Reckoning Daniel's 70th Week From the Gregorian Calendar

By Randy Nettles

The Antichrist will not confirm or strengthen a seven-year covenant with Israel and the ‘many’ reckoned from the Jewish calendar or a hypothetical 360-day “prophetic” calendar, but will do so based on the Gregorian calendar, either 2556 or 2557 days (depending on how many leap days are added in those seven years). So, whatever Gregorian calendar day the Tribulation begins on, it will ‘officially’ end seven years later on the same monthly date (either 2556 or 2557 days later).

It isn’t logical that, in these 21st-century times, the Antichrist will “confirm” a seven-year (a ‘week’ per Daniel 9:27) covenant and base its duration on anything but our modern-day Gregorian calendar. He is not confirming a covenant with Israel only, but with “the many” (numerous Gentile nations).

Likewise, the “forty-two months” (3.5 years) of Revelation 11:2 & 13:5 are Gregorian calendar months and not Jewish lunar months or prophetic calendar months. A Jewish lunar month has either 29 or 30 days, so the average month has 29.53 days, and 42 months will have 1240 days. A hypothetical prophetic calendar has exactly 30 days per month, and 42 months will have 1260 days. However, there is no actual 360-day calendar to keep track of the days, so one would just have to count them.

I believe the correct calendar to keep track of all the different chronological end-time events is the Gregorian calendar. This calendar has either 30 or 31 days per month (except for February), so the average per month is 30.43 days. 42 months x 30.43 days = 1278 days, which is half of the seven-year timeline of 2556 days. Add 12 hours if there are two leap days within the seven years.

This is not to say the Jewish lunisolar calendar isn’t in play, because it is the flip side of the Gregorian calendar. Whatever Gregorian day the beginning, middle, and end of the Tribulation fall on (or whatever event transpires on a particular day), there will be a corresponding Jewish calendar day, which holds the greater prophetic significance, as some of these timeframes mentioned in Daniel and Revelation (1260, 1290, and 1335 days) will land on important Jewish days or religious Feasts of the Lord (as described in Leviticus 23).

In a recent article (Refining Daniel’s 70th Week Timeline :: By Randy Nettles - Rapture Ready), I gave a few examples (upcoming seven-year timelines) of how these eschatological events could unfold within the two calendars. I received several remarks from readers who didn’t quite understand my timelines and what they entailed, so I had this chart (with corresponding notes) made to hopefully clarify things. This seven-year timeline example is from 2026 to 2033. It has two leap days, so its duration will be 2557 days on the Gregorian calendar.

Notes: *1: 2026-2033 is the next possible timeline for Daniel’s 70th week (aka the seven-year Tribulation), and our favorite. I give my reasons (other than the pre-tribulation Rapture occurring before this timeline) in the linked article above. In this proposed chronology of eschatological events, the start of the Tribulation and the start of the 1260-day ministry of the two witnesses of Rev. 11:3-12 begin on the same day.

For the Jews, it begins on the 10th day of the 8th month of their religious lunisolar calendar (Nisan to Nisan). Heshvan 10 is not an insignificant date on the Jewish calendar. See But as the Days of Noah Were :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready. The two witnesses’ death will occur 1260 days later on the 1st day of the 1st month, Nisan 1, on the Jewish lunisolar calendar.

*2: Nisan 1 is also the day the Antichrist begins his 42-month (1278.5 days) reign as king of the Earth, per Revelation 13:5. “And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.” Revelation 11:2 also mentions these forty-two months in regard to the newly built Temple in Jerusalem, “But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.” The end of the A.C.’s reign will occur on Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). See Note 5.

*3: From the start to the middle of the Tribulation is exactly 1278.5 days. The event that occurs in the middle of the Tribulation is the point from which all the other eschatological events mentioned in Daniel and Revelation are counted. On this 1278.5th day, the Antichrist commits the abomination of desolation. “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“ (Daniel 9:27). Jesus confirms Daniel’s prophecy regarding the abomination of desolation in Matthew 24:15-20.

In this chronological scenario, the Abomination of Desolation occurs on the biblical Feast of Firstfruits, which in 2030 AD falls on the 19th day of the 1st month of the Jewish calendar. Nisan 19 is also the 5th day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread. In the Gregorian calendar, Sunday, April 21, 2030, is Easter, when Christians celebrate the resurrection of Jesus. I believe the Antichrist intentionally picks this day to cause a cessation of the sacrificial system that had been reinstituted and commit the A.O.D. in the newly built Temple in Jerusalem.

This is the day the Antichrist reveals himself, according to 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, “Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; Who opposes and exalts himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sits in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.” After this abomination, the false prophet “makes an image” to the beast. “And he had power to give life unto the image of the beast, that the image of the beast should both speak, and cause that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed.”

The biblical Feast of Firstfruits (aka Easter) is the day that Jesus proved He was God by rising from the dead. It is the greatest day in the history of mankind, as Jesus defeated death, hell, and the grave. The Antichrist knows this. That is why he will choose this day to declare himself God. The Antichrist, who seemingly died and was brought back to life (per Revelation 13:3), and the False Prophet will have ‘another’ resurrection of their own on this appointed day. They will bring to life (probably through the demonic realm and possibly A.I.) the image of the beast, made in honor of the death and (supposed) resurrection of the beastly Antichrist.

*4: There will be 1251 days from the middle of the Tribulation (when the A.O.D. occurs) to Jesus’ second coming to the Earth on Rosh Hashanah (the Feast of Trumpets), as described by Revelation 19:11-16. Notice the Gregorian calendar date (September 23). Does that date look familiar to anyone? It was a date many predicted the Rapture would occur in 2017 and 2025. Rosh Hashanah always takes place on Tishri 1, at the time of the new moon conjunction of fall. This begins the 10-day countdown to Yom Kippur. These 10 days are called the Ten Days of Awe. Rosh Hashanah is the day the 10-day war starts between Jesus Christ and the forces of the Antichrist.

*5: There will be 1260 days from the middle of the Tribulation (when the A.O.D. occurs) to Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement). Tishri 10, Yom Kippur (the Day of Atonement), is the holiest day of the year for the Jews. Jesus destroys the Antichrist and the remnant of his army (Revelation 19:19-21 & Isaiah 63:1-6) during the Ten Days of Awe. He destroys them all the way from Petra, Jordan, to Jerusalem. “And the winepress was trampled outside the city, and blood came out of the winepress, up to the horses’ bridles, for one thousand six hundred furlongs” (Revelation 14:20).

This timeframe of 1260 days fulfills the prophecy of Revelation 12:6, “Then the woman fled into the wilderness, where she has a place prepared by God, that they should feed her there one thousand two hundred and sixty days.“ On Yom Kippur, the Jews will leave Petra, Jordan, and return to Jerusalem.

This Day of Atonement also fulfills the prophecies of Zechariah 12:10-11, 13:1, Ezekiel 36:26,33, and Romans 9:26. “And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourns for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddon” (Zechariah 12:10-11).

Basically, the Tribulation (judgments of God) is over at this point. However, the ‘official’ end of Daniel’s 70th week will not occur until approximately 19 days later. In 2033, it will have been 60 years since the Jewish victory in the Yom Kippur War of 1973.

*6: There will be 1278.5 days (42 months or 3.5 years) from the middle of the Tribulation (when the A.O.D. occurs) to the official end of the Tribulation on Tishri 29, and 2557 days after the start of the Tribulation. Tishri 29 is the last day of the Antichrist’s seven-year covenant with the many (of course, he broke the covenant midway) and marks the end of Daniel’s 70th Week (the Tribulation). It is also the 3.5 years or “time, times, and a half” mentioned in Daniel 12:7.

Daniel’s “70th Week” ends seven days after the last day of Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles). Perhaps the Feast of Tabernacles will be extended for an extra seven days, as when Solomon dedicated the First Temple in Jerusalem on Sukkot, as mentioned in 1 Kings 8:2.

“Then Solomon assembled the elders of Israel, and all the heads of the tribes, the chief of the fathers of the children of Israel, unto king Solomon in Jerusalem, that they might bring up the ark of the covenant of the Lord out of the city of David, which is Zion. And all the men of Israel assembled themselves unto king Solomon at the feast in the month Ethanim, which is the seventh month. At that time Solomon held a feast, and all Israel with him, a great assembly from the entrance of Hamath to the Brook of Egypt, before the Lord our God, seven days and seven more days—fourteen days” (1 Kings 8:2,65-66).

Jesus will have fulfilled all three fall Feasts of the Lord by this time (within the timeframe of Daniel’s 70th week), just as He fulfilled the spring Feasts of the Lord during His first coming.

*7: There will be 1290 days from the middle of the Tribulation (when the A.O.D. occurs) to Heshvan 10. This is the 1290th day of Daniel 12:11, “And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days.” This is the answer the Angel of the Lord gave to another angel who asked Him, “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?” (Daniel 12:6). The ‘wonders’ the angel was referring to is found in an earlier verse, “and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life” (Daniel 12:1-2a).

This is the resurrection of the Old Testament saints (and the Tribulation saints will probably occur at this same time). Also, verse 10 says, “Many shall be purified, and made white, and tried.” Verse 11 then explains that it will be 1290 days from the middle of Daniel’s 70th week (when the A.O.D. occurs) to the wondrous event of the resurrection of Old Testament saints.

*8: There will be 1335 days from the middle of the Tribulation (when the A.O.D. occurs) to Kislev 25. Kislev 25 is the first day of Hanukkah. This will be the blessed 1335th day of Daniel 12:12, which I believe is the start of the millennial reign of Jesus Christ. “Blessed is he that waits, and comes to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days.”

Also, as Hanukkah represents the cleansing and rededication of the Second Temple in Jerusalem, I believe the Millennial Temple of Ezekiel 40-48 is in view at this time. What is the last of the six conditions or objectives listed in Daniel 9:24? It is “to anoint the most Holy.” Most scholars see this as a reference to the Temple (or the Most Holy Place within it), though some see “most Holy” as a reference to the Messiah. What better day to anoint the “most Holy” than on Hanukkah, when the Second Temple was cleansed and rededicated (after the first abomination of desolation by Antiochus Epiphanes) approximately 2200 years before?

Author’s Note: When reckoning other seven-year timelines that are for 2569 days on the Jewish lunisolar calendar (Nisan to Nisan religious calendar or Tishri to Tishri civil calendar), the Jewish dates for the eschatological events mentioned in this article remain the same (or within a day or two). 2027-2034, 2029-2036, and 2032-2039 are seven-year timelines that consist of 2569 days on the Jewish calendar.

When reckoning seven-year timelines of 2540 days on the Jewish lunisolar calendar, the Jewish dates remain basically the same, except for the start of the Tribulation, which would then occur on Tishri 10 (and not on Heshvan 10). 2028-2035, 2030-2037, 2031-2038, and 2033-2040 are seven-year timelines totaling 2540 days on the Jewish calendar.

Of all the upcoming seven-year timelines I have just mentioned, only 2026-2033 has Easter/Feast of Firstfruits as the exact middle of the Tribulation, in which time the Antichrist will commit the abomination of desolation.

As I wrote about in Revising the Fixed Jewish Lunisolar Calendar :: By Randy Nettles – Rapture Ready, I consider the Jewish lunisolar calendar to be inaccurate for the years 2027, 2035, 2038, and 2043, where an intercalary month is added when it is not needed. My seven-year timelines are reckoned from Passover (Nisan 15 to the Jews), occurring on or after the vernal equinox (March 20 – Jerusalem time) and not the fixed Jewish lunisolar calendar (based on a predetermined intercalated Metonic cycle), which still uses March 25 for the date of the vernal equinox (a leftover from the Julian calendar).

The new moon conjunction will always be on the last day of the Jewish calendar, whether it’s the 29th or 30th day. The Jewish day begins at approximately 6:00 pm, whereas the Julian/Gregorian calendar day begins at 12:00 am (midnight). That is why you sometimes see two consecutive Gregorian dates for a single Jewish date.

Amen, even so, come Lord Jesus.

Randy Nettles

rgeanie55@gmail.com

Randy Nettles articles: Article Archives – Rapture Ready

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