Preterism and Daniel’s 70th week
In his article on Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, preterist Kenneth L. Gentry, Jr. refers to the statement in Daniel 9:27, “he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week.”
In his article, Gentry refers to confirming the covenant as if it was an event that was to occur in that week, rather than what is accomplished throughout that 70th week. Gentry wrote:
The confirming of covenant (v. 27) refers to the prophesied covenantal actions of verse 24, which come about as the result of the Perfect Covenantal Jubilee (Seventy Weeks), and is mentioned as a result of Daniel’s covenantal prayer (cf. v. 4). The covenant mentioned, then, is the divine covenant of God’s redemptive grace. Messiah came to confirm the covenantal promises: “to perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant” (Luke 1:72). He confirmed the covenant by His death on the cross: “by so much more Jesus has become a surety of a better covenant” (Heb. 7:22b).
Gentry stated in the above paragraph how he interprets the statement “he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week” in Daniel 9:27. He thought this referred to Christ’s death on the cross. But that did not span an entire week. Gentry wrote:
Daniel’s prayer was particularly for Israel (Dan. 9:3ff) and it was uttered in recognition that God promises mercy upon those who love Him (v. 4). Therefore, the prophecy holds that the covenant will be confirmed with many for one week. The reference to the “many” speaks of the faithful in Israel.
Below, Gentry paraphrased Daniel’s prophecy in a manner that supported his interpretation; however, his approach seems unsound. Gentry wrote:
This confirmation of God’s covenant promises to the “many” of Israel will occur in the middle of the seventieth week (v. 27), …
The Scripture does not say that confirmation of the covenant was to be an isolated event in the midst of the 70th week; rather, as most translations show, Christ would confirm his covenant throughout the entire 70th week. The three and a half years of his earthly ministry was the first half-week, which ended at the crucifixion. It was followed by the resurrection, and after appearing to his disciples, Jesus ascended to heaven, which commenced the last half-week. But when Jesus ascended, Jerusalem was also raised up. This fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah 2:2; it was when the mountain of the Lord’s house was established in the tops of the mountains, and exulted above the hills. Paul said the saints are raised up, and they sit together in heavenly places. [Ephesians 2:6] This continues today, for those who reign with Christ; it is included in the last half-week. It is part of confirming the covenant.
Because the last half-week of the 70th week applies to the heavenly city, rather than the earthly one, and that city is spiritual, the units that apply to it are not earth days or earth months or earth years, but the time is figurative or spiritual. Therefore, the final three and a half years may be taken as symbolic of the entire church age. The 70th week did not expire in the first century as Gentry and other preterists have claimed. If that were so, the apostles would have reported it.
There is no gap between the 69th and 70th weeks as claimed by dispensationalism, and neither has the 70 weeks prophecy been completely fulfilled, as preterism claims. Rather, the 70th week spans the present age; for the final half-week, the units of time change. The present age is the “time times and a half” of Daniel 7:25 and 12:7. It is a symbolic period, rather than a literal three and a half years because the last portion of the 70 weeks prophecy applies to the spiritual temple, built without hands, which is the church, the heavenly Jerusalem, and the bride of the Lamb. The heavenly city cannot be measured in terms of literal, earthly units, and the duration of her preparation is known to God alone.
The end of the 70 weeks was the stoning of Steven, three and a half years after the crucifixion, the final rejection of Jesus by the Jews, and then the message went to the gentiles, so the end of the 70 weeks WAS fulfilled in the first century.
Hi Tracy,
The idea that the stoning of Steven occurred three and a half years after the crucifixion has little support in the New Testament. IMO it is mere ‘noise’ generated by preterists. But if you have some arguments to support your claim I would be quite interested.
As I see it, the information about chronology provided in the book of Acts and in Galatians, about events in the life of Paul, seems to show that Stephen could not have been stoned three and a half years after Jesus ascended to heaven.
Stephen must have been stoned some time after the crucifixion, but before Paul was converted on his way to Damascus. Acts 9:26 mentions the first visit of Paul to Jerusalem after he was converted. It is the one mentioned in Galatians 1:17, which was three years after he was converted. Acts 11:27-30 describes Paul’s second visit to Jerusalem. It is mentioned in Galatians 2:1-2, where he says “Then fourteen years after I went up again to Jerusalem with Barnabas, and took Titus with me also. And I went up by revelation, and communicated unto them that gospel which I preach among the Gentiles, but privately to them which were of reputation, lest by any means I should run, or had run, in vain.”
The account of this second visit to Jerusalem is as follows: “And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and signified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth throughout all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Caesar. Then the disciples, every man according to his ability, determined to send relief unto the brethren which dwelt in Judaea: Which also they did, and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul.” [Acts 11:27-30]
Paul said in Galatians 2:2 that he went up to Jerusalem “by revelation” because the prophet Agabus had foretold the famine, and possibly other things as well. While Paul and Barnabas remained in Jerusalem Herod Agrippa died. [Acts 12:23] After that, Paul returned from Jerusalem. [Acts 12:25] The death of Herod Agrippa occurred in 44 AD. Paul’s visit to Jerusalem was said to have occurred 14 years after he was converted. It is likely that the counting was inclusive, in which case Paul was converted in the year 31 AD. Before that, he persecuted the church. And Stephen’s death occurred before Paul’s conversion. [Acts 7:58] So clearly, the death of Stephen was not the end of the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy, as Stephen must have died in 31 AD.
Thus, the claim by preterists that Stephen was killed three and a half years after the crucifixion cannot be supported from the New Testament. And it has nothing to do with the 70 weeks prophecy or the end of the 70th weeks. The apostles did not believe or teach that the 70 weeks prophecy had been fulfilled in the apostolic age. That is simply a modern preterist delusion.
IMO preterism utterly fails to explain the 70th week, because Daniel said the end of sacrifices and oblations would be “in the midst” of the final week. The destruction of the city, a flood, and the desolation of the temple all occur in the final week. The preterists are divided in their interpretations; some invoke a gap, like the dispensationalists, although a much smaller one. Others who say the 70th week ended in obscurity, unnoticed by the apostles, have to deny the events said to be in the midst of the last week are included in it. Their view is opposed to true meaning of the prophecy. To say the 70th week has ended implies Christ no longer confirms his covenant with his church. But this is a promise of a future marriage. The preterist interpretation is thus opposed to the Gospel of Christ, and the New Covenant that Jesus brought in. The final week is when he “confirms his covenant with many,” which is the message of the Gospel. Jesus still confirms this covenant with the saints; the final week includes his earthly ministry, and all the time since. The last half-week is a symbolic three and a half years, the time, times and a half of Daniel 12:7 and Revelation 12:14.
A closer examination of New Testament chronology shows the middle of the week to be April AD30, Stephens death AD32, and the conversion of Cornelius late AD33. There are good reasons to link Cornelius with the completion of the covenant ‘week.’
Here is a related diagram that relates to this: http://5loaves2fishes.net/image/book-acts