Message 1 - By Leroy Surface
The
“Seventy Weeks” Prophecy
The following four verses of scripture are the primary text
for this message.
Daniel 9:24-27 KJV
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to
finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to
seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
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: the street shall be built again,
and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore 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 a flood, and unto the
end of the war desolations are determined.
27 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 until the consummation, and that
determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Introduction
These four verses of scripture, containing
only one hundred and ninety six words, are without question among the most
powerful prophetic scriptures in the Bible. They are commonly called “The
Seventy Weeks Prophecy of Daniel.” The truth is, they are not a prophecy
of, nor by, Daniel; but rather a message from God sent directly to Daniel by
none other than the angel Gabriel. The importance of this message from God is
noted in that God did not give it as a dream or a vision, but straight from the
throne by one of the archangels. The prophecy must therefore be perfect as
received by Daniel; and is filtered only by the various language translations
from Daniel’s time to this. Amazingly, many prophecy teachers today believe
this prophecy is about a particular person who is yet to come, whom they call “THE
Anti-Christ;” a term which is not once mentioned in the King James Version
of the Bible, nor is it found in any writings (that I am aware of) before the nineteenth century (the 1800’s). A
misinterpretation of this twenty-seventh
verse has laid the foundation for an erroneous eschatology that has
developed over the past two centuries,
and is the most commonly believed end-time scenario at this present time. This
prophecy, however, is not about THE
anti-Christ, but totally about THE Christ, THE promised Messiah of Israel, who
would be called Jesus. This prophecy was given to Daniel over five hundred
years before the birth of Christ and pinpoints the very year that Jesus (THE
Christ) was baptized and began His ministry; as well as the time of His death
on the cross. The purpose of this prophetic message from God is to reveal the
mission of THE Messiah (THE Christ), and does so with simplicity and greater
clarity than any single prophecy in the Bible. In fact, the twenty-fourth verse states the promise, while the twenty-fifth verse reveals the
subject. Both the twenty-fifth and twenty-sixth
verses give the time, and the twenty-seventh
verse reveals the fulfillment of the promise. If we know who the subject of
this prophecy is and what His mission is, everything else falls simply and
clearly into place. It is my prayer that God would use me in this message to
bring that “clear understanding” to you.
The
Promise
Daniel 9:24:
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to
finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make
reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to
seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
The first words
of this great prophecy begin with the words, “seventy weeks are determined.”
Obviously, one important feature of this prophecy is a limited time span. God
is about to reveal His great secret to Daniel, which will come to pass before
the end of the prophetic “seventy weeks.” Time itself is a “count-down.”
If this were not true there would be no difference between “time” and
“eternity.” When iniquity was found in the “anointed cherub that covereth
(Ezekiel 28:13-19; known to us as
‘the Devil’),” time began to count down until the day he would be totally
defeated; and for the children of God, his works would be no more (Hebrews 2:14; I John 3:8). We do not know how much time God has determined until
the end of time, but we do know that God often reveals His secrets to His
people futuristically, so they can know that He is in control of both time and
eternity. Such was the case when God sent Gabriel to Daniel with this message
of the “seventy weeks.”
“Seventy weeks are determined...” There would be a beginning and an end to this prophecy. There could
be no “interruptions” because the time was “determined.” Whatever was promised
in this prophecy must be fulfilled before the end of the seventy weeks,
otherwise the whole matter would be just a deception perpetuated upon man, by
man. The wonderful truth is, this prophecy came to pass exactly as prophesied.
History proves this prophecy to be incredibly accurate in all its times and
dates. The faith of millions has also proven, for almost two thousand years,
that the promise of this prophecy is equally as incredible in its life changing
power to everyone who believes it.
“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people
and upon thy holy city….”
Daniel, being a Hebrew, had no
difficulty understanding the time frame of the prophecy. Under the Law of Moses
there was not only a “week of days,” but also a “week of years.” Every seventh
day was a “Sabbath day,” a day of rest for the people, while every
seventh year was a “Sabbatical,” or “Sabbath year;” a year of rest for the land. In it, no fields were to be plowed and no
crops were to be planted. God promised
to give them abundance in the sixth year, if they would “keep His Sabbaths.”
Also, in the seventh year, every Hebrew bond-servant was to be set free and
returned to His family and property. Daniel clearly understood the time frame
to be seventy weeks of seven years each. We, however, would better understand
the duration of the prophecy to be seventy X (times) seven years (or more
simply, four hundred and ninety years).
Even more
importantly than the duration of the prophecy is its promise. When these
seventy weeks were fulfilled, there would be an “end” of the old, and a
“bringing in” of the new. This is revealed in the six points of the
promise, given in the twenty-fourth
verse; “seventy weeks are determined…”:
1. “to finish
the transgression”
2. “to make an
end of sins (both of sin and
the sin offering; Hebrews, chapter 10)”
3. “to make
reconciliation for iniquity”
4. “to bring
in everlasting righteousness”
5. “to seal up
the vision and prophecy”
6. “and to
anoint the most Holy.”
It is a simple matter
to show that these six promises were all fulfilled in the death, burial,
resurrection and ascension of Jesus Christ. Calvary became the turning point of
history, the point on which all things eternal hinge. Jesus’ atoning death, in
our behalf, finished the transgression and made an end of sins to “everyone
that believeth.” It also “caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease” (Daniel 9:27). Reconciliation for
iniquity was made in His death, and everlasting righteousness was brought in by
His resurrection. Every prophecy of the “redeeming, suffering Messiah” was
fulfilled at the cross. Before
Calvary there was the “old man,” the “old covenant,” and,
the “old creation. After Calvary, the (our) old man is “crucified with Christ and,
the body of sin is destroyed” (Romans
6:6). Also, our old man
(now being crucified with Christ) is also buried with Christ; and in
the resurrection of Christ, a “new man” is “quickened (made alive) with Christ.”
Also after Calvary, the old
covenant is “disannulled” (Hebrews
7:18) and “abolished” (Ephesians
2:13-15). We now have a “new
man,” a “new covenant,” a “new creation in Christ.” Finally, the sixth
point of the promise, “to anoint the most Holy.” The definition of Messiah
(Hebrew), or Christ (Greek), is “The Anointed One.” Acts 10:38 tells us “how (that) God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power…,” and how that He now sits at the right hand of the Father
and reigns from the heavens. And, how He is anointed of God to be both Lord and
Christ (Acts 2:32-36).
The
Time Line
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; the street shall be built again,
and the wall, even in troublous times.
“Know therefore and understand…” God
intended that this prophecy should be understood. It was not given in deep,
dark, and mysterious language. There was nothing to be interpreted in this
prophecy. Instead, it was given in very simple and straightforward terms as in
this manner; “this is what is going to happen, and this is when it will
happen.” The great promise and subject of this prophecy is “The Messiah.” The
six promises we have seen in the twenty-fourth
verse tell what Messiah’s mission would be when He came.
“…that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build
Jerusalem…” With these words Gabriel establishes the
beginning of the prophecy and starts the time line. In the year 457 BC. King
Artaxerxes gave the decree that legally restored the government of Jerusalem
and freed the Jews to return and build the city. This first fulfillment of the
prophecy began the countdown to Messiah.
“…unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two
weeks;” Daniel recorded this prophecy as Gabriel
gave it to him so that all the Jews of future generations could read it. Those
that believed the prophecy could reckon the very year of Messiah’s
manifestation to Israel. They knew it would be a total of sixty-nine weeks of years, or, four
hundred and eighty-three years from the year of the king’s decree. If you
start with the year of the king’s decree, 457 BC, and move forward 483 years,
you come to the year 26 AD, which is the very year Jesus was baptized in the
river Jordan and anointed with the Holy Ghost. The Messiah made His appearance
to Israel in the very year Gabriel had told Daniel that He would. It is also
obvious according to the record of the scriptures that there were those in
Israel that were expecting His appearance.
Over thirty years
before Jesus was made manifest to Israel. The angel Gabriel appeared to an
elderly priest by the name of Zacharias, and told him that his barren wife
Elizabeth would bear him a son and to call his name John. He would “go
before the Lord in the spirit and power of Elias, to turn the hearts of the
fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just; to make
ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke
1:17). Six months later Gabriel appeared to a young virgin named
Mary to tell her that she was chosen to give birth to God’s own Son, whose name
would be called Jesus (Luke 1:26-35).
Some nine months later the angel of the Lord (Gabriel) appeared to shepherds as
they watched their sheep at night, saying, “behold I bring you good tidings
of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in
the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord” (Luke 2:7-14). About the same
time, according to the scriptures in Matthew
2:1-2, “...there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, saying, Where
is he that is born King of the Jews? For we have seen his star in the east, and
are come to worship him.” These wise men knew by the prophecies that the
time was near. The star was a sign to them that He was indeed born into the
world. By the prophecies, men not only knew the generation of Messiah, they
even knew the place of His birth. When questioned, the chief priests and
scribes told King Herod it was prophesied that Messiah would be born in
Bethlehem (Matthew 2:3-6).
When Jesus was
eight days old He was taken to the temple to be circumcised according to the
Law of Moses. The scripture tells us in Luke
2:25-30 that an old man named Simeon had long waited for the “consolation
of Israel.” It was revealed to him by the Holy Ghost that he would not die
until he had seen the Messiah. Simeon was led by the Spirit into the temple
just as baby Jesus was being presented and taking Him in his arms, blessed God,
and said, “Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, according to
thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation....” At the same time there
was an eighty-four year old widow who served God with fasting and prayers night
and day in the temple. The scripture says she “spake of Him (the baby
Jesus) to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem.”
The reason I
mention these events from the birth of Jesus is this; after four hundred years
of silence from Heaven, the angel Gabriel once again began to visit earth,
announcing the birth of the Messiah. Others looked for Messiah because they
knew the times and seasons from the seventy weeks prophecy. Almost thirty years
later John the Baptist came preaching repentance and declared when questioned “I
am the voice of one crying in the wilderness, Make straight the way of the
Lord.” He spoke of a greater one that would come after him who would
baptize with the Holy Ghost and with fire. The priests and scribes had known
where Messiah would be born, certainly they knew according to the prophecy the
very year of His appearing to Israel. When they heard John’s message they also
remembered the prophecies in Isaiah 40:3,
and even more especially in Malachi
4:5-6 which so specifically spoke of John’s ministry in relation to the
appearing of Messiah. All Israel were expecting the coming of Messiah. In the
year 26 AD, Messiah appeared in His ministry to Israel just as Gabriel had told
Daniel He would. The word began to spread throughout the land, “We have
found Him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets, did write, Jesus of
Nazareth” (John 1:45).
“…the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous
times.” You will notice that the time period unto
Messiah was divided into two distinct
periods; seven weeks (forty-nine years) and sixty-two weeks (four hundred and thirty-four years). The first seven weeks, or forty-nine years, was the time span given to rebuild the streets
and the wall. It was thirteen years after the king’s decree that Nehemiah came
to rebuild the wall and did so during very “troublous times.” The last prophet
of the Old Testament, Malachi, began his prophecy twenty-seven years after the decree. After Malachi there was a
period of over four hundred years during which there was no prophet in Israel
and no word from Heaven. Four hundred years of silence, but the believing Jew
held to the promise that Messiah was
coming.
The
Prince
Daniel 9:26:
And after threescore
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 a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are
determined.
“And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not
for Himself.”
The time periods
are seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks, a total of sixty nine weeks, after which Messiah
would be “cut off, but not for Himself.” This clearly speaks of the
crucifixion of Jesus in the seventieth
and last week of the prophecy. “But not for Himself” reveals that the
Messiah would die for others, in fact, for the sin of the whole world. Over one
hundred and fifty years earlier, Isaiah had said it this way; “But he was
wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the
chastisement of our peace was upon Him; and with His stripes we are healed. All
we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and
the Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all” (Isaiah 53:5).
“…and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city
and the sanctuary…”
This is the most obscure wording in this prophecy, but only because of modern
day interpretations. Many present day prophecy teachers teach that “the prince
that shall come” in this verse is one they call, “The anti-Christ.” Some, due to the fact that Jerusalem was
destroyed by the Romans in seventy AD, believe “the prince that shall come”
was “Prince Titus,” the young leader who led the battle against Jerusalem.
In these teachings they forget the subject of this prophecy, which is Messiah,
and give the rest of the prophecy to the enemy. If their interpretation is
true, the promises of redemption in the twenty-fourth
verse are null and void. If Messiah was not the only subject of this
prophecy, the faithful in Israel had trusted and waited in vain.
On the other
hand, if you were hearing this prophecy in the days before Christ, you would
know nothing about “Titus” or “The anti-Christ.” Reading in the twenty-sixth verse about the “prince
that shall come,” your mind would go back to “Messiah the Prince” in
the twenty-fifth verse. The
difficulty some have with this today, is the fact that the prophecy says “the
people of the prince that shall come shall destroy
the city.” It is obvious that it was the Romans who “destroyed”
Jerusalem. However, a study of the Hebrew word translated “destroy” in
this verse, reveals that the correct definition is “to decay, to ruin” (Strong’s
Hebrew Lexicon). It was translated throughout the Old Testament with the
English word “corrupt” or “corrupted.” Based upon this, a proper
translation would be: “the people,
of the Prince that shall come, shall
corrupt the city and the sanctuary.” The religious leaders in Jerusalem
certainly did this. It is recorded that Jesus, on two occasions, “cleansed
the Temple” by driving the
moneychangers out; calling them “thieves.” When rebuking the scribes and
Pharisees, Jesus called them variously, hypocrites, a generation of vipers,
children of the Devil, etc. Certainly they corrupted the city and the sanctuary
with their very presence. In the context of this prophecy, Jerusalem was
“destroyed” by her inhabitants, as was Israel in Hosea 13:9; “O Israel, thou hast destroyed (corrupted)
thyself, but in me is thine help.”
“...and the end thereof shall be with a flood...” As long as Jerusalem served the Lord no nation on earth could harm
her. It was in her backslidings that Jerusalem was destroyed. The manner that a
nation “destroys” itself is through “moral decay” or “corruption” from within.
This was the process shown in II
Chronicles 36:14-16, that took place before Babylon destroyed the city. “Moreover
all the chief of the priests, and the people, transgressed very much after all
the abominations of the heathen; and polluted the house of the Lord which He
had hallowed in Jerusalem. And the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by
his messengers, rising up betimes, and sending; because He had compassion on
His people, and on His dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God,
and despised His words, and misused His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord
arose against His people, till there was no remedy.” John 1:11, speaking of Jesus says, “He came unto His own, and
His own received Him not.” Just as their fathers before them had murdered
the prophets, the religious leaders of Israel plotted the murder of Jesus,
their Messiah. What remedy could there be? The end came with a flood; an army
of many thousands of Roman soldiers flooded through the gates of Jerusalem in
seventy AD and utterly lay the city and the Temple to the ground.
“...and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.” This probably refers to the physical desolation of Jerusalem that
continued until the beginning of this present generation, and the spiritual
desolation that will continue until they shall call unto Jesus, saying “blessed
is He that cometh in the name of the Lord” (Matthew 23:37-39).
Christ?
or anti-Christ?
Daniel 9:27:
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 until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
In my view, this
is the single most important prophetic verse of scripture in the Bible. For
nearly two thousand years, in fact, until less than two hundred years ago there
was almost universal agreement concerning the meaning of this verse. About a
hundred and fifty years ago another view began to emerge and by the last half
of the twentieth century it had become the predominant view of most every
prophecy teacher. The controversy between these two views begins with the first
two words of this verse; “And he….” The view that has stood for many
centuries is that the subject of this verse continues to be Messiah. The
modern, and most popular, view is that the subject of verse twenty-seven is anti-Christ. What you believe concerning this
single issue will determine what you believe Jesus accomplished at the cross in
our behalf as well as what you believe concerning anti-Christ and his
activities in the end time.
Have you ever heard
the teaching that immediately after the “rapture” of the church, “the
anti-Christ” will make a seven-year treaty with the Jews? According to this
teaching the “temple” will be rebuilt during the first part of the
treaty and the Jews will, once more, begin to offer animal sacrifices. Most
readers have likely heard of the search for the “ashes” of the “red
heifer,” and the preparations for the construction of the temple; Even that
the furnishings of the temple are being prepared exactly as they were in the
Old Testament temple. After three and a half years, according to this teaching,
the anti-Christ will break his treaty with the Jews, move his office into the
temple and declare himself to be God, requiring Israel and all the world to
worship him as God. It is at this time that he will require the whole world to
receive his “mark.” Those who refuse to receive the mark will be “guillotined;” but if they go to the guillotine “believing
in Jesus,” they will be saved and go to heaven. This horrible condition will
supposedly continue on earth until the seven years are up and Jesus comes from
Heaven with His armies to destroy the anti-Christ and those who are with him.
This entire seven year scenario is put forth as being “The Tribulation,” with
the last three and half years being “The Great Tribulation.” If this is
what you believe, then whether you were aware of it or not, you also believe
anti-Christ is the one spoken of in Daniel
9:27. If this were true, then
the twenty-seventh verse could be
paraphrased as follows. “And the
anti-Christ shall make a treaty with the Jews for seven years and in the middle
of the seven years he will break the treaty and stop the sacrifices and
offerings. He will set up an abomination that brings desolation and will
continue until his destruction at the end of the seven years.” Several
modern Bible versions have actually treated this verse very much in this
manner.
This erroneous
interpretation of Daniel 9:27, stands alone as the foundation of the
popular, modern eschatology. However, if this verse does not speak of anti-Christ, then this entire end-time scenario falls
apart. The chief objection to this particular end-time teaching is that it requires the entire “seventieth
week” of the prophecy be “deferred” until the time it is fulfilled.
This leaves a promise which was limited to a four hundred and ninety year time
span, to be stretched to almost twenty five hundred years and still waiting to
be fulfilled.
When Jesus was
baptized by John and anointed with the Holy Ghost, the sixty-ninth week of the seventy
week prophecy ended. All Israel were looking for the Messiah. The prophecy
foretold His appearing and John was preaching that the time of the coming of
Messiah was at hand. What a strange twist of events it would be if the
seventieth week were to be deferred for almost two thousand years, and what a
horrible deception if in fact the seventieth week were given to “the
anti-Christ” instead of “The Christ.” Nevertheless, this is exactly
what the most popular teachers of prophecy are asking us to believe. If such is
true, God failed to keep His promise on schedule, and the life and death of
Jesus would have no meaning at all to us. The Apostle Paul declares that God
did keep His promises. In Acts 13:32-33
he says “and we declare unto you glad tidings, how that the promise which
was made unto the fathers, God hath fulfilled the same unto us their children,
in that He hath raised up Jesus again.”
The correct understanding and fulfillment
of
Daniel 9:27 is as follows.
“And He...” This
can only refer to “Messiah the Prince.” Messiah is the object and subject of
this prophecy, and the correct understanding of the prophecy must hold to the
subject. This verse will reveal the events of the last week of the prophecy.
“...shall confirm the covenant with many for one week...” Just before going to the cross Jesus ate the last Passover supper
with His disciples. In Matthew 26:28
He took the cup and said to them, “this is my blood of the New Testament
(the New Covenant) which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” Two
times, in Isaiah’s prophecies of Messiah (Isaiah
42:6; 49:8), God said He would
give Him for “a covenant of the people.” Many times God had promised “an
everlasting covenant” and “a covenant of peace;” Jesus was that
covenant. The covenant was “confirmed (the Hebrew word actually means cut)”
when Jesus offered His own body and blood for the salvation and
sanctification of the people. The prophecy said this would happen in the last (the seventieth) week of the prophecy.
“...and in the midst of the week...” For three and a half years after He was anointed with the Holy
Ghost, Jesus “went about doing good,
healing all that were oppressed of the Devil” (Acts 10:38). For precisely one half of the seventieth week of
prophecy, He did the will and works of God His Father. It was in “the midst (the middle)” of the seventieth week that Jesus was given up
to be crucified. It was there that He was “cut off, but not for Himself.”
“...He shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease...” For thousands of years; from Abel’s “more
excellent sacrifice (Hebrews 11:4)”
until the last lamb of the last Passover before Calvary, God had required the
sacrifice of an innocent lamb that was “without spot or blemish” for an
atonement for the sin of man. Jesus was introduced to Israel, by John the
Baptist, as “the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.” Repeatedly
in the ninth and tenth chapters of
Hebrews, the scriptures tell us that Jesus came “once” to offer “one
sacrifice for sins forever.” Twice in the tenth chapter we are told that there “remaineth no more
sacrifice (or offering) for sin.” Millions of innocent animals had
shed their blood over a period of thousands of years to cover man’s sin; but
not one drop was ever found that could “take
away sin.” When Messiah, Jesus, the Son of God, offered His body and shed
His blood, it was sufficient. Never again will God accept another drop of blood
(neither animal or man ) for the sin of mankind. If Israel should rebuild its
temple and re-institute blood sacrifices, God will never accept it nor be
pleased with it. Such would only be a continued denial of the sacrifice of the
Messiah. Sacrifice and oblation ceased when Jesus and His blood were offered.
“...and for the overspreading of abominations He shall make it
desolate...” It was because of overspreading
abominations that Jerusalem was destroyed the first time. The eighth chapter of Ezekiel tells us why
God called Nebuchadnezzar against Jerusalem. God took Ezekiel in the Spirit to
the temple and let him see every manner of idolatry being committed there. He
told Ezekiel that these abominations were the reason His presence had left the
sanctuary. In the ninth chapter of
Ezekiel God sent destroyers to destroy the temple and the city, sparing
only those few God had marked as His own. In Matthew 23:37-38, Jesus brought scathing rebuke to the scribes and
Pharisees. He ended His rebuke with these words; “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem,
thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how
often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate.” With these words Jesus
fulfilled the words of the prophecy; “He shall make it desolate….”
“...even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured
upon the desolate.” Jerusalem
would be desolate “...even until the
consummation….” The word “consummation
(Strong’s #3617)” was translated from
a Hebrew word meaning “final destruction.” In the book of Isaiah, it was
twice translated “consumption.” Once
where Isaiah said, “...the Lord GOD of
hosts shall make a consumption, even
determined, in the midst of all the land” (Isaiah 10:23); and the second,
when Isaiah said he saw a “consumption
even determined upon the whole earth”
(Isaiah 28:22). Eleven times it is translated “a full end” or “an
utter end” as used by the prophets Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Nahum. Zephaniah
uses the same Hebrew word which was translated, “a speedy end.” Several
times God says He will make “a full end of the nations” but promises
Israel, “I will not make a full end of thee” (Jeremiah 46:28).
In the fourteenth chapter of Zechariah, verse two, God says He will “gather
all nations against Jerusalem to battle.” He continues; “the city shall
be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city
shall go forth into captivity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut
off from the city.” The war described here is the “consummation and that
determined,” Daniel 9:27. Until that time, Jerusalem will be desolate
of the presence of God. For over nineteen hundred years the Jews have suffered
unimaginable hardships and persecution in every nation they have been scattered
to. Fifty-two years ago their own nation was restored to them, but they still
have known no peace. The conflict that rages between Israel and the surrounding
nations will increase until God “gathers all nations against Jerusalem.” It
must be noted that God’s purpose is not the utter destruction of Israel, but as
He says in Zechariah 12:9, “I
will seek to destroy all the nations that come against Jerusalem. And I will
pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit
of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me (Him) whom they have pierced, and they
shall mourn for Him as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in
bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for His firstborn.”
Israel will once
more go through a horrible holocaust, but not “a full end.” The nations
that fight against Israel will take one half of Jerusalem, robbing the houses
and raping the women. Two thirds of the inhabitants of Jerusalem will be cut
off and die (Zechariah 13:8-9), but one
third will come “through the fire.” Certain genocide is at hand and it
seems, at last, Israel will come to her “full end.” For many years they
have wept at the “wailing-wall” in Jerusalem, crying for their Messiah
to come. Just as it seems all is lost, many in Jerusalem will awaken to the
truth that their Messiah did come and they rejected Him to die on the cross.
Thus “they... ,” in the words of the
prophet, “shall look upon me (Him) whom they pierced, and they shall
mourn for Him, as one mourneth for His only son.” A national mourning will
grip the remnant of Israel, not for the fallen in battle, but for their “crucified
Messiah.” It is then that “a fountain is opened to the house of David
and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleanness” (Zechariah 13:1). That fountain
is the precious blood of Jesus that was shed on the cross. It is at this time
that the Lord appears, to fight once more for Israel “as when He fought in
the day of battle” (Zechariah 14:3).
Jesus foretold their turning to Him in His last words of reproof to Jerusalem
at the time He left them desolate (Matthew
23:38-39). “For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye
shall say, Blessed is He that cometh in the name of the Lord.”
Scholarly
Confirmations
A study of
several well-known Bible scholars of the last several centuries uncovers one
fact; virtually none of them taught or believed the modern view of the “seventy
weeks” prophecy (vision). Neither did I find any before the twentieth century
that disagreed with basic tenants of this message, although there were some
minor discrepancies. For the further assurance of the reader concerning the
truth of this message, I will refer to several notable scholars.
Dr.
Henry H. Halley
“Halley’s Bible
Handbook,” first copyrighted in 1927 and published by Zondervan,
gives a most clear, concise, and to the point interpretation of this prophecy.
I quote Dr. Henry H. Halley as follows.
“The date from
which the 70 weeks was to be counted was the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. There
were three decrees issued by Persian kings for this purpose. The principle one
of these was 457 BC The seventy weeks is subdivided into 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and
1 week. It is difficult to see the application of the ‘7 weeks;’ but the 69
weeks (including the 7) equal 483 days, that is, on the year-day theory, which
is the commonly accepted interpretation, 483 years. This 483 years is the
period between the decree to rebuild Jerusalem and the coming of the ‘Anointed
One.’ The decree to rebuild Jerusalem, as noted above, was 457 BC Adding 483
years to 457 BC brings us to AD 26, the very year that Jesus was Baptized and
began His public ministry. A most remarkable fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy,
to the very year.
Further, within
3½ years Jesus was crucified, that is, ‘in the midst of the one week’ ‘The
Anointed One’ was ‘cut off,’ ‘purged away sin and brought in everlasting
righteousness. Thus Daniel foretold not only the Time at which the Messiah
would appear, but also the Duration of His Public Ministry, and His Atoning
Death for Human Sin.”
Matthew
Henry, 1662-1714
The first volume
of Matthew Henry’s commentary on the Bible was published in 1708. I refer to
his comments in relation to “The Messiah,” as promised in the “Seventy Weeks” prophecy.
“Concerning the
Messiah. The carnal Jews looked for a Messiah that should deliver them from the
Roman yoke and give them temporal power and wealth, whereas they were here told
that the Messiah should come upon another errand, purely spiritual. Christ came
to take away sin. Sin had made a quarrel between God and man, had alienated man
from God and provoked God against man; it was this that brought misery upon
mankind. Christ undertakes to destroy the works of the devil. He does not say
to finish your transgressions and your sins, but transgression and sin in
general, for He is the propitiation for the sins of the whole world. He came, First, to finish transgression, to
restrain it (so some), to break the power of it, and to set up a kingdom of
holiness and love in the hearts of men. Secondly,
to make an end of sin, to abolish it, to seal up sins (so the margin reads it),
that they may not break out against us. Thirdly,
To make reconciliation for iniquity, as by a sacrifice, to make peace and bring
God and man together. He is not only the peacemaker, but also the peace. He is
the atonement. God might justly have made an end of the sin by making an end of
the sinner; but Christ found out another way, and so made an end of sin as to
save the sinner, by providing a righteousness for him. The merit of His
sacrifice is our righteousness. By faith we apply this to ourselves and plead
it with God, and our faith is imputed to us for righteousness. He came to seal
up the vision and prophecy, all the prophetical visions of the Old Testament,
which had reference to the Messiah. He sealed them up, that is, He accomplished
them. He is called Messiah, which signifies Christ---Anointed, because He
received the unction both for Himself and for all that are His. When Paul
preaches the death of Christ, he says that he preached nothing but what the
prophet said should come (Acts 26:22-23).
And thus it behooved Christ to suffer. He must be cut off, but not for Himself.
It was to atone for our sins, and to purchase life for us, that He was cut off.
He must cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. By offering Himself a
sacrifice once for all He shall put an end to all the Levitical sacrifices.
Critical and Explanatory Commentary on the
Whole Bible;
By
Robert Jamieson, D.D., A.R. Fausset, A.M., and David
Brown, D.D.
Charles Spurgeon,
1834-1892, said of this commentary, “I consult it continually….” I use this
quotation only to establish an approximate time period. I refer to this
commentary for its comments on “The Seventieth Week.”
(Verse) 27. He shall confirm the covenant---Christ. The confirmation of the covenant is assigned to Him also
elsewhere. “I will give thee for a covenant of the people (Isaiah 42:6);” “The New Testament in my blood (Luke 22:20);” and, “the Angel of the covenant” (Malachi 3:1). Jeremiah
31:31-34 describes the Messianic covenant in full….
With many--- (Isaiah
53:11; Matthew 20:28, 26:28; Romans 5:15, 19; and Hebrews 9:28)
In the midst of the week---The seventy
weeks extend to 33 AD. Israel was not actually destroyed till 79 AD, but it was
so virtually, 33 AD, about three or four years after Christ’s death, during
which the gospel was preached exclusively to the Jews. When the Jews persecuted
the Church and stoned Stephen, the respite of grace granted to them was at an
end (Luke 13:7-9). Israel, having
rejected Christ, was rejected by Christ, and henceforth is counted dead, its
actual destruction by Titus being the consummation of the removal of the
kingdom of God from Israel to the Gentiles (Matthew 21:43), which is not to be restored until Christ’s second
coming, when Israel shall be at the head of humanity.
He shall cause the sacrifice and oblations to cease---distinct from the temporary “taking away” of “the daily”
(sacrifice) by Antiochus (Daniel 8:11,
11:31). Messiah was to cause all
sacrifices and oblations in general to “cease” utterly. There is here an
allusion only to Antiochus’ act; to comfort God’s people when sacrificial
worship was to be trodden down, by pointing them to the Messianic time when
salvation would full come and yet temple sacrifices cease ... Jesus died in the
middle of the last week, 30 AD. His prophetic life lasted three and a half
years ... The rending of the veil marked the cessation of sacrifices through
Christ’s death. There cannot be a covenant without a sacrifice. But here the
old covenant is to be confirmed, but in a way peculiar to the New Testament,
viz., by the one sacrifice, which would terminate all sacrifices.
Adam
Clarke
Adam Clarke’s Commentary
was first released in the year 1810 in England. Clarke’s commentary on the New
Testament Epistles is, in the opinion of this writer, the best he has found.
Concerning the seventy weeks prophecy, I will refer chiefly to Clarke’s
introduction and conclusion. It should be noted that Clarke was writing before
the four-year error in the modern calendar was discovered, therefore his
calculations place the death of Jesus at the very end of the seventieth week.
The four year calendar correction places Calvary exactly where Gabriel said it
would be, “in the midst” of the “seventieth week.”
Seventy weeks are determined---This is a
most important prophecy, and has given rise to a variety of opinions relative
to the proper mode of explanation; but the chief difficulty, if not the only
one, is to find out the time from which these seventy weeks should be dated.
What is here said by the angel is not a direct answer to Daniel’s prayer. He
prays to know when the seventy weeks of the captivity are to end. Gabriel shows
him that there are seventy weeks determined relative to a redemption from
another sort of captivity, which shall commence with the going forth of the
edict to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, and shall terminate with the death of
Messiah the Prince, and the total abolition of the Jewish sacrifices. In the
four following verses he enters into the particulars of this most important
determination, and leaves them with Daniel for his comfort, who has left them
to the Church of God for the confirmation of its faith, and a testimony to the
truth of Divine revelation. They contain the fullest confirmation of
Christianity….
From the coming
of our Lord, the third period is to be dated, viz., “He shall confirm the covenant with many for
one week,” that is, seven years, verse 27.
This confirmation
of the covenant must take in the ministry of John the Baptist with that of our
Lord, comprehending the term of seven years, during the whole of which He might
be well said to confirm or ratify the New Covenant with mankind. Our Lord says,
“The law was until John;” but from his first public preaching, the kingdom of
God, or Gospel dispensation, commenced.
These seven
years, added to the four hundred and eighty-three, complete the four hundred
and ninety years, or seventy prophetic weeks; so that the whole of this
prophecy, from the times and corresponding events, has been fulfilled to the
very letter.
Divine
Confirmation
Over five hundred
years before Calvary, the angel Gabriel revealed the very year Messiah would be
made manifest and the exact time He would be “cut off” at the cross. He
also revealed six things that would be accomplished through the sufferings,
death and resurrection of Messiah. As I have previously shown, all these things
were fulfilled in the very middle of the seventieth week when Jesus gave
Himself on the cross for our sin. The seventy weeks ended sometime in late 33
or early 34 AD, some three and a half years after Calvary. Contrary to much
present day teaching, no part of the prophecy was delayed in any way. The
promise of the prophecy was of the coming of Messiah to Israel and His atoning
death, fulfilled and finished at the cross. I have related to four different
Bible scholars of the past concerning the initial fulfillment of the promise,
but is it possible that God Himself has used this same prophecy to reveal and
confirm the very generation of Jesus’ second coming to earth? I believe that He
has.
A proper
understanding of Luke 21:24
pinpoints June 5, 1967 as the “end” of the “times of the Gentiles.” The “times
of the Gentiles” began when the “times of the Jew” ended, which
would coincide with the end of the “seventy weeks” prophecy. Remember
the wording at the introduction to the prophecy; “seventy weeks are
determined upon thy people….” Calvary brought the “end” of “old
things” and the creation of “new things.” The old covenant
fulfilled, a new covenant confirmed; the “old man” crucified, a “new
man” quickened; the old creation condemned, a new creation revealed;
Jerusalem “that now is” rejected, and “Jerusalem which is above” (Galatians 4:25-26), the “mother of
us all” (New Jerusalem), created. For almost two thousand years the
kingdom of God had been the nation of Israel that God had chosen in Abraham. Just
before going to the cross, when cross-examined by Pilate, Jesus had this to
say; “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world,
then would my servants fight, that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but
now is my kingdom not from hence” (John
18:36). Previously, in John
8:23, Jesus clearly told the Jews “ye are from beneath, I am from above:
ye are of this world, I am not of this world. I said therefore unto you, that
ye shall die in your sins: for if ye believe not that I am He, ye shall die in
your sins.” Calvary brought the end of the “natural kingdom,” and
established a “spiritual kingdom.”
It must be
understood that God did not “turn away” from one race (the Jew) and turn
to another race (the Gentiles). The line of separation is not between the Jew
and the Gentile of this world, but between “flesh,” and “spirit;” between
those who are “of this world,” and those who are “not of this world.”
Jesus said, “Ye must be born again.” Why must we be born again?
Because “That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of
the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be born again” (John 3:6-7). It was Nicodemus, a
ruler of the Jews, that Jesus said these things to. Neither the “old man,”
the “carnal nature,” the world, nor the natural Jew, will ever again be
accepted by God. Modern prophecy teachers have pinned so much of their doctrine
on the idea that Israel is “the fig tree” (Luke 21:29). Based upon this, they establish 1948 (when
Israel became a nation) as the “budding of the fig tree.” It should be
noted however that Jesus said, “Behold the fig tree, and all the trees; when they now shoot forth….” The sign
of the fig tree and all the trees is not Israel or the Gentiles, but simply one
of the signs that Jesus gave concerning the last generation, which began in
June of 1967. If it is true that natural Israel is the fig tree, then there are
other sayings of Jesus that must be considered.
Luke 13:6-9:
A certain man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came and
sought fruit thereon, and found none. Then said he unto the dresser of his
vineyard, Behold, these three years I come seeking fruit on this fig tree, and
find none: cut it down, why cumbereth it the ground? And he answering said unto
him, Lord, let it alone this year also, till I shall dig about it, and dung it,
and if it bear fruit, well: and if not, then after that thou shalt cut it down.
Mark 11:12-14:
And on the morrow, when they were come from Bethany, He was hungry: and
seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, He came, if haply he might find any
thing thereon: and when He came to it, He found nothing but leaves; for the
time of figs was not yet. And Jesus answered and said
unto it, No man eat fruit of thee hereafter for ever. And His disciples heard it.
Matthew 21:42-45:
Jesus saith unto them, Did ye never read
in the scriptures, The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become
the head of the corner: this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our
eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of God shall be taken from you (Israel), and given to a
nation bringing forth the fruits thereof. And whosoever shall fall on this
stone shall be broken: but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to
powder. And when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard
His parables, they perceived that He spake of them.
The “kingdom
of God” was taken from the natural nation of Israel because of their
unbelief (Romans 11:20), and given
to believers out of every nation, race, kindred, and people. It is a spiritual
kingdom, a holy nation; it is the church of our Lord Jesus Christ. Recall the
words of Jesus to Jerusalem in Matthew
23:38-39; “Behold, your house is left to you desolate. For I say unto
you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is He that
cometh in the name of the Lord.” That day is soon to come; not a day that
God will turn back to the Jew, but that the Jew will turn to the Lord Jesus
Christ. In that day they will cease to be “natural” Israel. They will be
born again of God, citizens of the heavenly Jerusalem and members of the church
of the firstborn (Hebrews 12:22-24).
They will have believed and received that which Jesus purchased with His own
blood at the cross. “For He is our peace, who hath made both (Jew and
Gentile) one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us;
having abolished in His flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments
contained in ordinances; for to make in Himself of twain (of two; the Jew
and the Gentile) one new man, so making peace; and that He might reconcile
both (Jew and Gentile) unto God in one body by the cross, having slain
the enmity thereby: and came and preached peace to you (Gentiles) which
were afar off, and to them (the Jews) that were nigh. For through him (Jesus) we both (Jew and
Gentile) have access by one Spirit unto the Father” (Ephesians 2:14-18).
Equal
Time
From the latter
part of 33 AD until June 1967 is almost exactly nineteen hundred, thirty-three
and a half years. This is the duration of what is called “the times of the
Gentiles,” which began with the end of the seventy weeks of prophecy. If we
mark from the end of the seventy weeks of prophecy back an equal time period of
nineteen hundred, thirty-three and a half years, it brings us to the exact time
that Abraham and his household was circumcised. Within a year the “seed of
promise,” Isaac was born. God told Abraham that circumcision was the “token”
of the covenant. It was here that Abraham finally “believed to receive”
the promise of God. At the same time a nation was chosen in Abraham. That
chosen nation was Israel. The time period from Abraham’s circumcision to the
end of the seventy weeks prophecy is exactly the same (plus or minus a year) as
the duration of the “times of the Gentiles.” God gave equal time to
each. I believe this is God’s way of assuring the believer that this is in
fact, the last generation on earth before the Second Coming of Jesus Christ.
What
Does This Prove?
If equal time
to both Jew and Gentile is the plan of God, and not just “coincidence,” as some
might say, it clears up and proves several important issues.
1. Those who teach that the seventieth week of prophecy was deferred
until after the “rapture” of the church are mistaken.
2. Those who teach that the seventieth week is a prophecy of
anti-Christ are also mistaken.
The following
are several things that are established by the seventy weeks prophecy.
1. It pinpoints the very year of Messiah’s manifestation to Israel.
2. It delineates the six things Messiah would accomplish.
3. It foretells the rejection of Messiah by Israel.
4. It pinpoints the year of Messiah’s suffering and death on the
cross.
5. It foretells the desolation of Jerusalem (the times of the
Gentiles).
6. It establishes a “bench mark” in time where the “times of the Jew”
ended and the “times of the Gentiles” began.
7. And finally, as a benchmark of time, this same prophecy pinpoints
the beginning of the last generation; the generation of Jesus’ Second Coming to
this earth.
If the modern
teachers are right when they teach that the
seventieth week is deferred to the very end of time, then none of the above
is true. If they are right when teaching that the seventieth week is about the
anti-Christ, then the promise of God, brought to Daniel by Gabriel failed,
reconciliation for iniquity has not been made, everlasting righteousness is not
ours, and Jesus died in vain. But God didn’t fail to keep His promise and Jesus
didn’t die in vain. Reconciliation has been made, and everlasting righteousness
is ours. God revealed His secrets to Daniel over five hundred years before
Calvary, and even today is beginning to reveal to His people those things that
even Daniel had to seal up in the book (Daniel
12:4).
How blessed we
are to be living in the generation of Jesus’ return to earth; but how different
it will be than most have imagined. Daniel does tell us that it will be “everlasting
life” to some, and “shame and everlasting contempt” to others; but
what a glorious day it will be for those who “do know their God.” The
coming of Jesus is upon us, “even at the door.” Are you ready to meet
Him.
Message
1 - By Leroy Surface - The Seventy Weeks Prophecy
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