When Did God's Kingdom Begin Ruling? Part 2

SEVEN TIMES END-THE LAST DAYS BEGIN

Cameron: In the prophecy's initial fulfillment involving Nebuchadnezzar, the seven times were evidently seven literal years. But in the larger fulfillment involving God's Kingdom, the seven times must be much longer than seven literal years. 

Jon: Why do you say that?

Cameron: For on thing, recall that the seven times begin when Jerusalem was destroyed in 607 B.C.E. If we start counting from that year, seven literal years would take us to the year 600 B.C.E. But nothing significant happened in that year with regard to God's rulership. Besides, as we considered before, centuries later when Jesus was  here on earth, he indicated that the seven times had not yet ended. 

Jon: Oh, yes. I remember that now.

Cameron: So, rather than being literal years, the seven times must involve a longer period of time. 

Jon: How long?

Cameron: The Bible book of Revelation, which is closely connected with the book of Daniel, helps us to determine exactly how long the seven times are. It identifies  a period of three and a half times as counting to 1, 260 days.  Thus, seven times-twice the amount of three and a half times-would equal 2,520 days. Are you still with me? 

Jon: Yes, I follow you. But I don't see how this shows that God's Kingdom began ruling in 1914.  

Cameron: OK, let's see if we can make the connection. Sometimes in Bible prophecy, a day symbolizes a year. If we apply the rule of a day for a year, the seven times would amount to 2,520 years. Counting forward  from 607 B.C.E..  2, 520 years takes us to the year 1914.  That's how we arrive at 1914 as the year that the  year seven  times ended, the start of Jesus' rule as King of God's Kingdom. And significantly, since 1914, major world events have happened-events that the Bible foretold for the last days. 

Jon: What sort of events? 


Next time: Conclusion of: When Did God's Kingdom Begin Ruling? Part 2-SEVEN TIMES END-THE LAST DAYS BEGIN

From the Watchtower magazine, 2014