Daniel Foretells the Time

But perhaps, since even they cannot fight forever against plain facts, they will not deny what is written, but will claim that they are still looking for these things, and that the Word of God has not yet come. For this is the point they keep harping on, never blushing as they brazenly hold out in the face of plain facts. But on this one point above all they will be refuted all the more, not by us but by the most wise Daniel. He marks both the actual date and the Savior’s divine coming among us, saying: “Seventy weeks are cut short for your people and for the holy city, to make a full end of sin, to seal up sins, to blot out wrongdoings, to make atonement for wrongdoings, to bring everlasting righteousness, to seal vision and prophet, and to anoint a Holy of Holies. And you will know and understand: from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem until Christ the Prince.” [a]

With regard to the other prophecies, perhaps they may even be able to find excuses, and to put off what is written to some future time. But what can they say to this, or can they face it at all? Here not only is the Christ spoken of, but the one who is to be anointed is declared to be not simply a man, but Holy of Holies. And Jerusalem is to stand until his coming, and from then on prophet and vision are to cease in Israel. David was anointed long ago, and Solomon, and Hezekiah. But even so, Jerusalem and the place still stood, and prophets were still prophesying: Gad and Asaph and Nathan, and later Isaiah and Hosea and Amos and others. And again, the men who were actually anointed were called holy, but not Holy of Holies.

But if they take shelter behind the captivity, and say that because of it Jerusalem did not exist, what can they say about the prophets too? For in fact, when the people first went down to Babylon, Daniel and Jeremiah were there, and Ezekiel and Haggai and Zechariah were prophesying.