinct and not clearly identifiable. Particularly many of the celestial bodies that were connected with the planets were difficult to identify. I discovered that Neugebauer and Weidner had made all their calculations starting one day wrong, and the comments of Hunger shows that he had followed suit. A one-day difference in the calculation of lunar positions gives very different results.
On the basis of my study of VAT4956 and several other relevant astronomical tablets, I wrote a book dealing with the Neo-Babylonian Chronology.[6] I calculated the 14 lunar positions on VAT4956, and my conclusion for the year 568/567, which is the year pointed to by Neugebauer and Weidner and Hunger, is that seven of the positions have an excellent fit, five do not fit at all, and two are inaccurate. But all the 14 lunar positions have an excellent fit twenty years earlier, in the year 588/87.[7] This suggests that Nebuchadnezzar II conquered Jerusalem in 607 BCE and not in 587 BCE.
| The excellent fit of the 14 lunar positions on VAT4956 in the year 588/87, which is year 37 of Nebuchadnezzar II, suggests that year 18 of Nebuchadnezzar II, when Jerusalem was destroyed, is 607 BCE. |
I have also studied cuneiform business tablets dated to the kings of the Neo-Babylonian Empire. And 90 of these tablets have dates indicate that each Neo-Babylonian king reigned longer than the traditional chronology allows. This means that the traditional chronology is destroyed, and the dated tablets support the view that the Neo-Babylonian Empire lasted 20 years longer than the chronology found in lexicons and textbooks.
[1]. As I showed in part I of this study, the prophecy of 70 weeks to the coming of the Messiah must also be calculated on the basis that one day represents one year.
[2]. Science Digest, February 1979:16.
[3]. Neugebauer and Weidner, “Ein astronomischer Beobachtungstext aus dem 37. Jahre Nebukadnesars II (567/566).”
[4]. Sachs and Hunger, Astronomical Diaries and Related Texts From Babylonia, Volume I, (1988).
[5]. In an article discussing my book of Babylonian chronology, Hunger wrote that he has never collated the tablet VAT4956; he made his translation based on black and white pictures of the tablet taken before World War II.
[6]. Furuli, Assyrian, Babylonian, and Egyptian Chronology, II:45–249; 342–416.
[7]. The parameters of each lunar position are listed in my book so that they can be checked by any Astro-program.
THE YEAR 1914 IS INTERTWINED WITH THE BASIC PROPHECIES OF THE TIME OF THE END AND THE PROPHECIES OF REVELATION
What follows is first a brief presentation of the keys we need to understand the prophecies, how the year 1914 is intertwined with the fundamental prophecies of the conclusion of the system of things, and how the chronology and prophetic fulfillments are mutually dependent. Then follows a short presentation of the consequences for the understanding of the basic prophecies of the Bible if the prophetic nature of the year 1914 is abandoned.
THE MUTUAL DEPENDENCE OF THE CHRONOLOGY AND THE PROPHECIES
The following table repeats the conclusions of part I regarding the keys that are necessary to understand the chronology and the prophecies of the Bible.
The basic keys for the understanding of the chronology of the Bible
| The fundamental key: |
| The belief that every account in the Bible is included with a purpose and has a particular meaning. |
| Different keys: |
| The holy Scriptures contain prophetic periods that can be calculated. |
| In the last days, God has a people who is clearly identified and separated fromother people. |
| There is a time period called “the time of the end,” which must be identified. |
| There are specified time periods that will be fulfilled on the people of God. |
| The time of the end is connected to the period when the seventh and eighth world powers exist, which corresponds to the 20th and 21st centuries. |
| The abomination that causes desolation — the League of Nations and the United Nations — would exist in the time of the end, in the 20th and 21st centuries. |
The fundamental key tells us that Jesus’ words about the appointed times of the nations should be understood. This is confirmed by Jesus himself, who tells his followers that when they see the composite sign of several events, they should know that Jesus has returned and was present. The appointed times of the nations are included in the events that Jesus’ followers should understand.
When we made calculations in the mathematics class in primary school, we learned to use the answer key to check if our calculations were correct. There is also an answer key that we can use to check whether our calculation of the appointed times of the nations is correct. If the fulfillment of other prophecies in the Bible aligns with the time period when the appointed times were fulfilled, our calculation is confirmed.
Below are some principal points where the year 1914 is intertwined with prophetic fulfillments:
- Revelation 17:8-12 shows that seven world powers should follow each other. While the seventh world power — the Anglo-American world power — existed, Jesus would come and judge his enemies. This is connected with the 20th and 21st centuries.
- An eighth world power, which should include the seven world powers, and which should exist for a while, then go down into the abyss, and then aescend from the abyss should exist. This fit the League of Nations, which was established in 1919/1920, was dead during World War II, but became alive in 1945 after World War II as the United Nations.
- Matthew 24:14 coincides with the time of the seventh world power and the League of nations/United Nations. The good news of the kingdom should be preached as a witness for all the nations. This was not possible before the 20th century, but it has been fulfilled in the second part of the 20th century and the 21st century.
- The first part of the composite sign should be a great war with nation against nation and kingdom against kingdom. World War I started in the year 1914. Thus, the first part of the sign coincides with the end of the appointed times of the nations.[1]
- The prophecies of Daniel chapter 12:7 and in Revelation 12:17 and 13:7 show that God should have a people in the time of the end, a people that are united and separated from all other peoples. This started with the Bible Students in the late 19th century and Jehovah’s Witnesses in the 20th and 21st centuries.
- Daniel 12:7, 11, 12 refer to time periods of 3 ½ year, 1,290 days, and 1335 days that should be fulfilled on the people of God. Jehovah’s Witnesses claim that these time periods were fulfilled on them from the year 1914 onward. I am not aware of any other religious denomination that is claiming that these periods were fulfilled on them. But the followers of Jesus should understand these time periods.[2]
| That all these prophecies were fulfilled in the 20th and 21st centuries supports that the calculation of the appointed times of the nations down to 1914 CE is correct, that the kingdom of God was established in that year, and that the presence of Jesus and the time of the end started in that year. |
THE CONSEQUENCE OF ABANDONING THE YEAR 1914 AS THE ENDPOINT OF THE APPOINTED TIMES OF THE NATIONS
The basic key to understanding of the fulfillment of the prophecies in the Bible is the belief that every account in the Bible is included with a purpose and has a particular meaning.
According to Matthew 24:32-36 and Luke 21:29-32, Jesus said that when you see all these things occurring, you will know that this is the generation when Jesus is present and when God’s kingdom has been established. One of “all these things” is the “appointed times of the nations.” Jesus said that “Jerusalem will be trampled on by the nations,” and this requires a specific time. I am not aware that anyone has made a time calculation as an alternative to the 2,520 years down to 1914. Abandoning 1914, means that either Jesus’ words that the appointed times of the nations should be understood, is wrong, or we do not live in the time of the end, and the understanding of Jesus’ words belongs to the future.
Daniel 12:8-10 tells that God’s servants should in the time of the end understand the prophecies that previously had been sealed. This requires that the period that is called “the time of the end” is identified. But if 1914 as the end of the appointed times of the nations is abandoned, we have nothing that can identify the time of the end and relate prophecies to the stream of time. Then the concept “the time of the end” is vague and undefined, contrary to the words of Daniel and the basic key that all the words in the Bible is included with a purpose and have a particular meaning.
Daniel 12:7 says that after 3 1/2 times, the power of the holy people will be dashed to pieces. This corresponds to the prophesying of the two witnesses of a thousand two hundred and sixty days, after which they are killed (Revelation 11:3, 7; 13:5). The length of the time period is 3 1/2 years. The end is fixed to the killing and the dashing to pieces of the power of the holy people. But when does the period begin?
There is only one event that fits this prophecy: On June 21, 1918, the leaders of the Bible Students were sentenced to 80 years in prison, and the denomination of the Bible Students was “killed.” If we count 3 1/2 years back from this date, we come to December 1914. There is no other reason to count the period of 3 1/2 years from December 1914 except that this is a marked year when the appointed times of the nations ended. If 1914 as a prophetic year is abandoned, this prophecy cannot be understood.
The book of Revelation cannot be fully understood if it is not placed within a specific time frame. For example, Revelation 13:1, 2 describes a wild beast with seven heads and ten horns. Verse 5 says that “authority to act forty-two months was given it.” With the help of the whole book of Revelation, as well as the book of Daniel, the wild beast can be identified. But without a time frame for Revelation, the words about the 42 months have no reference point and no meaning at all. The same is true with the time periods mentioned in Daniel 12:7:11, 12. Without a time frame, they have no meaning. However, inside the time frame of the year 1914 with the beginning of the time of the end, all these passages have meaning.
My conclusion is that 1914 is an important year, because it is the backbone and foundation of most of the fulfillments of the prophecies in our time. Abandoning 1914 means that the whole prophetic structure that we understand today will be destroyed and abandoned! Then we cannot understand the great prophecy of Jesus or the book of Revelation.
[1]. Se the article, “Sign 2: Nation will rise against nation and kingdom against kingdom. Matthew 24:7” (https://mybelovedreligion.no/2024/08/24/nation-will-rise-against-nation-and-kingdom-against-kingdom-matthew-247/).
[2]. Se the articles, “Prophetic time periods identify the people of God” (https://mybelovedreligion.no/2024/10/16/prophetic-time-periods-identify-the-people-of-god/). “The holy place being brought into its right position — then relapsing to a wrong condition (Part I)” (https://mybelovedreligion.no/2024/10/21/the-holy-place-being-brought-into-its-right-condition-then-relapsing-to-a-wrong-condition/); “The holy place being brought into its right position — then relapsing to a wrong condition (Part II)” (https://mybelovedreligion.no/2024/10/23/the-holy-place-being-brought-into-its-right-condition-then-relapsing-to-a-wrong-condition-part-ii/).
