Complete:
2016 The Time of the End

Are 6,000 years of sin almost over?

Will Jesus come in 2016?

We are naturally curious about the future and especially have questions like: “When will Jesus come the second time?” and “When will the world end?” Does the Bible reveal the answers to these questions? Did God seal up the answers in the Bible and then keep them hidden, only to be revealed at the time of the end? Is 2016 the beginning of the end?

• Are 6,000 years of sin almost over?
• Will Jesus come in 2016?

The Bible presents enlightening, logical, and compelling answers to these questions.
In short, yes!

Seven-day Clock

“In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth.” Genesis 1:1. About 6,000 years ago on earth’s very first day God created time, starting with the day. He said, “the evening and the morning were the first day”. Genesis 1:5.

For six days God did His work of creating the heavens and the earth. Then God did something completely different. On the seventh day He stopped creating and rested. He blessed and sanctified the seventh day of the week and He called it the Sabbath.

“On the seventh day God ended His work which He had done, and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had done.” Genesis 2:2. “The seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD your God. In it you shall do no work.” Exodus 20:10.

The rotation of the earth defines the 24-hour day. But the seven-day week is specified by God’s word alone. The movement of the sun, moon, and earth do not define the weekly cycle. It exists in the mind and actions of God and His people. Each week the seventh day is set aside for rest.

Every week follows the pattern of six days for work followed by one day for rest.

Seven-year Clock

God applied the same pattern to a week of seven years. He told the children of Israel to plant and to harvest their land for six years and then let the land rest the seventh year. He called the seventh year a sabbath. It is also called a sabbatical.

“Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.” Leviticus 25:3,4.

The seven-year clock did not start at creation. The seven-year clock started in 1416 BC when God brought the children of Israel into the land of Canaan. (See: When did the children of Israel enter Canaan?)

“Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: ‘When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD.’” Leviticus 25:2.

This seven-year pattern has been repeating for over 3,000 years. Six years of working the land are always followed by one year of letting the land rest. After teachers have taught for six years in a row they are sometimes offered a one-year sabbatical for rest.

Seven-thousand-year Clock

A third time scale for the weekly pattern is 7,000 years. For almost 6,000 years people have been corrupting the earth by their sins. In 2016 the 6,000 years will be completed and people will be removed from the earth. Then the earth will have a sabbath rest for 1,000 years.

The seven-thousand-year clock started a few years after creation when Adam and Eve first sinned.

Seven-sabbaticals Clock -- The Jubilee Cycle

Seven sabbaticals brought God’s people to the Jubilee, which is another one-year sabbath. The Jubilee cycle is a 49-year repeating pattern. It consists of seven sabbatical cycles, followed by a 50th year called the Jubilee. During the Jubilee year the land rests, debts are cancelled, and land is returned to its original owner.

“You shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound throughout all your land. And you shall consecrate the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a Jubilee for you.” Leviticus 25:8-11.

Every seventh sabbatical, on the Day of Atonement, the trumpet announced the start of the Jubilee.

The 50th year Jubilee is also the 1st year of the next Jubilee cycle. In the following chart:

• The first number in each cell is the number of the year in the 7-year sabbatical cycle.
• The second number in each cell is the number of the year in the 49-year Jubilee cycle.

Notice that every 49-year Jubilee cycle has eight sabbaths in it. The land rests during these eight holy years. They are numbered: 1, 7, 14, 21, 28, 35, 42, 49.

The Jubilee clock and the sabbatical clock both began when the children of Israel entered Canaan in 1416 BC. (See: When did the children of Israel enter Canaan?) The 49-year Jubilee cycles have been repeating without interruption for over 3,000 years. The 70th and last Jubilee began in the fall of 2015 and will continue until the fall of 2016.

70 Sabbaths without Rest

The Lord gave Ezekiel a prophecy to enact. Ezekiel lay on his left side for 390 days for the 390 years of iniquity of the children of Israel. Then he lay on his right side for 40 days for the 40 years of the iniquity of the people of Judah. The total years of iniquity were 430 years. (390 + 40 = 430).

“Lie also on your left side, and lay the iniquity of the house of Israel upon it. According to the number of the days that you lie on it, you shall bear their iniquity. For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days; so you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when you have completed them, lie again on your right side; then you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.” Ezekiel 4:4-6.

For 430 years God’s people refused to keep the sabbaticals and the Jubilees holy to God. The land was kept from its rest during the 70 sabbath years.

The land was not allowed to rest for eight complete Jubilee cycles plus part of a ninth. Remember how each 49-year Jubilee cycle contains eight sabbath years? Here is how the math works:

Notice that the land was without rest 70 sabbath years during the 430 years of iniquity. Later God allowed the land to rest exactly 70 years while His people were in captivity in Babylon. God’s accounting system is completely accurate.

70 Years of Captivity

The children of Israel were taken captive to Babylon for 70 years. Jeremiah, Daniel, and Ezekiel were all prophets of God during the 70 years of captivity. They sent warnings to God’s people.

Even though they were warned repeatedly, the children of Israel did not repent and return to the Lord. They continued to rebel against Him. Finally there was no remedy and God’s wrath was poured out on His people.

Here is the sad story of what happened:

1. God told the children of Israel that if they did not keep the sabbaticals and Jubilees they would be taken out of their land so the land could enjoy its sabbath rest.
   Leviticus 26:27-35.
2. The children of Israel neglected the sabbaticals and Jubilees for 430 years. During this time the land missed 70 sabbath years. Ezekiel 4:1-6. (See chart above: 70 Sabbaths without rest).
3. The children of Israel were taken into captivity to Babylon for 70 years.
   Jeremiah 25:8-12.
4. Jerusalem was burned and ruined, many people were killed, many people were taken captive to Babylon, and God’s beautiful temple was destroyed. Then the land was allowed to lay desolate for 70 years to enjoy her sabbath rest. 2 Chronicles 36:15-21.

Daniel

Daniel is taken to Babylon in 605 BC when he is only a teenager. Throughout his captivity he remains faithful to God. As he realizes the 70 years of captivity is almost over, Daniel turns to God and pours out his heart in contrition and repentance. “We have rebelled against You. We have not obeyed You. All Israel has transgressed Your law. We have not turned from our iniquities to understand Your truth. We have sinned. We have done wickedly.” (Parts of Daniel 9:3-19).

Daniel is deeply concerned because God’s people are permeated with sin. He begs God to heal His people from their leprosy of sin. While Daniel is still praying Gabriel arrives from the courts of heaven to answer Daniel’s prayer. Gabriel says:

“As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision:

“Seventy 'sevens' are decreed For your people and your holy city
To finish transgression,
To put an end to sin,
To atone for wickedness,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy
And to anoint the most holy.” Daniel 9:23,24 (NIV).

In a simple, compact, elegant prophecy Gabriel answers Daniel’s prayer. God does have a plan to deliver His people from sin and transgression. God does have a plan to bring everlasting righteousness into their lives.

One Prophecy, Two Fulfillments

The prophecy in Daniel 9:24 has two distinct and essential fulfillments. Remember, Daniel is praying about the lethal problem of sin in his own people. Gabriel brings him a dual answer that provides a complete solution:

1. Seventy "sevens" - 70 sabbatical cycles – 70 x 7 = 490 years
Seventy "sevens" are decreed for your people to atone for wickedness. Jesus was the atonement and sacrifice for our wickedness. He lived a perfect life on earth and then died for our sins making it possible for us to be delivered from sin and to receive eternal life through faith in Him. The first fulfillment pointed to the coming of the Messiah. The 70 sabbaticals predicted Christ’s first coming.

The fulfillment of the 70 sabbaticals began in 457 BC and ended 490 years later in 34 AD. Jesus died in 31 AD in the middle of the 70th sabbatical cycle. The first coming of Christ occurred at the exact time predicted in the prophecy of Daniel 9:24.

2. Seventy "sevens" - 70 Jubilee cycles – 70 x 7 x 7 +1 = 3,431 years
Seventy "sevens" are decreed for your people to put an end to sin and to bring in everlasting righteousness. The second fulfillment points to the time when God’s people will no longer transgress His law. They will have everlasting righteousness brought into their lives and they will never sin again. The 70 Jubilees predict Christ’s second coming.

The fulfillment of the 70 Jubilees began in 1416 BC when the children of Israel entered Canaan. It will end 3,431 years later in 2016 AD when God’s children will enter heavenly Canaan. God’s people will be totally and permanently delivered from sin and Jesus will come the second time. The second coming of Christ will occur at the exact time predicted in the prophecy of Daniel 9:24.

In these two steps God eliminates the sin problem for his people. They will be forever freed from sin.

Dual Fulfillment Prophecy
The prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 has two fulfillments. In a dual prophecy not all of the verses will apply to both fulfillments. For example, Matthew 24 is a dual prophecy. Matthew 24 predicted the destruction of Jerusalem and it also predicts events leading up to the second coming of Jesus. Some of the verses in Matthew 24 apply to the destruction of Jerusalem, some apply to the second coming of Jesus, and some apply to both.

In the same way, Daniel 9:24 and 27 apply to both fulfillments. Verses 25 and 26 give specific details about the beginning of the 70 sabbatical cycles and when Jesus would be baptized and crucified.

Verses 24 and 27 surround verses 25 and 26, and apply to both fulfillments. Verses 24 and 27 reach their complete fulfillment in every specification only at the end of the 70 Jubilee cycles. This much longer time period began when God’s people entered the land of Canaan, and will end in 2016. At the end of these 70 Jubilees, there will be a complete end of sin for God’s people.

Ending Captivity - 70 Years, 70 Sabbaticals, 70 Jubilees

God’s people were in captivity for 70 years because they disobeyed God by not allowing their land to rest for 70 sabbath years. Near the end of the 70 years of captivity Daniel was given a dual prophecy showing how God's people would be delivered from the captivity of sin during 70 sabbaticals and 70 Jubilees.

70 Sabbaticals

The 70 sabbatical cycles are 490 years. (70 x 7 = 490) In 457 BC Artaxerxes gave the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Ezra 6:14, 7:1-28. After 7 sabbatical cycles and 62 sabbatical cycles Jesus, the Messiah, the Anointed One came. ((7+62) x7=483) The 483 years ended in 27AD when the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus at His baptism.

“Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven 'sevens,' and sixty-two 'sevens.' It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.” Daniel 9:25 (NIV).

The 70th sabbatical cycle ran from the fall of 27 AD to the fall of 34 AD.

The first coming of Christ occurred at the exact time predicted in Daniel’s prophecy.

70 Jubilees

The 70 Jubilee cycles of 3,431 years (70 x 49 +1 = 3,431) began in 1416 BC when the children of Israel entered Canaan. (See: When did the children of Israel enter Canaan?) The 3,431 years will end in 2016 AD, and Jesus will come the second time. The second coming of Jesus will occur at the exact time predicted in Daniel’s prophecy.

People are given until the end of seventy times seven sabbatical cycles (70 x 7 x 7 +1 = 3,431 years) to receive forgiveness from God. His forgiveness and His righteousness will be offered until the end of the seventy "sevens" (70 Jubilees) in 2016.

“Then Peter came to Him and said, ‘Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? Up to seven times?’ Jesus said to him, ‘I do not say to you, up to seven times, but up to seventy times seven.’” Matthew 18:21,22.

By the end of the 70 Jubilee cycles God will make everlasting righteousness permanent in the lives of His people. The promises in Daniel 9:24 will be completely fulfilled. During the 70th Jubilee in 2016 Jesus will come the second time to take His people to heaven.

The Middle of the "Seven"

In the middle of the "seven" Jesus was crucified. He died on Passover time in 31 AD. He was the Passover Lamb to whom the sanctuary system and all its sacrifices pointed.

“And Jesus cried out with a loud voice, and breathed His last.
Then the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.” Mark 15:37,38.

When Jesus died the veil in the temple was torn in two. This symbolized that the Jewish system of sacrifices and offerings had come to an end. Jesus offered Himself as the sacrifice for our sins. The animal sacrifices pointed to Him and when He died there was no more need for animal sacrifices.

“In the middle of the ‘seven’ He will put an end to sacrifice and offering.” Daniel 9:27 (NIV).

Jesus died in the middle of the "seven" sabbatical cycle that ran from 27 AD – 34 AD.

Jesus also died in the middle of the "seven" Jubilee cycle that ran from 6 AD – 55 AD.
Since Jesus died in 31 AD in the middle of the "seven" sabbatical cycle and "seven" Jubilee cycle, we can calculate exactly when each sabbatical cycle and each Jubilee cycle started and ended.

Jesus in the Middle

It is no surprise that Jesus died in the middle of the "seven".

When Jesus was crucified “two robbers were crucified with Him, one on the right and another on the left.” Matthew 27:38. Jesus was in the middle.

Jesus reconciled Jew and Gentile in Himself. He also reconciled God and man in Himself. He is the one new man. Ephesians 2:11-18. Jesus is in the middle.

People are baptized “in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit”. Matthew 28:19. Jesus is in the middle.

Seven Clocks from God

God specially created seven clocks. The foundation for these clocks is the number seven. None of the seven clocks is based on the rotation of the earth, or the sun or the moon. Each clock is based on God’s word alone. Notice the progression of time in the seven clocks. The next two charts use the following formula: Unit of Time x Pattern = Total.

This chart of seven clocks started at the creation of our world. It includes seven progressively larger clocks that God designed, and it ends with the re-creation of our world.

The seventh clock of 1,000 years has particular significance. The seventh period of 1,000 years is for rest. At the end of 7,000 years God will create a new heaven and a new earth. Sin will be totally and permanently eradicated from the entire universe.

This next chart shows the rest on sabbath and the significant events at the end:

Please note that Pentecost is called Feast of Weeks in the Old Testament.
See Deuteronomy 16:10.

Questions and Answers

When did the children of Israel enter Canaan?

The sabbatical clock and the Jubilee clock started when the children of Israel entered Canaan.

“And the LORD spoke to Moses on Mount Sinai, saying, 2 ‘Speak to the children of Israel, and say to them: “When you come into the land which I give you, then the land shall keep a sabbath to the LORD. 3 Six years you shall sow your field, and six years you shall prune your vineyard, and gather its fruit; 4 but in the seventh year there shall be a sabbath of solemn rest for the land, a sabbath to the LORD. You shall neither sow your field nor prune your vineyard.’ 8 “And you shall count seven sabbaths of years for yourself, seven times seven years; and the time of the seven sabbaths of years shall be to you forty-nine years. 9 Then you shall cause the trumpet of the Jubilee to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month; on the Day of Atonement you shall make the trumpet to sound.” Leviticus 25:1-4,8,9.

Several facts will enable us to determine the date God’s people entered Canaan:

1. God’s people entered Canaan 49 years before the first Jubilee. Leviticus 25:1-9.
2. The Exodus was 40 years before God’s people entered Canaan. Numbers 32:13.
3. Jesus died in 31 AD in the middle of the 49-year Jubilee cycle that ran from 6 AD – 55 AD. (See: The Middle of the "seven").
4. Jubilee dates before Christ can be calculated starting in 6AD and repeatedly subtracting 49 years.

Here are the only possible dates for the first Jubilee, for entering Canaan and for the Exodus in this timeframe:

James Ussher and Edwin R. Thiele are the two most widely accepted conservative biblical chronologists. Ussher placed the Exodus in 1491 BC. Thiele placed the Exodus in 1446 BC. Neither of these proposed dates is correct because neither date is on the above list of possible dates for the Exodus. But 1491 BC and 1446 BC are very helpful because they are the earliest and the latest dates for the Exodus proposed by conservative scholars. So these two dates are very useful in providing a range of dates for when the Exodus could have occurred. So when was the Exodus?

The only possible date for the Exodus that lies between 1491 BC and 1446 BC is 1456 BC. Because of the writings of Ussher and Thiele and points 1-4 above we can conclude that the Exodus occurred in 1456 BC. We can also calculate that the children of Israel entered Canaan 40 years later in 1416 BC, and the first Jubilee occurred in 1367 BC.

What are the dates of the 70 Jubilees?

The Jubilees clock began ticking in 1416 BC when the children of Israel entered Canaan. The first Jubilee was 49 years later in 1367 BC. Every 49 years another Jubilee has occurred.

The Final Jubilee Starts in 2015-2016

The final Jubilee year will begin on the Day of Atonement in 2015. There will have been 40 complete Jubilee cycles following Christ’s death. Isn’t that interesting? There are so many 40’s in the Bible and 40 is a significant number to God. The 40 Jubilees after Christ’s death bring us to the end of probationary time. After the Jubilee year which ends in the fall of 2016 there will be no more opportunities for people to repent and receive eternal life.

Jesus is King for 40 ½ Jubilees

Jesus died in 31 AD in the middle of the 30th Jubilee cycle. There were 40 ½ Jubilee cycles yet to occur to complete the total of 70.

When Jesus was resurrected He was taken to heaven to reign as king with God on His throne. Jesus ascended to heaven in 31AD and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.

“Looking unto Jesus, the author and finisher of our faith, who for the joy that was set before Him endured the cross, despising the shame, and has sat down at the right hand of the throne of God.” Hebrews 12:2.

When Jesus comes the second time to get His people He will have reigned in heaven as king for 40 ½ Jubilee cycles. He will have reigned from 31 AD – 55 AD (1/2 Jubilee cycle) and from 55AD – 2016 AD (40 Jubilee cycles) for a total of 40 ½ Jubilee cycles.

David reigned over the children of Israel as their king. Notice how long David reigned as king:

“And they anointed David king over Israel. David was thirty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned forty years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven years and six months, and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty-three years over all Israel and Judah.” 2 Samuel 5:3-5.

David reigned in Hebron 7 ½ years and in Jerusalem 33 years for a total of 40 ½ years. David was a type of Jesus and David’s throne was given to Jesus after His resurrection.

“And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and shall call His name JESUS. He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David. And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there will be no end.” Luke 1:31-33.

David reigned as king on earth for 40 ½ years.
Jesus will reign as king in heaven for 40 ½ Jubilees.

From Canaan to Canaan

The 70 Jubilees clock began when the children of Israel entered Canaan, the land God had promised them. The 70 Jubilees clock will end when God’s people enter heavenly Canaan, the land God has promised them. From earthly Canaan to heavenly Canaan is 70 Jubilees.

Will we have had 6,000 years of sin by 2016?

In the year 2016 it will have been 6,039 years since God created Adam and Eve. If they lived in the Garden of Eden for 39 years before they sinned then there will have been exactly 6,000 years of sin on earth by 2016.

The Biblical chronology, including the 70 Jubilee cycles, fits wonderfully and accurately within the timeframe of 6,000 years of sin.

What will happen at the final Jubilee in 2016?

• The prophecy in Daniel 9:24 will meet its final and complete fulfillment.
• Everlasting righteousness will be brought in for God's people
• Sin will be brought to an end for God's people.
• Transgression will be finished for God's people.
• Vision and prophecy will be sealed up.
• Jesus will come the second time.
• The earth will be returned to God - its rightful owner.

God will have permanently taken care of the disease of sin for His people. Daniel’s prayer will have received a complete answer. Jesus will come to earth the second time to take His people back to heaven with Him and the earth will begin its 1,000 years of rest.

What do I need to do right now?

God has been patient and merciful to the human race for almost 6,000 years since we first sinned. Yet we continue to become more sinful and more rebellious. We are very near the time when the wrath of God will be poured out on all of us who refuse to repent and worship Him.

God has given each of us the power of choice and a period of time on earth as probation. This probationary period is an opportunity to repent and to have faith in Christ. My probation and your probation will end sometime between now and the fall of 2016 and it may well be sooner rather than later. The most important thing we can do right now is to give ourselves completely to God in humility and repentance and by faith to receive Jesus as our personal Savior.

Now is the time to seek God, while He may be found. Now is the time to repent. Today is the day for salvation.

“Behold, now is the accepted time; behold, now is the day of salvation.” 2 Corinthians 6:2.

“Seek the LORD while He may be found,
Call upon Him while He is near.
Let the wicked forsake his way,
And the unrighteous man his thoughts;
Let him return to the LORD,
And He will have mercy on him;
And to our God,
For He will abundantly pardon.” Isaiah 55:6,7.

“Today, if you will hear His voice, do not harden your hearts.” Hebrews 4:7.

I invite you to accept Jesus as your personal Savior, right now. Ask Him to forgive your sins and thank Him for dying for you. Ask Jesus to teach you more of the truth from the Bible. Ask God for a humble, teachable, repentant spirit. God is urgently calling you to repentance and wholehearted service for Him. Probationary time will end first for those who already “have the truth”, for those who are of the “house of God”.

“For the time has come for judgment to begin at the house of God; and if it begins with us first, what will be the end of those who do not obey the gospel of God?” 1 Peter 4:17.

Dear reader, God loves you very much. He wants to live with you forever. I appeal to you to carefully consider your priorities and to choose today whom you will serve.

Now is the important time for each of us. We cannot wait until the fall of 2016 to get ready for Jesus to come. During the next few months Jesus Christ will judge every person on earth. For some of us, our probation will end today, for others it will be a few months. But everyone will make his final choice before the second coming of Jesus.

Choose now to serve the Lord with your whole heart, soul, mind and strength.

What will happen in 2016?

There are many prophetic events that will take place in the next few months. During this time the gospel will be clearly presented to every living person on earth. Each person will decide either to worship and serve God or to worship and serve Satan. Jesus will judge each person on earth. Those who choose Jesus will be completely delivered from the power of sin.

Many of us are used to living halfway to God. We profess to worship Him but we only do it half-heartedly. Our affections are partly with the world and partly with God. The time is upon us when we must make a whole-hearted decision one way or the other. Our affections can no longer be divided. God desires our whole heart.

The great tribulation will soon take place. People will be forced to decide whether or not they will worship God by resting on the Sabbath day that God blessed, the seventh day of each week.

Will we know in advance the year of Jesus' Second Coming?

Yes, we should. The prophecies in Daniel 9 first of all pointed to the first coming of Christ. The people who lived 2,000 years ago were supposed to know the time the Messiah would come. Unfortunately, most of the Jewish leaders did not know or understand the prophecies. But many of the common people were in expectation because they had knowledge of when the Messiah would come.

“Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about John, whether he was the Christ or not.” Luke 3:15.

But more importantly for us, the prophecies in Daniel 9 point to the second coming of Christ. Those of us who are alive now are supposed to know when Jesus will come again. As the apostle Paul says, “But you, brethren, are not in darkness, so that this Day should overtake you as a thief.” 1 Thessalonians 5:4.

What about not knowing the day or the hour?

This is a traditional phrase that many people know. It comes from Matthew 24:

“But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only. But as the days of Noah were, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be. For as in the days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and did not know until the flood came and took them all away, so also will the coming of the Son of Man be.” Matthew 24:36-39.

There are several points to notice:

1. The people in Noah’s day knew that they had 120 years to enter the ark. They knew when the 120 years was drawing to an end. But they did not know the hour or the day that the door to the ark would be closed. They did not know when their last opportunity would come to enter the ark. Some of the people may have thought that if it started to rain then they would go into the ark. But by the time the rain started it was too late. The door to the ark had already been shut and no one else could go in.

In the same way, we will not know ahead of time when the last possible moment is for us to accept salvation and enter into Jesus, our ark of salvation. It will be by the fall of 2016, but it could be as soon as today. This is why it is so important to choose today to repent toward God and to believe in Jesus Christ. The important time for us is not the fall of 2016, but now.

“Testifying to Jews, and also to Greeks, repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.” Acts 20:21.

2. Daniel 9:24 does not predict the day or the hour when the Son of man will come. It only predicts the year and the season.

Did the sabbaticals and the Jubilees end at the cross?

No, because Jesus died in the middle of the "seven". He died in the middle of a sabbatical cycle and He died in the middle of a Jubilee cycle. He could not die in the middle of something that ended when He died.

The specific things that ended when Jesus died on the cross were the offerings and the animal sacrifices. But the sabbatical clock and the Jubilee clock did not stop at the cross.

Is the Jubilee cycle 49 years or 50 years?

The Jubilee cycle is 49 years. Here are some of the reasons why:

1. The seventh-day Sabbath occurs on the seventh day of every week. It is not possible for some weeks to be eight days long. There are no weeks that have extra days added to them. Each week is exactly seven days long.

The seventh year sabbath occurs every seventh year. It is not possible for some sabbatical cycles to be eight years long. There are no sabbatical cycles that have extra years added to them. Each sabbatical cycle is exactly seven years long. So the 50th year Jubilee comes after the 7th year of a sabbatical cycle and is the 1st year of the next seven-year sabbatical cycle.

2. “Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people”. Daniel 9:24. Each of the 70 seven-year periods of time was exactly seven years long. If Jubilee cycles were 50 years long, then every seventh sabbatical cycle would be eight years long instead of seven.

If Jubilee cycles were 50 years long Daniel 9:24 would have said: “Sixty ‘sevens’ and ten ‘eights’ are decreed for your people.” This prophecy would have been 500 years long instead of 490 years long. The Messiah would have come 10 years later.

3. If the Jubilee cycles were 50 years long then there would only have been 68 sabbath years during the 430 years of rebellion by God’s people. They would only have been sent into captivity for 68 years instead of 70 years.

Summary

“Seventy 'sevens' are decreed for your people” is a dual prophecy. Daniel 9:24. It has two fulfillments.

First, the 70 "sevens" are 70 sabbatical cycles. They are 490 years, pointing to the first coming of Jesus as our Savior from sin.

Second, the 70 "sevens" are 70 Jubilee cycles. They are 3,431 years, pointing to the second coming of Jesus when His people will be permanently freed from sin.

By the fall of 2016 the 6,000 years of sin on earth will come to an end. Jesus will come to take His people to heaven and the 1,000 years of rest for the earth will begin.

In the next few months the great tribulation will occur and many other Bible prophecies will be fulfilled.

Today is the day to choose to receive Christ fully and to abide in Him forever.

Unless indicated otherwise Scriptures have been quoted from the New King James Version of the Bible.