A Time of Waiting Unique in World History (IV)

The amazing prophecy of the seventy seven-day periods Through the prophecy of the seventy seven-day periods, Daniel's prophecy most amazingly describes the coming of the Messiah. This well-known passage in Daniel 9 begins thus: "Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to stop disobedience, and to make an end to sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy." The new world (the iniquity which ceases and is expiated, the sin which is "sealed" and the reign of eternal justice) will come about when Christ has "received his anointing." It is then that the visions of the prophets will be realized. And all of this will happen after the "70 seven-day periods." This indication of time, the only one in the whole of the Old Testament has never given rise to excessive controversy among Old Testament interpreters. It is clear that this involves seven-day periods, that is to say periods of seven years, and that it refers to the coming of the Messiah after 490 years. But where should we count from? "From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to re-build Jerusalem," after the exile in Babylon, according to the Bible. Some experts counted from the decree of Artaxerxes in 458 BC, others from Cyrus in 538 and the liberation of Israel, others still in solar years and others in lunar years. The discovery of parchments from the first century B.C. found at Qumran show that the community living there was preoccupied with signs of the times and that they also made much of the "70 seven-day period" prophecy. They had calculated that the Messianic period would begin in the year 26 B.C. and in view of this expectancy, retired to the desert. There was still a small "error" of 20 years in their calculations; according to Hugh Schonfield: "We can clearly see today the degree to which, almost with pinpoint accuracy, Jesus could proclaim at the beginning of his mission: ‘The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is close at hand" (Mk 1:15).