The Bible Class
LESSON XXXIII. Time of the first Advent foretold
Questions to Lesson 33*
Not only were the ancestors of Christ, and the place of his birth foretold, but the time of his publicly showing himself as the Lamb of God, that taketh away the sin of the world, was definitely predicted. This was another sign: the true Christ must come at the right time. BIC 76.1
The time was revealed to the prophet Daniel in these words: From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks and three-score and two weeks. Daniel 9:25. Three-score and two are sixty-two, and seven added make sixty-nine weeks. BIC 76.2
At the time this was revealed to him, Jerusalem was in ruins, Daniel and many of the Jews having been carried captives to Babylon. But God had determined to move the heart of the king of Persia, who was to reign over Babylon, to send forth a commandment to rebuild Jerusalem. And now the angel assures Daniel, that, when that commandment should go forth, just sixty-nine weeks from that time the long expected Messiah (Christ) would appear. BIC 76.3
A literal week is seven days ending with a day of rest. But God commanded the Jews to let their land rest one year in seven, and thus it was natural to call seven years a week also. BIC 77.1
Time has proved that the weeks of Daniel were weeks of years. The commandment to rebuild Jerusalem went forth, as recorded in Ezra 7, and many times 69 weeks of days followed before Christ came. But at the end of four hundred and eighty-three years from that time, Jesus began to preach saying, The time is fulfilled. Mark 1:15. (7 times 69 are 483.) The time then fulfilled was evidently the sixty-nine weeks, for that was the set time for his manifestation. BIC 77.2
The Jews evidently understood the weeks of Daniel to be weeks of years, for they were looking for Christ when Jesus appeared; and they were doubtless acquainted with their own history and chronology from the restoration and rebuilding of Jerusalem to that time. BIC 77.3
These weeks did not end at the birth of Jesus, but at the time of the commencement of his preaching; then it was that he declared the time fulfilled. Messiah, or Christ means Anointed. When Jesus was anointed the weeks must end. When he was baptized, the Holy Spirit was seen descending like a dove upon him; and to use the words of Peter, God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power. Acts 10:38. Soon after this he announced the fulfillment of the time. BIC 78.1