A 2,500-Year-Old Prophecy Fulfilled in Modern Times
June 7, 1967 – A Day God Showed Up in Jerusalem on Television
Picture this: It’s the morning of June 7, 1967. Israeli paratroopers race through the narrow streets of Jerusalem’s Old City. Moments later, they stand on the Temple Mount – hearts pounding, eyes wide as they take control of one of the most sacred spots in the world. It was a moment seen live on television around the globe. What most people didn’t know then, though, was that this breathtaking moment wasn’t just a military victory – it was the precise fulfillment of a 2,500-year-old prophecy from the Book of Daniel.
I’m not a prophet, just a Bible researcher. My role is to study what Scripture says about future events and compare that to actual historical events. And when I say a prophecy is fulfilled, I mean it lines up with history exactly. No guesses. No fudging the numbers. So let me walk you through what I believe is one of the most powerful examples of prophecy proving the hand of God in our world today.
What Makes the Bible’s Prophecies Unique
Unlike any other ancient religious text, the Bible makes specific, time-stamped predictions about future events – all of which have been fulfilled with 100% accuracy. The Book of Daniel contains several of these, but let’s zero in on one that directly relates to the modern State of Israel. In Daniel chapter 8, verses 13 and 14, we find a unique time-based prophecy. Here is the text of the prophecy from two authorized translations:
King James Version (Protestant): “Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
JPS 1917 Version (Jewish): “Then I heard a holy one speaking; and another holy one said unto that certain one who spoke: ‘How long shall be the vision concerning the continual burnt offering, and the transgression that causes appalment, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trampled under foot?’ And he said unto me: ‘Unto two thousand and three hundred evenings and mornings; then shall the sanctuary be victorious.’”
Despite slight wording differences, both the King James Version and the Jewish Publication Society’s 1917 edition say exactly the same thing, since both are translations based on the same Hebrew text – the Masoretic Text – which has been preserved virtually unchanged since ancient times. And modern archaeology (like the Dead Sea Scrolls) backs that up. This prophecy includes three time-specific components:
- A starting event in history,
- A measured time interval,
- An ending event that also shows up in history.
Component One: The Starting Event
Daniel 8 uses symbolic language to describe the start of this countdown. In verses 5-7, a goat with one big horn attacks a ram with two horns. The meaning is explained in verses 20-21: the ram represents the kings of Media and Persia, and the goat is the first king of Greece – historically, Alexander the Great. So, the prophecy begins with a historical battle: Alexander the Great’s first clash with the Persian Empire. That happened at the Battle of Granicus, in what’s now Turkey, around May/June of 334 B.C. That’s the starting point.
Component Two: The Time Interval – 2,300 What?
Daniel 8:14 says the time span between that battle and the cleansing of the sanctuary is 2,300 ‘evenings and mornings.’ (two Hebrew words translated “days” in some Bibles), but what exactly does that mean? Well, in Hebrew, the phrase ‘evening-morning’ is used elsewhere in the Bible to describe a night, specifically Passover night. Exodus 12 spells it out: Passover was to be observed once a year, and it’s described as an event that takes place ‘from evening to morning.’ So, when Daniel mentions 2,300 evening-mornings, it’s really talking about 2,300 Passover nights.
Component Three: The Ending Event
If you start counting from the first Passover after the Battle of Granicus – that’s the one in 333 B.C. – and you count 2,300 Passover nights, you land on the Passover of April 25, 1967. Just weeks later, during the Six-Day War, Israeli forces reclaimed Jerusalem’s Old City and the Temple Mount on June 7, 1967. That’s the exact sequence Daniel described:
- Start: Alexander the Great battles Persia (334 B.C.)
- Count: 2,300 Passovers (one Passover each year)
- End: The sanctuary is ‘cleansed’ (i.e., returned to Jewish control)
Note: The Hebrew word translated as ‘cleansed’ in verse 14 is nitzdaq, and it can also mean ‘restored,’ ‘vindicated,’ or ‘set right.’ In the 1917 Jewish Publication Society translation, it’s rendered ‘shall be victorious.’ And indeed, Israel’s victory was exactly that.
But What About Today? Isn’t the Temple Mount Still Under Muslim Control?
That’s a fair question. Yes, it’s true that the Temple Mount wasn’t turned into a Jewish place of worship. And yes, Muslims still administer the site under an Islamic trust, or waqf, thanks to a decision made by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan shortly after the war. But here’s the key point: Daniel’s chapter 8 prophecy never said a new temple would be built or that worship would resume immediately. It simply said the sanctuary would be restored, or returned to its rightful owners. And that’s exactly what happened. Since 1967, sovereignty over the Temple Mount has rested with the State of Israel.
So What Does This Mean for Us Today?
The prophecy in Daniel 8 was fulfilled down to the year, right on schedule – 2,300 years (Passovers) after the starting event. That’s not vague. That’s not symbolic. That’s precise. In an age where many doubt the existence of God, this prophecy stands as hard historical evidence that He exists, that He keeps His promises, and that He is actively working in human history. It’s not just a story. It happened. And the world saw it unfold.
Want to Dig Deeper?
You can read more about this and other fulfilled prophecies in my book Daniel Unsealed. And if you’re curious about how this kind of prophetic research is done, I invite you to visit my website, goodnewsforjews.org, where you can download all of our Bible commentaries at no charge in PDF format..