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Preface
xiii
During this time, extending from A.D. 27 to A.D. 34, Christ, at
first in person and afterward by His disciples, extended the gospel
invitation especially to the Jews. As the apostles went forth with
the good tidings of the kingdom, the Saviour’s direction was, ‘go
not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans
enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.’
[
Matthew 10:5, 6
.]
“‘In the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the
oblation to cease.’ In A.D. 31, three and a half years after His
baptism, our Lord was crucified. With the great sacrifice offered
upon calvary, ended that system of offerings which for four thousand
years had pointed forward to the Lamb of God. Type had met
antitype, and all the sacrifices and oblations of the ceremonial system
were there to cease
.
“The seventy weeks, or 490 years, especially allotted to the Jews,
ended, as we have seen, in A.D. 34. At that time, through the action
of the Jewish Sanhedrim, the nation sealed its rejection of the gospel
by the martyrdom of Stephen and the persecution of the followers
of Christ. Then the message of salvation, no longer restricted to
the chosen people, was given to the world. The disciples, forced
by persecution to flee from Jerusalem, ‘went everywhere preaching
the word.’ ‘Philip went down to the city of Samaria, and preached
Christ unto them.’ Peter, divinely guided, opened the gospel to the
centurion of Caesarea, the God-fearing Cornelius; and the ardent
Paul, won to the faith of Christ, was commissioned to carry the glad
tidings ‘far hence unto the Gentiles.’ [
Acts 8:4, 5
;
Acts 22:21
.]
“Thus far every specification of the prophecies is strikingly ful-
[xiv]
filled, and the beginning of the seventy weeks is fixed beyond ques-
tion at B.C. 457, and their expiration in A.D. 34. From this data
there is no difficulty in finding the termination of the 2300 days. The
seventy weeks—490 days—having been cut off from the 2300, there
were 1810 days remaining. After the end of 490 days, the 1810 days
were still to be fulfilled. From A.D. 34, 1810 years extend to 1844.
Consequently the 2300 days of
Daniel 8:14
terminate in 1844. At
the expiration of this great prophetic period, upon the testimony of
the angel of God, ‘the sanctuary shall be cleansed.’ Thus the time
of the cleansing of the sanctuary—which was almost universally