GEORGE I. BUTLER by George I. Butler

Review and Herald Publishing Association · Takoma Park Station, Washington, D. C. · Dec 3, 1908

GEORGE I. BUTLER

By George I. Butler

At the Time Appointed the End Shall Be—No. 2

GEORGE I. BUTLER

In the preceding article, we reached the explanation of the vision of Daniel 8, of which the Lord had said, “Gabriel, make this man to understand the vision.” Gabriel had explained concerning the symbol-beasts representing Medo-Persia, Grecia, and Rome, but had not explained to Daniel the period of twenty-three hundred prophetic days, or years. He had now come fully to explain the meaning of that period and its subdivisions. He begins where he left off in the eighth chapter. He says no more about the beast-symbols, which he had explained, but takes up the time-period at once. “Seventy weeks are determined [“decreed,” A. R. V.] 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. 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. 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 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 [“upon the desolator,” margin].” Dan. 9: 24-27.

These words fully complete all the explanation ever given to Daniel. If they do not fully explain the prophetic period of twenty-three hundred days, then it never has been explained, and Gabriel did not do what he was commanded to do. This, of course, we can not believe. Therefore, we conclude that the explanation here given contains all the information necessary for an understanding of this prophetic period.

The explanation starts out with a very important statement: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people,” “the holy city,” etc. Here we learn that Daniel’s people have appointed to them seventy weeks of this period. The expression being symbolic, it really means that four hundred ninety years of this period was allotted to the Jewish nation, after which the Gentiles were to have the same blessings as they.

The Hebrew word nehhtak, here rendered determined in the Authorized Version, is defined by Gesenius, in his Hebrew Lexicon, “properly, to cut off.” In other words the text would literally read, “Seventy weeks are cut off upon thy people and upon the holy city,” etc. This is the literal meaning. Cut off from what?—From the long prophetic period of twenty-three hundred prophetic days, which Gabriel was explaining to Daniel. There was nothing else mentioned from which this period could be “cut off.” In other words, four hundred ninety years of the twenty-three hundred years were devoted to Daniel’s people, the Jews, and their holy city. Eighteen hundred ten years would remain in the Christian dispensation, till the cleansing, or justifying, of the sanctuary began, as mentioned in Dan. 8:14, margin, the scripture Gabriel was explaining to the prophet.

Then the angel explains especially that portion of the twenty-three hundred years allotted to the Jews: “Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the decree to restore [or “build again Jerusalem,” margin] 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.” Verse 25. Here Gabriel divides the four hundred ninety years allotted to the Jews and the holy city: the seven weeks, or forty-nine years, and the sixty-two weeks, or four hundred thirty-four years, making four hundred eighty-three years of the four hundred ninety, reaching to the Messiah’s announcement, one week of years being unappropriated till later.

We wish, then, to ascertain when the decree went forth; or rather, when it went into effect. There is only one date to which this must apply. The record is found in Ezra 7:13. Here Artaxerxes, king of Persia, gave such a decree for the restoration of Jerusalem, the temple, and the whole Jewish polity. “I make a decree,” announces the great king. Let the reader study this decree, and he will see that it authorizes all these steps. Let him notice also the chronology of this chapter, 457 B. C., in the fall of the year, when Ezra and his company reached Jerusalem, and the work of restoration began. The whole period of twenty-three hundred prophetic days would, therefore, reach to the fall of the year 1844, A. D.

But let us notice Gabriel’s explanation of the first four hundred ninety years of this period allotted to the Jewish church. The first seven weeks, or forty-nine years, was allotted to the building of the city and the temple, and to the restoration of the Jewish polity. Dean Prideaux, in his “Historical Connection,” states that this period was exactly forty-nine years. This authority is perfectly reliable. This forty-nine years, added to the sixty-two weeks (four hundred thirty-four years), making in all four hundred eighty-three years, was to reach to the Messiah the Prince. From the going forth of the decree in the fall of the year 457 B. C., it is exactly four hundred eighty-three years to the fall of A. D. 27. Christ was then baptized by John the Baptist in the river Jordan. The Spirit of God there came down upon him in the form of a dove, and God’s voice was heard saying, “This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Matt. 3:17.

In the first sermon Christ preached after this event, he said, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the gospel.” Thus God fulfils his prophetic word. What time was this which was fulfilled?—It can be none other than this one given by Gabriel to Daniel. The word Messiah in the Hebrew (Christos in the Greek) means the Anointed One. He became the Anointed One when the Holy Spirit came down upon him at his baptism. Then he began his work of preaching the gospel. He had not preached to the people before, but had led a quiet life at Nazareth, working at the carpenter’s trade. He was thus anointed for his special work, as he was then thirty years old, the age fixed by the law for officials to enter upon their work. “That word . . . was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.” Acts 10:37, 38.

It is the general consensus of opinion

among Bible students that this anointing of Jesus occurred in the fall of the year A. D. 27, precisely four hundred eighty-three years after the going forth of the decree of Artaxerxes, 457 B. C. At that time one week of the seventy allotted to the Jewish nation still remained. “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off. . . . 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.” Dan. 9: 26, 27.

“The midst of the week,” means the middle of the last week of the seventy weeks allotted to the Jewish people. We see, then, that three and one-half years after Jesus was anointed, he would be “cut off,” or crucified. The crucifixion occurred in the spring of the year A. D. 31, in connection with the Passover feast. About the time of his triumphal ride into Jerusalem, Jesus said to the Jews: “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killedst the prophets, and stonedst 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.” And as he hung upon the cross, just before his death, he cried, “It is finished;” and the beautiful veil of the temple, dividing between the holy place and the most holy, was “rent in twain from the top to the bottom.” John 19: 30; Matt. 27: 51.

The services in that temple, where beasts had been offered year by year, typified the great sacrifice made by our Lord and Saviour. The type gave place to the antitype when the Jews put to death their Lord and Saviour. When they rejected and crucified him whose blood could take away sin, their house was left desolate indeed. The blood of beasts could never take away sin. Those sacrifices were only a shadow to typify the true sacrifice, and were ordained when sin entered our world. Every sacrifice offered after Christ’s death meant nothing. The rending of that great veil signified the departing of God’s Spirit forever from that temple. And this occurred in the middle of the last week of the seventy, thus perfectly fulfilling the prophecy.

There then remained only three and one-half years before the seventy weeks would expire. The gospel of a crucified and risen Lord was preached with great power by his disciples, and was still offered to his ancient people. After the martyrdom of Stephen, A. D. 34, the believers at Jerusalem “were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except the apostles.” And we further learn that “they that were scattered abroad went everywhere preaching the word.” It was in connection with this experience that Peter and John “preached the gospel in many villages of the Samaritans,” the very people among whom they had been forbidden to teach the gospel until that time.

Thus closed, in the fall of the year A. D. 34, the seventy weeks, or four hundred ninety years, specifically allotted to the Jewish people. Since that time the Gentiles and the Jews have just the same privileges to receive Christ, and be saved by the gospel. At the close of the period allotted to the Jews, eighteen hundred ten years of the twenty-three hundred remained. These reach to the fall of 1844. We have seen that thus far every prediction made by Gabriel has met an exact fulfilment. What will occur at the close of the whole period? Our next article will tell.

Bowling Green, Fla.