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the truth. Was God so faithful to His threat of wrath, and would He be less faithful to His
covenant and mercy? So Jeremiah continues:--
"It shall come to pass, that like as I have watched over them to pluck up, and to break
down, and to throw down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so I will watch over them to
build and to plant, saith the Lord" (Jer. 31: 28).
This faithfulness of the Lord issues in the making of a new covenant, which is placed
in contrast with the old covenant and the coming out of Egypt. The new covenant is not
vaguely stated; it has as its objective the restoration of Israel (see Jer. 31: 36, 37).
Daniel knew this. He dares, therefore, to recall the deliverance from Egypt, and to couple
this fact with the fact of Israel's sin. No promises are made of reform. He throws
himself and his people upon the "mercies and forgiveness of God". He rests his case
entirely upon covenant grace. He sees through the centuries the coming Messiah, Who
was to be "cut off, but not for Himself", and anticipates the "blood of the new covenant",
shed for many, for the forgiveness of sins. His prayer is honoured and answered:--
"Whiles I was speaking . . . . . Gabriel . . . . . touched me and said . . . . . I am now
come forth to give thee skill and understanding . . . . . I am come to show thee, for thou
art greatly beloved" (Dan. 9: 20-23).
#12. The principle of computing prophetic times (9:---Part 3).
pp. 234 - 240
How many different ways of computing the seventy weeks of Dan. 9: have been put
forward by earnest men of God? We do not know, but there are many; and the fact that
such diversity exists must humble us before the Lord. Differences of opinion exist as to
where the reckoning begins, where the reckoning ends, whether the "weeks" are weeks of
days or of years, and whether the prince that shall come be Titus (A.D.70) or the beast of
the Apocalypse. Most affirm that there is now only the last week of Dan. 9: to be
fulfilled; while others believe that the seventy weeks are literal weeks of days all yet
future. Facing this monument of human failure and contradiction it seems at first an act
of impertinence to step forward and make even a tentative suggestion. Yet it is
impossible to avoid the subject, and, therefore, with every recognition of the faithfulness
and ability of others, we humbly place on record the way in which we have been led by
scriptural principles to a conclusion in the matter.
The first principle that demands recognition is that which deals with the "Lo-ammi"
periods of Israel's history. For the benefit of those who may not know the meaning of
this term we state that it has reference to Hosea 1: 9: "Call his name Lo-ammi, for ye are
not My people." The principle we have in mind is that those periods when Israel are out
of favour--and so "Lo-ammi"--are not reckoned in the prophetic calendar. So far as
God's scheme of time is concerned, such periods do not exist. They are, however,
reckoned in the calendar of the world, and consequently must be taken into account.