Q. “G.” Has the first part of the seventieth week of Dan. 9:24-27 had any fulfillment?
A. The seventy weeks are divided as follow. They refer to the period which was to elapse — taking the weeks as weeks of years — that is, 490 years = 7 x 70 — from the time noted in the prophecy until the full blessing of the people of Israel, at the close of their striking and eventful history, in which they have been (as in time to come they will be), the display of the Divine Government of God on earth.
From the decree to rebuild Jerusalem by Artaxerxes, in the twentieth year of his reign, and embracing the troublous times in which the wall was re-building (7 x 7 weeks), 49 years. From the building of the wall until Messiah (7 x 62 weeks), 434 years. Total number of years accomplished, 483.
This leaves one week (seven years) still to come. But in Dan. 9:26 we read: “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, and shall have nothing” (marg.).
This leaves the moment of His cutting off vague — that is, it does not confine it to the moment of the conclusion of the sixty-ninth week (that is, 62 + 7) of years, but “after” it. This being so, the Lord’s ministry of about three and a half years, when He gathered a remnant of the people to Himself, ran on and was counted for those who received Him; while the nation refused Him, and thus the cutting off would have been for the former the middle of the seventieth week, leaving only half the week to come; but all is left vague, and purposely so. I believe that, for the remnant who were gathered, the first half of the seventieth week has gone by, while for the apostate Jews it has yet to come. Consequently, it has a double fulfillment. Just as John Baptist was Elijah for those who had faith for it, yet Elijah has yet to come for fact (see Matt. 17:10-13; Matt. 4); so the first half for faith was fulfilled, while in fact it would still have to come.
All comes to this. The “cutting off” is left vague, so that it may be at the end of the half of the seventieth week, or not. But when you come to counting out of days, etc., in Scripture, only the last half of the seventieth week is ever named. The Lord’s coming for the saints may happen at any moment; and, the first half-week being thus left vague, any period necessary (longer or shorter, as the case may be) for what has to be accomplished, may take place between the rapture of the saints and the commencement of the final events of the period of tribulation, during the three and a-half years or last half-week; at its close the Lord will appear for the deliverance of His people.
The passages of Scripture where it is counted are Dan. 7:25, 12:7; Rev. 11:2,3,14;12:6;13:5,11.
When Messiah was cut off at the Cross and got no kingdom, sixty-nine and a-half weeks were gone for the true saints, sixty-nine weeks only for the apostates. Then comes in the great heavenly Church parenthesis, when all time has ceased to be counted; because the Jews are set aside, and God is gathering a heavenly Church — the body of Christ — to which times and seasons do not belong. When that is accomplished He turns again to time, the earth, and the Jew. Half a week only then has to come, the last of the seventieth, for those who had received Him; a whole week for those who did not. The conclusion of it will bring in the full blessing of Israel.
Words of Truth 6:96-99.