GABRIEL'S APPEARANCE TO DANIEL THE OBJECT OF HIS MISSION. While Daniel was praying, in the midst of his prayer, Gabriel appeared to him, being caused to fly swiftly by, and touched him, to attract his attention. Daniel remarks, "Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning;" thus directing the mind of the reader back to the vision of the desolation of the sanctuary. Mr. Dowling says, the article "the" does not belong there. Other Hebraists say it does; that the points require it. But whether "the" is inserted or not, is immaterial; for if we read it, "whom I had seen in vision at the beginning," it carries us back to the same vision. For the vision of the eighth chapter is the first vision in which Gabriel is introduced. Gabriel informed Daniel, "I am NOW come forth to give thee skill and understanding." The direction for him to do so came as soon as Daniel began his prayer; he was beloved of God, and he would not suffer him to be deceived on the sub ject of his prayer. "Therefore understand the matter." What matter? The treading down or desolating the sanctuary and host. "Consider the vision." What vision? The vision of the daily and transgression of desolation, to give both the sanctuary and host to be trodden under foot. If "the vision" does not mean the one in the 8th chapter, who can tell what it does mean? There is no vision in the ninth chapter for him to consider; it is an open communication between Gabriel and Daniel; and is an explanation of the vision. EXPLANATION OF THE VISION. Verse 24. 66 Seventy weeks are determined." These weeks are weeks of years, or jubilees; seventy sevens. Seventy years of Jewish bondage had just been filled up. Gabriel now informed Daniel that seventy sevens of years were determined, or as some Hebraists* render it, seventy sevens are cut off, for thy people and for thy holy city," to finish the transgression, for which the city and sanctuary is to be desolate to the consummation. See Lev. xxv. 8. "Determined." If "separated" or "cut off" is the real import of the term, then they must be separated from the 2300 days' vision; there is nothing else from which to cut them off; and the seventy weeks are a part of the vision. But if the word signifies "decided," seventy weeks are decided upon thy people, or for thy people, to "finish the transgression," still it is an explanation of the vision, and of course gives it a date. "To finish the transgression." The reader will observe that it is not the transgressions, in the plural, but "the transgression;" "a word,” says Joseph Benson, "which is derived from a theme which signifies 'to revolt, to rebel, to be contumacious, to refuse subjection to rightful authority, or obedience to a law which we ought to observe.' The Jews and Jerusalem finished their transgression, or rebellion, for which God sealed their national doom, when they refused to receive Christ. Christ then pronounced their doom: "O that thou hadst known in this thy day * Mr. Fulsom, in his new work, admits this reading; also Professors Bush and Seixas, of New York. the things which belong to thy peace, but now they are forever hid from thine eyes. The days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee," &c. "And to make an end of sins," to fill up their national sins. "And to make reconciliation for iniquity," by the offering of Christ as a sacrifice for sin. "And to bring in everlasting righteousness.” The offerings of the Jewish ceremonial law were continually repeated. "There was," says Paul to the Hebrews, "a remembrance of sins every year." "But Christ, by one offering, hath PERFECTED FOREVER them which are sanctified." "And to seal up the vision and prophecy." To seal, is, 1. To shut up and make fast. 2. To confirm as a legal instrument, or as weights and measures are sealed and legalized by the government seal. So by the fulfilment of the seventy weeks, the vision of the 8th and prophecy of the 9th chapters of Daniel should be ratified or confirmed, and the measure of time sealed: a day for a year. "To anoint the most holy." Hebrew, literally "holy of holies." Heaven itself, which Christ consecrated, when he ascended and entered it, sprinkling or consecrating it with his own blood for us. Verse 25. "Know, therefore, and understand" where the vision is to commence; "from the going forth of the commandment to restore and build Jerusalem." Which of the four orders of the Medo-Persian monarchs, whether that of Cyrus, (Ezra i. 1,) or that of Darius Hystaspes (Ezra iv. 6,) or that of Artaxerxes Longimanus, (Ezra vii.) in the seventh year of his reign, or that which was given to Nehemiah by Artaxerxes, in the twentieth year of his reign, (Neh. ii. 1-8,) has been matter of doubt and uncertainty. There are few persons, however, left at present, who have not abandoned the first two orders, as not answering to the description given of it by the prophet Daniel. That given by Artaxerxes in the seventh year of his reign, is the one usually adopted by commentators, as the date of the seventy weeks. Following the great body of the commentators, I have formerly inclined to the same opinion, and adopted it without a very critical examination. But I confess my confidence has been shaken in that date, by a more careful examination of the various decrees, and the chronology since that decree. The marginal reading of Dan. ix. 24, shows the opinion of the translators to have been, that the decree of the twentieth year of Artaxerxes was the date of the seventy weeks. I find, also, on a critical examination of Rollin's chronology, he has given us 457 years from the twentieth year of Artaxerxes, to A. D. 1. The following chronological table is made out from Rollin's Chronology. He allows 47 years for Artaxerxes: 19 years from this, which will bring us to his 20th year, leaves 28 years after the decree by which Nehemiah went up to build Jerusalem, to the end of Artaxerxes' reign. Yr. Mo. D. Artaxerxes, after his 20th year, reigned 28 Darius Nothus, 66 7 15 3 12 8 From Alexander's death to the division Yr. Mo. D. of his kingdom by his generals, 22 Ptolemy Soter, king of Egypt, according to Ptolemy the astronomer, reigned 20 Ptolemy Philadelphus, Ptolemy Euergetes, 66 39 66 25 Ptolemy Philopater, Ptolemy Aulutes and Berenice his daug'r, 14 The Romans became masters of Egypt 21 30 Total from the 20th of Artax.'s to 1 B. C. 457 3 15 It is certain, also, that the commission or grant given to Nehemiah to go up and build "the city of his fathers' sepulchres," agrees better with the prediction than any which preceded it. There is abundant evidence also, in Neh. i. and ii., that Jerusalem was a heap of ruins up to the time of Nehemiah's going up to build it up and restore it. The wall also, was built under Nehemiah, even in troublous times. From all these circumstances, I think the 20th year of Artaxerxes' reign to be the true date of the seventy weeks, according to the opinion of king James' translators. But whichever year it was, is perfectly immaterial to my purpose in showing the fulfilment of the prophecy; for that does not rest on the falli |