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period of seventy -times -seven associated with Israel, Jerusalem and
desolation. Chapter 9 is in itself a considerable theme, but, as Daniel 9 to
12 forms a section of the book, it will perhaps be wise to exhibit the
general structure of the passage before entering into detail.
Daniel 9 to 12 as a whole
A
9:1.
First year of Darius.
B
9:2 -19.
Fasting.
Daniel understood.
C
9:20 -23.
The man Gabriel.
Daniel, 'greatly beloved'.
D
9:23 -27.
'I am come to shew thee'.
A
10:1.
Third year of Cyrus.
B
10:1 -3.
Fasting.
Daniel understood.
C
10:4-21.
The man clothed in linen.
Daniel, 'greatly beloved'.
D
11 and 12.
'I will shew thee'.
It will be seen in the above structure (members D and D) that chapters
11 and 12 are a further expansion of the seventy weeks and the abomination of
desolation spoken of in Daniel 9:23 -27. Chapters 11 and 12 have, in
addition, an interrelated correspondence, which we hope to show in its proper
place.
We return now to Daniel 9, knowing at least that we are still pursuing
the one theme of the book, the time of
the end; though we may differ from others in our understanding of the true
approach to that end, the ultimate theme is unaffected. In the fulness of
time Christ came, whether we name the year a.d. 1 or 4 b.c., or refrain from
assigning a date at all. And so Christ will come again at the end of the
seventy weeks, whether they be weeks of days, or weeks of years, or, as some
believe, of both. Whether we are able to compute the time or not, He will
surely come.
To enable the reader to follow the theme without confusion, we divide
our study into four sections:
(1)
The
prophecy of Jeremiah (Dan. 9:1,2).
(2)
The
prayer of Daniel (Dan. 9:3 -23).
(3)
The
principle of computing prophetic times.
(4)
The
prophecy of the seventy weeks.
The Prophecy of Jeremiah
Daniel himself was a prophet, to whom had been granted the spiritual
ability to see the meaning of Nebuchadnezzar's visions, and to witness the
two visions dealing with the end of the indignation. It is with this event,
linked with Jeremiah's prophecy, that Daniel 9 opens. We have in Zechariah
positive proof that the 'time of indignation' and 'the seventy years' of
Jeremiah refer to the same period: