In Connection With the Restoration and Blessing of Israel.
THE five periods are as follows:—
FIRST, Seventy Weeks, or 490 years (Dan. 9:24-2724Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and 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. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:24‑27));
THIRDLY, "Time, times, and an half," equal to 1260 days (Dan. 12:77And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he 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 an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:7));
The FIRST of these periods (namely, the SEVENTY WEEKS) is, to a great extent, the key to the others. Beginning with Nehemiah's return from Babylon, and ending with the future restoration of Israel, it is divided into three distinct parts: SEVEN WEEKS, THREESCORE AND Two WEEKS, and ONE WEEK. The first two of these have already expired; while the third, detached from the others, separated from them by an unnoticed period of about two thousand years, during which Israel is disowned by the Lord, will terminate the history of the unregenerate infidel nation, and usher in the reign of the Messiah on earth. The SECOND, FOURTH, and FIFTH periods (namely, 2300, 1290, and 1335 days) are formed by combining a part of the LAST WEEK, OR SEVEN YEARS ABOVE NAMED, with a portion of the FIRST SEVEN MONTHS Of Israel's blessing, the time of the feasts of the Lord (Lev. 23), which will be revived and observed by the Jews on their restoration to favor at the Second Coming of Christ. Observe, the two above periods of SEVEN YEARS and SEVEN MONTHS are contrasted, as follows: the former is that of the reign of the willful king, or false Christ; while the latter begins the thousand years of the kingdom of Christ. Again observe, that the SECOND and FIFTH periods (namely, 2300, and 1335 days) are connected with the actings of the two little horns (Dan. 7, 8.), as to the sanctuary; namely, the two beasts, the king and false prophet of Rev. 13; while the THIRD and FOURTH periods (namely "Time, times, and an half," and 1290 days) relate to the restoration of the two Jewish remnants, or Judah and Ephraim. Then again, with regard to the LATTER THREE PERIODS, these, when viewed in relationship one to the other, are found to be connected with the gradual introduction of blessing, and the full and final forgiveness of Israel.
Those who are acquainted with the author's work on "The Seventy Weeks of Daniel" will readily see that this forms as it were a sequel thereto; and likewise that the lesson to be learned from thence is the evil of man on the one hand, and the goodness, the grace, of the blessed God on the other. The whole of man's history, from the transgression of Adam in Eden down to this hour, shows what he is, a being dead in trespasses and sins, and without God in the world; but in the history of the last week above named, as seen in the book of the Revelation especially, we have the full undeniable proof of his guilt in the fact that the world will then be under the entire dominion of Satan. Such will be the state of things at the end; the dragon will then be openly worshipped: while on the other hand we see the Lord carrying on His gracious designs, and at last, in answer to the prayers of His people, even the remnant of Israel, we behold Him awaking, and coming to deliver His saints, and to punish the wicked: and not only so, but within the brief space of 1335 days from the midst of the week, that moment when evil shall have come to its height, we see Him in grace putting the evil away, and then fixing His eternal abode in that very place but lately defiled by the idolatrous worship of the beast and his image. What a proof we have in all this of the truth of the word of God through the apostle, "WHERE SIN ABOUNDED, GRACE DID MUCH MORE ABOUND!" (Rom. 5:2020Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: (Romans 5:20).)
FIRST PERIOD.
Dan. 9:24-2724Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and 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. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:24‑27).DAN 9:24-2724Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and 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. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:24‑27)
The Prophecy Of The Seventy Weeks.
THE WHOLE PERIOD
1. SEVENTY WEEKS are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish (or restrain) the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy (or Holy of holies).
FROM NEHEMIAH TO CHRIST.
2. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be SEVEN WEEKS, AND THREESCORE AND TWO WEEKS.
3. The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in STRAIT OF TIMES (i.e., SEVEN WEEKS contrasted with the threescore and two weeks before named, it being the shortest, most "strait" or contracted of these periods. The above, not "troublous times," seems to be the true rendering, as given in the margin.)
4. And AFTER the (Heb.) THREESCORE AND TWO WEEKS (above named) shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself.
THE TIME OF DESOLATION.
5. And the people of the prince that shall come ( i.e. the Romans) shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood.
6. And unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
THE LAST WEEK.
7. And HE (the prince above named) shall confirm the covenant with many for ONE WEEK:
8. And in the MIDST OF THE WEEK he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
FIRST PERIOD,
THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF DANIEL, EQUAL TO 490 YEARS.
Dan. 9:24-2724Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and 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. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:24‑27).DAN 9:24-2724Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and 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. 27And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:24‑27)
From the return of the Jews with Nehemiah from Babylon, to the restoration and blessing of Israel at the second coming of Christ.
YEARS.
The Babylonian captivity ... .70
From the close of the captivity to the opening of the Seventy Weeks. This period, not being noticed in
scripture, is not given here ... .
SEVENTY WEEKS, OR 490 YEARS.
WEEKS.
From Nehemiah's return from Babylon with a command from Artaxerxes, in the 20th year of his reign, to restore and to build Jerusalem, to the completion of his work. 7 WEEKS.
From the completion of the city, to "Messiah the Prince," that is, to His announcement by John the Baptist, His messenger 62 WEEKS.
The unnoticed week of John and of Christ. N.B.—This week, taken together with the two foregoing periods of 7 and 62 weeks, filled up the cycle of Seventy Weeks between Nehemiah and Christ; so that what the Lord said is here seen to be true, "THE TIME IS FULFILLED," even the time which was destined to pass before His kingdom should come. His rejection however by His people having put off the era of blessing, this week of grace is of necessity canceled, lost for the present to Israel; and because it is so, it is passed over in silence by God, who foresaw how it would be; while on the other hand its place will be filled up at the end by the week which is noticed, even the "ONE WEEK" in verse 27, the period of trial through which Israel is to pass before the Lord comes to deliver His people and establish His kingdom ... .
Another unnoticed period of about two thousand years, from the close of the above canceled week to the beginning of the "ONE WEEK" at the end ... . The last, or "ONE WEEK," which at once supplies the place of the above Canceled WEEK, and completes the prophetical period, being the SEVENTIETH WEEK, reckoning from Nehemiah's return to the second coming of Christ and the restoration of Israel.
TWOFOLD FULFILLMENT
The ninth of Daniel presents a remarkable illustration of the principle of the twofold fulfillment of prophecy. There we see, on the one hand, that at the termination of seventy weeks the Messiah was cut off; while, on the other, that it will be at the close of the seventy weeks of which Gabriel speaks that He will be revealed in His kingdom. The truth is, this period has in God's purpose a double termination—two ends, as it were; one at the first, the other at the second coming of Christ.
SECOND PERIOD.
Dan. 8:13, 1413Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (Daniel 8:13‑14).DAN 8:13-1413Then I heard one saint speaking, and another saint said unto that certain saint which spake, How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? 14And he said unto me, Unto two thousand and three hundred days; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed. (Daniel 8:13‑14)
"How long shall be the vision concerning the daily sacrifice, and the transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and the host to be trodden under foot? And he said unto me, Unto TWO THOUSAND AND THREE HUNDRED DAYS; then shall the sanctuary be cleansed.”
SECOND PERIOD,
From the waxing great of the little horn of Dan. 8, namely, the second beast or false prophet of Rev. 13, when he begins to act against the prince of the host and his sanctuary, which he afterward desecrates, to the cleansing thereof on the DAY OF ATONEMENT. This little horn, observe, will hereafter arise out of one of the four parts of the broken empire of the "king of Grecia," or Alexander the Great, divided, as it was, among his four generals, after his death. Hence, between verses 8 and 9, and also between verses 22 and 23, of Dan. 8, we are to suppose the lapse of many centuries. In the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors (i.e. the apostate Jews) are come to the full; then it is that this king of fierce countenance and understanding dark sentences will stand up.
SEVEN YEARS. DANIEL’S LAST WEEK.
From the beginning of the week to the rise of the little horn ... 295 DAYS
From the waxing great of the little horn, to the taking away the daily sacrifice and the defilement of the sanctuary in the midst of the week ... .965. DAYS.
From the desecration of the sanctuary, to the breaking of the little horn without hand at the end of the week ... 1260. DAYS
SEVEN MONTHS, THE TIME OF THE FEASTS OF THE LORD.
From the end of the week and first day of the thousand years of Christ's reign, to the Passover and feast of unleavened bread ... 15 DAYS.
From the feast of unleavened bread to the day of Pentecost ... 50. DAYS.
From Pentecost to the Feast of Trumpets, an unnoticed blank from the third month to the seventh, a period during which, as regards these feasts of the Lord, the days are not reckoned ... .
From the Feast of Trumpets on the first day of the seventh month, to the DAY OF ATONEMENT, when the sanctuary, defiled, as above stated, in the midst of the week, will be cleansed ... .10 DAYS.
From the day of atonement, to the last day, or great day of the Feast of Tabernacles, or ingathering, a feast of eight days, the time full blessing ... .13 DAYS.
THE TWO THOUSAND AND THREE HUNDRED DAYS.
In tracing this period we have to reckon backward from the DAY OF ATONEMENT, when, as we know from Lev. 16, the sanctuary will be cleansed; by which means we reach the exact point of time when the little horn will come forth, namely, on the 295th day from the beginning of the week. In tracing the 1335 days, which (in common with the two previous periods, Dan. 12:7,117And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he 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 an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:7)
11And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days. (Daniel 12:11),) begin in the middle of the week, when the sanctuary is polluted, we have to reckon, not backward, but forward; and in so doing we find that they end at the same time as do these 2300 days—on the DAY OF ATONEMENT. When the sanctuary, having been defiled by the beast and false prophet, will be cleansed; and when the people at the same time, not ceremonially merely, according to the ordinance in Lev. 16, but in reality, will afflict their souls because of their sin in the rejection of Christ. (Zech. 12:1010And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. (Zechariah 12:10).) Thus we see that these two periods agree, and yet differ one from the other: that they begin at different points, but terminate exactly together.
N.B. This will be on the 10th day of Tizri.
THE TIME OF HARVEST
SEVEN WEEKS AND ONE DAY.
These fifty days were harvest time in Israel, beginning, not on any especial day of the month, but on the first day of the week, "THE MORROW AFTER THE SABBATH” next to the Passover, (Lev. xxiii. 110 when the sheaf, the type of Christ risen, was waved: hence it was a moveable period, dependent on the occurrence of the Sabbath, whether earlier or later: but in the especial year of Christ's death, the feast of unleavened bread (fixed as it was to the 15th of Abib) and the Sabbath fell on one and the same day, the day after the Passover. Hence these days of harvest commenced on the third day, namely, the 16th. And so it will be when Christ comes again; the order will be precisely the same; and in this way, as regards both the 2300 and the 1335 days, the type agrees with the antitype, the sheaf being waved on the third day, the day of Christ's resurrection. And besides this, the principle of the canceled and the revived week of Daniel leads us to look for coincidence between the order of time and of things at the first and second coming of Christ.
UNNOTICED PERIOD WITHOUT ANY FEAST.
In Lev. 23, there being no reckoning of days or of weeks during the time, this period between PENTECOST in the third month and the FEAST OF TRUMPETS in the seventh is passed over in silence. Hence, in like manner, in this and in the other period of 1335 days it is made no account of.
N.B. In this unnoticed interval we evidently see a type of what in the "first period" is described as "The present period of Israel's dispersion, and of grace to the world at large," even the period of the formation of the CHURCH OF GOD upon earth.
THIRD PERIOD.
Dan. 12:6, 76And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he 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 an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:6‑7)DAN 12:6-76And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he 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 an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:6‑7)
"How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand unto heaven, and sware by him that liveth forever that it shall be for a TIME, TIMES, AND AN HALF; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished.”
THIRD PERIOD,
Time, Times, And An Half, Equal To Twelve Hundred And Sixty Days.
Dan. 12:6, 76And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he 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 an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:6‑7)DAN 12:6-76And one said to the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, How long shall it be to the end of these wonders? 7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he 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 an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:6‑7)
The "time of trouble," or "great tribulation," from the taking away of the daily sacrifice and setting up of the abomination of desolation by the beast and false prophet in the midst of the week, to the deliverance of Judah at the end of that period.
SEVEN YEARS DANIEL’S LAST WEEK
From the rise of the willful king, to the midst of the week ... .1260 DAYS.
TIME, TIMES, AND AN HALF
The "time of trouble," or scattering of the power of the holy people, beginning with the defilement of the sanctuary, and ending with the deliverance of JUDAH AND BENJAMIN ... .1260 DAYS.
THE LAST THREE PERIODS.
Observe how closely these three periods are linked with each other. They begin at the same point of time, in the midst of the week, when the daily sacrifice is taken away; but they end at different points. The FIRST of them ends with the deliverance of Judah at the close of the week; the SECOND with the return of Ephraim and others—namely, a second remnant of Judah, a month or thirty days after; and the THIRD with the humiliation and blessing of both, that is of the whole redeemed nation, 45 days later still, on the day of Atonement, when the sanctuary is cleansed, and all is prepared for the closing feast of the year, the time of full blessing, the FEAST OF TABERNACLES, or ingathering. Thus, while, as above said, the 2300 and the 1335 days have to do with the little horns or beasts, and the periods of "time, times, and an half," and 1290 days with the two remnants, these three taken together, namely, "time, times, and an half," 1290 days, and 1335 days, when viewed in the above connection, are found to relate to the order of God's purpose as to the introduction of blessing, and the establishment of His people in their promised inheritance.
A THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND THREESCORE DAYS.
N.B. Scripture always speaks of this first half of the week, being the time of the testimony of the two witnesses and of the woman's first sojourn in the wilderness, as TWELVE HUNDRED AND SIXTY DAYS.
(See Rev. 11:3; 12:63And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3)
6And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and threescore days. (Revelation 12:6).) The second half, the time of trouble, or great tribulation, is invariably spoken of either as TIME, TIMES, AND AN HALF, or as FORTY AND TWO MONTHS. (See Dan. 7:25; 7:725And he shall speak great words against the most High, and 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. (Daniel 7:25)
7After this I saw in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and brake in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. (Daniel 7:7); Rev. 11:2; 12:14; 13:52But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:2)
14And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent. (Revelation 12:14)
5And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months. (Revelation 13:5).)
In connection with this, we here turn to Matt. 24:2222And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened. (Matthew 24:22), where, referring to His suffering remnant hereafter, we find the Lord speaking thus: "Except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened." Now what does this mean? It means simply this, that without at all interfering with His purpose as to the week, the Lord will shorten the time, and that in the easiest possible way, because of the mode in which He treats these two periods, the 1260 days and the 42 months.
In scripture chronology it is well known, that if a given period, such as a month, a day, or a year, is encroached on in the slightest degree, the whole of the period is taken into account. Thus, though the Lord lay in the grave from Friday till Sunday at daybreak, that is, only one part of one day, the whole' of another, and part of a third, He is said notwithstanding to have lain there for three days and three nights. Now the Spirit of God, in connection with the twofold division of Daniel's last week, has evidently followed this rule, so as in a sense to leave the week of the "great tribulation" untouched, and yet for the elect's sake to lighten the judgment, to shorten the time, to lessen "the days" of their suffering. In this way: The first section, or three years and a half of the week, are spoken of as 1260 days; the second half as "time, times, and an half," and also as 42 months. Now here is the point: the 1260 will have to run out to a day; there is no shortening at all in this case. (See Rev. 11:33And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth. (Revelation 11:3).) Then as to the latter half, which, in order to make up the three years and a half, must contain 1260 days as well as the other, if any number of days under thirty (the amount of days in a Jewish month,) be cut off, not from the period itself, it is true, but from the time of the great tribulation; still, on the principle mentioned above, this is to be viewed all the while as 42 months, or as three years and a half, the half of a week: and so the αἰών or age is thus to be viewed as actually accomplished. Thus the Lord by these means, on the one hand, is free to regard the prescribed period of retributive vengeance as having filled up its due measure and on the other He leaves Himself room to be gracious; that is, for the sake of his suffering remnant, to shorten the days, to strike out a portion thereof. Thus it is evident that it is inaccurate to speak of the latter half of the week, as is frequently done, as 1260 days; it being always designated in scripture as either "forty-two months," or as "time, times, and an half." (See Dan. 7:25; 12:725And he shall speak great words against the most High, and 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. (Daniel 7:25)
7And I heard the man clothed in linen, which was upon the waters of the river, when he 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 an half; and when he shall have accomplished to scatter the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (Daniel 12:7); Rev. 11:2;12:14, 13:52But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months. (Revelation 11:2).)
THE FEASTS OF THE LORD.
These feasts will be in Israel hereafter a yearly memorial of the dispensational ways of the Lord with His people. FIRST, the weeks of harvest, ending with Pentecost, look back to His dealings with the nation from its rise to the first coming of Christ. SECONDLY, the months without any feast, the unnoticed interval, bring in the CHURCH, as shown in the first period, or rather the period of the Church's history on earth; and LASTLY, the Three Feasts of the seventh month, the Feast of TRUMPETS, the Day of ATONEMENT, and the Feast of TABERNACLES, point to three things, namely, the RESTORATION, the REPENTANCE, and the BLESSING Of Israel hereafter.
N.B. The author, in his paper on the Feasts of the Lord, has entered at large into this subject, having therein shown the typical and dispensational character of Lev. 23
"And from the time that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there shall be a THOUSAND TWO HUNDRED AND NINETY DAYS.”
FOURTH PERIOD,
From the taking away of the daily sacrifice by the beast and false prophet (the same event as before) to the return of Ephraim, or the ten tribes, and the second remnant of Judah.
SEVEN YEARS, DANIEL’S LAST WEEK
From the rise of the willful king, to the midst of the week ... .1260 DAYS
From the taking away of the daily sacrifice and setting up of the abomination that maketh desolate, to the deliverance of Judah at the end of the week ... .1260 DAYS
PART OF THE SEVEN MONTHS, THE TIME OF THE FEAST OF THE LORD.
From the first day of the first month, to the Passover and feast of unleavened bread kept by Judah and Benjamin ... .15 DAYS
From the feast of unleavened bread to the restoration of the TEN TRIBES or OUTCASTS OF ISRAEL, together with the DISPERSED OF JUDAH ... .15 DAYS
From Ephraim's return to their keeping the Feasts of the Passover and of unleavened bread, in the second month, just one month after Judah, according to the law in Numbers 9 ... . 15 DAYS
THE SECOND PASSOVER.
THE ORDINANCE IN NUM. 9
To sum up what is here shown, the tribe of JUDAH is delivered at the beginning of the first month; and in the middle of the month, at the usual time, they keep the Passover: while EPHRAIM, and OTHERS OF JUDAH, return at the opening of the second month, in the middle of which (just one month after Judah,) they keep the feast. This shows what was the ultimate object of God in His gracious provision as to the Passover in the following words: " If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar of, yet he shall keep the Passover unto the Lord. The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it."(Num. 9:10, 1110Speak unto the children of Israel, saying, If any man of you or of your posterity shall be unclean by reason of a dead body, or be in a journey afar off, yet he shall keep the passover unto the Lord. 11The fourteenth day of the second month at even they shall keep it, and eat it with unleavened bread and bitter herbs. (Numbers 9:10‑11).) Here observe, as to the two above cases supposed in this ordinance, that the FIRST has in view the remnant of Judah, the guilty tribe stained with the blood of the just One; while the SECOND points to the ten tribes who from the time that they went into captivity have been" afar off" from their land, and will never return till then.
FIFTH PERIOD.
"Blessed is he that waiteth, and cometh to the THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND FIVE AND THIRTY DAYS.”
FIFTH PERIOD,
ONE THOUSAND THREE HUNDRED AND THIRTY-FIVE DAYS.
From the taking away of the daily sacrifice and defilement of the sanctuary in the midst of the week, as before, to the cleansing thereof on the Day of Atonement.
N. B. The temple that is to be cleansed will not be actually the same building as that which will have been defiled. This latter, we may surely assume, will be overthrown in the great general earthquake at the close of the week, (Rev. 11:1919And the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in his temple the ark of his testament: and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great hail. (Revelation 11:19); xvi. 18,) while the latter, namely, that described by Ezekiel, must of necessity be built within less than the next seven months, to admit of the Lord's coming in glory to dwell in His sanctuary after the purification thereof. (Ezek. 43:1-91Afterward he brought me to the gate, even the gate that looketh toward the east: 2And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory. 3And it was according to the appearance of the vision which I saw, even according to the vision that I saw when I came to destroy the city: and the visions were like the vision that I saw by the river Chebar; and I fell upon my face. 4And the glory of the Lord came into the house by the way of the gate whose prospect is toward the east. 5So the spirit took me up, and brought me into the inner court; and, behold, the glory of the Lord filled the house. 6And I heard him speaking unto me out of the house; and the man stood by me. 7And he said unto me, Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever, and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, neither they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. 8In their setting of their threshold by my thresholds, and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed: wherefore I have consumed them in mine anger. 9Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever. (Ezekiel 43:1‑9).)
SEVEN YEARS, DANIEL’S LAST WEEK
From the rise of the willful king, the little horn of Daniel 7, the first beast of Rev. 13. when he confirms the covenant with the Jews for one week, to his breaking the covenant, and in concert with the second beast or false prophet, the little horn of Daniel 8., defiling the sanctuary in the midst of the week ... .. 1260
From the defilement of the sanctuary by the two beasts above named, to the destruction of both at the end of the week 1260 DAYS.
SEVEN MONTHS, THE TIME OF THE FEAST OF THE LORD
From the end of the week and first day of the Millennial Age, to the Passover and feast of unleavened bread ... .15 DAYS
From the feast of unleavened bread, to the day of Pentecost ... .50 DAYS
From Pentecost in the third month, to the Feast of Trumpets in the seventh, a period not named in Leviticus 23., in connection with these feasts of the Lord ... .
From the Feast of Trumpets to the DAY OF ATONEMENT, when the sanctuary will be purified and the effects of the wickedness of the willful king and false prophet quite done away ... .10 DAYS
From the day of atonement, to the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, when, the two E. remnants having been gathered and the sanctuary purged, the glory of Christ will shine forth as King of the Jews, the heir of the throne, the true Son of David ... .13 DAYS