The Hebrew and Greek, as the translation will show, agree with each other where numbers are spoken of. Indeed, the language arising from both the literal translations, is upon the whole nearly alike, excepting in two instances: first, in the Greek, it is said "and shall strengthen covenant with many week one, and in the half of the week shall make of me sacrifice and oblation." In the Hebrew it is said, "And confirm will he covenant the to many week one and midst the of the week he will cause to cease sacrifice and oblation."

It is clear that each text in this proposition gives a distinct and different information. The Greek says, that the covenant would be confirmed with many for a week and a half; and in the half week (for I take the week and a half to signify a period of 73 years, and by understanding it in this manner, it is agreeable to the actual fulfilment of the prediction) shall make of me (that is Christ) a sacrifice.

The Hebrew, on the other hand, says, That the covenant would be confirmed with many for a week and a half, and in the midst of the half week he would cause to cease the sacrifice and oblation.

It is worthy of attention that the predictions contained in both texts have been literally fulfilled, but I must observe that the week and a half spoken of in this part of Scripture, must be understood as the last Great Week or Sabbath of the Jewish Dispensation; that is, it must be understood as containing seven years of seven years, equal to 49 years and the half week containing 24 years, and not-as commentators have explained it a week implying only seven years, and the half week as implying three and a half years.

Then this last week and a half of the Jewish Dispensation signifies a period of 734 years, at the beginning of which the covenant was fulfilled by the coming of the Messiah, and confirmed to many during that week and a half, or during 73 years, at the end of which period He caused to cease the sacrifice and oblation by the destruction of the Temple and of the city, Jerusalem.

Again, the prediction in the Greek text was fulfilled by Christ's having been offered a sacrifice about the midst of the week and a half-the half of 73 being 36 years and odds. Further on, I hope to show thee, by calculations from the prophetical numbers, and historical observations, that the time which elapsed between the birth and death of Christ was a period of 36 years and three months.

Secondly-The other discrepancy between the Greek and the Hebrew texts to which I alluded, is this, the Hebrew reading says thus: "And for the on wing spreading of abominations desolate making and unto the completion and that determined poured be shall upon the desolate." the desolate." On this part, the Greek "And upon the Temple abominations of

text says: the desolations and until the consummation of time consummation shall be poured upon the desolator." The fulfilment of this prediction, according as it is worded in the Greek text, may be considered as having already happened when such a consummation was poured upon Italy a little time before Titus was cut off, about eight years after Titus had destroyed Jerusalem-so that the very cities of Pompey and Herculeum were consumed, nay, totally buried, so that

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till within these few years past, the precise spot of ground on which they stood was unknown.* The accomplishment of the prediction according to the Hebrew text, regarding the abominations spoken of, appears to have a wider and more extended signification. It seems to refer to war and its duration, and to that state of mental and bodily slavery, which has been, and still is, effected by the power of the Beast; it seems also to fortel somewhat of the abominations that would be poured upon the nations of the earth who, like the Jews, had rendered themselves desolate by their rejection of Christ, and a disregard to his sacred commands.

From the calculations of the prophetical numbers which I have made, as exhibited on the sheet at the end of this book, I trust I have shown by a correct calculation, that the abomination of desolation so emphatically spoken of by Daniel, and so pointedly alluded to by Christ, signifies war, which desolated Jerusalem, at its last destruction, and which will not cease till about the year of our Lord 1914. Therefore, as the prophetic numbers point to this period, there is little to

* It is likely the reason of these two discrepancies between the Hebrew and Greek texts were occasioned by the translations or transcriptions made by Aquila, Theodotian, and Symmachus, in the second century. Translators very probably would depart from the exact translation of the Hebrew, and use words they considered more in unison with what they would consider the actual fulfilment of these predictions by the death of Christ, and the destruction that was poured upon the desolators of Jerusalem. As observed by Greville Ewing, the Greek translation of the Old Testament gives evidence of its having been translated by persons of different abilities. From this it appears it may have been that instead of translations made by Aquila, Theodotian, and Symmachus, in the second century, they collected together the previous translations made by different individuals, with such corrections as they thought right, and allowed the corruptions made in its chronology to remain.

warrant the belief that the majority of the Jews will acknowledge Christ as their King and Ruler till about the year A. D. 1914.

The other part of the passage of Scripture now under consideration, and which has been rendered into English according to the import of the Greek and Hebrew words, to it, I say as it stands in our common translation-I make no objection, except in so far as regards its punctuation, and even this extends only to one point. This will be found at the end of the words, "Seven weeks." Here there ought to be a period, and the words immediately succeeding should form the commencement of the 26th verse; for is it not reasonable to conclude that the seven weeks belong to the 70 weeks previously mentioned in the 24th verse, making one connected period of 77 weeks, and that the following 62 weeks, which are twice repeated, form also but one period of time, viz., 62 weeks? therefore, I believe that this important prophetical part of Scripture ought to be explained in the following

manner.

That from the going forth of the word, or commandment, to restore and to build Jerusalem, in the second year of Cyrus, until the anointing or the baptising of the Most Holy the Messiah, the Prince, shall be 77 weeks.

From the building of the street and wall again in troublous times, which troublous times happened in the days of Nehemiah, and about the 38th year of Artaxerxes, until the cutting off of the Messiah, there shall be 62 weeks.

The covenant shall be fulfilled by the coming of

the Messiah, at the beginning of the week and a half; and the covenant shall be confirmed to many during the week and a half. And at the end of this week and a half, the sacrifice and oblation shall he cause to cease at Jerusalem, but "the on wing overspreading of the abominations of desolations" shall continue to be poured upon the desolate until the end of the War or Wars among the nations.

From the above it is clear there are three distinct paragraphs embodied in the information concerning the coming of the Messiah, by the Angel Gabriel to Daniel. In the first of these paragraphs there are two numbers given, viz, 70 weeks and seven weeks; the one, it is obvious, as already stated, is connected with and bears upon the other, and ought to be added together; the sense conveyed will then be as follows :

That from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem, until the time comes to anoint the Most Holy, the Messiah, the Prince, there shall be 77 weeks; then, calculating according to the following scale,* No. 2, which I have no doubt was famiScale for Calculating the Prophetical Numbers, selected from the Bible.

1. A Week of 7 days equal to 7 days, Matt. xxviii. 1. Acts, xx. 7. I. Cor. xvi. 2.

*2. A Week of 7 years, or Sabbatic, equal to 7 years, Genesis, xxix. 27. Levit. xxv. 4.

3. A Week of Sabbatics, or 7 years of 7 years, equal to 49 years. Levit. xxv. 8.

4. A Jubilee every 50th year, equal to 50 years, Levit. xxv. 10. Redemption Year.

5. One day as equal to 1000 years. Psalm, xc. 4. II. Peter,

iii. 8.