God gives signs or markers so that we know when something
is complete.
Mt 24:14 "and this gospel of the kingdom will be preached
throughout the world as a witness to all nations, and then
the end will come."
A prophecy such as preaching the Gospel to all nations can
be left open forever if not for a marker.
In 1965 Pope Paul VI spoke to the General Assembly
of the United Nations in New York, the Babylon of our time.
It gives a point in time that lets us know that the prophecy
was fulfilled or will be fulfilled soon, maybe 40 or 70 years.
Global communications allow for the spread of the Gospel
to remote regions of the world again making it difficult to
mark a point when we can know the prophecy is fulfilled.
An important note to this prophecy is that the Vatican
maintains a Permanent Observer Mission to the United
Nations in which a Christian perspective is continually
presented to all the nations. Only anti-Catholics would
reject this mission as a Christian outreach to the world.
Read excerpts of the Popes UN speechLk 21:24 "..Jerusalem will be trampled underfoot by the
gentiles until the times of the gentiles are fulfilled"
A familiar event that many people have considered in end
time calculations is the Israeli 6 Day War in 1967. Prior to
this date the state of Israel was not in control of the old city
of Jerusalem.
Jesus made an important prophecy concerning Jerusalem
and the times of the gentiles.
1965 and 1967 fulfill 2 prophecies Jesus made,
is their proximity to each other a coincidence
The word 'fulfilled' means not only to complete or
accomplish but to execute an office or finish a task.
The Gentiles being a non Jewish people were given
their own task. Logically it can be assumed that what
is meant is the Christian mission. That mission is now
coming to a close. Considering that Jesus was talking
about an endtime scenario at the time the context
gives its meaning.
This makes sense in light of the Popes speech, if the
Gospel has been preached to all the nations then the
end will come. The near immediate capture of old
Jerusalem verifies this conclusion.
These two current events are separated by a mere two years.
Adding 70 to each of these dates gives us 2035 and 2037.
Why add 70?
Numbers are difficult to interpret. They may indicate an
actual value or they may have a symbolic meaning.
70 is the product of 7 and 10, both numbers deal with
completion and have a sacred character.
From the time of Jesus birth to the destruction of Jerusalem
was 70 years.
The number 70 was on prominent display during Jesus
first coming.
It was the initiation of the new covenant accompanied by
a great calamity for the Jewish people.
At the time of the destruction of Jerusalem both
uses of the number were applicable. It is not illogical
to consider that the number 70 will somehow come
into play at the end of time.
There would be a symetrical relationship
if A) Jesus first coming at His birth and the destruction of
Jerusalem,
with B) the reaquisition of Jerusalem and Jesus
second coming.
But it would seem that the number 70 will show up
at the end as it did at the begining.
To illustrate the importance of numbers in the scheme
of things take note of the fate of the U.S.S.R.
This totally atheistic nation which treatened complete
nuclear destruction of all humanity lasted just over
70 years.
The U.S.S.R. was an attempt by Satan to undermine
Gods endtime plan by eliminating the human race.
It was certainly an apocalyptic sign.
Could God be reminding us at this time of the significance
of the number 70?
More Thoughts on 70