BY KENNETH O. COX
ll Israel should have been waiting. Anticipating.
Ready. Scriptures had clearly told the place of Christ’s birth (Micah 5:2),
and, according to Daniel 9, the time the Messiah was to appear.
But the prophecies were misinterpreted. The Jews failed
to recognize that the time had come for Christ’s appearing. The inquiries of
the Magi in Jerusalem were passed off as of no importance. The scribes knew
where the Messiah was to be born, but they didn’t bother to look.
Today the same prophecies that state without doubt that
Jesus Christ is the Messiah are still being misinterpreted by a majority of
Christians. One of the strongest proofs that Jesus is all that He claims to
be is being totally misunderstood. The prophecy outlining the first advent of
Christ in Daniel 9 not only pinpointed the time of His first appearing, but
also puts the events of the last days in their proper order.
The misinterpretation of this and other Bible prophecies
is now entering mainstream consciousness thanks to best-selling books, movies,
and popular references to the Apocalypse. Doubtless the result will mean that
many will be looking in the wrong place at the wrong time for Christ’s second
coming. Once again Christ may return to find many of His followers unprepared
for His coming.
The holiday season is a good time to reaffirm the accuracy
of this wonderful prophecy that establishes that Christ is Emmanuel, “God with
us” (Matt. 1:23).*
The Historical Context
Israel was in Babylonian captivity for 70 years. The time
foretold by Jeremiah had reached its fulfillment. “I, Daniel, understood by
the books the number of years specified by the word of the Lord, given through
Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations
of Jerusalem” (Dan. 9:2).
As Daniel was praying that God would show him when Israel
would be restored, an angel, Gabriel, appeared in glory to respond to his prayer.
He proclaimed that the time of Israel’s deliverance was near, gave the assurance
of the coming of the Redeemer, and set a definite time when He would appear:
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to
restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks
and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in
troublesome times” (verse 25). The words of Gabriel were clear: the decree to
“restore and build Jerusalem” was the starting point.
The kingdom of Babylon was in decline. The Medo-Persian
empire was just coming to power. Under the rulership of Persia, three decrees
were given for the Jewish people to go back to Jerusalem. The first was given
by Cyrus to return and build the Temple (Ezra 1:1-3; 2:1-9). But it wasn’t until
Artaxerxes issued a decree giving Ezra authority to establish judges and magistrates
over Jerusalem and to execute judgment that the time foretold went into effect
(Ezra 7:21, 25, 26). This decree restored civil authority to Israel and reestablished
it as a nation. The decree took place in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes
(Ezra 7:7), 457 B.C.
We now have a starting point for the prophecy given to Daniel.
“Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to
restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks
and sixty-two weeks.” From the date of 457 B.C. until the Messiah was 69 prophetic
weeks.
In Bible prophecy God has given a principle that must be
applied. God told Ezekiel, who lived at the time of Daniel: “I have appointed
thee each day for a year” (Eze. 4:6, KJV). With each day representing a year,
simple mathematics can help us understand what Gabriel was showing Daniel.
From the decree to restore and build Jerusalem, 457 B.C.,
unto Messiah the Prince would be 69 weeks. Let’s do our math. Multiplying 69
times 7 gives us 483. Subtracting 483 from the starting date of 457 brings us
to A.D. 27, the time when the Messiah was to appear.
The New Testament records the starting point of Jesus’ public
ministry: “Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus
also was baptized; and while He prayed, the heaven was opened. And the Holy
Spirit descended in bodily form like a dove upon Him, and a voice came from
heaven which said, ‘You are My beloved Son; in You I am well pleased’” (Luke
3:21, 22).
Messiah means “anointed one.” Christ was “anointed” by the
Holy Spirit at His baptism (Acts 10:38).
The first verse of Luke 3 pinpoints the historical setting
of Jesus’ anointing “in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
Pontius Pilate, being governor of Judea.” The fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar
was A.D. 27, the very year Christ began His ministry, saying, “The time is fulfilled,
and the kingdom of God is at hand. Repent, and believe in the gospel” (Mark
1:15).
No infidel, agnostic, or atheist has ever been able to refute
this prophecy. It stands as positive proof that Jesus Christ is indeed the Saviour
of humankind.
It All Adds Up
It’s at this point that much of today’s misinterpretation
of prophecy takes place. The angel Gabriel told Daniel that 70 weeks were determined
upon his people, referring to the Jewish nation (Dan. 9:24). Gabriel broke the
70 weeks into three parts: seven weeks (verse 25), 62 weeks (verse 25), and
one week (verse 27); 70 weeks total.
The final week is the one that we need to look at carefully.
The prophecy states: “Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering”
(Dan. 9:27).
This week is often referred to as “the seventieth week of
Daniel.” Following the principle that a day represents a year, the seven days
of the last week mean seven years. This seventieth week starts at the end of
the 69 weeks, which ended in A.D. 27.
Again: “He shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
but in the middle of the week He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.”
Half of seven is three and a half. Adding three and a half
to A.D. 27 takes us to the spring of A.D. 31, the exact year that Christ died.
This leaves us with three and a half years to finish the
seventieth week of Daniel 9. Adding three and a half to A.D. 31 takes us to
A.D. 34. Daniel had been told that 70 weeks were determined upon his people.
Just as Gabriel had foretold, when the 70 weeks (or 490 years) came to an end
in A.D. 34, the gospel went to the Gentiles. Stephen was stoned. Saul, who allowed
his death, became Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles. Peter had a dream in which
God told him to take the gospel to the Gentiles. All this happened in A.D. 34
(Acts 9; 10).
This 70-week prophecy, standing as one complete block of
time, is one of the most convincing proofs there is that Jesus Christ is the
Messiah.
Why the Confusion?
Many Christian authors and personalities have taken the
seventieth week of Daniel 9 away from the 69 weeks and have tried to make it
stand by itself. Instead of seeing in this prophecy the great fulfillment of
Christ’s sacrifice for us, they have applied it to seven years of tribulation
at the end of time. As a result, many are looking for the return of our Lord
in the wrong place at the wrong time.
Here are some reasons the seventieth week could not refer
to seven years of tribulation at the end of time:
1. The seventieth week cannot be separated from the sixty-ninth
week by thousands of years. Nowhere in Scripture is a gap of 2,000 years mentioned
in connection with this prophecy.
2. Daniel 9:27 refers to the Anointed One, not the antichrist
or seven years of tribulation.
3. Applying the word “covenant” to the antichrist is inconsistent
with biblical teaching. God’s covenant with His people always applies to Christ
and never to the antichrist.
4. The last part of Daniel 9:27, “And on the wing of abominations
shall be one who makes desolate,” was referred to by Christ in Matthew 24:15:
“the ‘abomination of desolation’ spoken of by Daniel the prophet.” Jesus was
speaking of the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 by the Romans under the
general Titus. He had already told them, “Behold, your house is left unto you
desolate” (Matt. 23:38, KJV).
5. This prophecy is about Jesus Christ, not the antichrist.
To turn the attention away from Christ’s sacrifice for our sins does away with
the assurance that Christ is indeed the Promised One.
Another Chance
Jesus’ first advent was all but unnoticed by His own people.
The scribes and leaders of the Jewish nation failed to understand the 70-week
prophecy of Daniel 9, and were not prepared to welcome the Messiah.
But the unbelievable fact is that today many sincere Christians
are still misinterpreting that same prophecy. When Jesus returns, they will
not be prepared to welcome Him.
This is no time to be sidetracked by fanciful speculation
and unbiblical prophetic interpretations. A proper understanding of Bible prophecy
is essential in highlighting significant events of salvation history. It’s also
an important road map telling us that we’re nearing the end of our journey.
We can all look forward to the fact that Emmanuel, God with
us, will soon be a reality.
*Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken
from the New King James Version.
_________________________
Evangelist Kenneth O. Cox presented last
autumn’s Midnight Cry satellite
evangelistic series from Chicago.
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