Did you know that the Bible tells us that someday all mankind will offer an oath of seven to YHWH, the living God of the Bible? This week we’ll learn about this oath, a covenant made with Abraham, the prophecy of 70 “Weeks”, and how all share a common thread in the Bible’s messianic symbolism.

In the past several articles we’ve explored the amazing influence the law of Moses has had on Bible prophecy in general and the Bible’s messianic symbolism in particular. We can say with the Apostle Paul that indeed the “law” is a shadow of good things to come.

If you haven’t read the other articles in this series I’d encourage you to do so. They provide important context for the thrilling information I’m going to share in today’s blog post.

Bible Prophecy and the Law of Moses
Part I – The Bible’s Holy Days: Pictures of the Messiah
Part II (a) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part II (b) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part III – Seven, 70, & Sevens: Daniel 9 & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism

At the heart of the Bible’s messianic symbolism, that is entwined into the law of Moses, are what I’ve termed in these articles, the Messiah Factors. The Messiah Factors are the numbers 7, 13 & 14, and they are part of the Bible’s messianic symbolism that points us to Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind through Yeshua (Yahweh’s Salvation). These numerical symbols exemplify divine perfection, the messiah, atonement, and redemption.

As amazing as this exploration has been so far, I now want to show you another reason these numbers were chosen by Yahweh to represent His Yeshua (salvation) to mankind and why they were incorporated into the Bible’s religious calendar and the sacrificial service.

The purpose of this amazing symbolism is that these numbers are also vectors by which we can prove mathematically that one man was the Bible’s promised Messiah. That proof is found in the only prophecy in the Bible which gives a specific datable timeline for this messianic redeemer’s revealing to mankind.

What I’m talking about is the prophecy found in the 9^th chapter of the book of Daniel, commonly called “the 70 weeks”, but more accurately known to readers of this blog as the 70 Sevens. Let me tell you some fascinating and unusual details about this prophecy.

• First, the prophecy begins its countdown to the messiah with a “commandment” (Hebrew dabar = word) to restore and build Jerusalem. As I’ve explained here, here, and here this “word” is none other than Yahweh’s divine word to restore and build Jerusalem as given through the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.
• Second, this countdown is divided into distinct periods of time described as “sevens”.
• Third, and most intriguing of all, is that while the prophecy gives a specific starting point, specific divisions, and events which take place during these periods of “sevens”, the prophecy is totally silent on the length of “time” meant for us to calculate these “seven” with. Here take a look:

Seventy weeks [sevens] are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to:

• finish the transgression
• and to make an end of sins
• and to make reconciliation for iniquity
• and to bring in everlasting righteousness
• and to seal up the vision and prophecy
• and to anoint the most Holy.

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment [dabar-word] to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks [sevens/70], and threescore and two weeks [sevens]: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (Daniel 9:24-25)

Fascinating, isn’t it? Notice in verse 24 that the prophecy gives an overview of the 6 goals that will be accomplished in regards to the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem. After this summary in verse 25 the angel then gives the first specifics of this countdown to the messiah. Notice it clearly states that from the going forth of this “commandment” (Hebrew dabar or word) it will be 7 “weeks” (sevens) until the coming of the Messiah.

Let me tell you about the Hebrew word the English text presents as “weeks” (sevens). This is one of the most fascinating Hebrew words in the Bible.

I Swear Sevens
At the heart of Daniel 9 is the fascinating Hebrew word shaba (shaw-bah) which means to swear. Now you won’t see shaba in the English text of Daniel 9, but it is the Hebrew root word from which 7, 70, Sevens, and oath are derived. In fact, the Hebrew phonetic spelling of swear and 7 are exactly the same.

It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that the Mesorites added vowel pointings (cantillation marks) to the Hebrew text in order to help the reader distinguish between the words (based upon their interpretation of the text).

Take a look at the images to the right, I’ve provided the phonetic spelling of swear and seven without the pointings. I’ve also included the Hebrew numerical letter value for each word. As you can see they are the exact same word.

The TWOT Bible Lexicon provides us with some fascinating insights into the word shaba (shaw-bah) to swear:

It is apparent that sh¹ba± “swear” is identical in its consonantal root to the word sheba± “seven.” It is identical, of course, to the feminine form of seven-the masculine adding a fourth letter, “he”-and it is in the feminine in which the Hebrew counts his cardinal numbers! [another approach is to call shib±â the fem. from though it is used with masc. nouns, and sheba± the masc. from used with fem. nouns. R.L.H.]

Not only is the Hebrew verb “to swear” identical in the ancient unpointed text to the number seven, but also a relationship is suggested by the 2000 B.C. incident of Gen 21:22-34 . Here Abimelech desires Abraham to swear to deal uprightly, while Abraham in turn requires Abimelech to swear that the well of water belongs to him, Abraham. Abraham then seals the oath by giving exactly seven ewe lambs as a testimonial witness to Abimelech, and the well is called Beer-sheba, or Well-of-the-seven-oath! Thus BDB has defined sh¹ba± by the pithy oneline paraphrase, “to… seven one self, or bind oneself by seven things” (p. 989). Gesenius cites Herodotus iii:8 and the Iliad, xix:243, to give evidence that in the ancient world it was not uncommon to seal an agreement by the septenary number….

An oath, sh®bû±â, should be contrasted to a covenant, b®rît, in order to better understand both. An oath in the OT is a solemn verbal statement or pledge that is affirmed, while the covenant is the substance of an agreement itself. In the Hebrew idiom, one would swear (sh¹ba±) an oath (sh®bû±â), e.g. Gen 26:3, “I [God] will perform an oath which I swore unto Abraham.” A covenant, however, would be either established (Hiphil of qûm, literally, “caused to stand”) as in Gen 17:19, or it would be cut (k¹rat) as in Jer 31:31, “I [God] will make (cut) a new covenant with the House of Israel.”

Oaths were made by Jehovah to show the absolute certainty of his performance of that which he promised (e.g. to Abraham, Gen 26:3; and Isaac, Psa 105:9). (excerpted from 2319a in the TWOT Bible Lexicon)

The Covenant and Mercy
So, we have a single Hebrew word swear (shaba) from which the words 7, 70, Sevens, and oath are derived. But you are probably wondering what this has to do with Daniel 9 and the 70 sevens prophecy besides Hebrew grammar. Well, this is where the prophecy of 70 Sevens stands unparalleled among prophetic utterances in the Bible.

In Daniel 9 the chapter opens with Daniel’s plea to Yahweh to remember the “covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments”. Daniel goes on to make one of the most eloquent and impassioned prayers for his people, city and Yahweh’s desolate sanctuary (temple), given in the Bible. It’s in the midst of this prayer that the angel Gabriel was sent by Yahweh with the prophecy of 70 sevens.

And I prayed unto YHWH my God, and made my confession, and said, O Lord, the great and dreadful God, keeping the covenant and mercy to them that love him, and to them that keep his commandments; (Daniel 9:4)

So what is the “covenant and mercy” mentioned by Daniel. Well, as regular readers of this blog and my book Daniel’s 70 Weeks: The Keystone of Bible Prophecy understand, that covenant and mercy is none other than the oath (shebuw’ah) Yahweh swear (shaba) with Abraham in Genesis 22:16. And as you will see there is both a direct and symbolic connection between the Gen. 22:16 and Daniel 9.

What’s special about this oath, is that it is the first oath Yahweh swore with anyone in the Bible. As we learned above the word swear and seven are the same Hebrew word. So there in Geneses 22 we have a swearing of seven by Yahweh, the living God of the Bible, with Abraham, a man the New Testament apostle Matthew represents as the 3 x 14^th generation grandfather of the Messiah.

And the angel of YHWH called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, And said, By myself have I sworn [shaba], saith YHWH, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son:

That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies;

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice.

So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. (Genesis 22:15-19)

For those who haven’t read my free book on Daniel 9 or one of my articles explaining why the “covenant and mercy” of Daniel 9:4 is in fact the oath of seven Yahweh swore with Abraham let me give you brief overview. Here are the words of Moses describing this same “covenant and mercy”.

Know therefore that YHWH thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations;…

Wherefore it shall come to pass, if ye hearken to these judgments, and keep, and do them, that YHWH thy God shall keep unto thee the covenant and the mercy which he sware [shaba] unto thy fathers: (Deuteronomy 7:9-12)

In Deuteronomy 9:5 Moes goes on to explain that these “fathers” are Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. So the covenant and mercy of Daniel 9:4 then, begins with an oath Yahweh first swore with Abraham. And that oath is the promise of the coming messianic “seed”. This understanding is in fact confirmed by the New Testament.

Well of the Sevenfold Oath
In Genesis 22, YHWH, by His own sovereign will, swore (shaba) an oath (shabuw’ah) with Abraham that he would bless Abraham and that this blessing would include, in part, that through Abraham’s seed all nations of the earth would be blessed. A couple of verses help illustrate this promised seed and His purpose. The apostle Paul describes the “seed” in this way:

Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ. (Galatians 3:16)

The author of Hebrews describes Yeshua as the seed of Abraham who sent to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.

For verily he [Yeshua] took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. Hebrews 2:16-17

After the birth of John, Zachariah his father prophesied about the coming messiah. He describes this coming “mercy” and the “holy covenant” as the oath Yahweh swore with Abraham.

Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people, And hath raised up an horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David;

As he spake by the mouth of his holy prophets, which have been since the world began: That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us;

To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant; The oath which he sware to our father Abraham,.. (Luke 1:68-73)

Finally the apostle Peter explains to his Jewish brethren that Yeshua was the fulfillment of this covenant made with Abraham.

Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:25-26)

So we have multiple witnesses that this covenant and mercy, this oath of sevens Yahweh swore with Abraham was a promise of the Messiah Yeshua. It only seems appropriate then that after this wonderful promise the text tells us that Abraham dwelt at Beersheba which means the “well of the sevenfold oath”.

And in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice. So Abraham returned unto his young men, and they rose up and went together to Beersheba; and Abraham dwelt at Beersheba. (Genesis 22:18-19)

Daniel 9 and the Oath of Sevens
Are you beginning to see the connection? Daniel’s opening words in chapter 9 are a plea for Yahweh to remember the “covenant and mercy” which we now know was an oath of sevens He the living God of the Bible made with Abraham, an oath (shabuw’ah) which foretold the coming Messiah. While Daniel was praying for this “covenant and mercy” Yahweh sends the angel Gabriel with a prophecy of 70 Sevens.

This prophecy of sevens if you will, is a specific prophecy concerning the coming Messiah. Can you see the hand of Yahweh at work here fulfilling his redemptive plan for mankind? Can you see the incredible congruency? But this gets even more amazing.

I Swear – Keeping the Promise Alive
As we’ve already discussed, Yahweh swore with Abraham that in his “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed. The Hebrew word for swore is shaba and this word in is natural form is identical to the number 7. In Genesis 22 the form of the word used is I Sware.

Notice in the chart at the right you’ll see Hebrew word “I swear”. Also notice the Hebrew numerical value of this word is 832 which is 2 to the sixth power times 13. 13 as we’ve discussed in these articles is clear symbol for the Messiah (God-7 / Man-6 = 13). Also note that I’ve highlighted the Hebrew root word Sware/Seven at the heart of this word “I Sware”.

For those of you who appreciate the Bible’s congruency you’ll also find that the identical form of Shaba (I Sware) is used in Genesis 26:3 where Yahweh confirms his oath of sevens with Isaac.

Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I will perform the oath [shebuw’ah] which I sware [shaba] unto Abraham thy father; And I will make thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; (Genesis 26:3-4)

It is also important to note that the oath Yahweh swore with Abraham and confirmed with Isaac and Jacob also include the guarantee that they would someday inherit the Land of Israel and dwell securely in it. Indeed, if you look at every instance of the Hebrew shebuw’ah (I Sware) in the Bible you’ll find that many of them specifically address the land covenant aspect of Yahweh’s oath to Abraham.

I think it is important to realize that before the cross, Israel saw the “covenant and mercy” (Oath of seven) as a promise of their physical restoration to the land. It’s only after Yeshua’s death and resurrection that it became clear that this oath of seven was primarily a promise of the coming Messiah and Israel’s spiritual restoration. Now, looking at this promise with hindsight we understand that the Messiah had to first restore Israel’s spiritual fortunes before it’s national/physical restoration can take place. Isn’t that what Yeshua’s own words proclaim. Where He tells His brethren that their house will remain desolate until they say “bless is He who comes in the name of Yahweh”?

Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord. (Luke 13:35)

Yahweh keeps his promises. We know that the Messiah came as a suffering servant the atoning sacrifice (13) and is coming again as ruling king upon the throne of David (14). So don’t doubt for one second that Israel will someday inherit all the land Yahweh promised Abraham. For those of us who are earnestly looking for the return of Yeshua, shouldn’t we should be interceding on behalf of our Jewish brethren so that they might understand that Yeshua is Yahweh’s Salvation.

With this thought in mind hear the beautiful words of Yahweh given to Isaiah where He tells us that He is the Savior and Israel will be justified.

Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I YHWH?

and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

I have sworn [shaba – oath of seven] by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [shaba – oath of seven].

Surely, shall one say, in YHWH have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In YHWH shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. (Isaiah 45:21-25) (see also Isaiah 53)

And then there is apostle Paul’s quote from this famous passage:

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; that every tongue should confess [shaba/swear] that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

How many times have you heard or read Phillippians 2:9-11 and not realized its awesome context. Do you understand that someday every single one of us will bow a knee and every one of our tongues will confess (sware-shaba an oath of seven) that Yeshua is our Lord and our Savior?

By the way, for those who doubt that Paul is referencing an Old Testament quote here in Phillipians, take note of Romans 14:11 where he used the same quote only prefaces it with “it is written” a clear reference to the Old Testament.

For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess [OT- shaba] to God. (Romans 14:11 insertions mine)

I Swear Indeed!

 

The Messiah Factors and Daniel 9
This background concerning shaba and seven brings me to Messiah Factors and Daniel 9. Remember Daniel 9 is the only prophecy in the Bible which provides a specific and datable timeline for the coming of the Messiah. It is my belief that these numbers, these prophetic messianic symbols are the means by which Yahweh intended the prophecy of 70 sevens to be calculated. What better way to ensure that His people (the Jewish People) understood that Yeshua is the Messiah of the Scriptures than connect the fulfillment of the prophecy of 70 Sevens with symbolism of Yahweh’s redemptive plan as found in the Torah of Moses?

Many well-meaning scholars and teachers on the other hand believe each “seven” of the 70 sevens represents either a day, a year, or even a so called “prophetic year”. The fact of this case is Daniel 9 simply does not provide a direct statement which tells us how long each of these sevens should be. Yahweh purposely withheld that information from the prophecy, or did He? Maybe be we just haven’t been paying attention.

If you’ve read my book Daniel’s 70 Weeks: Keystone of the Bible prophecy and the many articles I’ve written on the subject then you know that from Yahweh’s divine “commandment” (Hebrew – dabar) in 520 BC, using the Messiah Factors of 13 & 14 they give us the year of Yeshua birth (the coming of the Messiah) as well as the start of his ministry and the transfiguration. The astounding facts of the matter is that the Messiah Factors do in fact provide a solution which proves that Yeshua is the Messiah. They work, but the question remains, where they the intended solution?

I don’t have the room to go into every aspect of Daniel 9, the Messiah Factors, and their fulfillment. But let me take you to the heart of the prophecy and show you something that is totally awe inspiring. What I want to show you is I something I’ve just discovered in the process of writing these articles, something that just might help those of you who are still skeptical of the Messiah Factors and their relationship to Daniel 9, understand that Yahweh intended these numbers, these amazing messianic symbols to be the means by which we calculate this most important prophecy.

The Heart of Daniel 9
With all we have learned in these article the one thing that stands out to me, is how intimately Daniel 9 and the 70 Seven’s (shabuwa) are connect to the Oath (shebuw’ah) Yahweh swore (shaba) with Abraham. An oath confirmed to Isaac, Jacob, and David, brought to Israel’s attention by Moses, mentioned by Daniel in his opening plea to Yahweh (Dan. 9:4), mentioned by Zacharias (father of John), Mary, Peter, and Paul.

There is no doubt that Daniel’s prophecy of 70 Sevens gives mankind the timeline to when the “oath of sevens” Yahweh swore with Abraham would be fulfilled. How fitting, how divinely congruent then, that an oath (shabuw’ah) of “seven” which tells of the coming “seed” should be elucidated by a prophecy of 70 Sevens (shabuwa) which tells us when that messianic seed would come.

To emphasis this important point, at the heart of Yahweh’s oath with Abraham and the prophecy of Daniel 9 is the Hebrew word shaba(sware) / seven(7). As explained above these words in their basic phonetic forms are exactly the same. They are in fact identical. This root shaba is the foundation upon which the Hebrew words for seven, 70, sevens, and oath are built.

So if Yahweh in his infinite wisdom wanted to make sure that someday mankind would have the key to understanding Daniel, (a prophecy which tells when He would fulfill His Oath of Seven with Abraham), where do you think he would hide the key to that understanding? Is it possible maybe even likely that he would hide that key in the Hebrew word seven (7). Did you know that the singular word 7 is only found once in all of Daniel chapter 9? Guess where it is found?

The Hebrew word 7 (sheba) is found at the heart of Daniel 9 in verse 25 where it tells when Messiah will come. Here take a look:

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks [sevens],… (Daniel 9:25a)

What is awesome about this verse is that the Hebrew forms of “seven weeks” (sheba shabuwa) without vowel pointings or cantillation marks is literally translated 7 seventies ( 7 x 70). Using a 13 month Biblical “year” and 29.53 day lunar months this 7 x 70 until the Messiah the Prince gives us exactly 515.02 of our modern years.

From the divine “commandment” (dabar=word) in 520 BC this verse gives us the year 5/4 BC as the date for the coming of the Messiah. This date is accepted by many as the conception/birth year of Yeshua of Nazareth. By the way, did you know that E.W. Bullinger in his book Number in Scripture found that Jesus of Nazareth in Greek is 13x13x13. Really! (You can read the more details about these calculations in my article 7 Weeks Until the Messiah or in my book Daniel’s 70 Weeks: The Keystone of Bible Prophecy.)

I know some of you are still skeptical of the fact that Yahweh might have intended the prophecy of 70 Sevens to be calculated using the Messiah Factors. Do you really think he wouldn’t leave us with some indication of how we are to calculate this important prophecy? Sure my calculations above work but are they really what Yahweh intended for us to use?

Take a look at the Hebrew form of the word 7 here in the text of Daniel 9. I remind you that this is only place where the Hebrew word seven (7) is found in chapter 9 of the book of Daniel. The only placed!

I also remind you that this word is at the heart of first statement we have in the 70 Sevens prophecy which tells us when the countdown to the Messsiah, that “seed” of Abraham which was sworn with an oath of seven, would be revealed to mankind.

Do you see it? Right there encoded into the very essence of the word itself are the very factors by which we are to calculate the coming of the Messiah. Can you believe that, the form of the word shib’ah (seven) as found in Daniel 9:25 provides us with the key to proving that Yeshua was the Messiah!

Now if that doesn’t make you want to raise your hands to heaven and praise Yahweh the living God of the Bible, I don’t know what will.

The Hebrew value of shib’ah is 377. Yahweh in His infinite wisdom used this form of the word and its number value because its prime factors are 13 x 29, the very length of Biblical intercalary “year” necessary to calculate this amazing countdown to the Messiah and prove that indeed Yeshua was is promised Messiah.. The key has been right there all along. (For more on a Biblical reckoning of time please see Part I of this series here).

Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks [sevens],… (Daniel 9:25a)

The Skeptics
Over the years it has been disappointing that my peers, especially those who have written or taught on Daniel 9, are the most unwilling to seriously consider the Messiah Factors as the solution for 70 Sevens. I hope this new information will help them see the special nature of this prophecy and its amazing congruency as it relates to the Bible’s messianic symbolism and Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind.

Do you really think it is an accident or coincidence that a Biblical “year” is encoded right into the very word which exemplifies Yahweh’s divine perfection and His redemptive plan for mankind, right in the precise location where that prophecy tells us when the Messiah will come? Do you really?

One has got to wonder just what kind of evidence Yahweh would have to give us in order for these skeptics to take note. Reminds me of Yeshua’s words to his unbelieving brethren and how they refused to believe the words of Moses found in the Torah, which spoke of Him as the promised Messiah.

For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me [Yeshua]: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words? (John 5:46-47)

The Seven Eyes
Did you know that while the Hebrew word for seven used in Daniel 9 is unique to that chapter, that form of the word is found in several other places in the Bible. One OT book of the Bible especially gives a wonderful insight into this fascinating Hebrew word and its relationship to the Messiah Yeshua. As you read these verses remember this word provides us with the key (13 x 29) to timing the countdown to the Messiah found in Daniel 9.

Hear now, O Joshua [Hebrew = Yeshua] the high priest, thou, and thy fellows that sit before thee: for they are men wondered at: for, behold, I will bring forth my servant the BRANCH.

For behold the stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith YHWH of hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day. In that day, saith YHWH of hosts, shall ye call every man his neighbour under the vine and under the fig tree. (Zechariah 3:9)

For who hath despised the day of small things? for they shall rejoice, and shall see the plummet in the hand of Zerubbabel with those seven ; they are the eyes of YHWH, which run to and fro through the whole earth. (Zechariah 4:10)

Now some of you might question whether these verse are really speaking of the Messiah. I’d encourage you to read the entire context of Zechariah 3 & 4 and you’ll have little doubt. But just in case you need a bit more help, here is Yeshua’s personal revelation to the apostle John which should remove any remaining skepticism.

Oh, and take note here that the context is in regards to a document sealed with – seven – seals. Appropriate, isn’t it, that the person who is the fulfillment of Yahweh’s oath of seven given to Abraham, a person who fulfills the 70 sevens prophecy, also just happens to be the only person able to open this document sealed with – seven – seals.

 

And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon.

And one of the elders saith unto me, Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof.

And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth.

And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne. And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints.

And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. (Revelation 5:4-10)

This one passage connects so many of the messianic threads we’ve been discussing in this series. When Yahweh swore that oath (shabuw’ah) of seven with Abraham, he promised that in Abraham’s “seed” all nations of the earth would be blessed. Notice, in Revelation the saints declare that Yeshua is worthy to open the book because He has redeemed every “kindred, tongue, people, and nation”. In other words, Yeshua, the “seed” of Abraham, the Root of David (14), the lamb slain (13), the seven (7) eyes and spirits of YHWH, is the fulfillment of the oath of seven Yahweh, the living God made with Abraham. He is Yahweh’s Salvation (Yeshua) sent to bless mankind. He was the “seed” of Abraham through whom all mankind was blessed. Once again I give you Peter’s testimony to this wonderful blessing:

But those things, which God before had shewed by the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so fulfilled…

Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities. (Acts 3:18, 25-26)

Isn’t that incredible, an oath of seven indeed! What a blessing.

The Anointed of Daniel 9
I hope I haven’t lost your attention. I don’t know about you, but each time I get another piece of the puzzle I’m a bit more in awe of Yahweh’s redemptive plan. I know this article, as many of my articles often do, has gotten a bit long (ok a lot long), but there is so much here to discover and I want you to see the big picture and the connecting threads of this subject while those threads of symbolism are still fresh in your mind.

In my previous article (here) I showed you that the Hebrew word “His Anointed” had the Messiah Factors of 13 & 14 hidden in its Hebrew numerical roots. When I was exploring this subject I noticed that the form of the word found in Daniel 9 was different. That form of the word had a numerical value of 358. The factors of 358 are the prime numbers 2 x 179. The number 2 is the first prime and 179 the 41^st

Call it what you will, but it’s fascinating to me that Daniel 9 speaks of two Messiahs. One who comes and one who is cut off.

The apostle Matthew tells us of two comings of the Messiah by representing Yeshua as the 13^th and 14^th generation. He does this by arranging Yeshua’s lineage so that Yeshua is the 41^st generation from Abraham. Remember 41 is itself the 13^th prime number and the sum of all primes from 2 up to and including the 13. So here in Daniel 9:25 & 26 the Hebrew word anointed (messiah) has hidden in its numerical roots, the 41^st prime number (x2).

He Confirms the Covenant for One Seven
As regular readers of this blog know, I’m an unapologetic futurist who believes that Yahweh keeps His word. I believe Yeshua is coming again. I also believe that when Yahweh promised Abraham with an oath of seven that Abraham’s seed would bless all the nations of the earth, that oath also included the promise that Abraham’s seed would someday dwell in peace in the land Yahweh has promised to their fathers Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Having said that, I believe my futurist brethren have obfuscated the messianic nature of the final seven of Daniel 9 and instead redirected that focus towards the anti-christ. This in my opinion is a serious error with profound implications.

The reason I preface this section with a clarification as to my position as a futurist, is because more often than not, when one questions the dispensational fulfillment of the final seven (70th week) of Daniel 9, one get labeled a preterist, historicist of some other scary sounding name so that people can squeeze you in a box that makes sense to their world view. And as is often the case this label is used to try and undermine the credibility of the person in question.

Let me show you something else that I thought was interesting. No, it is not conclusive, but in light of the other examples of messianic symbolism I’ve shown you in this article it is worth considering. For a more in depth explanation of why I believe the 70^th seven is fulfilled in Yeshua, you can download my free book Daniel’s 70 Weeks: The Keystone of Bible Prophecy.

To my point now: One of the most hotly contested aspects of Daniel 9 is the identity of the “He” (Dan. 9:27) who confirms the covenant with the “many”. Most of my peers believe this refers to the anti-christ. But there are some on the other side of the debate who believe the “He” refers to the Messiah. Here take a look at the passage in question:

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)

So who is the “He” that confirms this covenant for “one week”? Up to this point in the prophecy 98.6% (69 sevens) has been messianic. It’s only the final 1.4% (1 seven) of the prophecy that is now supposed to change focus from the Messiah to the anti-Christ.

It’s interesting to note that the Hebrew “one week” echad shabuwa has a distinct Hebrew numerical value that some of you might recognize. Echad “one” as we’ve previously learned has a Hebrew numerical value of 13. The form of the Hebrew shabuwa as used here in Daniel 9:27 has the numerical value of 378.

Combining this Hebrew phrase gives you a value of 391. This, as many of you know, is the exact same value of Yeshua’s name in Hebrew. Could this phrase be a way Yahweh might ensure we know who the “He” of Daniel 9:27 is referring to? Again, you’ll have to decide. I personally find it worth considering in light of the other evidence I’ve shared in this article. Please see my free book on Daniel’s 70 Sevens (here) for a full rendering of why I believe the entire thrust of Daniel 9, including the final “seven” is messianic.

This brings me back to Daniel 9 and the 70 Sevens. As I explained in my recent blog post Seven Weeks to the Messiah and in my book (here), the word shabuwa in Daniel 9:2, 24, & 25 is phonetically identical to the Hebrew word shibiym or 70. In other words, before vowel pointings were added to Daniel 9:24 it read literally 70 Seventies (70 x 70). The chart below explains:

Seventy weeks [70] are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. (Daniel 9:24)

Hebrew is read right to left:

This is what makes this passage so intriguing. As you can see in the Hebrew passage above the two red words are phonetically identical. The English version of the text translates them Seventy “weeks” (sevens), thanks to Masoretic vowel pointings. This passage describes 6 goals related to the Jewish people and Jerusalem which will take place during a period of time the Hebrew text describes as shib’iym shib’iym (or shabuwa depending if you agree with the Masoretic pointings).

This gives rise to the intriguing possibility that this passage could have a dual meaning. In the context of all Daniel 9:24-27 the spirit of the passage could legitimately be read 70 x 7 or 490. As given literally though, it can also be read as 70 Seventies (70 x 70).

No matter which way you want to read the Hebrew phonetic text, the numerical roots of the Hebrew letters have the exact same value. The value of this word in Hebrew is 982. This word number in turn has as its factors, the prime numbers 2 x 491. So then shib’iym (2×491) and shib’iym (2×491) could be described as equal to 4 x 491 periods of time. Intriguing, no?

But there is more. For those of you, who are familiar with the Biblical Jubilee, a reasonable case can be made for the Jubilee cycles being continuous. In other words, the 50^th and 1^st year of the cycle overlap. This type of jubilee cycle is congruent with how the Bible required Israel to count the holy days of Shavuot(a little jubilee of days). In any case, using an uninterrupted jubilee cycle means that 491 years is exactly 10 Jubilee cycles. So not only does Shib’iym mean a period of 70 but built into its Hebrew numerical roots is the value of 2 x 491 or two sets of 10 Jubilee cycles.

One might be forgiven then for considering that the sheb’iym sheb’iym of Daniel 9:24 could also represent a period of time equal to 40 Jubilee cycles (4 x 491). This is especially interesting when considering that our generation is living in the 40^th Jubilee cycle from Jerusalem’s destruction. For more on this subject you can download my free book The Jubilee Code: Prophetic Milestones in Yahweh’s Redemptive plan.

Maybe there is more to this amazing prophecy than any of us have ever considered. While there is no way to know this for sure, one thing I’m confident of is someday we will be able to look back from the perspective of eternity and see that the hand of Yahweh was at work bringing to fulfillment His redemptive plan for mankind through Yeshua.

The chart at the right is taken from my book The Jubilee Code: Prophetic Milestones in Yahweh’s Redemptive plan (click to enlarge). The chart shows how the Bible’s chronology represents 40 Jubilee cycles from Birth of Isaac until the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD. Today we are living in the 40^th Jubilee of the Times of the Gentiles. Possibly the final years of Daniel 9:24’s shebi’ym sheb’iym. Fascinating, isn’t it? (Note: Time of the Genitles – If counted from the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD when the 40^th Jubilee from Isaac ended.)

In Closing
I hope today that I’ve thrilled you with the congruency of Yahweh’s redemptive plan for mankind. I also hope I’ve challenged you to look at this subject from a new perspective. Please don’t take my word for the information I have shared here. Be a faithful steward of Yahweh’s wonderful words and do your own due diligence.

I look forward to continuing this adventure with you. May Yahweh hasten the day when the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled and every knee bows and every tongue swears an oath of seven to Yeshua our God and Savoir.

Maranatha!

Tell ye, and bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this from ancient time? who hath told it from that time? have not I YHWH?

and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; there is none beside me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I am God, and there is none else.

I have sworn [shaba – oath of sevens] by myself, the word is gone out of my mouth in righteousness, and shall not return, That unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear [shaba – oath of sevens].

Surely, shall one say, in YHWH have I righteousness and strength: even to him shall men come; and all that are incensed against him shall be ashamed. In YHWH shall all the seed of Israel be justified, and shall glory. (Isaiah 45:21-25)

Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; that every tongue should confess [shaba/swear] that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father. (Philippians 2:9-11)

 

Authors Note: For those who love to dig deeper into this subject I’ve provided both the English and Hebrew versions of Daniel 9:24-27. I’ve also color coded the words so that you can get an idea of how they are used in this passage. Notice especially the English word “weeks”. You’ll see that in Hebrew it has several different forms. Also notice that the words “seventy weeks” in verse 24 are the exact same Hebrew word shib’iym (70).

Bible Prophecy and the Law of Moses
Part I – The Bible’s Holy Days: Pictures of the Messiah
Part II (a) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part II (b) – The Messiah Factors: Numerical Evidence of Yahweh’s Redemptive Plan
Part III – Seven, 70, & Sevens: Daniel 9 & the Bible’s Messianic Symbolism

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For those who missed the charts from last weeks blog post Bible Prophecy and the Law of Moses, here are the sacrifices required for Israel to offer during each of the 7 feast days during the Biblical year. See if anything stands out to you.