years, extending to the coming of Messiah, and, secondly, the remaining 1 heptade, or seven years, during which He should "confirm the covenant with many," ver. 27. With regard to the sub-division of the 69 heptades into two periods of seven heptades, or 49 years, and 62 heptades, or 434 years, as the whole period of 69 heptades is embraced to the coming of Messiah, and it is said that "after the sixty-two heptades shall the Anointed be cut off;" it is plain that the sixty-two heptades must be subsequent to the seven. To what then does this first sub-division of seven heptades, or 49 years refer? Now as the only circumstance spoken of in connection with it is what immediately follows the mention of these two periods, "the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times;" it can only be referred to the time occupied in the restoration of the city. We find that Prideaux1 makes the last act of Nehemiah, in the re-establishment of affairs at Jerusalem, to have been in the 15th year of Darius Nothus, or 408 B.C., which gives us a period of (454-408=) 46 years, which corresponds sufficiently to the seven heptades, the remaining 62 heptades, simply indicating the period that the city and temple should after their restoration continue standing previous to Messiah's coming.

The words "shall cease," or be non-existent, well express the nonexistence of any temporal sovereignty of the "King of Israel," as He Himself declared, "My kingdom is not of this world;"2 contrary to the worldly expectation of the Jews. Not a mere temporal rule over the kingdom of His father David, but King of the true Israel "redeemed out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation."3

The expressions "after the sixty-two heptades shall the Anointed be cut off;" leaves it doubtful how many years after the completion of the 62 heptades following the 7, or before the exact completion of the 70 heptades this should occur. The Hebrew word rendered after, Barnes says, would be well represented by afterwards, or indefinitely posterior to the time mentioned. But in ver. 27 we find the occurrences of the last week of the 70 more exactly stated; "And He shall confirm a covenant with many for one heptade, and in the midst of the heptade, He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease."

And upon the wing [or porch] of the temple abominations! and a desolator. Even till the consummation, and that which is decreed shall be poured upon the desolate."

As Messiah was to do something in the middle of this last heptade which should "cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease," it is plain He was not to be cut off immediately on the completion of the 62 heptades following the 7, as some have been inclined to interpret it.

For the same reason it is obvious that the "confirming a covenant" must depend on something different from those ordinances which form an essential part of the Jewish covenant or religion. "The confirming of the covenant therefore during that one week,' must be consistent with some work or event that would cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease in the middle of that period. The true fulfilment it seems to me is to be found in the bearing of the work of the Saviour on the Hebrew people-the ancient covenant people of God-for about the period of seven years after He entered on His work."

The following passages shew that the work of Christ was the confirming God's covenant. Isaiah lv. 3, 4, compared with Hebrews xiii. 20; Romans xv. 8; and Jeremiah xxxi. 31, compared with Hebrews ix. 15, 20. He came not to abolish, but to confirm, renew, and enlarge God's covenant. He came to "magnify the law and make it honourable." (Isaiah xlii. 21, compared with Matthew v. 17, 18.) The ministry of our Lord and His Apostles was for the first seven years after His manifestation wholly confined to the Jews. And the narrative of the Apostles' missionary labours, the extraordinary effusion of the Holy Spirit, whereby so many thousand Jews were converted, and Christ's Church, the "remnant according to the election of grace," established so widely among the Jews alone, previous to its extension to the Gentiles, is embraced in Acts i. to ix. 31; and we find the date assigned to the latter passage is A.D. 37, or exactly seven years from our Lord's manifestation. And the break in the narrative of three years from the termination of this chapter, till the account in the following one of the outpouring of the Holy Spirit on the Gentiles in A.D. 41, seems to imply a cessation of the miraculous work of establishing the Church among the Jews, "confirming the covenant," which afterwards was extended and strengthened, as the expressions in ver. 31 seem to convey, by the more ordinary operations of the Comforter, and a state of temporal peace and tranquillity.

The clause, "In the midst of the heptade He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease," obviously refers to the completion of the Saviour's work of Redemption by His death on the Cross, at the third or fourth passover, or about three and a half years, (half a heptade,) 2 See foot note page 18.

1 Barnes.

after His manifestation; that sacrifice once offered which practically caused the typical sacrifice and oblation to cease, (Heb. x. 1—18,) previous to the destruction of that "Sanctuary," no longer of use since it only served to foreshadow "Him that was to come (Heb. viii. ix. and x.) And the uprooting of that city and nation, no longer to be the sole peculiar people of God.1

For myself I can scarcely imagine a more exact prophetic statement of the time that was to elapse to Messiah's manifestation and death, than this passage of Daniel affords. Nor does it seem to me possible to frame in as many words a more correct account of the great work of the Saviour than is contained in verse 24.

The expression in verse 26, "the people of a Prince that comes," is indicative of the dominion of a foreigner or alien, which is confirmed by the fact that his people or troops should "destroy the city and the sanctuary." That the destruction here foretold, is that by the Romans our Lord's citation of it, Matthew xxiv. 15, compared with Luke xxi. 20, proves; even if the expressions themselves did not "denote with undoubted accuracy the events that soon followed the cutting off of Messiah." That these latter events are not embraced in the period of the 70 heptades, but are mentioned here as the necessary sequel of the great events in the history of the world to which that period alone refers, is apparent: 1stly. Because in verse 24 the purposes to be accomplished in this period, all referring, as has been shewn, to the fulfilment of God's promises by the finished work of Redemption, are distinctly enumerated, and there is no mention of this, though one of the most remarkable events in the history of God's providence, and closing as it did for ever, the old Jewish dispensation and ceremonial worship, already abolished and rendered nugatory by the atonement they typified. 2ndly. The events that are to occur in each of the divisions of this period, of 7, 62, and 1 heptade, are all exactly noted, as the building of the city in the first, the advent of Messiah at the close of the second, and His confirming the covenant, and abolishing the sacrifice and oblation during the last; so that it would certainly have been mentioned when and how long this stupendous and deeply important event, the destruction of the Jewish polity and worship, would occupy, had not the whole period been filled by the events that are described as occupying each portion of it.

1 "On the supposition that this pertains to the death of the Lord Jesus, and that it was the design of the prophecy here to refer to the effects of that death, this is the very language which would have been used."—Barnes.

2 Barnes.

And as this period of 70 heptades terminates (verse 26, 27,) within half a heptade of the cutting off of Messiah, it evidently cannot embrace this event which occurred 37 years after the cutting off of Messiah.

"And the end thereof shall be with a flood." What words could better describe the deluge of destruction that was "poured" out upon the Jewish people, sweeping away every vestige of their existence as a nation.

"And unto the end of the war, desolations are decreed." How forcibly do these words express that God had decreed this war should be one of destruction of the Jews as a nation. Nothing can be stronger than the emphatic declaration of this by the repetition of the words "desolations,' ," "desolator," "desolate." And no war was ever more of this character than that waged by the Romans for the extermination of the Jewish nation, in the "desolations" of hearths and homes, of populous cities, and of the vineyards and fruitful fields, and their leading into slavery, and "scattering among all nations," with the unparalleled destruction of life it occasioned.

That the expressions "abominations and a desolator," apply to the heathen Roman army that should desolate Judea is seen by comparing our Lord's words in Matthew xxiv. 15, with the same as given by Luke xxi. 20. The heathen were held in abomination by the Jews as were all objects of idolatrous worship. The Roman army therefore was doubly an abomination, as heathen, and on account of the Eagles, and the images of the Emperor regarded by them with divine honours.1

Respecting this remarkable and deeply interesting passage of Daniel, Barnes remarks, "This prediction could have been the result only of inspiration. There is the clearest evidence that the prophecy was recorded long before the time of the Messiah, and it is manifest that it could not have been the result of any natural sagacity." How could such events, or their order, duration, and exact time of occurring, have been foreseen?

To this prophecy of Daniel of the precise time of Messiah's manifestation we can alone attribute, the very general expectation of His coming already mentioned (p. 270 seq.) and which Josephus alludes to in his history of the war, Book vi, ch. 5, as encouraging the Jews to resist the Romans. Though the Jews now a days, to escape the condemnation of his prophecies, try to deny that he was a true prophet, the testimony of Josephus is conclusive that such was not their belief of old. He says,2 2 Antiq. Book x. ch. 11.

1 See p. 213 and foot note.

"We believe that Daniel conversed with God; for he did not only prophecy of future events, as did the other prophets, but he also determined the time of their accomplishment." And, "Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman Government, and that our country should be made desolate by them." In fine, the Jews of old regarded the writings of Daniel with the utmost respect, and himself as the greatest of their prophets.1

And thus Messiah came after 4000 years of prophetic nnouncement, and typical foreshadowing. All the great changes and revolutions of the world being pointed to as subservient and preparatory to the coming of " the Prince of Peace." Surely He could be no ordinary being, no mere mortal, for whom all these anticipatory preparations and prophecies were made, and whose advent was ushered in, as has been shewn, by the general expectation of the nations.

NOTE XII. THE STONE OF STUMBLING, OR REJECTION OF THE SAVIOUR. (Psalm cxviii. 22; and Isaiah viii. 14).—The passage of Psalm cxviii. 22, and following verses, and that of Isaiah viii. 14, were applied even by Jewish commentators to Messiah. The allusion of Isaiah seems to be to an ancient custom of consecrating a stone or altar, as a sanctuary for whoever should flee to it. Those who disregarded, or did not look to this refuge then might stumble and fall through the very object appointed for their safety. It will at once be seen how beautifully this typified the Saviour of the world, who is constantly spoken of in Scripture as the Stone or Rock of Salvation; and the consequences of our neglecting to "lay hold" on His salvation, (Heb. vi. 18,) as he who of old fled from the consequences of his misdeeds laid hold on the stone of refuge; "for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."

As corner-stones and foundation-stones fulfilled the most important purposes in a building, they were necessarily selected and tested very carefully. These expressions, therefore, are most aptly applied to that "precious corner-stone, and sure foundation," on which only we can

1 See Josephus Antiq. Book x. ch. 11, Para. 2 and 7.

2 See Isaiah xxviii. 16; Zech. iii. 9; Dan. ii. 34-36; Ps. xviii. 2, xciv. 22 &c.; 1 Cor. x. 4, comp. with Exodus xvii. 6; Deut. xxxii. 4, 15, 18, 30, and 31.

3 Isaiah xxviii. 16.