Jeremiah 34:14—At the end of seven years
let ye go every man his brother an Hebrew,
which hath been sold unto thee; and when he hath served thee six years, thou shalt let him go free.
Believe it or not this verse is a major
key to understanding the prophecy of Daniel’s seventy weeks. This verse tells
us that when God says seven years he means that in six years all work is to be
done and the slave is freed to return home to his family for the seventh year.
The seventh year to God is the same as the seventh day; it is to be kept holy.
God used this Modus operandi when he gave Jeremiah the length of time for the
Babylonian captivity. The exile was to last for seventy years but ended after
sixty nine years were counted and the seventieth year was kept holy. I believe God
does this same thing in the prophecy of the seventy weeks of Daniel. This
theory makes much more sense than the way Sir Robert Anderson ascertained the prophecy
of Daniel’s seventy weeks.
Daniel 9:24—Seventy 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.
Dan 9:25—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 (7), and threescore and two (62)
weeks: the street shall be built again, and
the wall, even in troublous times.
Sir Robert Anderson counts the seven
weeks before the sixty two weeks and leaves the last verse to explain the
seventieth week. I have heard Bible teachers say “no one knows why the seven
weeks were separated from the sixty two weeks.” It seems this would throw up a
red flag in the understanding of the seventy weeks and make people ask
questions but it hasn’t. No one questions men of scholar and that is one reason
why there are so many heresies in our world today. Let’s go against the average
man and ask a couple of questions. Why would Gabriel mention the seven weeks and then
neglect to count or explain them? Why would he say “after sixty two weeks” and
then jump to the seventieth week, ignoring the seven weeks?
The answers to those questions are that Gabriel
didn’t neglect to count or explain the seven weeks to Daniel. Both the
seven weeks and the sixty two weeks are explained and counted: the Messiah is
cut off after sixty two weeks and the covenant is confirmed at the beginning of
the last seven weeks totaling sixty nine weeks (69 yrs). In the theory I am
presenting the seventy weeks is a generation of seventy years and would fit
perfectly in the chronology of Matthew 1:17.
The seventy weeks are lined up with what took place in the time of the
Babylonian captivity: a judgment that was to last seventy years but ended after
sixty nine years and the seventieth year (the tenth Sabbath since judgment
began) was a time of joy and worship.
In Mr. Anderson’s theory the seven weeks
are ignored and the seventieth week is explained instead. His speculation purposes
that there are four hundred ninety years of which four hundred and eighty three
of those years happened two thousand years ago and we are just waiting on the last
seven years to pop up at any minute. In no way does his assertion coincide with
the generation Jesus spoke of in Matthew twenty four and by no means would it
fit into the chronology of Matthew 1:17. In my opinion it is a no brainer which
theory makes better sense but of course it is up to you as to rather you believe it or not..
Blue Letter Bible. (n.d.). Retrieved April 24, 2012, from http://www.blueletterbible.org/lang/lexicon/lexicon.cfm?Strongs=G3767&t=KJV
King
James Version of the Holy Bible.
The Coming Prince. (n.d.). Retrieved August 18, 2012, from Philologos: http://philologos.org/__eb-tcp/default.htm
