The Seleni)) Weeks of Daniel^ of the 490 Years Prophesied by From “ Palestine Restored” By WALTER SCOTT The Placing Daniel.
has lasted for nigh two thousand years, occurs between the close of the sixty- ninth week and the opening of the seventieth; and, further, that t h e prophecy concerns Jerusalem and the Jewish people. The apostle had no need to write of times and seasons to Gentile Christians (1 Thess. 5 :1). This is not said to save the credit of the Word of God— it needs not the rude hand of men to prop up its foundations, or help to establish its imperishable and everlasting truths—nor is it an attempt to get out of a difficulty, but the proph ecy itself clearly teaches a long gap or interval between the last two weeks. The Prophecy in Full. We will transcribe the words of the prophecy in full (Dan. 9:24-27), adding a word here and there of explanation: “ Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people (the Jews), and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for in iquity, and to bring in everlasting right eousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. Know, therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of the command ment to restore and to build Jerusalem (Neh. 2), unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be seven weeks (49 years), and three-score and two weeks (434 years); the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (See books of Nehemiah and Ezra.) And after three-score and two weeks (in ad dition to the seven) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people (the Romans) of the Prince that shall come (little horn of chap. 7) shall
OME time ago we got into conversation with an intelli gent Roman Catholic priest. He was evidently a man of ob
servation and culture. Soon the con versation turned upon the state of the Jews in foreign lands, and we asked our friend, who had travelled extensive ly, if he could account for the amount of unbelief so prevalent amongst that people. “ Oh, yes,” he said, “ I can. Many of the Jews treat their own Scriptures with contempt, and are practically A- theists or Deists, because they believe that the God of their fathers has fail ed them; has been untrue to His Word.” “ Indeed!” we answered, greatly sur prised: “ how do they make that out?” “Well,” he replied, “ they speak of a prophecy in . Daniel of seventy weeks, at the close of which their Messiah would come and bring in a period of blessing and glory, and establish them in their own land as the head amongst the nations; now the seventy weeks of years have run out long since, and their blessing is as far off as ever. Hence they doubt their own Scriptures; and, further, say their fathers’ God has fail ed them.” “ What a striking confirmation of God’s Word,” we replied, “ for even un to this day, when Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart.” The truth is, that the mass of Jews and Christians err alike in the under standing of this celebrated prophecy. The mistake lies in not perceiving that the last or seventieth week is yet fu ture, and that a long time, one which
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