February 1, 2000

Dear friends:

Over last weekend I was meditating on Sir Isaac Newton's interpretation of Daniel 9:25: "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, and THREESCORE AND TWO weeks" (7 X 7 = 49 years and 62 X 7 = 434 years).

Newton, who lived 300 years ago (1642-1727), was one of the greatest geniuses in all history -- perhaps the greatest. He is called the father of modern science and the industrial revolution. He discovered many scientific laws. God chose Isaac Newton to impart many of His deepest secrets.

Newton is also said to be a devout believer in Christ and Bible scholar, fluent in ancient languages, and who translated directly from the Hebrew. He was unusually drawn to the prophet Daniel, which he began studying at age 12 and continued until he died at age 85. In fact, The Columbia History of the World, a secular history book, remarks, "At the end of his days he spent more time studying and writing about the prophecies in the Book of Daniel than he did in charting the heavens." Did God Himself put in Newton's heart this burning desire to study Daniel, then give him the key to the timing of Christ's return? Could this be the final profound secret the Lord revealed to this godly genius near the end of his life -- a secret "accidentally" discovered in the Library of Congress and republished just in the last decade -- a secret so simple that most have missed it?

Newton believed and and others believe the above verse contains the timing (but not necessarily "the day or hour"!) of BOTH the first and second coming of the Lord. Most conservative scholars acknowledge that the verse pinpointed the year of the Lord's first coming, by adding the 49 and 443 year to get 483 years, which they count to His passion week.

But Newton believed that the 434 years separately applied to His first coming (His birth, and using different dating for the decree) and the 49 years to His second coming, both being counted, as it says, "from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem."

Using this idea, many thought the modern 49-year count began when Israel was established in 1948, counting 49 years from that year. However, Jim Harman of Prophecy Countdown Ministries believes the count began when Israel officially established Jerusalem as its capital on January 23, 1950.

I asked myself, "If Newton and Harman are correct, when would the window of opportunity be?" I thought that since a 49-year period was involved, the Jubilee count of Leviticus 25:8-9 might apply. The 49-year Jubilee count does not begin until the trumpet is blown on the Day of Atonement, which would have been in the fall of 1950. The count would have ended in the fall of 1999, making the current Jewish year 5760 (for which we have found so many prophetic implications), overlapping the Gregorian year 2000, the Jubilee year and window of opportunity.

Last night I called Jim Harman, a diligent watchman, to get his reaction to this idea. To my surprise, he said that he thought of that some time ago and actually included it in an article contained on his Web site. A difference is that he does not count from the Day of Atonement, but Rosh haShanah, or 1 Tishri, but both in the fall. If his idea is valid, we are in the Sir Isaac Newton window of opportunity during Jewish year 5760 which ends September 30, 2000 on the modern Jewish calendar.

Jim, who believes in a split, or phased, rapture, is hopeful for a "firstfruits" rapture in Jewish year 5760. His Web site address is http://www.prophecycountdown.com. The article he referred to is found by clicking on "Articles," then clicking again on "The Blessed Hope."

Below is an excerpt of Jim Harman's article, which gives more information:

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It is still my firm belief that the 49 years is correct...There had to be a
solution to this paradox where it appears that 49 years have already
elapsed, and next Pentecost would be after the end of the 50th year. The
solution had to be an error in our counting of the 49 years.

I then began questioning our counting of the 7 weeks (ie., 49 years) and I
researched the Scriptures on the counting of elapsed times for other
events. I have learned the following information that appears to clear up
the correct method for counting the 49 years.

First, a week of days in the Scripture is a time period beginning with
Sunday, the first day of the week and ending with Saturday, the seventh day
of the week. If an event in the Scripture is a week time period, it begins
with Sunday, the 1st day of the week and ends with Saturday, the 7th day of
the week.

If an event in Scripture begins on a Wednesday, and one week must elapse,
then the week will end on a Saturday 10 days later. A week of days in
Scripture is not only 7 days, but it is a specific 7 days that begins on
the first day of the week. A week of years would have to be counted in the
same manner. The first year cannot begin until the first day of the year.

The week in Daniel 9:26, is a 7 year period that begins on the first of
Tishri and ends on the day before the first of Tishri seven years later.
Consequently, 7 weeks (of years) from an inaugural event would begin on the
first day of Tishri after the inaugural event occurred and end 49 years
later on the day before the first of Tishri.

Consequently, the proclamation to return to Israel and restore and rebuild
Jerusalem that went out on January 23, 1950, was the inaugural event that
began the last 49 years before the Messiah the Prince would come. However,
the first of the 49 years could not begin until Tishri the 1st in the year
1950 (ie., 5711). Consequently, the 49 years can not end until Tishri the
1st in 1999. This date on our calendar is September 11, 1999, which happens
to be the 1st day of Rosh Hashanah.

Tradition has long held that Jesus Christ was born on Rosh Hashanah in
about 2 B.C. This means that Nehemiah's proclamation for the Jews to return
to Jerusalem took place sometime before Rosh Hashanah 436 B.C. and the 62
weeks ended precisely at the time of the birth of Jesus on Rosh Hashanah 2
B.C.

From I Corinthians 15:52, we know that the Main Harvest Rapture of the
church will take place at the last trump (the Great Tekiah that is blown on
Rosh Hashanah).

We also know from Daniel 7:25, the Saints who miss the First Fruits Rapture
will be turned over to the anti-christ for 3 years and a part of another
year. This is a 40 month period when anti-christ will persecute the main
body of the Church. Forty is the number of testing, so the Church will be
tested or tried for a period of 40 months after the Firstfruits Rapture
occurs.

After considering the Scriptures, it seems likely that the Firstfruits
Rapture of the faithful members of the Church will take place after Rosh
Hashanah in 1999, but before Rosh Hashanah in 2000. Since Pentecost
fulfills the pattern of fulfillment of the seven feasts of God by Jesus
Christ, it appears that the Firstfruits Rapture should take place on the
Feast of Pentecost 2000. This is not in accord with our initial belief that
it would occur on Pentecost 1999, but it is in accord with God's reckoning
of years." {end quote}

January 23, 1950 is the date Jerusalem was proclaimed the Capital of
Israel. It was a formal PRONOUNCEMENT by them to return back again to
set-up their Capital in JERUSALEM.

The 49 year clock began ticking on the 1st day of Tishri 1950 (ie., 5711).
The current year of 5760 is the year the angel Gabriel predicted that the
Messiah the Prince would return. If Sir Isaac Newton's interpretation is
correct, then this should be it!

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Note: Information on Sir Isaac Newton came from Newton's Prophecies of Daniel, republished in 1991 by the Oregon Institute of Science and Medicine, 2251 Dick George Road, Cave Junction, Oregon 97523. This is an exact replica, with Thomas Jefferson's initials in it, found by an American medical doctor while browsing in the U.S. Library of Congress. It is in the original old-English script and difficult to read.