Daniel 9 and the 70th Week

[blhowes]

Dan 9:26 And 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.
Dan 9:27 And 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.​

On the way home from work the last few days, I've been listening on the radio to a preacher go through a series of messages on the book of Daniel. He has a dispensational perspective. Yesterday he spoke about Daniel 9 and the 70 weeks, explaining his support for the "gap" between the 69th and 70th week, as well as the 7-year tribulation. The gap of 2000 years has always struck me as unusual, especially when in some scenarios I've heard the time from the proclamation to the end of the 69th week is given with such precision, calculated down to the day.

I still have questions in my mind about the 70th week. I got some good answers in a closed thread I started a while ago called (of all things) Daniel 9:27. Anyway, I was wondering if any of you have any thoughts about the 70th week, when it began, when it ended (or will end), if it follows immediately after the 69th week or if there's a gap, if its a literal 7 years, etc.

 

[YXU]

Sir Isaac Newton "Observations on Daniel" Chapter X

"Yet shall he confirm the covenant with many for one week. He kept it, notwithstanding his death, till the rejection of the Jews, and calling of Cornelius and the Gentiles in the seventh year after his passion.

And in half a week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease; that is, by the war of the Romans upon the Jews: which war, after some commotions, began in the 13th year of Nero, A.D. 67, in the spring, when Vespasian with an army invaded them; and ended in the second year of Vespasian, A.D. 70, in autumn, Sept. 7, when Titus took the city, having burnt the Temple 27 days before: so that it lasted three years and an half.

And upon a wing of abominations he shall cause desolation, even until the consummation, and that which is determined be poured upon the desolate. The Prophets, in representing kingdoms by Beasts and Birds, put their wings stretcht out over any country for their armies sent out to invade and rule over that country. Hence a wing of abominations is an army of false Gods: for an abomination is often put in scripture for a false God; as where Chemosh is called [10] the abomination of Moab, and Molech the abomination of Ammon. The meaning therefore is, that the people of a Prince to come shall destroy the sanctuary, and abolish the daily worship of the true God, and overspread the land with an army of false gods; and by setting up their dominion and worship, cause desolation to the Jews, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled. For Christ tells us, that the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel was to be set up in the times of the Roman Empire, Matth. xxiv. 15."

John Calvin "Commentary on Daniel"

The angel now returns to Christ. We have explained why he made mention of the coming slaughter; first, to shew the faithful that they had no reason for remaining in the body of the nation in preference to being cut off from it; and next, to prevent the unbelievers from being satisfied with their obstinacy and their contempt of their inestimable blessings, by their rejecting the person of Christ. Thus this clause was interposed concerning the future devastation of the city and temple. The angel now continues his discourse concerning Christ by saying, he should confirm the treaty with many for one week This clause answers to the former, in which Christ is called a Leader. Christ took upon him the character of a leader, or assumed the kingly office, when he promulgated the grace of God. This is the confirmation of the covenant of which the angel now speaks. As we have already stated, the legal expiation of other ritual ceremonies which God designed to confer on the fathers is contrasted with the blessings derived from Christ; and we now gather the same idea from the phrase, the confirmation of the covenant. We know how sure and stable was God’s covenant under the law; he was from the beginning always truthful, and faithful, and consistent with himself.
But as far as man was concerned, the covenant of the law was weak, as we learn from Jeremiah. (Jeremiah 31:31, 32.) I will enter into a new covenant with you, says he; not such as I made with your fathers, for they made it vain. We here observe the difference between the covenant which
Christ sanctioned by his death and that of the Jewish law. Thus God’s covenant is established with us, because we have been once reconciled by the death of Christ; and at the same time the effect of the Holy Spirit is added, because God inscribes the law upon our hearts; and thus his covenant
is not engraven in stones, but in our hearts of flesh, according to the teaching of the Prophet Ezekiel. (Ezekiel 11:19.) Now, therefore, we understand why the angel says, Christ should confirm the covenant for one week, and why that week was placed last in order. In this week will he confirm the covenant with many But I cannot finished this exposition just now.

Matthew Henry "Commentary on Daniel"

He must confirm the covenant with many. He shall introduce a new covenant between God and man, a covenant of grace, since it had become impossiblemfor us to be saved by a covenant of innocence. This covenant he shall confirm by his doctrine and miracles, by his death and resurrection, by the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's supper, which are the seals of the New Testament, assuring us that God is willing to accept us upon gospel-terms.
His death made his testament of force, and enabled us to claim what is bequeathed by it. He confirmed it to the many, to the common people; the poor were evangelized, when the rulers and Pharisees believed not on him. Or, he confirmed it with many, with the Gentile world. The New
Testament was not (like the Old) confined to the Jewish church, but was committed to all nations. Christ gave his life a ransom for many. [7.] He must cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. By offering himself a sacrifice once for all he shall put an end to all the Levitical sacrifices, shall supersede them and set them aside; when the substance comes the shadows shall be done away. He causes all the peace-offerings to cease when he has made peace by the blood of his cross, and by it confirmed the covenant of peace and reconciliation. By the preaching of his gospel to the world, with which the apostles were entrusted, he took men off from expecting remission by the
blood of bulls and goats, and so caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease. The apostle in his epistle to the Hebrews shows what a better priesthood, altar, and sacrifice, we have now than they had under the law, as a reason why we should hold fast our profession.

Also see Francis Turretin "Seventh Disputation" in which common objections were all well dealt against the futurists (Romanist). Testifying the origin of dispensationalism, the gap theory (the last week being yet future) was invented by the Romanist against the Protestant Pope Anti-Christ doctrine. (Rev. 16:11)

Dispensationalism is a deadly heresy for many reasons:

1. It was made drunk with the wine of the fornication of the Anti-Christ (Rev 17:2) Dispensationalism is against many reformed doctrines. (Doctrine of free grace, of law, of salvation, of purity of worship, of limited atonement, of the work and offices of Christ and etc.,)
2. Dispensationalism is antinomian.
3. We should not give heed to Jewish fables, and commandments of men, that turn from the truth. (Titus 1:14)
4. It denies the Pope of Rome is the Anti-Christ and agree with Rome for a future Anti-Christ.
5. It calls our Lord Jesus who confirmed the covanent with many the Anti-Christ. (Daniel 9:27)
6. It destroys the works of Christ, by dreaming about a future physical temple and the restoration of the sacrificial system.
7. It causes divisions among Christians. (Romans 16:17)
8. It's 3 1/2 years theory is a false prophecy.
9. It has taken away many clear doctrines from the Book of Revelation. (Revelation 22:19)
10. They are those which the Apostle Peter mentions in 2 Peter 3:16-17.

 

[Backwoods Presbyterian]