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But Daniel mentions two dates. One of these dates begins with the command of Artaxerxes to Ezra to rebuild Jerusalem; this is the seventy weeks which came to an end with the ascension of Christ, when by His martyrdom the sacrifice and oblation ceased. (71:4) The second period, which is found in the twenty-sixth verse, means that after the termination of the rebuilding of Jerusalem until the ascension of Christ, there will be sixty-two weeks; the seven weeks are the duration of the rebuilding of Jerusalem, which took forty-nine years. When you add these seven weeks to the sixty-two weeks, it makes sixty-nine weeks, and in the last week (69-70) the ascension of Christ took place. These seventy weeks are thus completed, and there is no contradiction. (Some Answered Questions 41 ) (71:5) 'Abdu'l-Baha clearly affirms the authority and inspiration of Daniel's vision. He sees no contradictions but, rather, a reliable prophetic chronology accurately revealing the first advent of Christ. Written out mathematically, 'Abdu'l-Baha's explanation is as follows: 62 weeks = (62 x 7) = 434 years-- 7 weeks = (7 x 7) = 49 years-- 69 weeks = (69 x 7) = 483 years
(71:6)
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