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 vi
sion and the prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy. Daniel
9:24
Seventy weeks are used as one unit of time or as a total
amount of time that is divided off to the people of Daniel.
Daniel was hopeful that the Messiah's First Advent would be
in his lifetime. The Angel of God came to this great beloved
man and gave him skill and understanding in these matters. We
all need skill and understanding in these days as we are near
the Second Advent of our Lord.
Almost all agree that the time element in this pass age is
according to the day representing a year according to
Ezek.4.6 and Num.14:34. When Daniel had understanding he knew
it would be about 500 years from his lifetime until the
advent of the Messiah the first time. The seventy weeks are
listed as, seven weeks, sixty-two weeks and one week. The
'seventy weeks' is plural in that there are more than one
week and yet the Hebrew verb translated 'determined' is
singular. Seventy weeks is determined, shows that the
construction here denotes, ONE COMPLETE PE RIOD OF TIME
WITHOUT ANY STOP-GAP, or else the verb would be plural. NO
STOP-GAP IS MENTIONED!
The Prophecy had to do with the Messiah and the rebuilding
of Jerusalem-even the street and the walls. It is contended a
week after the seven and the sixty-two or total of sixty-nine
weeks is cut off by itself, with at least two thousand years
in between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth week. It is
assumed that God will count no more time for Daniel's people
in this stop gap time but will start the clock up aga in when
we reach the last seven years of time. THIS HAS TO BE
ASSUMED. THERE IS NO STOP-GAP IN ALL OF THIS SCRIPTURE. TO
ASSUME IS DANGEROUS.
Know therefore and understand, that from the going
forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem UNTO
the Messiah shall be seven weeks, threescore and two weeks.
The street shall be built again and the wall, even in
troublous times. Daniel 9:25.
We can see at once this prophecy has not one thing to do
with our modern times in use of atomic weapons, for no walls
today could stop rockets, airplanes or modern warfare. This
wall was to be built after the commandment to restore and to
build Jerusalem. The wall would be built again with workers
holding weapon in one hand and tool in the other, even in
troublou s times. From the time that commandment went forth
UNTO the Messiah (anointed one) would be 483 years, lacking 7
years of all the 490. Note the Seventieth week of 7 years
would come AFTER the sixty-ninth. How long unto the Messiah?
Sixty-nine week-UNTO . What ever the Messiah shall do after
he is anointed when he is baptized in Jordon of John, will
have to be accomplished AFTER the 69 weeks, or in the 70th
week.
Since Salvation is of the Jews, Salvation will have to be
made effective in the seventieth we ek. Since NOW is the
accepted TIME and 'TODAY' is the day of salvation, and since
Jesus is the Author of Eternal Salvation, it stands to reason
of common sense and logic that it will have to be purchased
in the seventieth week in following the sixty-nint h ending
with the anointing of the Messiah. If we wait until the last
seven years of time, we are now without salvation.
After threescore and two weeks [plus the previous
seven (or sixty-nine weeks)] shall the Messiah be cut
off, but not for himself. Dan. 9-26a. Note the Messiah
being cut off, but not for himself, indicates he will not die
a natural death but will die a violent death and for sins of
others. When shall he be cut off? Look at it! Search! You
will find he is cut off AFTER the sixty-ninth week, and very
plainly in the Seventieth. All reason of logic demand that if
he be the Author of Eternal Salvation, he had to be cut off
in the midst of the Seventieth week and he did just that.
TRANSGRESSION OF DANIEL'S PEOPLE
FINISHED: THEY DENIED THE HOLY ONE AND KILLED THE PRINCE OF
LIFE.
The parable of the vineyard, Luke 20:13- should shew forth
this fact very plainly to all. He came to his own and His own
received him not. John 1:11. But ye denied the Holy One and
the Just, and desired a murdere r to be granted unto you, and
killed the Prince of Life. Acts. 2:14-15.
TO MAKE AN END OF SINS:
Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the
World. John 1:29
But now once in the end of the world both he appeared
to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. Hebrews 9:26
For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of
goats should take away sin. Hebrews 10:4
Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy will, 0 God. He taketh
away the first that he may establish the second. By which
will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of
Jesus Christ once for all. Hebrews 10:9-10
But this man after he had offered one Sacrifice FOR
SINS FOREVER, sat down on the right hand of God. Hebrews
10:12
For by one offering he hath perfected forever them
that are Sanctified. Hebrews 10:14
Christ died for our sin. I Cor. 15:3
He was manifested TO TAKE AWAY OUR SINS. I John 3:5
He bare our sins in his own body on the tree. I Peter
2:24
The cure: To take away and make an end of sins was founded
at Calvary in the seventieth week in the midst of the week,
When Jesus died for us!
TO MAKE RECONCILIATION FOR
INIQUITY:
That he might be a merciful and faithful high priest
in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the
sins of the people. Hebrews 2:17
And having made peace through the blood of his cross
by him to reconcile all things unto himself.... and you that
were sometimes alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked
works, yet now both he reconciled. In the body of his flesh,
through death, to present you holy and unblameable in his
sight. Colossians 1:20-22
That he might reconcile- both unto God in one body by
the cross, having slain the enmity thereby. Ephesians 2: 16
This was done by Christ at Calvary in the Midst of the
seventieth week!
TO BRING IN EVERIASTING
RIGHTEOUSNESS:
For as by one man's disobedience many were made
sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made
righteous. Romans 5:10
But now the righteousness of God without the law is
manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; even
the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ
unto all and upon all them that believe. Romans 3:21 & 22
For he hath made him to be sin for us who knew no sin,
that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. 2
Corinthians 5:21
Seek ye first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness.
Christ by his obedience-to God in death and resurrection, has
established and brought in everlasting righteousness in the
Midst of the 70th Week!
HE SHALL CONFIRM THE COVENANT:
The whole idea here is the confirmation of a covenant, not
the making or breaking of one. And this I say, that the
covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ...... 19.
Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of
transgressions---till the s eed should come to whom the
promise was made. Galatians 3:17-19
He is the Mediator of the New Covenant. Hebrews 8:6
Now the God of peace that brought\tab again from the
dead, Our Lord Jesus, that great Shepherd of the sheep
through the blood of the everlasting Covenant. Hebrews 13:20
The first covenant was dedicated by \tab the blood of
animals; the everlasting covenant by blood of Christ. So
then, Christ CONFIRMED THE COVENANT THAT GOD MADE WITH
ABRAHAM. It is an everlasting covenant!
HE SHALL CAUSE THE SACRIFICE AND
THE OBLATIONS TO CEASE:
There is not one word said in this Scripture about the
making of offerings and sacrifices, but just the opposite- a
making of Sacrifices and oblations to cease. This was
accomplished at Calvary by the death of Christ in the Midst
of the seventieth week.
HIS SACRIFICE OF SELF ENDED ALL
SACRIFICES TO GOD FOR SINS!
He is the final, supreme and eternal sacrifice that puts
and end to all sacrifices to God for sins. If after we have
come to Christ and then sin wilfully, there r emaineth no
more sacrifice for sins. Hebrews10:24. In the midst of the
70th week, following-the 69th week, Jesus caused all these
to-end by Sacrifice of himself thereby bringing in Eternal
Salvation.
TO SEAL UP THE VISION AND THE
PROPHECY AND TO ANOINT THE MOST HOLY.
To anoint the Most Holy, would be to anoint Jesus Christ
with the Holy Spirit at his baptism.
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath
anointed me\'85 Luke 4:18
Jesus sealed up the vision by fulfilling those things
which were written in t he law and prophecy concerning him
and also this vision shewed to Daniel. A sure facts is that
if Jesus had not served in the seventieth week as he did, the
Holy One would not have been anointed nor the vision made
sure by his sealing it.
From the going f orth of the commandment-by Artaxerxes,
457 B. C. to 27 A. D. is 483 years or sixty nine weeks unto
the Baptism, Anointing of the Messiah. After Sixty-nine
weeks, the Messiah shall be cut off. This was fulfilled in
the midst of the seventieth week.
HE SHALL CONFIRM THE COVENANT WITH
MANY FOR ONE WEEK:
This is speaking of Christ, It cannot be speaking of the
Prince mentioned, for it is "THE PEOPLE OF THE PRINCE'
and prince is the object of the Preposition "of"
and is a modifying clause. The pronoun 'he' c annot refer or
have as its antecedent a noun which is the object of a
preposition in a modifying clause. The word 'he' has to then
refer to Christ. He DID CONFIRM THE COVENANT WITH HIS BLOOD
WHEN HE DIED AND DURING 31/2 YEARS OF MINISTRY CONFIRMING
AFTER HIS RESURRECTION BY THE CHURCH!
THE PEOPLE OF THE PRINCE THAT SHALL
COME SHALL DESTROY THE CITY AND THE SANCTUARY.
There is nothing said about building a Temple, but rather
the destruction of the Sanctuary. There is nothing said about
a Man of Sin in this whole account. There is nothing said
about making or break-a covenant but rather the confirming of
THE COVENANT. There is nothing said about offering
sacrifices, but rather we do find a making of sacrifices and
ablations to CEASE. The people 'of t he Prince' who came and
fulfilled this was the Romans- under Titus who fulfilled it
in 70 A. D.
OUR CONCLUSION IS THAT THE GREATEST
WEEK IN THE HISTORY OF ALL TIMES IS THE 70th WEEK OF DANIEL'S
PEOPLE.
It was the week which followed the 69th-UNTO the Mess iah:
and it was the week when offerings and oblations were made to
cease. It was the week when Jesus Christ DIED FOR OUR SINS,
AND NOT OURS ONLY BUT FOR THE SINS OF THE WHOLE WORLD! IT WAS
THE WEEK WHEN OUR GOD RAISED JESUS FROM THE DEAD, CONFIRMED
THE E VERLASTING COVENANT AND CAUSED THE SACRIFICES AND
OBLATIONS TO CEASE. There IS NOT ONE WORD SAID ABOUT A
STOP-GAP. If I add a STOP-GAP, A REBUILT TEMPLE AND A MAN OF
SIN WITH THE MAKING AND BREAKING OF A COVENANT, THEN WOE IS
ME FOR ADDING AND ASSUMING SOMETHING THAT IS OUT OF HARMONY
WITH THE REST OF THE SCRIPTURES!
Jesus makes it plain in the sixth chapter of John that he
will raise his people up "AT THE IAST DAY". Not
seven years before the last day. He will destroy the MAN OF
SIN WITH THE BRIGHTNESS OF HIS COMING!
Pastor Z. B. Duncan