Daniel 9 verse 25 to 26
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.
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.
🟠“Commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem”
- This commandment to restore Jerusalem, which was at the time in ruins, is the event which marks the starting date of this period. Cyrus gave the Jews permission to return and build a temple, but did not say anything respecting the city itself. (Ezra 1:1-4) This decree was in 536 B.C.
- This decree 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) This decree was made in 519 B.C.
- But 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) This decree was made in 457 B.C. So we are forced to take this decree of Artaxerxes, because it was this decree 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.
🟠“Unto the Messiah the Prince”
Messiah is the Hebrew word for ‘anointed one’ or in Greek ‘the Christ’. So this prophecy is pinpointing the time when Jesus would become the anointed one or Messiah. This took place at His baptism when He was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38, Luke 3:21-22; 4:18).
🟠“Seven weeks”
This time period equals 49 yrs, remember a day = a year in prophecy. It took the Jews 49 yrs to complete the task of rebuilding Jerusalem even during troublous times [read the books of Ezra and Nehemiah for this history], which would place the completion date at 408 B.C. and this is true according to history.
🟠“Threescore and two weeks”
62 weeks = 434 days = 434 yrs
The Messiah was to appear after the seven weeks and at the end of the sixty two weeks = 69 weeks in total. So if we take away 434 yrs from 408 B.C. or 483 from 457 B.C., we end at the date 27 A.D. remembering that there is no year zero. This was the date of the baptism of Christ.
And 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. So Christ fulfils this prophecy exactly.
This is only 69 weeks, so there is yet another week to go to make up 70 weeks.
🟠“After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off”
So after this time period which ended in 27 A.D. Some time after 27 A.D. Jesus would be crucified. The word cut off in Hebrew, karath, means to cut down or asunder, destroy, perish. This same word is used in Genesis 9:11 dealing with the destruction of the wicked by the flood. So it is clear this refers to the crucifixion of Christ, Isaiah 53:8, as He was cut off out of the land of the living.
🟠“Not for Himself”
Jesus did not die for His own sins because He never sinned, (1 Peter 2:21-22) but for those of mankind. (1 John 2:2, 1 Peter 2:22-25, Isaiah 53:8-11) These texts show that Jesus died for our sins.
There are several parallel terms in Daniel 9 and Isaiah 53 among which are the following:
• Transgression (Daniel 9:24; Isaiah 53:5, 8)
• Sin (Daniel 9:5, 8, 11, 15, 20, 24; Isaiah 53:12)
• Iniquity (Daniel 9:24; Isaiah 53:5, 6)
• People (Daniel 9:6, 24, 26; Isaiah 53:8)
• Righteousness (Daniel 9:7, 14, 18, 24; Isaiah 53:11)
• Cut off (Daniel 9:26; Isaiah 53:8)
🟠“People of the prince, destroy city and sanctuary”
Jesus is the Prince of the kings of the earth, Revelation 1:5. The king sent HIS armies to destroy the city, Matthew 22:7. This parable was a prophecy against the Jews for rejecting and killing the Son of God. So the people of the prince that destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the Sanctuary is a reference to those of which God used to gain His objective. Who was it that destroyed Jerusalem and the Sanctuary? It was Titus that destroyed the city and temple in 70 A.D. So this was fulfilled in 70 A.D. by Titus.
Daniel 9 verse 27
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.
🟠“Confirm the covenant”
This is a reference to the covenant made with the Jewish people from the time their forefathers were called to be God’s chosen representatives. The gospel message, which this covenant was pointing to, of the coming Messiah and promised seed were to be especially preached to the Jews (Matthew 15:24).
🟠“Midst of the week”
7 days = 7years.
This was to be preached to Jews for a period of 7 years, 3 ½ yrs by Jesus and afterward by the apostles.
Half of 7 = 3 ½. Remembering that Artaxerxes decree went into effect in the latter part of the year [the autumn or seventh month of the year by Jewish reckoning], this 3 ½ yrs added to 27 A.D. would then reach to 31 A.D.
🟠“Sacrifice and oblation to cease”
The types and symbols of the Old Testament sanctuary service, that created a platform for the entire Jewish economy and practice, was to meet its fulfilment in the life, ministry, and death of Jesus Christ. After Jesus gave His life 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 rent from top to bottom (Matthew 27:51) at the death of Christ signifying that these things were finished. 31 A.D. Christ was crucified.
🟠“For the overspreading of abominations”
Due to the apostasy of the Jews they were rejected as God’s people. Their ultimate rejection was of the Son of God Himself. They had cried at His trial and crucifixion, that His blood was to be on them and on their children, and so it was to be.
🟠“Shall be poured upon the desolate”
The Jews were to suffer the vengeance of the offended God, according to all the light and warning and opportunity that they had had.
We leave this scene in the year 34 A.D. We know also that the 2300 year prophecy starts at the same time as the 70 weeks. There are only 1810 years left of the 2300, and simple mathematics will show us the ending date; 34 + 1810 = 1844 A.D. So the judgment work, in the most holy place of the heavenly sanctuary, has been going on since 1844.
🟠Of particular significance is the parable of Matthew 21:33-44 where Jesus reviewed the history of Israel in five stages:
• Stage 1: God sent servants to Israel to gather fruit in harvest season but Israel rejected God’s messengers (verses 34-35).
• Stage 2: God then sent more servants and Israel did the same with them (verse 36).
• Stage 3: God then sent them His Own Son and they killed Him (verses 37-39).
• Stage 4: The wicked men who killed the Son were destroyed (verse 41).
• Stage 5: The kingdom was taken from Israel and given to the Gentiles (verse 43; Acts 13:46-47).
🟠These five stages of Israel’s history as described in Matthew 21:33-44 parallel very closely the same stages of Israel’s history as described in Daniel 9:
Stage #1:
After God released Israel from Egypt, he sent them messengers but they mocked and rejected them (Daniel 9:6; II Chronicles 36:15, 16)
Stage #2:
After the Babylonian captivity, God gave Israel another chance. The city and temple were rebuilt and God gave Israel another opportunity to bear fruit (Daniel 9:24). In order to help, God sent Israel many messengers: Haggai, Zechariah, Zerubbabel, Joshua, Ezra, Nehemiah, Malachi, John the Baptist, etc. But they rejected these messengers as well.
Stage #3:
At the very end of the seventy weeks, God even sent Messiah the Prince; but instead of receiving Him, they cut Him off (Daniel 9:26).
Stage #4:
As a result, Jerusalem was destroyed by the Roman armies (Daniel 9:26-27).
Stage #5:
The Gentiles now became God’s new nation (this is implicit in the fact that probation was to last only 70 weeks for the Jewish nation. We shall also find that when Stephen was stoned, the theocracy came to an end and the gospel went to the Gentiles).