Moving
forward in our study of Daniel we will expound on one of the key passages in
Old Testament prophesies as it is found in the ninth chapter of Daniel.It is reordered at the time of the end of the
Babylonian Empire and the onset of the rule of the Meads and Persians
specifically at the beginning of the reign of Darius the Median king. Daniel
has awareness that the end of the captivity would correlate with the end of a
seventy year period and that fact is discovered in the writings of Jeremiah and
specifically at Jeremiah 25:12.
Because
of Daniel’s burden for Jerusalem and the testimony of the Lord he entered into
a period of fervent prayer and fasting on behalf of his people mainly focused
on a humble supplication for forgiveness and restoration. This covers the
majority of chapter nine and the result was the revealing to him the mind of
the Lord for the future of Israel and it is covered concisely in the four
verses at the end of chapter nine and those being verses 24-27. Our object now
is to break those four verses down verse by verse and provide an accurate
interpretation which is the all-important matter.
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy
people and upon the holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end
to sins, and to make reconciliation, and to bring in everlasting righteousness,
and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” (Verse
24). The seventy weeks are understood as weeks of years, that is to say that
one week equals seven years and so the seventy weeks are 70 x 7 years or 490
years.(Comp. Lev. 25:12). So in view in the first verse of the passage is the
advent of Messiah and his ministry of reconciliation which seals the words of
the prophesies of the Old Testament; his anointing which took place at the time
of his baptism in the Jordan River including the decent of the Holy Spirit upon
him and he was then carried forward in a ministry to the people of Israel being
consummated with his death on the cross.
“Know ye therefore and understand, that from
the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks,
and three score and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall,
even in troublous times.”(Verse 25). So there came a decree at a point in
time after the captivity was complete that included the complete provisions for
rebuilding the city, the temple and the wall. It is to be realized that work on
the temple began first with many returning from the captivity to Jerusalem. The
work was hindered and preceded slowly with intervals of time. To pinpoint the
time of the decree to completely finish the work you may read of it in the
seventh chapter of Ezra. It was given by Artaxerxes the king of the Persians. Also the book of Nehemiah will provide the details of
the rebuilding of the wall in troublous times for there was much opposition. But
all the work was completed and worship was reestablished through the ministry
of Ezra the priest and the efforts of Nehemiah.
“And after three score and two weeks shall
Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that
shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary and the end thereof shall
be with flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined,” (Verse
26). The verse includes the cutting off of Messiah, i.e. his death on the cross
after three and one-half years of ministry. The Jews demanded his death at the
hand of the Roman government. It also includes the destruction of Jerusalem and
the temple in 70 AD by the Roman legions under Titus. This event happened
outside of the seventy weeks which were determined to be explained in verse
twenty seven, but was nevertheless prophesied ""desolations are determined".
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many
for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it
desolate, even till the consummation, and that determined shall be poured out
upon the desolate.” (Verse 27). The
verse covers a seven year ministry to the Jews. The first 3 1/2 years by Jesus
himself leading up to his crucifixion. Then for 3 ½ additional years his
disciples were commissioned to preach the gospel of the kingdom to the “lost
sheep of the house of Israel”. (Seven years equals one week). The desolations
determined represent the judgment that fell upon a disobedient and gainsaying
people. The end of the last week of the seventy came at the time of Stephen preaching to the Jewish Sanhedrin—he seventy
elders which represented the ruling authority spiritually of the people. Stephen was stoned to death at the end of his
sermon representing the formal determination and rejection of the nation
concerning the person and work of Jesus Christ.
The
seventy weeks were all completed and fulfilled consecutively beginning with the
decree of Artexerxes (Ezra chapter seven) concerning the completion of the building of the city and the wall and running through to the stoning of
Stephen in Acts chapter seven. The ‘gap’ theory propagated by dispensationalists
is a theological myth with no support in Scripture.
A
footnote to the interpretation is made necessary by the fact that millions of
Christians primarily evangelicals believe that the seventieth week comes at the
very end of the age in the form of the tribulation and a returning of God to the Jews
which they believe will be saved nationally. This heresy was propagated and
spread wide with the publication of the Scofield Reference Bible in 1909 and
several subsequent publications thereafter completely invading and destroying
the truth of the Scriptures both doctrinally and prophetically. There is no
support in the Bible for the restoration of Israel collectively whether nationally or according to
their ethnicity. God’s covenant and dealings
with them ended in the advent, crucifixion and subsequent rejection of their
promised Messiah; but allowing them 3 ½ more years to grasp and understand the message and embrace by faith the redemption spoken to them by the disciples.
David Lance
Dean visit my website and follow my blogs: authordavidlancedaen.com
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