The Seventy Weeks Prophecy
Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
Dan 9:24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to (1) finish the transgression, and to (2) make an end of sins, and (3) to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to (4) bring in everlasting righteousness, and to (5) seal up the vision and prophecy, and (6) to anoint the most Holy.
Clarification of Actions attributed to the Messiah:
1. Finish the transgression: Instead of "finish," think of it as restraining, shutting down, or controlling rebellion against God. This refers to the broader impact of Jesus' work in overcoming sin and its influence in the world.
2. Make an end of sins: This signifies forgiveness and removal of sin. Through Jesus, our sins are no longer counted against us, and we are cleansed from their stain.
3. Make reconciliation for iniquity: This translates to covering iniquity, offering atonement, and reconciling us to God. The sacrifice of Jesus bridges the gap between us and God, allowing us to be restored to a relationship with him.
4. Bring in everlasting righteousness: Jesus' actions provide us with the blessed state of being "right" with God. Through faith in him, we receive God's righteousness and are no longer condemned by our own shortcomings.
5. Seal up vision and prophecy: When Jesus offered himself, he fulfilled the prophecies of the Old Testament, completing their purpose and validity.
6. Anoint the Most Holy: This refers to the anointing of the heavenly sanctuary where Jesus serves as our High Priest, interceding on our behalf before God.
Dan 9:25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
The starting point: “the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem” This decree with timing and details is recorded in Ezra 4 + 7 and was 457 BC { See Appendix 1}
Seven weeks (49yrs) after 457BC was 408BC. This is when the walls and street were complete in Jerusalem.
What happened after 7+62 (threescore and two weeks) weeks (483 years) in AD 27? Daniel 9:25-26
In 27 AD “Messiah the Prince” or Jesus the anointed one was baptized by water and the Holy Spirit. { See Appendix 2}
Luk 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being
tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and
of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
Luk 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass,
that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was
opened,
Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a
dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou
art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Dan 9:26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
“After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off” or some time after Jesus Baptism in 27 AD he would be cut off or killed.
“But not for himself” meaning Jesus did not die for himself but for mankind.
“and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”
This second part of the verse is describing the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD by Titus the Roman Prince. {See Appendix 3} on Hebrew poetry.
Dan 9:27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.
“And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:”
1Pe 1:18 Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition from your fathers; 1Pe 1:19 But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: 1Pe 1:20 Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you,
God coveted to die for mankind before the foundation of the world. He promise in Daniel 9 to give the Jew 70 weeks of years or 490 years. Therefore Jesus ministered to them for 3 and 1/2 years and the disciples ministered for an additional 3 1/2 years making one week. At the end of that week (AD 34) Stephen was stoned, and the gospel went to the gentiles.
“and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease” In the middle of the last week of this prophecy Jesus was Crucified and when this happen the curtain between the Holy and Most Holy place was torn from top to bottom. This indicated that the sanctuary service has ceased, and was no longer necessary.
"At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life." (Matthew 27:51)
“and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.”
Jesus spoke of this as the destruction of Jerusalem.
Mat 24:15 When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)
Mat 24:16 Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:
(The Jew are her describe as desolate. Indeed Jesus also call them desolate.)
Luk 13:35 Behold, your house is left unto you desolate: and verily I say unto you, Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.
Appendix 1. 457 BC as the beginning of the 70 week prophecy
This document presents evidence for 457 BC as the correct date for the start of the 70 Weeks Prophecy mentioned in the Book of Daniel. The key arguments revolve around the following points:
1. Jewish Calendar:
Evidence points to the Jews using a fall-to-fall civil calendar during the time of Ezra and Nehemiah.
This is supported by a recently discovered Aramaic papyrus from Elephantine, Egypt, which dates to the fifth century B.C. and uses both Egyptian and Jewish calendar systems.
This calendar system aligns with Nehemiah's references to months in the book of Nehemiah.
2. Artaxerxes' Accession:
The exact date of Artaxerxes' accession to the throne was previously unknown, leading to different interpretations of the 70 Weeks Prophecy.
However, a recently discovered tablet from Ur, dated December 17, 465 B.C., confirms that Xerxes was still alive at that time.
This, combined with the Aramaic papyrus mentioned earlier, places Artaxerxes' accession in December 465 B.C.
3. Reconciling Calendar Systems:
The Jewish calendar system starts in the fall, while the Persian calendar system starts in the spring.
This discrepancy caused confusion in understanding the exact year of Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem.
By taking into account the "accession year" practice of the Jews, where the first few months after a king's accession were considered a separate year, we can reconcile the two calendar systems.
Ezra 7:7-8 states that Ezra arrived in Jerusalem in the fifth month of Artaxerxes' seventh year, which aligns with a 457 B.C. starting date.
Conclusion:
Based on the evidence presented, the seventh year of Artaxerxes according to Jewish reckoning began in the fall of 458 B.C. and ended in the fall of 457 B.C.
This means that Ezra's arrival in Jerusalem and the start of the 70 Weeks Prophecy occurred in the spring of 457 B.C.
Appendix 2. Conformation of the dates 27 AD and 31 AD
Lunar Evidence for 27 AD and 31 A
The Karaite Jews say this about the sighting of the crescent moon;
. . . the ancient Israelites would have been well aware of the Crescent New Moon. In ancient societies people worked from dawn to dusk and they would have noticed the Old Moon getting smaller and smaller in the morning sky. When the morning moon had disappeared the ancient Israelites would have anxiously awaited its reappearance 1.5-3.5 days later in the evening sky. Having disappeared for several days and then appearing anew in the early evening sky they would have called it the “New Moon” or “Hodesh” (from Hadash meaning “New”). (The Karaite Korner, The New Moon in the Hebrew Bible; accessed 12–30–13 at http://www.karaite-korner.org/new_moon.shtml).
Does the crescent moon always appear in one day’s time? No!
Read what The United States Naval Observatory has to say about the crescent moon:
Although the date and time of each New Moon can be computed exactly (see, for example, Phases of the Moon in Data Services), the visibility of the lunar crescent as a function of the Moon’s “age” - the time counted from New Moon - depends upon many factors and cannot be predicted with certainty. In the first two days after New Moon, the young crescent Moon appears very low in the western sky after sunset, and must be viewed through bright twilight. It sets shortly after sunset.” (The United States Naval Observatory, Crescent Moon Visibility; accessed 12–30–13 at http://aa.usno.navy.mil/faq/docs/crescent.php)
"But a waxing crescent moon is far enough away from that Earth-sun line to be visible near the sun’s glare – that is, in the west after sunset. This moon phase is seen one day to several days after new moon. On these days, the moon rises one hour to several hours behind the sun and follows the sun across the sky during the day. When the sun sets, and the sky darkens, the moon pops into view in the western sky. " http://earthsky.org/moon-phases/waxing-crescent " Earth sky Science New
Conclusion: In the year 31 AD, having a passover on a Friday was possible and fits with the Biblical narrative and other evidence.
2.The Baptism of Jesus and the 15th Year of Tiberius Caesar
Luk 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar,
Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being
tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and
of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,
Luk 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass,
that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was
opened,Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a
dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou
art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
The date of Jesus' baptism is important for understanding the timeline of his ministry and death. Luke's Gospel (3:1-22) states that Jesus was baptized "in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar."
Historically, the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar is recognized as AD 29. However, there is evidence suggesting that in Judea, Tiberius' reign was dated from two years earlier, AD 12. This is because:
Augustus, Tiberius' adoptive father, was in poor health and appointed Tiberius co-regent in AD 12. This gave Tiberius equal authority over the provinces, including Judea.
Judea was one of the provinces where Tiberius held authority equal to Augustus. Therefore, Luke would have dated events in Judea based on Tiberius' reign start in AD 12.
Historians like Gibbon and Durant confirm that Tiberius exercised significant power in the provinces even before Augustus' death in AD 14.
Therefore, if we accept that Tiberius' reign in Judea began in AD 12, then the 15th year of his reign would be AD 27. This aligns with other chronological considerations and helps maintain the coherence of various biblical prophecies.
In summary:
Luke records Jesus' baptism in the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar.
Historically, this is considered AD 29.
However, evidence suggests that in Judea, Tiberius' reign began two years earlier, in AD 12.
This means the 15th year of his reign in Judea was AD 27.
This date aligns with other chronological considerations and helps maintain the coherence of biblical prophecies.
3. The Building of the Temple discussion confirms the date 2D 27
Context:
Jesus visited the Jerusalem temple for the first time after his baptism.
He had a discussion with the leaders of the Jews, stating "Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (John 2:19).
The leaders questioned his ability to rebuild the temple in three days, as it had been under construction for forty-six years.
Argument:
Historical records show Herod starting the temple rebuild in 20/19 BC (Holman Bible Handbook, p. 522).
Adding forty-six years to this date places Jesus' baptism in AD 27.
Josephus confirms this timeline:
Herod began rebuilding the temple "sixteen years before the birth of Christ" (Antiquities, xv. 1).
The main structure was completed in "nine years and a half" (Antiquities, xv. 5, 6).
Outbuildings and ornamentation continued until the time of Agrippa (Antiquities, xx. viii. 11).
This timeline aligns with other sources:
The Jewish Encyclopedia states the temple rebuild began in 20/19 BCE and was completed in a year and a half.
Ellen White's "The Desire of Ages" places Christ's death in the spring of AD 31.
Conclusion:
Multiple historical and biblical sources point to AD 27 as the year of Jesus' baptism, supporting the claim that his ministry lasted for three and a half years before his death in AD 31.
See Appendix 3. Hebrew poetry
Breakdown of Daniel 9:24-27
This passage from Daniel is a prophecy about the future of Jerusalem and the Messiah. It's important to understand that this is not just a straightforward prophecy, but also a poem. Poets often use contrasts and comparisons to convey their message, and this poem is no different.
Structure:
The poem is structured into two similar contrasts:
A1/B1: Verses 25-26a and 26b
A2/B2: Verses 27a and 27b
Understanding the Contrast:
A1: This part describes the coming of the Messiah (Messiah the Prince) after 7 + 62 weeks.
B1: This part details the destruction of the city and the sanctuary by the people of the coming prince.
A2: This part describes the Messiah confirming a covenant with many for one week and then putting an end to sacrifice and offering.
B2: This part describes the rise of "one who makes desolate" and the desolation of the city.
Importance of Understanding the Contrast:
Distinguishing these contrasts is crucial because it prevents attributing actions to the wrong entity. You wouldn't want to credit the (one who makes desolate) with things that should be attributed to the true Messiah.
Hebrew Poetry Techniques:
The poem uses several Hebrew poetry techniques to enhance its meaning:
Parallelism: The use of similar sentence structures to create emphasis and rhythm.
Antithesis: The use of contrasting words or phrases to highlight differences.
Examples of Hebrew Poetry Techniques:
Parallelism: "That government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth."
Antithesis: "One small step for a man, one giant leap for all mankind."
Overall:
By understanding the structure, contrasts, and poetic techniques used in this passage, you can gain a deeper understanding of its meaning and message.