Daniel 9:20-23 (NKJV) Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, 21 yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, “O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. 23 At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:
So, Daniel is in prayer and Gabriel comes to explain the matter so Daniel will “understand the vision”. What vision? Daniel was praying not seeing a vision.
Daniel 8:27 (NKJV) And I, Daniel, fainted and was sick for days; afterward I arose and went about the king's business. I was astonished by the vision, but no one understood it.
The vision that Gabriel is going to explain is the rest of the vision that we see in chapter 8. While Gabriel was explaining the vision in chapter 8, Daniel did not get to hear all of it because he fainted. Therefore, he was without understanding. So now, Gabriel has come to give Daniel understanding.
Daniel 9:24 (NKJV) “Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy.
When Gabriel talks of seventy weeks, there is a year for a day principle that is applied (Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34). In fact, this prophecy of seventy weeks is the most obvious example of the year for a day principle. As we will discover, this prophecy points straight to the baptism of Christ, His death, and the death of Stephen. This prophecy is so accurate that it’s said there is a curse, by the Orthodox Jews, for anyone who reads and deciphers this seventy-week prophecy.
A Sage said: "May the curse of heaven fall upon those who calculate the date of the advent of the Messiah, and thus create political and social unrest among the people." Sanhedrin, 97b. Louis Newman and Samuel Spitz, The Talmudic anthology: tales and teachings of the rabbis (Behrman House, 1945): 277. ISBN 0874413036, 9780874413038
A most amazing thing occurs in the ninth chapter of Daniel: we’re told when Messiah would come. But instead of explaining it to us, our Rabbis curse anyone wanting to find it out: ‘Rabbi Samuel b. Nachmani said in the name (of) Rabbi Jonathan: ‘Blasted be the bones of those who calculate the end.’
Sanford R. Howard, L’Chayim: Finding The Light of Shalom (Thorsby, AL: Sabbath House, Inc., 1999), p. 209. Sanhedrin 97b, vol. 2, p. 659, Soncino Press. Editorial footnote #6 says, ‘i.e., Messiah’s advent.’
Some of our Rabbis, in a further attempt to keep us from Daniel, even state that Daniel was wrong. Alfred Edersheim, a Talmudic scholar who would come to know Messiah said, ‘later Rabbinism, which, naturally enough, could not find its way through the Messianic prophecies of the book, declared that even Daniel was mistaken’
Alfred Edersheim, The Life and Times of Jesus The Messiah (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2000), p. 957. Bereshith Rabba 98 (a midrash or commentary on Genesis). Edersheim lived from 1825 to 1889 C.E
As a note, the book of Daniel foretells the kingdoms of Persia and Greece so well, along with the prophecies to the destruction of the temple, that skeptics of the Bible claim the book was written long after history tells us, after the dates of the events foretold within.
Since prophecy has a principle of one year for one day then let us calculate the time of this prophecy we are looking at.
One week is equal to seven days; thus seventy weeks is equal to 490 days. With the year for a day principle, this prophecy is covering a 490 year period.
This 490 year period has been “determined”; which comes from the Hebrew word chathak. Chathak means to be “cut off”. So, the 490 years are cut off from something. One teaching says it’s cut off from the 2300 day prophecy in Daniel chapter 8. Yet, it can also be simply cut off from time itself. One thing is for certain, the “cut off” helps show us that this is a lump sum of days; or 490 continual years.
This period of time was cut off for the people of Israel, as Gabriel uses the pronoun “your”; referring to Daniel’s people, or the Jews and for THEIR holy city; which would be Jerusalem.
During that 490 years, there’s a list of things that will be completed.
The coming Messiah would make an end to “transgression”, “sin”, and “iniquity”; which would suggest the Lords capability to deal with evil in all its forms.
Isaiah 53 is quoted, many times, in the New Testament, in connection with the Lords atoning work at His first coming. Isaiah tells us that Yeshua would die for “transgression” (Isaiah 53:5, 8, 12), for “sin” (Isaiah 53:10,12), and “iniquity” (Isaiah 53:5, 6, 11). Daniel 9:24 has the same thrust, and therefore must focus upon the Saviors work on the cross; and not His second coming. This will become more clear as we go through the statements and historical events of this prophecy.
In addition to his redemptive work, the angel showed Daniel that the Messiah would usher in an era of “everlasting righteousness.” In the pages of the New Testament, Paul forcefully argued that Heaven’s plan for accounting man as “righteous” was made known “at this present season” (Roman 3:21-26) through the Gospel (Romans 1:16-17)
The angel’s message suggested that as a result of the Messiah’s work, the “visions and prophecy” would be sealed up. The Hebrew term denotes that which is brought to a conclusion or is finished. All through the Old Testament, from before Daniel and just after, were visions and prophecies of the coming Messiah. Through Christ, these were fulfilled and no more visions and prophecies of a coming Messiah would come.
Matthew 5:17 (NKJV) Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets. I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.
Peter declared that the prophets of ancient times heralded the “sufferings of Christ and the glories that should follow them.” He affirmed that this message now is announced in the Gospel.
1 Peter 1:10-12 (NKJV) Of this salvation the prophets have inquired and searched carefully, who prophesied of the grace that would come to you, 11 searching what, or what manner of time, the Spirit of Christ who was in them was indicating when He testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ and the glories that would follow. 12 To them, it was revealed that, not to themselves, but to us they were ministering the things which now have been reported to you through those who have preached the gospel to you by the Holy Spirit sent from heaven—things which angels desire to look into.
Some modern teachings state that the “Most Holy” refers to the building of a third temple but we must take into consideration that if a third temple built, anointed, and sacrifices started, that would be a slap in the face of God; thus this would not be called a “Most Holy”.
Others attain that the “Most Holy” would refer to the baptism of Messiah Yeshua. It is quite possible that the belief is true, but kodesh ka-doshim is the Hebrew phrase used here. This term is used freely through the Levitical books to characterize things and places but is nowhere applied to persons. Thus this probably does not refer to the baptism of the Messiah or “anointed one” and quite possibly is associated with the Heavenly Tabernacle.
I tend to look at what Daniel has been fasting and praying for. He’s been fasting and praying for God’s people to be re-established, and Jerusalem and the temple rebuilt. God could be talking about the anointing of the second temple but that would not work with all the work being done by the Messiah; so again, I believe that the “Most Holy” is that which is in the Tabernacle in Heaven.
We see from Exodus 28:41; 30:25-30 and 40:9-13 that the earthly sanctuary with all its furniture and priests had to be “anointed” before any ministration could commence, to set it apart as holy and sacred for the work that was to be conducted there. The earthly sanctuary is a pattern/shadow or type of the true Temple in heaven itself (Heb 8:5). So all the services and offerings of the earthly pointed to the true, which was Christ Himself. Therefore, once Christ came, the typical or earthly was no longer needed and the heavenly was now to be used for the actual salvation of mankind. So the reference to anointing the most holy then refers to this service of inauguration which took place after the fulfillment of the types by Christ on the cross. (Psalms 45:6-7, Hebrews 1:8-9) The sacrifice of lambs was replaced by the sacrifice of Christ, and the ministration of human priests is replaced by the ministration of Christ Himself.
This is what happened between the times that He saw Mary in the garden and when He saw Thomas. He would not allow Mary to touch Him (John 20:17) because He had not been to the Father, yet Thomas touched Him (John 20:27).
In the temple system, the priest, after the sacrifice of the lamb, was cleaned and could not be touched until after He went into the presence of God and dropped the blood on the Mercy Seat. Likewise, Christ, our sacrificial Lamb and High Priest, could not be touched before He took the blood to the Mercy Seat in Heaven. This appears to have happened between His time with Mary and His time with Thomas; as He told Mary to tell them that He is ascending.
Daniel 9:25 (NKJV) “Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
When Gabriel said “from the going forth of the command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem”, he is establishing the starting point for this seventy-week prophecy. This is understanding given from a messenger from God; therefore, the 490 years had to start at this decree - no sooner, no later. And, it had to end 490 years later - no sooner, no later.
In 536 B.C., Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return and build a temple but did not say anything respecting the city itself (Ezra 1:1-4).
In 519 B.C., Darius renewed when the Jews were hindered by their enemies, and he provided means for the expense of finishing the temple (Ezra 6:1-12).
But, in 457 B.C. Artaxerxes added, to the work of Cyrus and Darius, the full restoration of the city to its ancient privileges, and the re-establishment of the law of God as the law of the city; and he authorized the rebuilding of its walls (Ezra 7:11-26; 9:9). Since it was Artaxerxes, who established the whole of the prophecy, we are forced to take this decree as the one that commenced the full restoration of Jerusalem. The other two decrees were stepping stones to the final decree which completed the other two by giving full restoration, this is why we see all three mentioned in Ezra 6:14.
One may ask, how does one come to the year of the decree of Artaxerxes?
We have to remember that years were not counted during this era of time. No one had even thought about years. “Years” were told by the reign of the king, how long he had been on the throne. When we look for the decree to re-establish Jerusalem and the temple, we find this done by Artaxerxes; and we are told it was the seventh year of his reign.
Ezra 7:8 (NKJV) And Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.
Immediately after we are told of the letter that Artaxerxes sent with Ezra to rebuild, re-establish, the temple and Jerusalem.
From here we have to leave the Bible for a moment and go to history; which says that Artaxerxes rose to the throne on 465 B.C. The kings of Persia used “accession year” principles for their kings. In other words, though Artaxerxes rose to the throne on 465 B.C., that would not have been counted as his first year of rein; that would be his accession year; therefore, 464 B.C. is the first year of Artaxerxes and the seventh year would be 457 B.C. (remember that B.C. years count backwards).
So now the beginning time is established for the seventy-week prophecy; and until the Messiah, the Prince, it will be “seven weeks” and “sixty-two weeks”. Remember the year for a day principle. Thus, seven weeks would be forty-nine years; and sixty-two weeks would be 434 years.
NOTE: Though these historical facts show us the year, there is still debate on the year in which the decree was made by Artaxerxes. I want to mention that we are using the fact of a decree made by Artaxerxes to show a general time period. Even the differing beliefs would have the time period within only about a year in one direction or another. With this... we know the 490-year prophecy started it’s clock in 457 +/- one year.
The re-establishing of Jerusalem and the temple would take forty-nine years. The time period is noted by the first seven weeks (7x7=49) listed in verse 25 and confirmed by history. This would place the completion at 408 B.C.
‘In the fifteenth of Darius Nothus ended the first seven weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. For then the restoration of the church and state of the Jews in Jerusalem and Judea was fully finished, in that last act of reformation which is recorded in the thirteenth chapter of Nehemiah, from the twenty-third verse to the end of the chapter, just forty-nine years after it had been commenced by Ezra in the seventh year of Artaxerxes Longimanus.” Prideaux (Connexion, Vol. 1, p. 322)
After the re-establishing of Jerusalem, it would be another 434 years before the Messiah would be anointed; and this would be the sixty-two weeks listed in verse 25. The passage does not talk about the Messiah being anointed but the Hebrew word for Messiah means “anointed one”. Therefore, this prophecy is pointing to the time when Yeshua would become the anointed one; which took place at his baptism where He was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38; Luke 3:21-22, 4:18)
Daniel 9:26 (NKJV) “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Remember, sixty-two weeks is 434 days or 434 years. The sixty-two weeks is after the seven weeks. Thus this is a total of 483 years. If we take 483 years from the starting date of 457 B.C., remembering there is no zero year, that brings us to 27 A.D. This was the year which Messiah Yeshua was baptized. If we look at Mark 1:14-15 we see that Christ started His ministry preaching that the time is fulfilled, what time? The only time can be the end of the 69 weeks/483 years; therefore, Christ fulfills this prophecy exactly.
If you’ve been adding this up, you see that this is only 69 years. Now, for even for those who have been under modern “end day” teaching, most do not refute these facts. What is taught from this point is that the seventy-week prophecy was put on hold at this point because of the rebellion of the Jews.
It’s the last seven days of the seventy weeks that the modern teachers get the seven-year tribulation period. In fact, this is the ONLY place that they have established such a timeline.
Let’s think about this logically for a moment. First, there was seventy weeks determined that these things must be done. God didn’t change that, and to say that God had to put it on hold is to say that God does not know all things. Because, the only reason He would have to put it on hold, from His original intent, is because He did not see the rebellion coming. Let’s look at logic a moment. If YHWH knows all then the Jew’s rebellion would not be a surprise. Also, it’s the rebellion of the Jews that crucified Christ; the very reason God sent Him. So, we see that the theology does not hold water.
The prophecy continues that AFTER the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off. The Hebrew word for “cut off” is karath; which means to cut down or asunder, destroy, perish. The same word is used in Isaiah 53 in talking about Yeshua being cut off out of the land of the living. So, sometime after 27 A.D., Yeshua would be crucified.
He’ll be cut off, crucified, but not for Himself as He never sinned (1 Peter 2:21-22). He’ll be cut off for all of mankind (1 John 2:2; 1 Peter 2:22-25; Isaiah 53:8-11)
When it states that the people of the prince will destroy the city we notice that the title “prince” is not capitalized. This draws much confusion on this prophecy. The original Bible had no capitalizations and no punctuation. These came sometime later.
We need to remember that “prince” is a title that was used earlier - “Messiah the Prince”. So the Prince is the Messiah; He’s the Prince to come (from Daniel’s time), the one that will stop sacrifices, the one who would be cut off but not for Himself. Therefore, it’s the people of the Prince, Messiah Yeshua, that would destroy the temple. Remember that it was by the rejection of the Jews that caused the temple and Jerusalem to be destroyed (See also: Matthew 24). In a way, it was not God who did it but the people through their disobedience.
Look at it this way. People in prison want to blame the police, prosecutor, judge, system, etc for their being in prison. Yet, it’s not these people who put them there but rather their own actions.
Grab the context here. The prophecy is about the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the second temple and Gabriel says it will be destroyed again, and Yeshua, in answering the question of when the second temple would be destroyed, refers back to this prophecy explanation; therefore, verse 26 was fulfilled in 70 A.D. by Titus.
Why would this be thrown in here? It’s a thought. It’s like me saying, “I’m going to replace the engine in the car and I’m going to sell it. I’m going to borrow a friends truck to pick up the engine and change it out”. I’m not changing the engine after I sell it. I entered a thought that would say what’s happening when I’m done replacing it.
This is a thought of what is going to happen after the re-establishing of the temple and the coming of the Messiah.
And we are told of the overwhelming character of the end of the Jewish nation when we are told the end will be like a flood. See Isaiah 8:7-8 to see similar symbols to describe the destruction of the Jews under the Assyrians.
The definition of desolation is “a state of complete emptiness or destruction” and “anguished misery and loneliness” Marginal reading here tells us that, until the war would end, there’s a level of anguished misery and destruction that is determined upon the city and Jerusalem. (See also: Matthew 24)
Daniel 9:27 (NKJV) Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”
In verse 26 we see the reference to the Messiah being cut off after the sixty-nine weeks but have no real dialogue explaining the events of this nor any explanation of the seventieth week. There was a pause given, in the seventy weeks, to explain that this temple would be destroyed and then in verse 27 we find the continuation of what’s happening in the seventy weeks. The seventieth week is specifically outlined with when the Messiah would be cut off. Let us continue and see.
He will confirm a covenant is obviously referring to the Messiah from the previous verse. Notice that He does not MAKE a covenant, as modern teaching tries to show, but CONFIRMS a covenant. In many places of the Old Testament, we are told of a “New Covenant” that would be made. God made the Covenant and it was confirmed through Christ.
So, it will take a week to confirm the covenant or seven years. The Gospel of the Kingdom, the New Covenant, was preached only to the Jews for the first seven years. Three and one-half years was preached by Yeshua and three and one have years by the apostles.
“It is recorded in history that the whole time of our Savior’s teaching and working miracles was three years and a half, which is the half of a week [of years]. This, John the evangelist will represent to those who critically attend to his Gospel.’” Eusebius, A.D. 300
Obviously this being the 70th week it will begin at the end of the 69th which is 27 A.D. This period beginning with the baptism of Jesus when He was anointed with the Holy Spirit and finishing in 34 A.D. which is when Stephen was stoned and the gospel went to the Gentiles (Acts 7-8:4).
In the midst of the week or halfway through, the sacrifices would cease. The types and symbols of the Old Testament sanctuary service were to meet its fulfillment in the life, ministry, and death of Messiah Yeshua. Yeshua, being baptized in the fall of 27 AD was crucified 3 1/2 years later, in the spring of 31 Once Yeshua gave His life as a ransom for many, we no longer needed to bring a lamb, as the Lamb of God (John 1:29) has been slain for all. The veil in the temple tore from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51) at the death of Christ signifying that these things were finished.
Ok, the last half of verse twenty-seven often confuses people. Let’s slow down and look at this step by step.
Step one: Remember the context. The explanation is a result of the prayer of Daniel for the restoring of his people. The prophecy begins in 457 BC by Artaxerxes and continues through 34 AD. The subject of the prophecy is the building of the second temple, the coming of the Messiah, and the destruction of the second temple. Yeshua points to this conversation when answering the question of when the temple would be destroyed. Yeshua tells that the temple will be destroyed because of the rebellion of the Jewish people to Him.
Step two: Slow down and define what is being said. “on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate”. The desolate is referring back to verse 26 and the determined desolations. There is a determined amount of anguish and loneliness that would be employed. In 70 AD, Jerusalem was besieged by the Roman army. They were alone and miserable. They fought each other as well as the Roman soldiers and some even ate their children for food.
What would cause this? The wing of abominations. Abominations are something that causes disgust or hatred. So, on the wing of abominations, or because of abominations, will be the one who makes desolate. Was it God’s fault the temple was destroyed because He allowed it? What is Rome’s fault because they sent in an army? No. Like the example of the prisoners earlier, the fault lies in the rejection of, and crucifixion of, Christ by the Jews.
(Luke 19:41-44 NKJV) Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it, 42 saying, “If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. 43 For days will come upon you when your enemies will build an embankment around you, surround you and close you in on every side, 44 and level you, and your children within you, to the ground; and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did not know the time of your visitation.”
(Luke 23:27-30 NKJV) And a great multitude of the people followed Him, and women who also mourned and lamented Him. 28 But Yeshua, turning to them, said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for Me, but weep for yourselves and for your children. 29 For indeed the days are coming in which they will say, ‘Blessed are the barren, wombs that never bore, and breasts which never nursed!’ 30 Then they will begin ‘to say to the mountains, “Fall on us!” and to the hills, “Cover us!”
Due to the apostasy of the Jews, they were rejected as God’s people. Their ultimate rejection was the Son of God Himself. Because of their rejection, the Jewish nation was to be destroyed and scattered.
How long will this desolation be? Until the consummation, the end, the finishing, the final event, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate. There is an end of time that is determined, and that end will be poured out upon all people. We must remember the context here though. Daniel is praying for his people, the Jews. The Jews were the ones who rejected and crucified, Christ. The Jews were the ones who played out the abominations and to who was left desolate. This points straight to them because it answers the prayer that Daniel had about them.
In conclusion, see how this prophecy played out.
Daniel was praying for his people and the restoring of his land. Gabriel comes and tells him that they will be restored once the decree is made. Within an allotted amount of time from the decree the city and temple will be restored, the Messiah will come, the Jew’s will reject Him, He will be killed, sacrifices will cease, the city and temple destroyed (because of their rebellion), and the people scattered; and they will remain this way until the fulfillment of all, which time is determined.
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