94 LT.-COL. MOLOXY, O.B.E., LATE R.E., OX PREDICTIOXS AXD 



Dan. ix, 24 is completely altered so that instead of 70 weeks, it reads 

 77 weeks, which are counted by the author from the issue of the 

 Decree of Darius in 53S-9 B.C., and its fulfilment would be in 1 B.C., 

 and the 62 weeks when the wall of Jerusalem was rebuilt in 434 B.C. 

 which would again fall due 1 B.C. 



These dates are taken from The Time of the End of the " Weeks " 

 of Daniel, by H. C. Emeric de St. Dalmas. 



If the author of the above book is correct it would seem that in 

 this prophecy of weeks there is a Hebrew Cryptogram, one "giving 

 the date of our Lord's birth and the other gi^^ng the date of His 

 Death. 



I do not at all agree with the author in his chronology. But if 

 he is right in attributing to the original Septuagint the sense which 

 he gives, it may well accoimt for the expectation of our Lord's 

 coming at the time of His birth. 



Lt.-Col. G. Mackixlay said : I am sure we are most grateful to 

 Col. Molony for his subject, and also for the very helpful manner in 

 which he has treated it. He has given us many instances of the 

 fulfilment of the expectation of our Lord's first coming, founded on 

 ancient prophecies. One of the most striking is that of the wise 

 men at the Xativity (Matt, ii, 2). They had seen Christ's star in 

 the East ; so sure were they that it indicated the long-foretold 

 time of His birth, that they undertook a long journey across the 

 desert from their home at the time of its appearing ; they came to 

 Jerusalem, and they asked to be informed where it had been pre- 

 dicted that the King of the Jews, the promised Messiah, should be 

 born. 



This expectation of His coming was also shared by the chief priests 

 and scribes at Jerusalem, though, either through indifference or 

 through fear of Herod, they did not accompany the Magi in their 

 search. 



The followers of false rehgions have made predictions : some 

 of them have been stated to have been fulfilled, and it is possible 

 that they may have been accompHshed in some measure in some 

 instances; but, as Col. Molony tells us, the predictions of Christ in the 

 Old Testamony are absolutely unique ; for we have been reminded 

 of the numerous details connected with our Lord's death, even to 

 the minutiae of the Crucifixion bv the Romans. So full are the 



