DANIEL
PROPHET
Chapter
9
The
Prophet Daniel's vision :
In
a period of 490 years
+
Jerusalem will be restored and rebuilt.
+
Messiah will come.
-
Messiah will be put to death.
-
Jerusalem and the Temple will be destroyed.
_____________________
The
Start Date of Daniel's prophecy is 458 BC.
Persian
King Artaxerxes commissioned Ezra to rebuild Jerusalem in 458 BC.
The
seventh year of Artaxerxes I,
458
BC, is the date of Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem.
_____________________
Beginning
in the year 458 BC,
Daniel's
490 year period
Ends
in the year 33 AD.
The
Crucifixion was in the year 33 AD.
_____________________
Crucifixion
Friday
April
3
33
AD
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
New American Bible - Revised Edition (NABRE)
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NABRE&search=Ezra%207
EZRA Chapter 7
1
during the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia,
8
Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month of that seventh year of the king.
Footnotes:
The context suggests
the seventh year of Artaxerxes I,
therefore, 458 BC, as the date of Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem.
https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?version=NABRE&search=Ezra%207
EZRA Chapter 7
1
during the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia,
8
Ezra came to Jerusalem in the fifth month of that seventh year of the king.
Footnotes:
The context suggests
the seventh year of Artaxerxes I,
therefore, 458 BC, as the date of Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem.
_____________________
The
Orthodox Study Bible
Ancient
Christianity Speaks to Today's World
The
Orthodox Study Bible
DANIEL
Chapter 9
Footnotes
Page
1256
The
Temple was destroyed by the Romans in 70 AD.
Seventy
weeks is interpreted to mean
seventy
weeks of years = 490 years = seventy times seven years
Daniel's
vision concerned the time when the temple would be rebuilt,
as
well as the coming of the Messiah.
Messiah,
the Prince
Jesus
the Messiah would be crucified
490 years ( seventy weeks )
after
Artaxerxes commissioned Ezra to rebuild Jerusalem in 458 BC.
Page
1236
Daniel,
whose name means,
God
is my Judge.
_____________________
Daniel 9
Seventy Weeks
Professor Dr. Peter Gentry PhD
The vision of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks
refers to a period of seventy
sabbaticals or periods of seven years
457 BC
is the correct date to begin marking off the seventy sabbaticals
457 BC
is actually at the beginning of a sabbatical cycle
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Four Startling Facts About the Identity of the Messiah
Fact One: The Messiah's appearance was locked into a fixed time.
Fact Two: The Second Temple would still be standing when Messiah came.
Fact Three: The Messiah's lineage could only be identifiable while the temple stood.
Fact Four: The Messiah was to be "cut off."
_____________________
Holman
KJV Study Bible
Holman
KJV Study Bible
Pages
1405-1408
Daniel
was
a sixth century prophet living in exile in Babylon.
Daniel's
book establishes the validity of predictive prophecy
DANIEL
Chapter 9
Footnotes
Pages 1426-1428
Seventy
week
refers
to 70 periods of seven years
=
490 years
the beginning point
is
Artaxerxes' second decree in 444 BC,
authorizing
Nehemiah to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem.
There
will be a period of
483
years from the decree
until
the coming of Messiah the Prince.
The
starting point of the prophecy would have
begun
on March 5, 444 BC
followed
by 69 weeks of biblical/prophetic years
and
culminated on March 30, 33 AD
the
date of Jesus the Messiah's triumphal entry into Jerusalem.
69
weeks of (360 day) biblical/prophetic years = 173,880 days = 69x7x360
The
book of Daniel, written in the sixth century BC,
predicted
the
date
of the Messiah's coming
and
that
the
Messiah would be put to death
some
time before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
This
was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified in 33 AD.
_____________________
The
King James Study Bible
Thomas
Nelson
DANIEL
Page
1227
Daniel
- Probably taken captive as a teenager (605 BC)
He
lived until at least the third year of Cyrus (536 BC)
DANIEL
Chapter 9
Footnotes
Pages 1247
539
BC - the year that Darius the Mede assumed rulership of Babylon.
Chapter
9
1
In
the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the
Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans;
2
In
the first year of his reign
I
Daniel understood by books
the
number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah
the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the
desolations of Jerusalem.
3
And
I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications,
DANIEL
Chapter 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.
Footnotes
Pages 1248-1250
The
prophecy of the seventy weeks is crucial for understanding biblical
prophecy.
The
word Weeks is a Hebrew word Shabua
that
can refer to any period of seven.
The
seven intended here is a period of seven years.
In
sum, verse 24 declares that God had determined a period of 490 years
to accomplish six key activities on behalf of Israel.
The
commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem is said to be the point
of commencement for the 490 year period.
The
decree of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah in 444 BC ( Nehemiah 2:1-8 )
specifically
concerned the rebuilding of the city.
Artaxerxes'
decree to Nehemiah refers directly to the restoration of the city.
According
to Nehemiah 2:1-8
this
decree was given in the twentieth year of Artaxerxes
in
the month of Nisan (March/April) 444 BC.
From
this date to the Messiah
will
transpire a period of 483 years.
"Week"
= 7 years.
Daniel
used a calculation of time based on prophetical years ( 360 days )
rather
than solar years ( 365 days )
The
calculation is based upon 30 days months.
The
time span from Artaxerxes's decree
to
rebuild the city in March 444 BC
until
Christ's crucifixion
covered
483 prophetical years = 173,880 days = 483x360 days
483
prophetical years = 476 solar years = 173,880/365 = 33 AD
Daniel
predicted that 483 prophetic years would lapse
from
Artaxerxes' decree
until
the death of the Messiah
in
33 AD
The
prophecy was fulfilled in 70 AD
when
Titus, the Roman general,
destroyed
the city of Jerusalem.
_____________________
Four
Startling Facts About the Identity of the Messiah
Page
3
Nehemiah
2:1-8
20th
year of Artaxerxes
Month
of Nisan - First Day
March
5
444
BC
Seven
Weeks and Three Score and Two Weeks
=
69 x 7 x 360 days = 173,880 days
March
5, 444 BC
+
173,880 days
=
March 30, 33 AD
March
30, 33 AD
Triumphal
entry into Jerusalem
Messiah's
death
April
3, 33 AD
Jerusalem
destroyed 70 AD
_____________________
King
James Version / New King James Version
EZRA
7
DANIEL
7
DANIEL
9
_____________________
The
Greek Old Testament ( Septuagint )
EZRA
DANIEL
7
DANIEL
9
_____________________
Jewish
Publication Society JPS Tanakh 1917
EZRA
DANIEL
7
DANIEL
9
_____________________
Jewish Publication Society
JPS Electronic Edition Copyright © 1998
DANIEL 9
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/Daniel9.html
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.
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.
JPS Electronic Edition Copyright © 1998
DANIEL 9
https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/Bible/Daniel9.html
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.
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.
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Catholic
Study Bible
2nd
Edition
by
Donald Senior (Editor), John J. Collins (Editor)
NABRE
New
American Bible - Revised Edition
_____________________
DANIEL
The
Book of Daniel
Pages
1220-1221
Daniel
was among the Jews deported to Babylon, where he lived at least until 538 B.C.
In chapters 7–12
a series of visions promising deliverance and glory to the Jews in the days to come. The great nations of the ancient world have risen in vain against the Lord; his kingdom shall overthrow existing powers and last forever; in the end the dead will be raised for reward or punishment.
The arrival of the kingdom is a central theme of the gospels, where Jesus is identified as the human figure (“Son of Man”) who appears in Daniel’s vision in chapter 7.
was among the Jews deported to Babylon, where he lived at least until 538 B.C.
In chapters 7–12
a series of visions promising deliverance and glory to the Jews in the days to come. The great nations of the ancient world have risen in vain against the Lord; his kingdom shall overthrow existing powers and last forever; in the end the dead will be raised for reward or punishment.
The arrival of the kingdom is a central theme of the gospels, where Jesus is identified as the human figure (“Son of Man”) who appears in Daniel’s vision in chapter 7.
_____________________
DANIEL
Chapter
7
13
As
the visions during the night continued, I saw coming with the clouds
of heaven
One
like a son of man.
When
he reached the Ancient of Days
and
was presented before him,
14
He
received dominion, splendor, and kingship;
all
nations, peoples and tongues will serve him.
His
dominion is an everlasting dominion
that
shall not pass away,
his
kingship, one that shall not be destroyed.
Footnotes:
The
phrase “Son of Man” becomes a title for Jesus in the gospels,
especially in passages dealing with the Second Coming ( Mark 13 and
parallels ).
_____________________
DANIEL
Chapter
9
The
Seventy Weeks of Years.
21
I
was still praying, when the man, Gabriel, whom I had seen in vision
before, came to me in flight at the time of the evening offering.
22
He
instructed me in these words: “Daniel, I have now come to give you
understanding.
23
When
you began your petition, an answer was given which I have come to
announce, because you are beloved. Therefore, mark the answer and
understand the vision.
24
“Seventy
weeks are decreed
for
your people and for your holy city:
Then
transgression will stop and sin will end,
guilt
will be expiated,
Everlasting
justice will be introduced,
vision
and prophecy ratified,
and
a holy of holies will be anointed.
25
Know
and understand:
From
the utterance of the word
that
Jerusalem was to be rebuilt
Until
there is an anointed ruler,
there
shall be seven weeks.
In
the course of sixty-two weeks
it
shall be rebuilt,
With
squares and trenches,
in
time of affliction.
26
After
the sixty-two weeks
an
anointed one shall be cut down
with
no one to help him.
And
the people of a leader who will come
shall
destroy the city and the sanctuary.
His
end shall come in a flood;
until
the end of the war, which is decreed,
there
will be desolation.
27
For
one week he shall make
a
firm covenant with the many;
Half
the week
he
shall abolish sacrifice and offering;
In
their place shall be the desolating abomination
until
the ruin that is decreed
is
poured out upon the desolator.”
Footnotes:
Seventy
weeks : four hundred and ninety years.
_____________________
Catholic
Study Bible
Reading
Guide
Page
341
DANIEL
Seventy
weeks of years = 490 years
_____________________
EZRA
Page
548
The
Book of Ezra
The
following list of the kings of Persia, with the dates of their
reigns, will be useful for dating the events mentioned in
Ezra-Nehemiah:
Cyrus
539–530 B.C.
Cambyses
530–522 B.C.
Darius
I 522–486 B.C.
Xerxes
I 486–465 B.C.
Artaxerxes
I 465–424 B.C.
End
of the Persian Empire (Defeat of Darius III) 331 B.C.
Page
550
Darius
III was defeated by Alexander, and the Persian empire came to an end,
in 331 B.C.
_____________________
EZRA
Chapter
7
Ezra,
Priest and Scribe.
1
during
the reign of Artaxerxes, king of Persia,
8
Ezra
came to Jerusalem in the fifth month of that seventh year of the
king.
The
Decree of Artaxerxes.
11
This
is a copy of the rescript which King Artaxerxes gave to Ezra the
priest-scribe, the scribe versed in matters concerning the Lord’s
commandments and statutes for Israel:
12
“Artaxerxes,
king of kings,
to
Ezra the priest, scribe of the law of the God of heaven, greetings!
And now,
13
I
have issued this decree, that anyone in my kingdom belonging to the
people of Israel, its priests or Levites, who is willing to go up to
Jerusalem with you, may go,
14
for you are the one sent by the king and his seven counselors to
supervise Judah and Jerusalem with regard to the law of your God
which is in your possession,
Footnotes:
The
context suggests the seventh year of Artaxerxes I, therefore, 458 BC,
as the date of Ezra’s arrival in Jerusalem.
_____________________
_____________________
_____________________
Catholic
Study Bible
2nd
Edition
Page
1783
Babylonia
destroyed the First Temple in 586 BC.
Babylonia
was conquered by Cyrus the Great in 539 BC.
Page
1783
Babylonia
Exile:
the
forced relocation of
some
of the population of Judah
after
the conquest by Babylonia in 595-586 BC.
The
exile ended with the permitted return to the land under Cyrus
(
beginning 538 BC ).
Page
1784
Christ
Greek
" anointed "
the
translation of the Hebrew mashshiach " messiah "
In
the New Testament and in general usage,
Christ
always refers to Jesus of Nazareth
New
Testament usage
Christ
is the title " the anointed one "
Page
1789
First
Temple
the
Temple in Jerusalem from Solomon's time ( tenth century ) until the
destruction of Jerusalem by the Babylonians in 586 BC. The First
Temple period extends from the tenth to sixth centuries BC.
Page
1795
Messiah
the
Hebrew word for " anointed "
Messiah
the expected savior of the Jewish people
Christians
: Jesus is the Messiah
Greek
Christos Anointed
Messiah
Hebrew
mashshiach anointed one
a
title for king, servant, agent of God
Page
1798
Persian
era
beginning
around 550 BC
when
Cyrus the Great, King of Persia, defeated the Medes,
and
lasting until about 330 BC, when Alexander the Great
of
Macedon conquered the lands surrounding the Mediterranean
and
brought them under Greek rule.
It
was during the Persian era that
the
Israelites were allowed to
return
to their land from exile ( 537 BC )
and
rebuild the Temple
Page
1798
Persian
period
from
approximately 539 BC - 333 BC
from
the time of Cyrus the Great
until
the Greek conquest under Alexander the Great
Page
1803
First
Temple was built by Solomon
Second
Temple of Zerubbabel
enlarged
and rebuilt by Herod the Great
Page 1801
Second Temple - destruction by the Romans in 70 AD
Page 1801
Second Temple - destruction by the Romans in 70 AD
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Crucifixion
Friday
April
3
33
AD
Crucifixion
- April 3.
Lunar
Eclipse - April 3.
Full
Moon, Blood Moon, Lunar Eclipse - April 3.
Solar
Eclipse - March 19.
_____________________
Earthquake
33 AD
In
the year AD 33, there was an
Earthquake
that impacted Jerusalem
and
caused damage to the Temple.
Israel
Exploration Journal
Earthquakes
in Israel and Adjacent Areas:
Macroseismic
Observations since 100 B.C.E.
D.H.K.
Amiran, E. Arieh and T. Turcotte
Israel
Exploration Journal
Vol.
44, No. 3/4 (1994), pp. 260-305
Published
by the Israel Exploration Society
and
the Institute of Archaeology of the Hebrew University
_____________________
NEHEMIAH
_____________________
Daniel the Prophet
_____________________
Professor Dr. Peter Gentry PhD
Daniel 9
Seventy Weeks
http://www.sbts.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2010/05/sbjt_v14_n1_gentry.pdf
Page 27
Daniel - dating the work to the sixth century B.C
Page 28
Chapter 9 begins
by giving a chronological notice.
The date is the first year of Darius “who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom”
This was the year in which the Persians conquered the Babylonians,
whose empire, under Nebuchadnezzar, had defeated and exiled Judah some decades earlier.
This was also the first year of Cyrus the Great, who gave the decree which permitted the exiles of Judah to return to their homeland.
Page 30
24 Seventy sevens are determined for your people and your holy city, to end wrongdoing, and to finish with sin, and to atone for guilt / iniquity, and to bring in eternal righteousness, and to seal up prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy place,
25 so you must know and understand, from the issuing of a word to rebuild Jerusalem until an Anointed One, a Leader, are seven sevens and sixty-two sevens. It will be rebuilt in square and trench and in distressing times.
26 And after the sixty-two sevens, an Anointed One will be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the coming Leader will ruin / spoil the city and the sanctuary, and its end will come with the flood. And until the end war— desolations are what is decided.
27 And he will uphold a covenant with the many for one seven, and at the half of the seven he will cause sacrifice and offering to cease, and upon a wing of abominations is one bringing desolation and until an end and what is decided gushes out on the one being desolated.”
Page 32
DAVIDIC KING
The angelic message of Daniel 9 refers to an
“anointed one” (māšîah) / “leader” or “ruler” (nāgîd).
The grammar of the apposition in verse 25 requires that both terms refer to one and the same person.
the same two terms in verse 26 also refer to one and the same person—the same individual referred to in verse 25.
Page 33
The arrival of this person is associated with the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem, so that one naturally thinks of a Davidic figure.
nāgîd and māšîah are conjoined
only with reference to an anointed king
the reference in Daniel 9 is the only unambiguous reference to māšîah (the Messiah) as the eschatological Anointed One, in the entire Old Testament.
There is a good reason why the future king is referred to in verses 25 and 26 by the term nāgîd, “ruler”
The nāgîd
is positively portrayed as one who sees his power as a sovereign and inviolable devolvement from Yahweh, who acts strictly under the orders of Yahweh for the benefit of Yahweh’s people, and holds himself as no more than the willing subject of the divine monarch.
nāgîd communicates kingship according to God’s plan and standards
That is why the term nāgîd dominates in the passage on the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7) and is also the term used here.
The Davidic king ruling in Jerusalem was removed from the throne by the exile in 586 B.C.
according to the eternal and irrevocable promises of Yahweh to David, the prophets spoke of a coming king from David’s line.
The message and vision given to Daniel associates the king’s return with the end of exile and the climactic purposes for Israel and Jerusalem, but with great personal tragedy: he will be cut off, but not for himself. The coming king will give his life to deliver his people.
Page 30
24 Seventy sevens are determined for your people and your holy city,
Page 33 - 34
Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks
The Hebrew word translated “weeks” is šāvûa’.
“week of days”
correlates the “seventy sevens” with sabbatical years and the Jubilee
The “seventy sevens” chronography is probably best understood against the background of Jewish sabbatical years, and the Jubilee year in particular
Thus the “sevens” or “weeks” are periods or units of seven years, i.e., sabbaticals.
Page 35
the focus of attention in this seventieth week of years
is on an Anointed One, who is “cut off, but not for himself.”
within the very week that the root problem of Israel’s exile (sin) is solved through the death of the Messiah, the city of Jerusalem is destroyed.
Page 35
the beginning of the period of seventy weeks
457 BC = Artaxerxes’s Commission to Ezra (Ezra 7:11-26)
In Ezra 7, the “word” of Artaxerxes (c. 457) is focused on support for the new temple.
457 B.C. under Artaxerxes
is therefore the date of the “word to rebuild Jerusalem” starting with its sanctuary.
rebuilding the city and rebuilding the temple were one and the same thing to the Jewish people
457 B.C. is the correct date to begin marking off the seventy sabbaticals
Page 36
this “word” to rebuild the city is associated with the return of Ezra and the re-establishing of the judiciary, central to the concept of a city (Ezra 7:25, 26). Ezra is a central figure in the return.
Daniel had computed the first year of Cyrus (537) as the end of the Exile according to 9:1-2.
the command in 457 is actually at the beginning of a sabbatical cycle.
Page 30
26 And after the sixty-two sevens, an Anointed One will be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the coming Leader will ruin / spoil the city and the sanctuary, and its end will come with the flood. And until the end war— desolations are what is decided.
27 And he will uphold a covenant with the many for one seven, and at the half of the seven he will cause sacrifice and offering to cease, and upon a wing of abominations is one bringing desolation and until an end and what is decided gushes out on the one being desolated.”
Page 36
Verses 26a and 27a describe the work of the Messiah in dying vicariously to uphold a covenant with many and deal decisively with sin, thus ending the sacrificial system.
Verses 26b and 27b show that
supreme sacrilege against the temple at this time will result in the destruction of the city of Jerusalem.
26a the beneficial work of the Messiah
26b ruin / spoliation of the city by his people and its desolation by war A ́
27a the beneficial work of the Messiah
27b abominations resulting in destruction of the city by one causing desolation
the terms māšîah and nāgîd in 25 and 26 refer to one and the same individual
Page 36-37
Verse 25 speaks of the issuing of a word to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah, the Ruler
the city is rebuilt fully with plaza and town-moat.
the city will be fully restored and the restoration will occur during distressing times. The seven sabbaticals cover the period roughly 457-407 B.C. and include the efforts of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
Page 37
the seventieth sabbatical is from 27-34 A.D.
The prediction fits Jesus even allowing for the largest possible uncertainties in chronology.
by employing sabbaticals, the prophecy remains an astounding prediction finding fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth and yet allows for differences as well in calculating the crucifixion. The crucifixion is almost always dated between A.D. 27 and 34.
the vicarious death of the coming king brings about a confirming / strengthening / upholding of a covenant with “the many,”
almost certainly “the many” referred to in Isaiah 53:10-12.
Without doubt, Isaiah 53, describing a future Davidic Servant of the Lord, who is also both priest and sacrifice, laying down his life for the many, is the background to the brief comment in Daniel’s vision. His death brings an end to the sacrificial system because it is a final solution to the problem of sin. The expression “he will strengthen a covenant” occurs only here in the entire Old Testament.
Page 40
Herodian temple had to fall and the city had to be destroyed
- the destruction, symbolized by the curtain protecting the Holy of Holies torn in two at the crucifixion, finally came to pass in A.D. 70
Page 40
The notion of a person who is both King and true Temple is hinted at by the last of the six purposes in 9:24: “to anoint the Holy of Holies.”
both future king and temple are one and the same.
It finds fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth as both Messiah and true Temple.
Page 41
The vision of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, then, can be explained simply. It refers to a period of seventy sabbaticals or periods of seven years required to bring in the ultimate jubilee: release from sin, the establishment of everlasting righteousness and consecration of the temple. During the first seven sabbaticals the city of Jerusalem is restored.
In the climactic seventieth week, Israel’s King arrives and dies vicariously for his people.
desecration of the temple
is perpetrated by the Jewish people themselves
resulting in the destruction of Jerusalem.
These events are fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the coming king. His crucifixion is the sacrifice to end all sacrifices and the basis of the New Covenant with the many. His death is “not for himself,” but rather vicarious. The rejection of Jesus as Messiah and desecration of him as the true Temple at his trial by the High Priest result in judgment upon the Herodian Temple carried out eventually in A.D. 70.
The prophecy is remarkable
as it fits the events concerning Jesus of Nazareth.
http://www.sbts.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2010/05/sbjt_v14_n1_gentry.pdf
http://chalcedon.edu/research/articles/daniels-seventy-weeks-and-biblical-prophecy/
Daniel 9
Seventy Weeks
http://www.sbts.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2010/05/sbjt_v14_n1_gentry.pdf
Page 27
Daniel - dating the work to the sixth century B.C
Page 28
Chapter 9 begins
by giving a chronological notice.
The date is the first year of Darius “who was made ruler over the Babylonian kingdom”
This was the year in which the Persians conquered the Babylonians,
whose empire, under Nebuchadnezzar, had defeated and exiled Judah some decades earlier.
This was also the first year of Cyrus the Great, who gave the decree which permitted the exiles of Judah to return to their homeland.
Page 30
24 Seventy sevens are determined for your people and your holy city, to end wrongdoing, and to finish with sin, and to atone for guilt / iniquity, and to bring in eternal righteousness, and to seal up prophetic vision, and to anoint a most holy place,
25 so you must know and understand, from the issuing of a word to rebuild Jerusalem until an Anointed One, a Leader, are seven sevens and sixty-two sevens. It will be rebuilt in square and trench and in distressing times.
26 And after the sixty-two sevens, an Anointed One will be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the coming Leader will ruin / spoil the city and the sanctuary, and its end will come with the flood. And until the end war— desolations are what is decided.
27 And he will uphold a covenant with the many for one seven, and at the half of the seven he will cause sacrifice and offering to cease, and upon a wing of abominations is one bringing desolation and until an end and what is decided gushes out on the one being desolated.”
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DAVIDIC KING
The angelic message of Daniel 9 refers to an
“anointed one” (māšîah) / “leader” or “ruler” (nāgîd).
The grammar of the apposition in verse 25 requires that both terms refer to one and the same person.
the same two terms in verse 26 also refer to one and the same person—the same individual referred to in verse 25.
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The arrival of this person is associated with the rebuilding and restoration of Jerusalem, so that one naturally thinks of a Davidic figure.
nāgîd and māšîah are conjoined
only with reference to an anointed king
the reference in Daniel 9 is the only unambiguous reference to māšîah (the Messiah) as the eschatological Anointed One, in the entire Old Testament.
There is a good reason why the future king is referred to in verses 25 and 26 by the term nāgîd, “ruler”
The nāgîd
is positively portrayed as one who sees his power as a sovereign and inviolable devolvement from Yahweh, who acts strictly under the orders of Yahweh for the benefit of Yahweh’s people, and holds himself as no more than the willing subject of the divine monarch.
nāgîd communicates kingship according to God’s plan and standards
That is why the term nāgîd dominates in the passage on the Davidic Covenant (2 Samuel 7) and is also the term used here.
The Davidic king ruling in Jerusalem was removed from the throne by the exile in 586 B.C.
according to the eternal and irrevocable promises of Yahweh to David, the prophets spoke of a coming king from David’s line.
The message and vision given to Daniel associates the king’s return with the end of exile and the climactic purposes for Israel and Jerusalem, but with great personal tragedy: he will be cut off, but not for himself. The coming king will give his life to deliver his people.
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24 Seventy sevens are determined for your people and your holy city,
Page 33 - 34
Interpretation of the Seventy Weeks
The Hebrew word translated “weeks” is šāvûa’.
“week of days”
correlates the “seventy sevens” with sabbatical years and the Jubilee
The “seventy sevens” chronography is probably best understood against the background of Jewish sabbatical years, and the Jubilee year in particular
Thus the “sevens” or “weeks” are periods or units of seven years, i.e., sabbaticals.
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the focus of attention in this seventieth week of years
is on an Anointed One, who is “cut off, but not for himself.”
within the very week that the root problem of Israel’s exile (sin) is solved through the death of the Messiah, the city of Jerusalem is destroyed.
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the beginning of the period of seventy weeks
457 BC = Artaxerxes’s Commission to Ezra (Ezra 7:11-26)
In Ezra 7, the “word” of Artaxerxes (c. 457) is focused on support for the new temple.
457 B.C. under Artaxerxes
is therefore the date of the “word to rebuild Jerusalem” starting with its sanctuary.
rebuilding the city and rebuilding the temple were one and the same thing to the Jewish people
457 B.C. is the correct date to begin marking off the seventy sabbaticals
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this “word” to rebuild the city is associated with the return of Ezra and the re-establishing of the judiciary, central to the concept of a city (Ezra 7:25, 26). Ezra is a central figure in the return.
Daniel had computed the first year of Cyrus (537) as the end of the Exile according to 9:1-2.
the command in 457 is actually at the beginning of a sabbatical cycle.
Page 30
26 And after the sixty-two sevens, an Anointed One will be cut off, but not for himself, and the people of the coming Leader will ruin / spoil the city and the sanctuary, and its end will come with the flood. And until the end war— desolations are what is decided.
27 And he will uphold a covenant with the many for one seven, and at the half of the seven he will cause sacrifice and offering to cease, and upon a wing of abominations is one bringing desolation and until an end and what is decided gushes out on the one being desolated.”
Page 36
Verses 26a and 27a describe the work of the Messiah in dying vicariously to uphold a covenant with many and deal decisively with sin, thus ending the sacrificial system.
Verses 26b and 27b show that
supreme sacrilege against the temple at this time will result in the destruction of the city of Jerusalem.
26a the beneficial work of the Messiah
26b ruin / spoliation of the city by his people and its desolation by war A ́
27a the beneficial work of the Messiah
27b abominations resulting in destruction of the city by one causing desolation
the terms māšîah and nāgîd in 25 and 26 refer to one and the same individual
Page 36-37
Verse 25 speaks of the issuing of a word to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah, the Ruler
the city is rebuilt fully with plaza and town-moat.
the city will be fully restored and the restoration will occur during distressing times. The seven sabbaticals cover the period roughly 457-407 B.C. and include the efforts of Ezra, Nehemiah, Haggai, Zechariah, and Malachi.
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the seventieth sabbatical is from 27-34 A.D.
The prediction fits Jesus even allowing for the largest possible uncertainties in chronology.
by employing sabbaticals, the prophecy remains an astounding prediction finding fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth and yet allows for differences as well in calculating the crucifixion. The crucifixion is almost always dated between A.D. 27 and 34.
the vicarious death of the coming king brings about a confirming / strengthening / upholding of a covenant with “the many,”
almost certainly “the many” referred to in Isaiah 53:10-12.
Without doubt, Isaiah 53, describing a future Davidic Servant of the Lord, who is also both priest and sacrifice, laying down his life for the many, is the background to the brief comment in Daniel’s vision. His death brings an end to the sacrificial system because it is a final solution to the problem of sin. The expression “he will strengthen a covenant” occurs only here in the entire Old Testament.
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Herodian temple had to fall and the city had to be destroyed
- the destruction, symbolized by the curtain protecting the Holy of Holies torn in two at the crucifixion, finally came to pass in A.D. 70
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The notion of a person who is both King and true Temple is hinted at by the last of the six purposes in 9:24: “to anoint the Holy of Holies.”
both future king and temple are one and the same.
It finds fulfillment in Jesus of Nazareth as both Messiah and true Temple.
Page 41
The vision of Daniel’s Seventy Weeks, then, can be explained simply. It refers to a period of seventy sabbaticals or periods of seven years required to bring in the ultimate jubilee: release from sin, the establishment of everlasting righteousness and consecration of the temple. During the first seven sabbaticals the city of Jerusalem is restored.
In the climactic seventieth week, Israel’s King arrives and dies vicariously for his people.
desecration of the temple
is perpetrated by the Jewish people themselves
resulting in the destruction of Jerusalem.
These events are fulfilled in the person of Jesus of Nazareth. He is the coming king. His crucifixion is the sacrifice to end all sacrifices and the basis of the New Covenant with the many. His death is “not for himself,” but rather vicarious. The rejection of Jesus as Messiah and desecration of him as the true Temple at his trial by the High Priest result in judgment upon the Herodian Temple carried out eventually in A.D. 70.
The prophecy is remarkable
as it fits the events concerning Jesus of Nazareth.
http://www.sbts.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/5/2010/05/sbjt_v14_n1_gentry.pdf
http://chalcedon.edu/research/articles/daniels-seventy-weeks-and-biblical-prophecy/
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Dr. Ken Johnson
1
Thessalonians 5
20
Despise not prophesyings.
21
Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.
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