Daniel's 70th week part 2

What is important to stress again is that the 70 weeks are for “thy people and upon thy holy city”. Not in the destruction of Israel and Jerusalem forever as we previously learned but their restoration. And it is 70 whole weeks of years, not 69 and a half with 3.5 years left over to try and stick somewhere. Not 70 weeks of years and then an additional 40 years to bring us to 70 A.D. to seal up the vision and prophecy (Lk.21:20-2). When we consider so many preterist and partial preterist interpretations of Daniel 9:24-7 they have the Messiah cut off after 69 weeks (seven weeks and threescore and two weeks) of years plus 3.5 years, and not just when the 69 weeks are full. When the scriptures state “after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off” they understand this to mean ‘after threescore and two weeks and in the midst of the 70th week shall Messiah be cut off’. God was trying to indicate that the Christ would be cut off when the 69 weeks of years or 483 complete years are come to the full. The death of the Messiah the Prince completed or fulfilled the 483 years and marked the end of 69 weeks.

 Our preterist interpreters are proficient at stating that since 70 is after 69 when God indicates that Messiah is cut off after 69 weeks he must mean 69 and one half of the 70th week. But 70 weeks means complete and full 490 years, as does 69 weeks means a full and complete 483 years. Why not just mean by ‘after 69 weeks’ when the 69 weeks are complete? Well because there is a final week to pigeonhole somewhere and there is a ‘midst of the week’ event in verse 27 that leaves them with nothing obvious to do with the last 3 and a half years. Especially since they think the prophecies were all fulfilled at the cross and 40 years after but not after 70 weeks as the passage indicates. And God is very literal here in spite of some preterist attempts to make practically all prophecies figurative and metaphorical. The Holy Ghost gave us no uncertain terms regarding the literal nature of the final 3.5 years. He called it the “midst of the week” in Daniel 9:27, and emphasized this further in Daniel 7:25 and 12:7 as “time, times and an half” or “time, times, and the dividing of time.” In John’s vision which was to assist in opening Daniels words (12:4 w/ Rev.22:10,7, 1:3) we also find “a time, and times, and half a time” (12:14). But to further emphasize the literal numbering of years he tells us these are “forty and two months” (11:2, 13:5) comprised of “a thousand two hundred and threescore days” (11:3, 12:6). Again, what else could the Lord say to indicate he means literal 360 day years?

 Rather inconveniently for the preterist this final 3.5 years of Daniels 70th final week is the most prophetically significant in scripture as it is referenced so frequently, comprising much of the book of Revelation. Oddly they have sidelined the final 3.5 years as completing the vision and prophecy for a 40 year later (a gap?) event of 70 A.D. Yet they arbitrarily assert that this final 3.5 years was completed after Stephen was stoned in Acts 7, or it was 3.5 years of Christians evangelizing the Jews. But even then, this final 3.5 years did not bring to pass all the things the man Gabriel told Daniel according to they, themselves. They believe some 40 years after the angel’s words were fulfilled, in 70 A.D. that “these be the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled.” (Lk.21:22)

 The scripture shows us that “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”. (Dan.9:26) If we consider Daniel 8 regarding this same event, we see “a little horn, which waxed exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the east, and toward the pleasant land” (v9) which “magnified himself even to the prince of the host, and by him the daily sacrifice was taken away, and the place of the sanctuary was cast down”. (v11) “And an host was given him against the daily sacrifice by reason of transgression, and it cast down the truth to the ground; and it practised, and prospered.” (v12) Here the prince that shall come is the little horn and he and his people or the “host given him” shall take away the daily sacrifice and cast down the sanctuary along with casting down the truth to the ground. They have defiled by casting down the dwelling place of thy name to the ground (Psa.74:7). Understand, O son of man: for at the time of the end shall be the vision. (8:17) Obviously, this is not the Lord Jesus Christ and his people, nor did this happen immediately after Christ died for our sins and rose from the dead or in the remaining 3.5 years of their interpretation.

 Chapter 11 of Daniel also helps us as we learn this prince, the little horn, this vile person (11:21) who shall confirm the covenant for one week (not in the beginning of the week- but for one week 9:27) shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease because “his heart shall be against the holy covenant” (v28) and he shall “have indignation against the holy covenant” (v30). So, the people of the prince or the host given him “against the daily sacrifice” shall “have intelligence with them that forsake the holy covenant” (v30, Rom.7:12) and “they shall pollute the sanctuary of strength, and shall take away the daily sacrifice, and they shall place the abomination that maketh desolate.” This is what Jesus referred to (Matt. 24:15-16, Mk.13:14) as yet to come. What becomes manifest to us from these passages is that an abomination (Deut.7:25-6, 27:15, 29:17, 1 Kin. 11:5, 7, 2 Kin.23:13, Isa.44:19) or an idol is set up in the sanctuary. Notice Marks words “when ye shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing where it ought not”. (13:14) Also Daniel records "the abomination that maketh desolate" is "set up"(12:11); and Revelation records that men “worship the beast and his image” (14:9-11). It appears that he will follow the pride of Nebuchadnezzar who set up an image for all to worship alone, making opportunity for the 3 Hebrews to do exploits. (Dan.3) Perhaps this image that is set up in the temple is the one that is supernaturally animated by the power of Satan. (Rev.13:14-5, 2 Thess.2:3-10- Perhaps Rev.13:15 is how the image makes desolate the city and sanctuary. Maybe the miracle of the creation of man is mimicked as he shows "himself that he is God.")

 Another clue for us is given in Daniel 12. When asked "How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?" (v6) The angel, as if to make sure we understand the literal nature of these 360 day years, unambiguously and emphatically "held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth for ever that it shall be for a time, times, and a half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished".(v7) An interesting prophetic warning is found in Leviticus 26- "I will punish you seven times more for your sins. And I will break the pride of your power;" (18-9,21,24) This will end the 70th week of years and finish all these things. 

 This is in perfect agreement with chapter 7 of Daniel where we find that horn (v8, 20, 8:9) making war with the saints and who prevailed against them (v21). This would be the same beast in Revelation given power to continue 42 months, and to make war with the saints and to overcome them. (Rev.13:7) Daniel continues that this beast "shall wear out the saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws: and they shall be given into his hand until a time and times and the dividing of time." (Dan.7:25) Here in the beginning of this last 3.5 years is the sanctuary and the host trodden under foot (Dan.8:13), when the people of the prince destroy the city and the sanctuary in the midst of the week of years (Dan.9:27); to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (12:7) Revelation 11 also bears this out as the Gentiles tread the holy city under foot forty and two months. (v2-3) This continues against thy people and thy holy city to try them and to purge, and to make them white, even to the time of the end (Dan.11:35)- that is the end of the 70th week of years.

 Now, obviously this does not fit the preterists unscriptural assertions as these things did not happen in the midst of the final week nor did any of the proceeding prophecies follow the remaining 3.5 years. No covenant was confirmed by Jesus for one week (again- not in the beginning of the week, but for one week!). Neither Jesus nor his people stopped the Jewish sacrifices in the sanctuary (but they continued another 40 years approximately) nor destroyed it along with Jerusalem; neither did anyone else in the midst of the week or in the remaining 42 months/1260 days. There was no abomination set up in the sanctuary which occurred at this time, and nobody fled into the wilderness. And needless to say, in the midst of this week of years there was not great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to that same time (Matt.24:15-21). Also needless to say, there was not the resurrection of the just (Dan.12:1-3) and Daniel did not stand in his lot at the end of the days of the 70th week. (12:13) Neither will adding 40 years help the preterists impasse.

 Preterists think us futurists are deceived by Satan, who in their theology happens to be currently bound from deceiving the nations. I guess this gives him excessive time to tinker in futurists eschatology. All this aside it is extremely difficult to take preterist eschatology as serious bible study.

Part 3