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Living the Christian Life Magazine
From the very day that the decree was given to rebuild Jerusalem and the day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem is exactly 483 years(prophetic years of 36 days). The first seven weeks, this period of 49 years, this was the time actually of the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. After the return the walls were rebuilt. Following that period, we have a further period of 62 weeks until Messiah shall be cut off, and the word is literally, cut down, destroyed, executed, and this surely can only refer to Calvary,
For just a few days you will remember, after they said "Hosannah" they said "Away with Him. Crucify Him" and we are told that after three score and two weeks shall Messiah but cut off, He came as their King and he never received the kingdom. He had nothing. They crucified Him.
So we come to the final week. The one week, seven years, the time of the end, and seven years is a very short period indeed. I say that this particular week must be in the time of the end, because if you look again at verse 26,
"After three score and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off and shall have nothing; 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 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 abomination he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation."
Even until the end, even until what Gabriel said was to complete the whole period of 70 weeks, that is the bringing in of everlasting righteousness and the removal forever of iniquity. Now that has not yet taken place and it must therefore be at the time of the end. Some would claim; that we have here a reference to the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in A.D.70, but you know it does not fit in with the Biblical story.
The Romans made no covenant with Israel. We assert, therefore, as we have seen all the way through, that in the historical record there is a gap, this parenthesis of grace, this Church Age of which the Old Testament prophets knew nothing at all. When Daniel is talking of the history of the people of Israel he says there are 70 weeks, 70 periods of 7 years, 490 years of history for the children of Israel and then the end comes.
Then is the consummation, but he knew nothing of this period that has lasted for nearly 2,000 years. We have seen that this has been the case throughout. The Old Testament prophets saw the future as just one long vista, they did not see this gap in between, but we know its there, and indeed we can find that this is not inconsistent with the whole tenor of scripture on this point.
You remember Jesus, when He is quoting the prophet in the synogogue in Nazareth, He found the prophet Isaiah, He opened the book and found the place where it was written "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, he hath sent me to heal the broken hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives and the recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised and have preached the acceptable year of the Lord...
” and He closed the book and He stopped in the middle of a sentence”
He stopped half way in what the prophet was saying, for the prophet went on to speak of the day of the vengeance of our God. Isaiah saw it all as one continuous progression. Jesus knew that there was this Church Age that stands in between, and we know it too.
Daniel’s Prophecy in Daniel Chapter 9 -
Seventy sets of Seven (70 weeks)-
Page 2 - “What does it all mean ?”
Bible Prophecy