While Israel hunkers down in advance of it’s 60th birthday celebration this month, I was reminded of a curious convergence of biblical dates and numbers I noticed a few years back.

As and aside, I must say what the Israelis have done with their land is truly a wonder. I’ve visited several other countries in the region, and not only have the Israelis been able to make the desert literally bloom, but they’ve built a strong, stable democracy in a part of the world that has been in political turmoil for millennia. It’s really too bad their neighbors can’t see past their petty pride and learn a few lessons from the Israeli model.

Anyhow, back to the numbers and dates. Israel was reestablished in 1948, which many believe was not merely the fulfillment of biblical prophecy, but also a signal that mankind was closer to the Second Coming than the Resurrection. First, consider Daniel 9:24:

Seventy weeks have been determined concerning your people and your holy city to put an end to rebellion, to bring sin to completion, to atone for iniquity, to bring in perpetual righteousness, to seal up the prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy place.

If one subscribes to the theory that this passage, in addition to other things, says a restored Israel will be granted 70 years to get right with God, that would mean Israel’s period of restoration would end in 2018.

If this event then triggers the “70th week of Daniel”, a period of seven years where Antichrist rises and ultimately rules, that would put us in 2025, which seems to be of no particular significance, until one considers the imprecise nature of biblical dating. Once reconsidered with a broader view, 2026 appears to leap out in significance.

Why is that, you ask? Because, according to scholars, 2026 is the first year in a window of years that could mark a momentous anniversary of the Crucifixion and Resurrection – namely 2000 years.

I’ll be honest and admit that I chose the headline to pique your interest, though I’m not convinced the theory is conclusive. While I’m certainly a premillenialist, I’m also generally skeptical about the interpretion of prophecy and signs. It does give one pause to wonder, however.

Trackposted to Rosemary’s Thoughts, Right Truth, The World According to Carl, DragonLady’s World, The Pink Flamingo, The Amboy Times, Big Dog’s Weblog, Cao’s Blog, Democrat=Socialist, and Stageleft, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

This entry was posted on Monday, May 5th, 2008 and is filed under Israel, Religion. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. Both comments and pings are currently closed.