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directions; we cannot allow a period of time to be excluded while Israel is a nation
before God, any more than we can allow a period to be reckoned when Israel is
temporarily set aside. This we shall find compels us to include the Acts of the Apostles
in the seventy weeks, and also compels us to exclude the period when Jerusalem was still
unbuilt in Nehemiah's day.
The seventy weeks.
"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city" (Dan. 9: 24).
If we understand the word "week" to mean seven days", we have a period of a little
more than one year and four months to consider, and of this a smaller period is occupied
in building and restoring Jerusalem--certainly a short time for such an operation. When,
however, Daniel wishes to make us understand literal weeks, each of seven days, he adds
the words "days":--
"I Daniel was mourning three full weeks" (literally, weeks of days) (10: 2).
"Till three whole weeks were fulfilled" (literally, weeks of days) (10: 3).
To make the matter certain, the angelic visitor declares that on the first day of Daniel's
fasting his words had been heard and the angel sent, but that for "one and twenty days"
he had been withstood. This carefulness on Daniel's part is one argument in favour of
the view that ordinary weeks of days are not intended in Dan. 9: A further argument is
that Daniel had been occupied with prophecies that dealt with a period of seventy years,
and the angelic announcement of the seventy weeks seems but an expansion.
Another argument in favour of the years' interpretation is provided by the scriptural
treatment of the last week. It will be observed that this last of the seventy weeks is
divided into two parts:--
"He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week, and in the midst of the week
he shall cause sacrifice and oblation to cease" (9: 27).
Now Daniel refers more than once to a peculiar period at the time of the end:--
"A time and times and the dividing of time" (7: 25).
"A time, times, and a half" (12: 7).
"Let seven times pass over him" (4: 16).
A consultation of the margin of Dan. 11: 13 will show that "times" may be
synonymous with "years". If that is so, then a time, times and a half may be a prophetic
and cryptic way of describing three-and-a-half years. This being just half the seven year
period exactly meets requirements of Dan. 9: 27.
We have, however, clearer evidence in the book of the Revelation:--
"A time, and times, and half a time" (Rev. 12: 14).