ENDING OF THE PROPHETIC DAYS.
By J. O. Corliss
Daniel having received the time message, as given by the angel (Dan. 8:13), and the heavenly command having been uttered to make the prophet understand it, the angel began his instruction to Daniel, by saying that 70 weeks were “determined” (“Hebrew chathak, literally, to cut off, tropically, to divide, and so to determine, decree.”—Gesenius) upon his people, the house of Israel. In these 490 days, to be “cut off” from the 2300, transgression was to be restrained, and reconciliation for iniquity was to be accomplished, by the introduction and proclamation of everlasting righteousness, thru the anointing of the Lord Jesus. Dan. 9:24. The beginning of these days was to be reckoned from the going forth of the final commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem. Verse 25. This commandment was issued by Artaxerxes to Ezra. Ezra 7:8, 12, 13. The chronological date in the margin of this chapter gives the time of this commandment as 457 B.C. Beginning with this date, 69 weeks were to extend to the manifestation of the Messiah. To learn the nature and time of this development, it is necessary to know the definition of the name “Messiah.” This may be learned by the marginal rendering of that word as used in John 1:41. There it is rendered “the Anointed.” Jesus was not anointed at His birth, or at His circumcision, nor even at His first appearance in the temple, but by the descent of the Holy Spirit, with the proclamation, “Thou art My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” Acts 10:38; Mark 1:9–11. This occurred at the baptism of the Saviour, some time in the autumn of 27 A.D. Taking the two dates (457 B.C. | 27 A.D.) and adding them together, we have the sum of 484 years. But when we make allowance for seven months of 457 B.C. which expired before the decree to build Jerusalem went into effect (see the full account in Ezra), and also for at least five months of A.D. 27 which had not yet expired at the time of Christ’s baptism, we have one full year to subtract from the 484 years, the result obtained from adding together 457 entire years B.C., and 27 complete years reckoned in the Christian era. This would make the time between the carrying out of the commandment to build Jerusalem, and the actual manifestation of the Messiah to be just 483 years. This exactly corresponds to the number of days which make up the 69 weeks the prophet was told would span that time, and is therefore the best of evidence that the prophetic days thus employed were intended to be symbols of literal years. See also Eze. 4:6. One more week of the seventy to be given to the recognition of old Israel as the “chosen” people remained. During this week the Messiah was to confirm the covenant with many, thru the offering of His own life for the sins of the world. His own blood having been spilled on the cross, it follows that all the sacrifices and oblations which pointed with shadowy finger to that event, must cease. This was to occur in the “midst,” or middle, of that seventieth prophetic week. Inasmuch as the 69 weeks ended with the manifestation of the Messiah, the seventieth week must begin at the same period. This would give three and one-half prophetic days, or literal years, to the Saviour’s ministry. Adding this time to the autumn of A.D. 27, the time of Christ’s baptism and anointing, the crucifixion must have occurred in the spring of A.D. 31. But there were still three and one-half years to be devoted to confirming the everlasting covenant among the first witnesses for the truth. Adding these to the spring of A.D. 31, they bring us in our reckoning to the autumn of A.D. 34. At this time the rejection of Christ by old Israel was completed by the official act of the Jewish elders in condemning Stephen to death, and thus scattering abroad the church which was at Jerusalem. Acts 6:9–15; 8:1–4. See chronological date in margin of last chapter quoted. Thus ended the 70 weeks, or 490 years, of the 2300, which were to reach to the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary. These subtracted from the 2300 leave 1810 years to be added to the autumn of A.D. 34, which would end in the autumn of 1844. At the end of these days the sanctuary of Dan. 8:14 was to be cleansed. In the yearly cleansing of the earthly sanctuary, which was a type or shadow of the heavenly, the high priest went into the most holy place, before the ark containing the Ten Commandments, and there made atonement for the sins of the people. Following the type, Christ, our great High Priest, must, in the time of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary, pass into the “holy of holies,” before the ark of God’s commandments, there to perform the closing work for His people, preparatory to coming to earth to receive them unto Himself. The present generation of men are therefore in the same position as indicated in the type, namely, awaiting the final adjustment of their cases, in order to the closing of their probation. Truly a most solemn time.