Worship The One True God: Daniel 8 - 9: The Ram, The Goat, The Horn, The Messiah and Jerusalem Part 2

This is from "The Unsealed Book: An Unorthodox look at the Church, Islam and God’s Kingdom in Bible Prophecy" by Benjamin Breece available on Amazon

The Seventy Week Prophecy

[1]

Daniel 9:24-27

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.	שׁבעים שׁבעים נחתך על־עמך ועל־עיר קדשׁך לכלא הפשׁע ולחתם חטאות ולכפר עון ולהביא צדק עלמים ולחתם חזון ונביא ולמשׁח קדשׁ קדשׁים
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.	ותדע ותשׂכל מן־מצא דבר להשׁיב ולבנות ירושׁלם עד־משׁיח נגיד שׁבעים שׁבעה ושׁבעים שׁשׁים ושׁנים תשׁוב ונבנתה רחוב וחרוץ ובצוק העתים
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.	ואחרי השׁבעים שׁשׁים ושׁנים יכרת משׁיח ואין לו והעיר והקדשׁ ישׁחית עם נגיד הבא וקצו בשׁטף ועד קץ מלחמה נחרצת שׁממות
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.	והגביר ברית לרבים שׁבוע אחד וחצי השׁבוע ישׁבית זבח ומנחה ועל כנף שׁקוצים משׁמם ועד־כלה ונחרצה תתך על־שׁמם

Now, let’s look at the prophecy to see how it fits history.

²⁴Seventy 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.

²⁵Know 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.

²⁶And 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.

²⁷And 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.

The word translated as weeks is שׁבעים (šā·ḇu·‘îm), which literally means “seven” and it is understood to be a period of seven years. Seventy times seven years is 490 years. During this period the Jews are 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”.

It is pretty self-explanatory that the first part is to stop sinning against God. It continues by saying what would happen if they repented of their sins. They would “seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy”. The phrase “most Holy” is translated from the Hebrew קדשׁ קדשׁים (qō·ḏeš qā·ḏā·šîm). This is the same phrase used in Exodus 26:33 to describe the Most Holy Place in the Sanctuary. The Septuagint uses the phrase αγιοναγιων (hagion hagiōn). This is the same phrase used in Hebrews 9:3 to describe the Most Holy Place in the Sanctuary in Heaven.

The Book of Ezekiel spends several chapters describing a magnificent temple. Ezekiel was given this vision during the time before Jerusalem was rebuilt. One of the key parts of this description is Ezekiel 43:9-11.

9	Now let them put away their whoredom, and the carcases of their kings, far from me, and I will dwell in the midst of them for ever.	עתה ירחקו את־זנותם ופגרי מלכיהם ממני ושׁכנתי בתוכם לעולם
10	Thou son of man, shew the house to the house of Israel, that they may be ashamed of their iniquities: and let them measure the pattern.	אתה בן־אדם הגד את־בית־ישׂראל את־הבית ויכלמו מעונותיהם ומדדו את־תכנית
11	And if they be ashamed of all that they have done, shew them the form of the house, and the fashion thereof, and the goings out thereof, and the comings in thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and all the forms thereof, and all the laws thereof: and write it in their sight, that they may keep the whole form thereof, and all the ordinances thereof, and do them.	ואם־נכלמו מכל אשׁר־עשׂו צורת הבית ותכונתו ומוצאיו ומובאיו וכל־צורתו ואת כל־חקתיו וכל־צורתו וכל־תורתו הודע אותם וכתב לעיניהם וישׁמרו את־כל־צורתו ואת־כל־חקתיו ועשׂו אותם

Unfortunately, the Jews did not fully turn back to God and they built a different temple than the one shown to Ezekiel.

The prophecy on Ezekiel’s temple also links it with the restoration of all 12 tribes of Israel. Remember, the 10 northern tribes of the Kingdom of Israel were carried into exile by the Assyrians and their ultimate fate is unknown. The people in the southern kingdom of Judah were carried into exile by the Babylonians and later returned. The vision of Ezekiel’s temple clearly describes all 12 tribes inhabiting the land. Zechariah also prophecied about the restoration of the lost tribes, but laid down some conditions for the people to follow in order for this to happen. When we examine Zechariah’s other prophecies, we see that this was supposed to happen during the second temple period. Ezekiel’s vision for the temple includes details about Jerusalem. Many details from this vision are included in the New Jerusalem described in Revelation. See the sections on Ezekiel’s Temple and Zechariah’s prophecies for more detail on this.

The Decree to Rebuild

In order to know when this time prophecy starts, we need to figure out which decree is referred to here. There are four recorded in the Bible. First, we need to find out what it means by “the street shall be built again, and the wall”. The word translated “street” is רחוב(rə·ḥō·wḇ). Strong’s defines it as “a width, i.e. (concretely) avenue or area -- broad place (way), street”.

It is used in Nehemiah 8:16.

So the people went forth, and brought them, and made themselves booths, every one upon the roof of his house, and in their courts, and in the courts of the house of God, and in the street of the water gate, and in the street of the gate of Ephraim.

ויצאו העם ויביאו ויעשׂו להם סכות אישׁ על־גגו ובחצרתיהם ובחצרות בית האלהים וברחוב שׁער המים וברחוב שׁער אפרים

It is also used in 2 Chronicles 32:6

And he set captains of war over the people, and gathered them together to him in the street of the gate of the city, and spake comfortably to them, saying,

ויתן שׂרי מלחמות על־העם ויקבצם אליו אל־רחוב שׁער העיר וידבר על־לבבם לאמר

It is also used in Isaiah 59:14

And judgment is turned away backward, and justice standeth afar off: for truth is fallen in the street, and equity cannot enter.

והסג אחור משׁפט וצדקה מרחוק תעמד כי־כשׁלה ברחוב אמת ונכחה לא־תוכל לבוא

We can see from the context that it doesn’t simply mean “city streets”. It is an open place near the gate and is connected with proclamations and the administration of justice.

The word translated as “wall” is וחרוץ (ḇe·ḥā·rūṣ). Strong’s defines it as “decision, diligent, fine gold, pointed things, sharp, threshing instrument, wall”. This is a very difficult word to translate and there is uncertainty as to its exact meaning. Other translations render it “moat” or “trench” or “rampart”, etc.

It appears in Joel 3:14

Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of [Yehovah] is near in the valley of decision.

המונים המונים בעמק החרוץ כי קרוב יום יהוה בעמק החרוץ

This word is a noun that is derived from the verb חָרַץ(charats), which Strong’s defines as “bestir self, decide, decree, determine, maim, move”. The verb is used in 1 Kings 20:40.

And as thy servant was busy here and there, he was gone. And the king of Israel said unto him, So shall thy judgment be; thyself hast decided it.

ויהי עבדך עשׂה הנה והנה והוא איננו ויאמר אליו מלך־ישׂראל כן משׁפטך אתה חרצת

The use of these words in the context of rebuilding Jerusalem suggests that they aren’t just talking about rebuilding physical streets and walls. Rather, they are referring to the restoration of the administrative and judiciary powers of the city. The importance of this will be seen soon.

Now we can begin to look for the decree indicated by this prophecy. When we find that, we will be able to know when the prophecy started.

The first decree mentioned by the Bible is in Ezra 1:1-4

1	Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of [Yehovah] by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, [Yehovah] stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying,	ובשׁנת אחת לכורשׁ מלך פרס לכלות דבר־יהוה מפי ירמיה העיר יהוה את־רוח כרשׁ מלך־פרס ויעבר־קול בכל־מלכותו וגם־במכתב לאמר
2	Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, [Yehovah] God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah.	כה אמר כרשׁ מלך פרס כל ממלכות הארץ נתן לי יהוה אלהי השׁמים והוא־פקד עלי לבנות־לו בית בירושׁלם אשׁר ביהודה
3	Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of [Yehovah] God of Israel, (he is the God,) which is in Jerusalem.	מי־בכם מכל־עמו יהי אלהיו עמו ויעל לירושׁלם אשׁר ביהודה ויבן את־בית יהוה אלהי ישׂראל הוא האלהים אשׁר בירושׁלם
4	And whosoever remaineth in any place where he sojourneth, let the men of his place help him with silver, and with gold, and with goods, and with beasts, beside the freewill offering for the house of God that is in Jerusalem.	וכל־הנשׁאר מכל־המקמות אשׁר הוא גר־שׁם ינשׂאוהו אנשׁי מקמו בכסף ובזהב וברכושׁ ובבהמה עם־הנדבה לבית האלהים אשׁר בירושׁלם

This decree only mentions rebuilding the temple. It does not say anything about rebuilding the city itself. Now, some may assume that it implied rebuilding the city. However, there is nothing in the rest of Ezra that would indicate that much, if any, of the city was rebuilt at this time. Cyrus began the Persian support of rebuilding the city, but more decrees were needed before the prophecy was fulfilled.

The next one is Ezra 6. In Ezra 5 we see that the prophets Haggai and Zechariah were encouraging the people to restart building the temple, which had stopped a few years before. Tatnai, the governor of that province questioned the legality of the construction, so they searched the records in Babylon verify Cyrus’s decree. Darius issued a second decree which verified the first and instructed Tatnai to not interfere with the construction.

Ezra 6:3-12

3	In the first year of Cyrus the king the same Cyrus the king made a decree concerning the house of God at Jerusalem, Let the house be builded, the place where they offered sacrifices, and let the foundations thereof be strongly laid; the height thereof threescore cubits, and the breadth thereof threescore cubits;	בשׁנת חדה לכורשׁ מלכא כורשׁ מלכא שׂם טעם בית־אלהא בירושׁלם ביתא יתבנא אתר די־דבחין דבחין ואשׁוהי מסובלין רומה אמין שׁתין פתיה אמין שׁתין
4	With three rows of great stones, and a row of new timber: and let the expenses be given out of the king's house:	נדבכין די־אבן גלל תלתא ונדבך די־אע חדת ונפקתא מן־בית מלכא תתיהב
5	And also let the golden and silver vessels of the house of God, which Nebuchadnezzar took forth out of the temple which is at Jerusalem, and brought unto Babylon, be restored, and brought again unto the temple which is at Jerusalem, every one to his place, and place them in the house of God.	ואף מאני בית־אלהא די דהבה וכספא די נבוכדנצר הנפק מן־היכלא די־בירושׁלם והיבל לבבל יהתיבון ויהך להיכלא די־בירושׁלם לאתרה ותחת בבית אלהא
6	Now therefore, Tatnai, governor beyond the river, Shetharboznai, and your companions the Apharsachites, which are beyond the river, be ye far from thence:	כען תתני פחת עבר־נהרה שׁתר בוזני וכנותהון אפרסכיא די בעבר נהרה רחיקין הוו מן־תמה
7	Let the work of this house of God alone; let the governor of the Jews and the elders of the Jews build this house of God in his place.	שׁבקו לעבידת בית־אלהא דך פחת יהודיא ולשׂבי יהודיא בית־אלהא דך יבנון על־אתרה
8	Moreover I make a decree what ye shall do to the elders of these Jews for the building of this house of God: that of the king's goods, even of the tribute beyond the river, forthwith expenses be given unto these men, that they be not hindered.	ומני שׂים טעם למא די־תעבדון עם־שׂבי יהודיא אלך למבנא בית־אלהא דך ומנכסי מלכא די מדת עבר נהרה אספרנא נפקתא תהוא מתיהבא לגבריא אלך די־לא לבטלא
9	And that which they have need of, both young bullocks, and rams, and lambs, for the burnt offerings of the God of heaven, wheat, salt, wine, and oil, according to the appointment of the priests which are at Jerusalem, let it be given them day by day without fail:	ומה חשׁחן ובני תורין ודכרין ואמרין לעלון לאלה שׁמיא חנטין מלח חמר ומשׁח כמאמר כהניא די־בירושׁלם להוא מתיהב להם יום ביום די־לא שׁלו
10	That they may offer sacrifices of sweet savours unto the God of heaven, and pray for the life of the king, and of his sons.	די־להון מהקרבין ניחוחין לאלה שׁמיא ומצלין לחיי מלכא ובנוהי
11	Also I have made a decree, that whosoever shall alter this word, let timber be pulled down from his house, and being set up, let him be hanged thereon; and let his house be made a dunghill for this.	ומני שׂים טעם די כל־אנשׁ די יהשׁנא פתגמא דנה יתנסח אע מן־ביתה וזקיף יתמחא עלהי וביתה נולו יתעבד על־דנה
12	And the God that hath caused his name to dwell there destroy all kings and people, that shall put to their hand to alter and to destroy this house of God which is at Jerusalem. I Darius have made a decree; let it be done with speed.	ואלהא די שׁכן שׁמה תמה ימגר כל־מלך ועם די ישׁלח ידה להשׁניה לחבלה בית־אלהא דך די בירושׁלם אנה דריושׁ שׂמת טעם אספרנא יתעבד

The temple was completed during the sixth year of the reign of Darius I.

Ezra 6:14-15

14	And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.	ושׂבי יהודיא בנין ומצלחין בנבואת חגי נביאה וזכריה בר־עדוא ובנו ושׁכללו מן־טעם אלה ישׂראל ומטעם כורשׁ ודריושׁ וארתחשׁשׂתא מלך פרס
15	And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.	ושׁיציא ביתה דנה עד יום תלתה לירח אדר די־היא שׁנת־שׁת למלכות דריושׁ מלכא

Ezra mentions Artaxerxes I in the list of rulers whose commandments were involved in rebuilding the temple. Ezra clearly states that the temple was finished during the reign of Darius I. And he clearly lists Artaxerxes I after Darius I. He is apparently including Artaxerxes I because of the benefits the temple received under his reign.

The temple was completed in the sixth year of Darius I. Darius I ascended to the throne in 522 B.C.E.

“Cyrus the Great, 559– 530

Cambyses, 530– 522

Bardiya, 522

Darius I, 522– 486

Xerxes I, 486– 465

Artaxerxes I, 465– 424”[2]

The year they ascended the throne was the year of ascension. They started numbering the years after that. This makes his sixth year about 516 B.C.E.(The Jews used a spring to spring religious calendar and a fall to fall civil calendar, neither of which line up perfectly with our January 1 through December 31). The temple stood “between 516 BCE and 70 CE”[3]. The “temple was consecrated in early 515 B.C.”. [4]

The third decree is found in Ezra 7:6-26

6	This Ezra went up from Babylon; and he was a ready scribe in the law of Moses, which [Yehovah] God of Israel had given: and the king granted him all his request, according to the hand of [Yehovah] his God upon him.	הוא עזרא עלה מבבל והוא־ספר מהיר בתורת משׁה אשׁר־נתן יהוה אלהי ישׂראל ויתן־לו המלך כיד־יהוה אלהיו עליו כל בקשׁתו
7	And there went up some of the children of Israel, and of the priests, and the Levites, and the singers, and the porters, and the Nethinims, unto Jerusalem, in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king.	ויעלו מבני־ישׂראל ומן־הכהנים והלוים והמשׁררים והשׁערים והנתינים אל־ירושׁלם בשׁנת־שׁבע לארתחשׁסתא המלך
8	And he came to Jerusalem in the fifth month, which was in the seventh year of the king.	ויבא ירושׁלם בחדשׁ החמישׁי היא שׁנת השׁביעית למלך
9	For upon the first day of the first month began he to go up from Babylon, and on the first day of the fifth month came he to Jerusalem, according to the good hand of his God upon him.	כי באחד לחדשׁ הראשׁון הוא יסד המעלה מבבל ובאחד לחדשׁ החמישׁי בא אל־ירושׁלם כיד־אלהיו הטובה עליו
10	For Ezra had prepared his heart to seek the law of [Yehovah], and to do it, and to teach in Israel statutes and judgments.	כי עזרא הכין לבבו לדרושׁ את־תורת יהוה ולעשׂת וללמד בישׂראל חק ומשׁפט
11	Now this is the copy of the letter that the king Artaxerxes gave unto Ezra the priest, the scribe, even a scribe of the words of the commandments of [Yehovah], and of his statutes to Israel.	וזה פרשׁגן הנשׁתון אשׁר נתן המלך ארתחשׁסתא לעזרא הכהן הספר ספר דברי מצות־יהוה וחקיו על־ישׂראל
12	Artaxerxes, king of kings, unto Ezra the priest, a scribe of the law of the God of heaven, perfect peace, and at such a time.	ארתחשׁסתא מלך מלכיא לעזרא כהנא ספר דתא די־אלה שׁמיא גמיר וכענת
13	I make a decree, that all they of the people of Israel, and of his priests and Levites, in my realm, which are minded of their own freewill to go up to Jerusalem, go with thee.	מני שׂים טעם די כל־מתנדב במלכותי מן־עמה ישׂראל וכהנוהי ולויא למהך לירושׁלם עמך יהך
14	Forasmuch as thou art sent of the king, and of his seven counsellors, to enquire concerning Judah and Jerusalem, according to the law of thy God which is in thine hand;	כל־קבל די מן־קדם מלכא ושׁבעת יעטהי שׁליח לבקרא על־יהוד ולירושׁלם בדת אלהך די בידך
15	And to carry the silver and gold, which the king and his counsellors have freely offered unto the God of Israel, whose habitation is in Jerusalem,	ולהיבלה כסף ודהב די־מלכא ויעטוהי התנדבו לאלה ישׂראל די בירושׁלם משׁכנה
16	And all the silver and gold that thou canst find in all the province of Babylon, with the freewill offering of the people, and of the priests, offering willingly for the house of their God which is in Jerusalem:	וכל כסף ודהב די תהשׁכח בכל מדינת בבל עם התנדבות עמא וכהניא מתנדבין לבית אלההם די בירושׁלם
17	That thou mayest buy speedily with this money bullocks, rams, lambs, with their meat offerings and their drink offerings, and offer them upon the altar of the house of your God which is in Jerusalem.	כל־קבל דנה אספרנא תקנא בכספא דנה תורין דכרין אמרין ומנחתהון ונסכיהון ותקרב המו על־מדבחה די בית אלהכם די בירושׁלם
18	And whatsoever shall seem good to thee, and to thy brethren, to do with the rest of the silver and the gold, that do after the will of your God.	ומה די עליך ועל־אחיך ייטב בשׁאר כספא ודהבה למעבד כרעות אלהכם תעבדון
19	The vessels also that are given thee for the service of the house of thy God, those deliver thou before the God of Jerusalem.	ומאניא די־מתיהבין לך לפלחן בית אלהך השׁלם קדם אלה ירושׁלם
20	And whatsoever more shall be needful for the house of thy God, which thou shalt have occasion to bestow, bestow it out of the king's treasure house.	ושׁאר חשׁחות בית אלהך די יפל־לך למנתן תנתן מן־בית גנזי מלכא
21	And I, even I Artaxerxes the king, do make a decree to all the treasurers which are beyond the river, that whatsoever Ezra the priest, the scribe of the law of the God of heaven, shall require of you, it be done speedily,	ומני אנה ארתחשׁסתא מלכא שׂים טעם לכל גזבריא די בעבר נהרה די כל־די ישׁאלנכון עזרא כהנה ספר דתא די־אלה שׁמיא אספרנא יתעבד
22	Unto an hundred talents of silver, and to an hundred measures of wheat, and to an hundred baths of wine, and to an hundred baths of oil, and salt without prescribing how much.	עד־כסף ככרין מאה ועד־חנטין כרין מאה ועד־חמר בתין מאה ועד־בתין משׁח מאה ומלח די־לא כתב
23	Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons?	כל־די מן־טעם אלה שׁמיא יתעבד אדרזדא לבית אלה שׁמיא די־למה להוא קצף על־מלכות מלכא ובנוהי
24	Also we certify you, that touching any of the priests and Levites, singers, porters, Nethinims, or ministers of this house of God, it shall not be lawful to impose toll, tribute, or custom, upon them.	ולכם מהודעין די כל־כהניא ולויא זמריא תרעיא נתיניא ופלחי בית אלהא דנה מנדה בלו והלך לא שׁליט למרמא עליהם
25	And thou, Ezra, after the wisdom of thy God, that is in thine hand, set magistrates and judges, which may judge all the people that are beyond the river, all such as know the laws of thy God; and teach ye them that know them not.	ואנת עזרא כחכמת אלהך די־בידך מני שׁפטין ודינין די־להון דאנין לכל־עמה די בעבר נהרה לכל־ידעי דתי אלהך ודי לא ידע תהודעון
26	And whosoever will not do the law of thy God, and the law of the king, let judgment be executed speedily upon him, whether it be unto death, or to banishment, or to confiscation of goods, or to imprisonment.	וכל־די־לא להוא עבד דתא די־אלהך ודתא די מלכא אספרנא דינה להוא מתעבד מנה הן למות הן לשׁרשׁו הן־לענשׁ נכסין ולאסורין

Verses 25 and 26 permit Ezra to set up an administrative and judicial system in accordance with the law of God (Torah). We saw earlier that Daniel 9:25 predicted this type of restoration. The words that are translated as “street” and “wall” are connected with the administration of the city and dispensation of justice. 13 year later, Nehemiah was surprised to hear about the wall being broken and the gates burned with fire (Nehemiah 1:1-3). He would certainly be aware of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar over a century earlier. This is best explained if it is understood that work had been started on the walls and gates under Ezra’s leadership, but they had been subsequently damaged. Thus, the Bible would seem to indicate that the decree in Ezra 7 authorized him to build the wall. This means that the later decree in Nehemiah simply reaffirmed authorization to build the walls.

This decree was given in the seventh year of Artaxerxes I according to verses 8 and 9. It says that he left Babylon in the first day of the first month and arrived in Jerusalem in the first day of the fifth month. Artaxerxes ascended the throne in 465 B.C.E.[5] [6] [7] 465 was the year of ascension. The years started counting after that. Historians tell us that the decree was issued in 458 B.C.E.[8] [9]

The Seven Weeks

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.

We should see seven weeks (49 years) of rebuilding followed by 62 weeks where Jerusalem is in a rebuilt state. 49 years after 458 B.C.E.would be 409 B.C.E. According to the interpretation, this should coincide with the rebuilding of Jerusalem. Cities by their nature are constantly growing and changing, so it would be difficult to pinpoint any specific event that would say it is rebuilt. There are several things, however, that would make it accurate to mark this time as the period of rebuilding Jerusalem. First, the time period corresponds to one Jubilee cycle, making it a natural unit for God to use in marking the rebuilding of Jerusalem and restoration of Judah.

Leviticus 25:8-13

8	And thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years.	וספרת לך שׁבע שׁבתת שׁנים שׁבע שׁנים שׁבע פעמים והיו לך ימי שׁבע שׁבתת השׁנים תשׁע וארבעים שׁנה
9	Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth day of the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land.	והעברת שׁופר תרועה בחדשׁ השׁבעי בעשׂור לחדשׁ ביום הכפרים תעבירו שׁופר בכל־ארצכם
10	And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family.	וקדשׁתם את שׁנת החמשׁים שׁנה וקראתם דרור בארץ לכל־ישׁביה יובל הוא תהיה לכם ושׁבתם אישׁ אל־אחזתו ואישׁ אל־משׁפחתו תשׁבו
11	A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.	יובל הוא שׁנת החמשׁים שׁנה תהיה לכם לא תזרעו ולא תקצרו את־ספיחיה ולא תבצרו את־נזריה
12	For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field.	כי יובל הוא קדשׁ תהיה לכם מן־השׂדה תאכלו את־תבואתה
13	In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.	בשׁנת היובל הזאת תשׁבו אישׁ אל־אחזתו

Also, this is the period in which the rebuilding happens and the prophets end. The 49 years began with Ezra’s mission to restore Jerusalem in 458 B.C.E. Nehemiah, whose main concern was with finishing the rebuilding of Jerusalem, was made governor in the 20^th year of Artaxerxes I, which was 445 B.C.E.[10] Nehemiah 2:1-9 describes how he received the letters of authorization from Artaxerxes and travelled to Jerusalem.

According to Nehemiah 13, he returned to Babylon in 32^nd year of Artaxerxes (443 B.C.), and then he returned to Jerusalem. [11] Upon his return, he found the people had returned to their evil ways and he had to bring them back to God.

We don’t have an exact time for when Nehemiah’s governorship ended. “After 410, however, as the Elephantine texts tell us, one Bagoas (a Persian or a Jew with a Persian name) was governor of Judah….”[12] Considering that Nehemiah’s primary goals were the physical rebuilding of the city and the reestablishment of the proper worship of God, we can say these activities lasted for much of the 49 year period and was completed by the time the 49 years were finished.

The last book of the Tanakh (Old Testament) was also written during this time. There is debate as to exactly when it was written, but scholars generally agree that it was not written earlier than around the time Nehemiah initially arrived in Jerusalem and was certainly written before 400 B.C.E.[13] [14]

49 years corresponds to one cycle ending with the year of Jubilee, which centers on the themes of restoration and freedom. During the 49 years from 458 – 409 B.C.E.we find that the city was physically rebuilt, the administration system was restored, the justice system was restored in accordance with the Torah, the proper worship of God was restored, and prophecy was completed. After the 49 years, Jerusalem was a normal, fully functioning city.

The Messiah

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 remaining 434 years brings us down to 26 C.E. And the entire 70 weeks ends in 33 C.E. If this interpretation of the prophecy is correct and lines up with history, we should see the arrival of Messiah Prince in 26 C.E. Then we should see the Messiah get “cut off”. In order to understand this, we need to know that “messiah” comes from the Hebrew word משׁיח (mashiach), which means “anointed one”. In the Tanakh, David did not ascend to the throne until after Saul’s death. However, he was anointed by the prophet Samuel before that. Therefore, we should look for Messiah Prince to be anointed at this time, even if he didn’t ascend to the throne at this time.

First, I would like to take a little time to address the obvious question of why the Jews don’t believe the Messiah arrived at this time. Jews for Judaism and Outreach Judaism have excellent presentations on this very topic. However, their interpretation is only plausible if you accept the dates they give for when Jeremiah gave his 70 year prophecy, the destruction of Jerusalem, the Persian conquest of Babylon and the building of the second temple. There are other issues I have with their interpretation, but the dates are the most significant.

Altogether, their dates result in a chronology that is 165 years shorter than the chronology laid out by historians. Their dates are based on rabbinic tradition instead of historical evidence.[15] They claim that the prophecy is not about the Messiah and provide an alternate interpretation that only works if you accept the dates they supply (which contradict history) and then claim that those dates prove their claim correct.

Historians and archaeologists can, and do, make mistakes. If we ever find independent evidence that is at least as strong as the current historical evidence and backs up the rabbinic dates, I will be the first to begin reexamining the interpretation of this prophecy. However, you can’t prove the rabbinic interpretation of this prophecy to be correct by supplying dates that can only be accepted if you already have faith in rabbinic tradition. You have to accept the rabbinic tradition over secular history in order to accept these dates. And you have to accept these dates to accept the rabbinic tradition over secular history. This is circular logic.

I am striving to provide an interpretation of prophecy that is verified through independent historical and archeological evidence. If one interpretation has independent evidence and one doesn’t have independent evidence, which one is more likely to be correct?

Now, let’s see if we can find evidence that the Messiah arrived in 26 C.E. The Roman Emperor Tiberius ascended the throne in 14 C.E. However, according to the Roman historian Suetonius, he became co-ruler over the provinces in 12 C.E.[16]

A.D. 12

XX. After two years he returned to the city from Germania and celebrated the triumph which he had postponed, accompanied also by his generals, for whom he had obtained the triumphal regalia. And before turning to enter the Capitol, he dismounted from his chariot and fell at the knees of his father, who was presiding over the knees of his father, who was presiding over the ceremonies. He sent Bato, the leader of the Pannonians, to Ravenna, after presenting him with rich gifts; thus showing his gratitude to him for allowing him to escape when he was trapped with his army in a dangerous place. Then he gave a banquet to the people at a thousand tables, and a largess of three hundred sesterces to every man. With the proceeds of his spoils he restored and dedicated the temple of Concord, as well as that of Pollux and Castor, in his own name and that of his brother.

XXI. Since the consuls caused a law to be passed soon after this that he should govern the provinces jointly with Augustus and hold the census with him, he set out for Illyricum on the conclusion of the lustral ceremonies; but he was at once recalled, and finding Augustus in his last illness but still alive, he spent an entire day with him in private.

Since he merely began ruling in 12 C.E., rather than ascending the throne, it is not an ascension year. It is his first year of ruling over the provinces, which included Judea and Galilee. This means that his fifteenth year would be 26 C.E. Luke records that John began his ministry in the fifteenth year and soon Jesus came to be baptized.

Luke 3:1-3, 21-22

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,	εν ετει δε πεντεκαιδεκατω της ηγεμονιας τιβεριου καισαρος ηγεμονευοντος ποντιου πιλατου της ιουδαιας και τετρααρχουντος της γαλιλαιας ηρωδου φιλιππου δε του αδελφου αυτου τετρααρχουντος της ιτουραιας και τραχωνιτιδος χωρας και λυσανιου της αβιληνης τετρααρχουντος
2	Annas and Caiaphas being the high priests, the word of God came unto John the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.	επι αρχιερεως αννα και καιαφα εγενετο ρημα θεου επι ιωαννην τον ζαχαριου υιον εν τη ερημω
3	And he came into all the country about Jordan, preaching the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins;	και ηλθεν εις πασαν περιχωρον του ιορδανου κηρυσσων βαπτισμα μετανοιας εις αφεσιν αμαρτιων
21	Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,	εγενετο δε εν τω βαπτισθηναι απαντα τον λαον και ιησου βαπτισθεντος και προσευχομενου ανεωχθηναι τον ουρανον
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.	και καταβηναι το πνευμα το αγιον σωματικω ειδει ως περιστεραν επ αυτον και φωνην εξ ουρανου γενεσθαι συ ει ο υιος μου ο αγαπητος εν σοι ευδοκησα

So, we see that Jesus was baptized and anointed with the Holy Spirit in 26 C.E.

It is commonly taught that Jesus had a 3 ½ year ministry, but this is not explicitly mentioned anywhere in Scripture.

One common way people arrive at this figure is by assuming that he is the one who makes a covenant with many for one week and causes the sacrifice and offering to cease in the midst of the week, as described in Daniel 9:27. However, this description is in the middle of the description of the destruction of Jerusalem 40 year later in Daniel 9:26-27. This requires the reader to assume a less than straightforward structure of the prophecy in order to make this work.

Another way they arrive at this figure is Luke 13:32-33 which contains a prophecy that Jesus makes where he refers to the three remaining years of his ministry as three days. However, this is given in Luke 13. We don't have any markers telling how much time had already passed since his baptism.

The third piece of evidence they use is the fact that John seems to refer to three Passovers before his death. However, we can’t read too much into this because the three Synoptic Gospels only refer to the final Passover, meaning we know for sure the Gospel writers don’t record all of the Passovers. There is no reason to assume that John is recording all of the Passovers in his account.

I’m not saying this to try to prove that Jesus’s main ministry didn’t last 3 ½ years. It is quite possible that it did. However, I believe the prophecy in Daniel 9 and one interesting thing in history do strongly lend to the possibility that he died in 33 C.E. This would provide a period of seven years between his baptism and his death, regardless of how long his main ministry lasted.

First, I would like to point out that the 70 weeks laid out in Daniel 9:24 are a probationary period for the Jews. The most straightforward way to read this would be to understand that the destruction of Jerusalem happens after the 70 week probationary period. The week in verse 27 is mentioned in the middle of the description of the destruction of the city. This would seem to indicate that it may not be part of the 70 weeks. Remember, the prophecy gives 70 weeks for the Jews to straighten things up, then it zooms in on the events leading up to the coming of the Messiah by stating “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….” After mentioning Messiah’s death, it continues with what will happen after the 70 weeks if the Jews don’t do the things mentioned. If the Messiah arrived at the end of the 69^th week and was “cut off” seven years later, then his ministry would finish the 70^th week.

To find the date of Jesus’s death, we need to look for a Passover that falls on a Friday. When we look at the Passover dates for the seven years from 26 C.E. to 33 C.E. we find this.

Friday, April 19, 26 C.E.[17]

Wednesday, April 9, 27 C.E.[18]

Monday, April 26, 28 C.E.[19]

Saturday, April 16, 29 C.E.[20]

Wednesday, April 5, 30 C.E.[21]

Wednesday, April 25, 31 C.E.[22]

Monday, April 14, 32 C.E.[23]

Friday, April 3, 33 C.E.[24]

Thus, in 33 C.E. we find both a Friday Passover and the end of the 70 week prophecy.

Now, there is an apparent discrepancy between the Synoptic Gospels and the Gospel According to John. The Synoptic Gospels portray the Last Supper as a Passover meal (the days ran from sunset to sunset in the Jewish calendar, so this is considered to be the same day Jesus died). John makes a reference to a Passover meal the following evening.

John 18:28

Then led they Jesus from Caiaphas unto the hall of judgment: and it was early; and they themselves went not into the judgment hall, lest they should be defiled; but that they might eat the passover.

αγουσιν ουν τον ιησουν απο του καιαφα εις το πραιτωριον ην δε πρωι και αυτοι ουκ εισηλθον εις το πραιτωριον ινα μη μιανθωσιν αλλα φαγωσιν το πασχα

There are many theories that try to explain this. You are welcome to embrace whichever seems to you to have the best evidence. I have looked at a number of different ones and they all seem to have their merits and difficulties. I tend to prefer simple interpretations over complicated ones. The simplest explanation is that the term “Passover” could be equally applied to the actual Passover and the seven day Feast of Unleavened Bread that immediately followed.

Leviticus 23:5-6

5	In the fourteenth day of the first month at even is [Yehovah]'S passover.	בחדשׁ הראשׁון בארבעה עשׂר לחדשׁ בין הערבים פסח ליהוה
6	And on the fifteenth day of the same month is the feast of unleavened bread unto [Yehovah]: seven days ye must eat unleavened bread.	ובחמשׁה עשׂר יום לחדשׁ הזה חג המצות ליהוה שׁבעת ימים מצות תאכלו

The combined period of the Passover and the Feast of Unleavened Bread could be referred to as the Passover.

Luke 22:1

Now the feast of unleavened bread drew nigh, which is called the Passover.

ηγγιζεν δε η εορτη των αζυμων η λεγομενη πασχα

Ezekiel 45:21

In the first month, in the fourteenth day of the month, ye shall have the passover, a feast of seven days; unleavened bread shall be eaten.

בראשׁון בארבעה עשׂר יום לחדשׁ יהיה לכם הפסח חג שׁבעות ימים מצות יאכל

Does Jesus’s geneology disqualify him from being the messiah?

One of the objections raised about Jesus being the Messiah is that Matthew includes Jeconiah in Jesus’s genology.

Matthew 1:11 KJV

And Josias begat Jechonias and his brethren, about the time they were carried away to Babylon:

ιωσιας δε εγεννησεν τον ιεχονιαν και τους αδελφους αυτου επι της μετοικεσιας βαβυλωνος

The prophet Jeremiah stated that God cursed Jeconiah (a.k.a. Coniah, a.k.a. Jehoiachin). The word “messiah” means “anointed one”. One of the primary functions of the messiah is that he will sit on the throne of David and rule. This curse does seem to rule out the possibility of the Messiah being descended from Jeconiah. The curse is found in Jeremiah 22. There are two key verses we need to look at.

Jeremiah 22:24 KJV

As I live, saith [Yehovah], though Coniah the son of Jehoiakim king of Judah were the signet upon my right hand, yet would I pluck thee thence;

חי־אני נאם־יהוה כי אם־יהיה כניהו בן־יהויקים מלך יהודה חותם על־יד ימיני כי משׁם אתקנך

Jeremiah 22:30 KJV

Thus saith [Yehovah], Write ye this man childless, a man that shall not prosper in his days: for no man of his seed shall prosper, sitting upon the throne of David, and ruling any more in Judah.

כה אמר יהוה כתבו את־האישׁ הזה ערירי גבר לא־יצלח בימיו כי לא יצלח מזרעו אישׁ ישׁב על־כסא דוד ומשׁל עוד ביהודה

When we look at the conditions of this curse then look at the Scriptures, we see that God reversed the curse. First, Jeconiah (a.k.a. Jehoiachin) did prosper in his days, showing that the conditions in verse 30 had been loosened.

2 Kings 25:27-30 KJV

27	And it came to pass in the seven and thirtieth year of the captivity of Jehoiachin king of Judah, in the twelfth month, on the seven and twentieth day of the month, that Evilmerodach king of Babylon in the year that he began to reign did lift up the head of Jehoiachin king of Judah out of prison;	ויהי בשׁלשׁים ושׁבע שׁנה לגלות יהויכין מלך־יהודה בשׁנים עשׂר חדשׁ בעשׂרים ושׁבעה לחדשׁ נשׂא אויל מרדך מלך בבל בשׁנת מלכו את־ראשׁ יהויכין מלך־יהודה מבית כלא
28	And he spake kindly to him, and set his throne above the throne of the kings that were with him in Babylon;	וידבר אתו טבות ויתן את־כסאו מעל כסא המלכים אשׁר אתו בבבל
29	And changed his prison garments: and he did eat bread continually before him all the days of his life.	ושׁנא את בגדי כלאו ואכל לחם תמיד לפניו כל־ימי חייו
30	And his allowance was a continual allowance given him of the king, a daily rate for every day, all the days of his life.	וארחתו ארחת תמיד נתנה־לו מאת המלך דבר־יום ביומו כל ימי חיו

Jeconiah’s grandson, Zerubbabel, was a righteous mand and was made governor of Judah after the return from exile. He was not a king, but he did rule and God felt it necessary to bless him. The words God spoke are the reverse of the words God used to curse Jeconiah in Jeremiah 22:24. God reverses the words of the curse He placed on Jeconiah so that Zerubbabel can rule, even if only as governor.

Haggai 2:23 KJV

In that day, saith [Yehovah] of hosts, will I take thee, O Zerubbabel, my servant, the son of Shealtiel, saith [Yehovah], and will make thee as a signet: for I have chosen thee, saith [Yehovah] of hosts.

ביום ההוא נאם־יהוה צבאות אקחך זרבבל בן־שׁאלתיאל עבדי נאם־יהוה ושׂמתיך כחותם כי־בך בחרתי נאם יהוה צבאות

God is perfectly capable of reversing His curses. And we see God reversing the words of the curse when Jeconiah’s grandson becomes governor. Those who insist that the Messiah cannot come from the bloodline of Jeconiah are insisting that God cannot reverse His own curses.

Is the Messiah really “cut off”

The Hebrew word translated here as “cut off” (כרת) is often, though not always, used in connectioin with someone’s death. For example, God says that He has “made” (כרת) a covenant (Exodus 34:27). But, when used to describe a person, it is generally understood to be an execution.

Exodus 31:14

Ye shall keep the sabbath therefore; for it is holy unto you: every one that defileth it shall surely be put to death: for whosoever doeth any work therein, that soul shall be cut off from among his people.

ושׁמרתם את־השׁבת כי קדשׁ הוא לכם מחלליה מות יומת כי כל־העשׂה בה מלאכה ונכרתה הנפשׁ ההוא מקרב עמיה

This would indicate that Messiah Prince is executed. The phrase after it, “but not for himself”, is sometimes also translated as “he shall have nothing”, or something similar. The reason for so much difference in the translation comes from the fact that the Hebrew word (ואין) literally means “nothing”. This makes it difficult to definitively state what it means. I personally believe it is indicating that the execution was done without any legitimate charges. In other words, I believe this indicates Messiah Prince was innocent of committing any crime.

Another point to consider, in light of the pro-Islamic sections later in this book, is whether or not the Quran actually denies Jesus’s death. I have answered that question to the best of my ability in the appendix on Jesus’s death in the Quran. The short answer is no, I don’t believe the Quran is addressing the historical reality of Jesus’s death. Instead, I believe the context indicates that it is denying the Jews’ right to claim that they killed Jesus because boasting thaty they had killed him was the same as implying that his claims to be the Messiah were false.

The Structure Of The Prophecy

Daniel 9:24-27 is a heavily disputed passage. One of the difficulties is that many Christians want to interpret verse 27 as saying that Jesus stopped the sacrifices with his death. The problem lies in the fact that this is placed in the context of the destruction of Jerusalem, 40 years later. They justify this by playing with the interpretation of the prophecy so that it becomes two interwoven prophecies about Jerusalem and the Messiah. Here is one example of how they interpret the structure. [25]

A. Jerusalem Construction: Know therefore and discern, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem

Daniel 9:25a (ASV)

B. Anointed one/prince: unto the anointed one, the prince, shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks:

Daniel 9:25b

C. Jerusalem Construction: it shall be built again, with street and moat, even in troublous times.

Daniel 9:25c

D. Anointed one/prince: And after the threescore and two weeks shall the anointed one… be cut off, and shall have nothing:

Daniel 9:26a

C'. Jerusalem Destroyed: 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 even unto the end shall be war; desolations are determined.

Daniel 9:26b

B'. Anointed one/prince: And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease;

Daniel 9:27a

A'. Jerusalem Destroyed: and upon the wing of abominations shall come one that maketh desolate; and even unto the full end, and that determined, shall wrath be poured out upon the desolate.

Daniel 9:27b

The prophecy does have a chiastic literary structure. However, this doesn’t rearrange the chronology, as would be needed to believe that B’ is talking about the same anointed one/prince as B and takes place four decades before A’ and C’. A and C are talking about Jerusalem’s construction and A’ and C’ are talking about Jerusalem’s destruction. They mirror each other. Wouldn’t the chiastic structure dictate that the God fearing anointed one/prince in B is mirrored by a pagan anointed one/prince in B’? In fact, the wording clearly indicates this because D indicates Messiah Prince’s death and C’ introduces a new prince and B’ begins by saying “he” will do such and such.

Many Christians insist that the anointed one/prince in B’ is the same as B. They say the chiasm proves this. They are mistaken because this breaks the chiasm’s mirror nature. Furthermore, it breaks the chronology of the prophecy because it places B’ four decades before C’ and A’.

I believe that the only way you could possibly say that the anointed one/prince in B’ is the same anointed one/prince in B is if you decide first that B’ must be talking about Jesus and read your interpretation into the text. This is eisegesis. Proper interpretation of Scripture involves exegesis, drawing the truth out of Scripture. We need to let the Scripture dictate the interpretation.

I believe that simply reading the prophecy, without presuppositions, provides a very different chronology than many Christians dictate. We are given a probationary period. Then we are told about some events during that probationary period. Then we are told what happens after that probationary period. It is very simple and straightforward and requires no literary gymnastics. This way of reading it also explains why God divided the sixty-nine weeks into seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. And it doesn’t mix the Messiah’s ministry in with the destruction of Jerusalem four decades later.

Probation period given for repentance and obedience: 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.

Beginning of probation until the Messiah arrives: Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince

Seven weeks until rebuilding complete, then sixty-two weeks before the Messiah arrives: shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

The Messiah’s death: And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:

Judgment for disobedience: 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. 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.

Many Christians will object to this interpretation because they believe that Jesus ended the sacrifices with his death. They consider this teaching to be at the heart of the Gospel message and insist on reading prophecy in such a way as to support this belief. Let’s examine if Jesus ended the sacrifices with his death.

The first thing we would observe is the fact that the Jews continued to perform sacrifices until the temple’s destruction in 70 C.E. Most theologians will explain this by saying that those sacrifices were meaningless. However, there are two things about the prophecy that contradict this interpretation. The first is that it does not say the sacrifices would become meaningless. It says they would cease. The second is that it does not say “sacrifice”. It says “sacrifice and oblation”. Many other translations render it “sacrifice and grain offering” or something similar. The point is that it is making a general statement of the temple ceremonies as a whole ceasing.

This leads into the biggest challenge to this teaching. The Apostles continued to participate in the Temple ceremonies long after Jesus’s resurrection. They didn’t believe that Jesus ended the temple ceremonies. The Apostles didn’t teach that the Mosaic Law was abolished at Jesus’s death. It is not Biblical, despite the nearly universal acceptance of this among Christians. Acceptance doesn’t make it true. See section “Apostles Kept the Torah”.

For this discussion, it provides one more barrier to the common interpretation of the structure of the prophecy, while it perfectly fits the simpler interpretation of the structure of the prophecy I’m proposing here.

The Destruction Of The City And Sanctuary

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.

After the 490 years of probation were finished, Jerusalem was destroyed. During “"The Great Revolt" (66-73 CE)” “Roman legions under Titus besieged and destroyed Jerusalem, looted and burned Herod's Temple (in the year 70) and Jewish strongholds (notably Gamla in 67 and Masada in 73), and enslaved or massacred a large part of the Jewish population.”[26] There was a true flood of violence and devastation by both the Romans and the rebel Zealots in Jerusalem and Judea.

Vespasian led the campaign until he became emperor. Then he directed things from Rome while Titus commanded the battlefield. The prophecy says that it is the “people of the prince” that would destroy the city and sanctuary. Josephus tells us that Titus, Vespasian’s general on the field, wanted to save the temple as a prize for the glory of Rome. The soldiers acted against his wishes when they destroyed the temple.

But Titus said, that "although the Jews should get upon that holy house, and fight us thence, yet ought we not to revenge ourselves on things that are inanimate, instead of the men themselves;" and that he was not in any case for burning down so vast a work as that was, because this would be a mischief to the Romans themselves, as it would be an ornament to their government while it continued. [27](The Jewish War, VI, IV, 3).

…but these Romans put the Jews to flight, and proceeded as far as the holy house itself. At which time one of the soldiers, without staying for any orders, and without any concern or dread upon him at so great an undertaking, and being hurried on by a certain divine fury, snatched somewhat out of the materials that were on fire, and being lifted up by another soldier, he set fire to a golden window, through which there was a passage to the rooms that were round about the holy house, on the north side of it. [28](The Jewish War, VI, IV, 5).

The Covenant Confirmed For One Week

Interestingly, this is one of the places where there is a variation between the Masoretic Text and the Septuagint. The Septuagint seems to indicate that the Messiah would destroy the city through the price that would come.

26	And after the sixty-two weeks, the anointed one shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment in him: and he shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming: they shall be cut off with a flood, and to the end of the war which is rapidly completed he shall appoint the city to desolations.	καὶ μετὰ τὰς ἑβδομάδας τὰς ἑξήκοντα δύο ἐξολεθρευθήσεται χρῖσμα, καὶ κρίμα οὐκ ἔστιν ἐν αὐτῷ· καὶ τὴν πόλιν καὶ τὸ ἅγιον διαφθερεῖ σὺν τῷ ἡγουμένῳ τῷ ἐρχομένῳ, ἐκκοπήσονται ἐν κατακλυσμῷ, καὶ ἕως τέλους πολέμου συντετμημένου τάξει ἀφανισμοῖς.
27	And one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away: and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation.	καὶ δυναμώσει διαθήκην πολλοῖς, ἑβδομὰς μία· καὶ ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἀρθήσεταί μου θυσία καὶ σπονδή, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βδέλυγμα τῶν ἐρημώσεων, καὶ ἕως τῆς συντελείας καιροῦ συντέλεια δοθήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρήμωσιν.

[29]

Note that if the Messiah destroyed the city through the actions of the prince in verse 26, then it would be either the prince or the Messiah working through the price that made the covenant in verse 27. Either way, the covenant still came about through the actions of the prince and is connected with the timeframe of the war. It does not indicate that this is a flashback to 40 years before, even though many Christians try to place it there.

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.~~

Vespasian, who was the Roman general at the beginning of the war, then oversaw the war as Emperor[30] had a policy of conquest by treaty when possible. Josephus testifies to this fact when he says that “he took some of its cities entirely, and by force, and others of them by treaty, and on terms.”[31](The Jewish War, Preface 8).

At this city also the inhabitants of Sepphoris of Galilee met him, who were for peace with the Romans. These citizens had beforehand taken care of their own safety, and being sensible of the power of the Romans, they had been with Cestius Gallus before Vespasian came, and had given their faith to him, and received the security of his right hand, and had received a Roman garrison; and at this time withal they received Vespasian, the Roman general, very kindly, and readily promised that they would assist him against their own countrymen.[32] (The Jewish War, III, II, 4).

Now the seniors of the people, and such as were of principal authority among them, fearing what would be the issue of this matter, fled to the camp of the Romans; they then took their king along with them, and fell down before Vespasian, to supplicate his favor, and besought him not to overlook them, nor to impute the madness of a few to the whole city, to spare a people that have been ever civil and obliging to the Romans; but to bring the authors of this revolt to due punishment, who had hitherto so watched them, that though they were zealous to give them the security of their right hands of a long time, yet could they not accomplish the same. With these supplications the general complied, although he were very angry at the whole city about the carrying off his horses, and this because he saw that Agrippa was under a great concern for them. So when Vespasian and Agrippa had accepted of their right hands by way of security, Jesus and his party thought it not safe for them to continue at Tiberias, so they ran away to Tarichete. The next day Vespasian sent Trajan before with some horsemen to the citadel, to make trial of the multitude, whether they were all disposed for peace; and as soon as he knew that the people were of the same mind with the petitioner, he took his army, and went to the city; upon which the citizens opened to him their gates, and met him with acclamations of joy, and called him their savior and benefactor. But as the army was a great while in getting in at the gates, they were so narrow, Vespasian commanded the south wall to be broken down, and so made a broad passage for their entrance. However, he charged them to abstain from rapine and injustice, in order to gratify the king; and on his account spared the rest of the wall, while the king undertook for them that they should continue [faithful to the Romans] for the time to come. And thus did he restore this city to a quiet state, after it had been grievously afflicted by the sedition.[33] (The Jewish War, III, IX, 8).

The war officially lasted from 66 – 73 C.E. However, the war began under the leadership of Cestius. Vespasian was ordered by Nero to take over in the autumn of 66. He spent the winter making preparations and arrived on the scene in early 67 C.E.[34] This only leaves 6 years left in the war. The prophecy says the prince will make a covenant with many for seven years. There are two ways this can be resolved. First, Vespasian was dispatched in 66, so we could count from this time. However, this seems to be trying to make history fit the interpretation.

Another way is by examining if the war really ended in 73. The war officially ended when in “73 the last Jewish resistance was crushed by Rome at the mountain fortress of Masada”.[35] This is the traditional date of the siege. However, some archaeologists have challenged that date based on papyri evidence and place the siege in 74. [36] [37] This is precisely seven years after Vespasian began his campaign, which involved bringing as many cities as possible back into the Roman fold through peaceful means, while conquering centers of rebellion, such as Jerusalem and Masada.

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.

The Sacrifice And Offering Cease

Christians often interpret this as a prophecy about Jesus. But, as we saw, this does not fit what the Scripture actually says.

Josephus records that the daily sacrifices ended shortly before Jerusalem’s destruction in 70 C.E.

And now Titus gave orders to his soldiers that were with him to dig up the foundations of the tower of Antonia, and make him a ready passage for his army to come up; while he himself had Josephus brought to him, (for he had been informed that on that very day, which was the seventeenth day of Panemus, [Tamuz,] the sacrifice called "the Daily Sacrifice" had failed, and had not been offered to God, for want of men to offer it, and that the people were grievously troubled at it,) and commanded him to say the same things to John that he had said before, that if he had any malicious inclination for fighting, he might come out with as many of his men as he pleased, in order to fight, without the danger of destroying either his city or temple; but that he desired he would not defile the temple, nor thereby offend against God. That he might, if he pleased, offer the sacrifices which were now discontinuned by any of the Jews whom he should pitch upon. Upon this Josephus stood in such a place where he might be heard, not by John only, but by many more, and then declared to them what Caesar had given him in charge, and this in the Hebrew language. So he earnestly prayed them to spare their own city, and to prevent that fire which was just ready to seize upon the temple, and to offer their usual sacrifices to God therein.[38] (The Jewish War, VI, II, 1)

The Jews stopped the sacrifices. However, they were stopped as a result of the Roman siege. And they were permanently stopped the following month when the temple was destroyed. Vespasian entered Galilee in the beginning of 67 C.E. He later became emperor and continued to direct affairs from Rome. There is archaeological evidence that places the fall of Masada in the Spring of 74, seven years after Vespasian entered Galilee and began to make peace agreements with a number of the cities. Jerusalem and the temple were destroyed in the summer of 70, right about half way through this period, permanently ending the temple services. These are the historic facts and they perfectly fit the prophecy.

The Abomination of Desolation

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.

The prophecy gives a sign to look for to know when this prophecy is about to begin. Jesus made a reference to this part of the prophecy. Jesus’s statement makes more sense when you read this part of the prophecy from the Septuagint (the ancient Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures made a couple of centuries before Jesus and used by the New Testament writers and early Christians). [39]

And one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the midst of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away: and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation.

καὶ δυναμώσει διαθήκην πολλοῖς, ἑβδομὰς μία· καὶ ἐν τῷ ἡμίσει τῆς ἑβδομάδος ἀρθήσεταί μου θυσία καὶ σπονδή, καὶ ἐπὶ τὸ ἱερὸν βδέλυγμα τῶν ἐρημώσεων, καὶ ἕως τῆς συντελείας καιροῦ συντέλεια δοθήσεται ἐπὶ τὴν ἐρήμωσιν.

It is very interesting to note that the Septuagint is very ambiguous about who takes away the temple services, which nicely fits the historic record that the Jews ended the sacrifices shortly before the temple was destroyed. Note that when it says “at the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation”, the time of the end of the desolation is specified to be the end of the war, according to the last line of verse 26. Compare to the English translation of the Hebrew Masoretic text.

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.

והגביר ברית לרבים שׁבוע אחד וחצי השׁבוע ישׁבית זבח ומנחה ועל כנף שׁקוצים משׁמם ועד־כלה ונחרצה תתך על־שׁמם

Matthew 24:1-2, 15-20

1	And Jesus went out, and departed from the temple: and his disciples came to him for to shew him the buildings of the temple.	και εξελθων ο ιησους απο του ιερου επορευετο και προσηλθον οι μαθηται αυτου επιδειξαι αυτω τας οικοδομας του ιερου
2	And Jesus said unto them, See ye not all these things? verily I say unto you, There shall not be left here one stone upon another, that shall not be thrown down.	ο δε αποκριθεις ειπεν αυτοις ου βλεπετε ταυτα παντα αμην λεγω υμιν ου μη αφεθη ωδε λιθος επι λιθον ος ου καταλυθησεται
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:)	οταν ουν ιδητε το βδελυγμα της ερημωσεως το ρηθεν δια δανιηλ του προφητου εστος εν τοπω αγιω ο αναγινωσκων νοειτω
16	Then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains:	τοτε οι εν τη ιουδαια φευγετωσαν εις τα ορη
17	Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house:	ο επι του δωματος μη καταβατω αραι τα εκ της οικιας αυτου
18	Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes.	και ο εν τω αγρω μη επιστρεψατω οπισω αραι το ιματιον αυτου
19	And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days!	ουαι δε ταις εν γαστρι εχουσαις και ταις θηλαζουσαις εν εκειναις ταις ημεραις
20	But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day:	προσευχεσθε δε ινα μη γενηται η φυγη υμων χειμωνος μηδε σαββατω

The Jewish historian, Josephus, records the events this way.

But on the next day Cestius took a great many of his choicest men, and with them the archers, and attempted to break into the temple at the northern quarter of it; but the Jews beat them off from the cloisters, and repulsed them several times when they were gotten near to the wall, till at length the multitude of the darts cut them off, and made them retire; but the first rank of the Romans rested their shields upon the wall, and so did those that were behind them, and the like did those that were still more backward, and guarded themselves with what they call Testudo, [the back of] a tortoise, upon which the darts that were thrown fell, and slided off without doing them any harm; so the soldiers undermined the wall, without being themselves hurt, and got all things ready for setting fire to the gate of the temple.

And now it was that a horrible fear seized upon the seditious, insomuch that many of them ran out of the city, as though it were to be taken immediately; but the people upon this took courage, and where the wicked part of the city gave ground, thither did they come, in order to set open the gates, and to admit Cestius as their benefactor, who, had he but continued the siege a little longer, had certainly taken the city; but it was, I suppose, owing to the aversion God had already at the city and the sanctuary, that he was hindered from putting an end to the war that very day.

It then happened that Cestius was not conscious either how the besieged despaired of success, nor how courageous the people were for him; and so he recalled his soldiers from the place, and by despairing of any expectation of taking it, without having received any disgrace, he retired from the city, without any reason in the world.[40] (The Jewish War, II, IXX, 5-7)

Cestius got to the gates of the temple, but was unable to capture it. He then suddenly and inexplicably withdrew from Jerusalem, allowing many people to flee and save their lives.

We can see that every part of this prophecy lines up perfectly with history and tells us precisely when in history Messiah Prince was anointed and died.

When Does the 2300 Day Prophecy end?

The first thing to establish is how long the 2300 days lasts. Although many Christians have moved away from the day/year principle in highly symbolic Bible prophecies, it was used by many Protestant denominations up until the 19^th Century. The section “The Day/Year Principle in Symbolic Time Prophecy” goes over the Biblical clues to this method of interpretation. The 2300 Day Prophecy, when understood as the framework for the Seventy Week Prophecy, can only make sense in the context of the day/year principle. We know that the seventy weeks of Daniel 9 corresponds with 490 years. When we understood that the 490 years are cut off from the 2300 day prophecy, we can see that 490 years can be cut off from 2300 years, but not 2300 literal days.

If the 490 years were cut off from the 2300 years, then the beginning of the 490 years also marks the beginning of the 2300 years. We found that the 490 years began in 458 B.C.E. 2300 years after that is 1843.

Most of the time prophecies begin and end with earthly events that we can see and verify that we have interpreted the prophecy correctly. This prophecy, however, ends with an event in heaven. We do have another way of checking this prophecy. In Daniel 12, there is another prophecy that corresponds with this. The section on the vision of the King of the North and the King of the South in Daniel 10-12 goes into detail on that prophecy and lays out the historical and Biblical references that point to the interpretation. I’m going to give a summary of some of the key points of the interpretation here.

We saw in Daniel 9 that Pagan Rome set up the abomination of desolation, which was fulfilled when the Roman army attacked the temple. In the vision of the King of the North and King of the South describes how the power that arises after Pagan Rome, namely Papal Rome, also set up an abomination of desolation.

In Daniel 12 the question of “how long” would be the abomination of desolation is asked. This echoes the “how long” asked in Daniel 8 concerning the removal of the “daily”. The answer is given as the time, times and half a time, which matches the reign of the little horn in Daniel 7. We saw in that section that it calculated out to 1260 years stretching from 538 C.E. to 1798 C.E.

Daniel 12 then goes on to say that the removal of the “daily” would precede the setting up of the abomination of desolation. It says that this would mark the beginning of a 1290 year period. That is how long the “daily” is actually removed. You need to compare the vision in Daniel 8-9 with the vision in Daniel 10-12 to fully understand this. The 2300 days is not how long the “daily” is removed. It is simply telling when the sanctuary will be cleansed.

When we look at the events of 508 C.E. we see two key things that helped set up the 1260 year reign of the little horn. First, Clovis I converted to Catholicism, which helped secure the dominance of Catholicism over other forms of Christianity and paganism is Western Europe. Second, the Heruli kingdom was broken, the first of three kingdoms whose fall helped pave the way for the pope’s legal status as head of all the churches. This established Trinitarian Christianity as the only legal form of Chrstianity in Europe. The core of Judaism is the oneness and indivisibility of God. But the Christian Church made worship of a Trinity as the only acceptable form of worship. The God who was worshipped daily in the tabernacle and in the temples was no longer the God worshipped by the followers of God’s Messiah. 1290 years stretch from this time to the end of the little horn dominance in 1798. So, the removal of the “daily” goes from 508 to 1798 and the “abomination of desolation” goes from 538 to 1798.

Daniel 12 then immediately blesses those who wait until the end of 1335 days or 1335 years. They wait until the sanctuary is cleansed from the activities of the little horn. Since this seems to be an expansion of the 1290 years, this brings us down to 1843.

Since the 1290 and 1335 year periods both start with the removal of the “daily”, we can see that these are linked to the little horn in Daniel 8. This gives us two timelines ending in 1843, letting us check and make sure we got the dates right since there is no earthly event to look for here.

But, doesn’t the 2300 day prophecy suggest that the little horn would remove the “daily” for a period of 2300 days? It might at first appear that way, but the angel only states that the sanctuary would be cleaned after a period of 2300 days. Daniel 9 informs us that the beginning of that 2300 days is the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Daniel 11-12 informs us that the “daily” is removed for a period of 1290 days and blesses those who wait until the end of the 1335 days when the sanctuary is cleansed.

The fate of the tabernacles/temples described in Daniel are linked in that they both suffer the “abomination of desolation” at the hands of Rome. The second temple on earth suffers it at the hands of Pagan Rome shortly before it’s destroyed and the temple in heaven suffers it at the hands of Papal Rome.

Daniel 12 informs us that the book was sealed until the time of the end, so not everything would have been understood by Daniel. The 2300 days remained a mystery for him. However, God linked it to something Daniel would understand and looked forward to, the restoration of Jerusalem. Daniel 8 presents the little horn in a way that emphasizes the continuity between Pagan and Papal Rome, so it would only make sense that it would present both of their “abominations of desolation” in one timeline. In Daniel 9 we see it zero in on Pagan Rome and in Daniel 11-12 we see it hone in on Papal Rome.

[41]

What does it mean?

I don’t want to speculate too much on the spiritual consequences of the events described here. But, it would be worth summarizing the events connected with the 2300 year prophecy with the things we can say for sure.

Daniel 8 describes a little horn that would take away the “daily” among other things. The little horn in Daniel 8 covers the Pagan and Papal phases of Rome, but focuses almost entirely on the Papal phase, which is the phase that removes the “daily” in this chapter.

The question is asked how long the vision concerning the removal of the “daily” would extend to. The answer is given that the sanctuary would be cleansed after a 2300 year period. The end of the 2300 year period marks the cleansing of the sanctuary, which corrects the removal of the “daily”. This tells us when to expect the sanctuary to be cleansed, but not when the removal of the “daily” would take place. The 2300 year period begins with one of the decrees to restore Jerusalem, before the little horn even comes to power. The reason it starts there is, at least in part, to assure Daniel that his prayer had been answered and Jerusalem would be restored.

Daniel 8 talks about removal of the “daily” as a reference to all of the evil things done by the little horn, which represents Papal Rome, the Catholic/Orthodox tradition. The Church magnifies itself to the authority of the Prince of the Host (Jesus), it commits transgression, it casts truth to the ground, it destroys the mighty and holy people and it figuratively treads the heavenly sanctuary underfoot through by the abominations it commits while claiming the authority of the priest of the heavenly sanctuary (Jesus). These are the kinds of things we learned pollute the sanctuary and included the type of activities that preceded God’s giving the Day of Atonement to Israel.

We saw by comparing Daniel 8 with Daniel 7 and 12 that Papal Rome began this affront to Jesus’s ministry in the heavenly sanctuary in 508 C.E. At that time Rome was ruled by a Non-Trinitarian king. But, in that year the pagan king Clovis chose to embrace the Catholic (Trinitarian) tradition rather than the Arian (Non-Trinitarian) tradition embraced by many of the barbarian tribes who had converted to Christianity. Also, in that year the Heruli, the first of three Non-Trinitarian kingdoms, were broken and scattered, soon to fade from history. This made way for the state supported Catholic (Trinitarian) dominance over Europe from 538 to 1798 C.E., described in Daniel 12 as an abomination of desolation. Daniel 12 blesses those who wait until 1843. Daniel 8 tells us that the sanctuary is cleansed in 1843.

We learned that the sanctuary was polluted by the abominations committed by the Christian world. Before you object to me stating that the abominations were committed by the Christian world, remember that most Christians during that period were members of the Catholic/Orthodox tradition. Even today, the Catholic Church is the largest branch of Christianity by a huge margin. This makes its actions representative of the Christian world.

Just to be clear, condemning the actions of Christians is not the same thing as condemning the foundational principles of Christianity laid down by Jesus. Those are completely separate things. The principles taught by Jesus were from God and anyone who follows them will be saved. What we are talking about is the corrupted Church.

The Day of Atonement was given in the wake of sacrilege committed by two of the priests and God’s execution of them. God gave the ceremony to show the priests how to approach the Ark of the Covenant without being killed. A secondary reason given for the ceremony was to make atonement for the sanctuary because it was located in the midst of the uncleanness of the people. And it needed to be cleansed from being in the midst of their transgressions (intentional sins).

In 1843 Jesus, the true high priest in heaven began the process of cleansing the heavenly sanctuary from the sacrilege committed by those who claimed to stand in the place of the heavenly high priest, the popes, the violence committed by them in the persecutions, inquisitions and crusades in the name of Jesus, and their false doctrines. We are only given a shadow of this process in the Day of Atonement ceremony performed on earth, so our knowledge is limited on exactly what Jesus is doing. But the Bible gives us clues in the earthly sanctuary. We know that all the people were supposed afflict their souls and repent of their transgressions during that ceremony. Anyone who didn’t was cut off from the people. Likewise, we can ascertain that those who fail to repent of their transgressions today will have their names removed from the Book of Life and they will be cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death.

Revelation 3:5

He that overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my Father, and before his angels.

ο νικων ουτως περιβαλειται εν ιματιοις λευκοις και ου μη εξαλειψω το ονομα αυτου εκ της βιβλου της ζωης και ομολογησω το ονομα αυτου ενωπιον του πατρος μου και ενωπιον των αγγελων αυτου

Revelation 20:12-15

12	And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works.	και ειδον τους νεκρους τους μεγαλους και τους μικρους εστωτας ενωπιον του θρονου και βιβλια ηνοιχθησαν και αλλο βιβλιον ηνοιχθη ο εστιν της ζωης και εκριθησαν οι νεκροι εκ των γεγραμμενων εν τοις βιβλιοις κατα τα εργα αυτων
13	And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works.	και εδωκεν η θαλασσα τους νεκρους τους εν αυτη και ο θανατος και ο αδης εδωκαν τους νεκρους τους εν αυτοις και εκριθησαν εκαστος κατα τα εργα αυτων
14	And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death.	και ο θανατος και ο αδης εβληθησαν εις την λιμνην του πυρος ουτος ο θανατος ο δευτερος εστιν η λιμνη του πυρος
15	And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire.	και ει τις ουχ ευρεθη εν τη βιβλω της ζωης γεγραμμενος εβληθη εις την λιμνην του πυρος

The last part of the ceremony, the confession of the transgressions and iniquities of the people over the scapegoat and the leading of the scapegoat into the wilderness, is a part that is commonly interpreted as Jesus taking our sins away. However, I don’t believe this is true. I believe this is reading a preconceived idea into the text. First, this goat is the only animal whose blood is not shed. The Book of Hebrews talks about the importance of the fact that Jesus shed his blood when comparing Jesus’s actions to the Day of Atonement. Second, the Bible says this is the goat for Azazel. While the Bible doesn’t go into Azazel’s identity, the extra-Biblical books, such as the Book of Enoch, do tell us that Azazel was the one who led people into sin and God declared that all sin would be ascribed to him. Although traditions vary, they consistently portray him as evil. For example, some traditions portray Azazel as another identity for Satan. This perfectly fits the Day of Atonement ceremony by indicating that Azazel would be punished for his role in leading the people to commit their iniquities and transgressions.

Related to this, we do find and interesting verse in the Quran.

Quran 16:25 (Yusuf Ali)

Let them bear, on the Day of Judgment, their own burdens in full, and also (something) of the burdens of those without knowledge, whom they misled. Alas, how grievous the burdens they will bear!

‏لِيَحْمِلُوٓا۟ أَوْزَارَهُمْ كَامِلَةًۭ يَوْمَ ٱلْقِيَمَةِ ۙ وَمِنْ أَوْزَارِ ٱلَّذِينَ يُضِلُّونَهُم بِغَيْرِ عِلْمٍ ۗ أَلَا سَآءَ مَا يَزِرُونَ

The Two Appearances of the Messiah

Verse 17 of Daniel 8 indicates that the vision extended to the time of the end and verse 25 states that the little horn would stand up against the Prince of princes and would be broken withouth hand. This is after the 2300 years. Remember in Daniel 2 the earthly kingdoms were destroyed by a stone cut out without hand which represented God’s kingdom. In Daniel 7 we saw God giving the kingdom to the Son of Man. This is the time when both Christians and Jews in general agree that the Messiah reigns.

One of the big issues over the identity of the Messiah is that the texts that both Christians and Jew agree are messianic prophecies concern the Messianic Age when God establishes His kingdom. There are also many texts that Christians point to and say are messianic prophecies of Jesus’s life on earth 2,000 years ago, but Jewish scholars often don’t recognize them as being messianic prophecies. It is too big of an issue to fully address here, but a good exercise would be to start looking up many of the Messianic prophecies Christians point to and start reading them in their original context. At the minimum, read the entire chapter, and the entire book if possible. You will find that it often becomes very difficult to definitively say that they are prophecies of the Messiah. More often than not, you will find that someone familiar with Jesus’s life will see allusions to his life in these texts. But it would be difficult to conclude that these texts point to things that the Messiah must do.

For example, look at something that Matthew pointed to.

Matthew 2:15

And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son.

και ην εκει εως της τελευτης ηρωδου ινα πληρωθη το ρηθεν υπο κυριου δια του προφητου λεγοντος εξ αιγυπτου εκαλεσα τον υιον μου

And look at the verse in the original context.

Hosea 11:1

When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt.

כי נער ישׂראל ואהבהו וממצרים קראתי לבני

You can easily see that the original text wasn’t directly prophesying that the Messiah would come out of Egypt, but was instead talking about how God had brought Israel out of Egypt. I personally believe that Matthew was working from the understanding that the Messiah would personify the way Israel should have behaved. In this case God brought Israel out of Egypt and Israel turned away from God and worshipped the golden calf. Later, God brought the Messiah out of Egypt and he stayed faithful to God and worshipped Him alone.

The point is that this, and most of the other texts Christians point to as being fulfilled in Jesus’s life on earth, aren’t the kind of texts that clearly say the Messiah will do this or that. The ones that both Jews and Christians agree are clearly talking about the Messiah are the ones that will be fulfilled in the future Messianic Age.

So, why would someone who didn’t already believe that Jesus was the Messiah believe that the Messiah would be someone who was born 2,000+ years before the Messianic Age?

Daniel 9 is the best prophecy I know of that demonstrates that the Messiah must appear long before the Messianic Age. The Messianic Age begins sometime after the 2300 days/years in Daniel 8. But in Daniel 9 we are told that the Jews were given a 490 year probationary period and that the Messiah would appear 7 years before this period was completed. And it indicates that this 490 year period marks the first part of the 2300 years. This is how we know when the Messiah was to appear and it tells us that the Messiah would appear over 1817 years before the Messianic Age begins. When we read Daniel 9 together with Zechariah’s prophecies, we can also see that the Messiah was supposed to come before the second destruction of Jerusalem as well as some information on what his death accopmplished. Zechariah’s prophecies go beyond this to tie together a number of the key prophecies in Daniel, Revelation and Ezekiel. See the section on Zechariah for a detailed look at this.

Should all of this have been obvious for the Jews who were waiting for the Messiah? No, at the end of Daniel the angels tells him to seal up the book until the time of the end (Daniel 12:9). This means that some things would not be understood until the time of the end. However, the 490 year prophecy in Daniel 9 is clear in its statement that the Messiah would appear 483 years after the decree was given. They would have known when to expect him to appear.

That said, one of the key features of mainstream churches is the belief that one must accept Jesus as the Messiah in order to be saved. This is very curious since the Tanakh (Old Testament) says very little that is clearly and irrefutably about the Messiah himself. You get much more about the Messianic age when God’s kingdom rules all the earth. You would think it would have been much clearer if this was the deciding factor in salvation. Again, look up the Messianic prophecies that Christians point to and read the entire chapter in which they appear. Note how few of them make statements that would be clearly and obviously talking about the Messiah to someone who wasn’t already familiar with Jesus’s life. That does not mean that they can’t be understood as having significance to the Messiah, just that they aren’t nearly as clear and direct as Christians tend to think.

The teaching in question comes from several statements in the New Testament that one must believe in Jesus in order to be saved.

The first thing to point out is that Jesus was often very reluctant to identify himself as the Messiah.

Luke 9:20-21

²⁰He said unto them, But whom say ye that I am? Peter answering said, The Christ of God.

²¹And he straitly charged them, and commanded them to tell no man that thing;

This would be a very strange thing to do if belief that he is the Messiah was necessary for salvation. Jesus equated believing in him with obeying God.

John 3:14-21

¹⁴And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up:

¹⁵That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have eternal life.

¹⁶For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.

¹⁷For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.

¹⁸He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.

¹⁹And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil.

²⁰For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.

²¹But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest, that they are wrought in God.

John further went on to explain that sin was the transgression of the law and Jesus’s purpose was to remove sin (stop people from transgressing the law) and he explained that those who abide in Jesus don’t transgress the law anymore.

1 John 3:4-11

⁴Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law.

⁵And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin.

⁶Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not: whosoever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him.

⁷Little children, let no man deceive you: he that doeth righteousness is righteous, even as he is righteous.

⁸He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.

⁹Whosoever is born of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.

¹⁰In this the children of God are manifest, and the children of the devil: whosoever doeth not righteousness is not of God, neither he that loveth not his brother.

¹¹For this is the message that ye heard from the beginning, that we should love one another.

Believing in Jesus is the same as believing in his message, which was obedience to God. If one obeys God, then they are following Jesus’s message. Someone who refuses to believe that Jesus is the Messiah out of stubbornness is running the same risk as someone who rejects any prophet out of stubbornness. Rejecting God’s prophets does put your soul at risk. However, the critical issue with rejecting the prophets or the Messiah isn’t whether or not you can correctly list every prophet or correctly point out the Messiah. The critical part is always whether or not you accept the message brought. Do they believe in Jesus’s message, which was the same as all of the prophets’ messages, obedience to God? All righteous Jews try to always obey God and are following the message Jesus brought, even if they don’t recognize him as the Messiah. I believe Jesus’s emphasis on obedience to God and glorifying God and the fact that he was sometimes reluctant to discuss his Messiahship makes it clear where the priority lay.

[1] By Cyrus Emanuel Eugenicus [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

[2] Waters, Matt (2013-12-31). Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE (Kindle Locations 3788-3789). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

[3] Wikipedia contributors. "Second Temple." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 25 Feb. 2015. Web. 2 Mar. 2015

[4] Cook, J. M. The Persians. London: Folio Society, 2005. 89. Print.

[5] Waters, Matt (2013-12-31). Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE (Kindle Locations 3788-3789). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

[6] Wikipedia contributors. "Artaxerxes I of Persia." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 23 Feb. 2015. Web. 3 Mar. 2015.

[7] Cook, J. M. The Persians. London: Folio Society, 2005. 350, 186-187. Print.

[8] Waters, Matt (2013-12-31). Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE (Kindle Location 2767). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

[9] Bright, John (2000-07-01). A History of Israel, Fourth Edition (Westminster AIDS to the Study of the Scriptures) (Kindle Locations 10205-10206). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

[10] Waters, Matt (2013-12-31). Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE (Kindle Location 2784). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

[11] Waters, Matt (2013-12-31). Ancient Persia: A Concise History of the Achaemenid Empire, 550–330 BCE (Kindle Location 2788). Cambridge University Press. Kindle Edition.

[12] Bright, John (2000-07-01). A History of Israel, Fourth Edition (Westminster AIDS to the Study of the Scriptures) (Kindle Locations 10538-10539). Westminster John Knox Press. Kindle Edition.

[13] http://www.gotquestions.org/Book-of-Malachi.html

[14] Wikipedia contributors. "Malachi." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 27 Apr. 2015. Web. 24 Jul. 2015.

[15] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Missing_years_(Jewish_calendar)

[16] Suetonius, and J. C. Rolfe. The Lives of the Caesars. New York: Barnes & Noble, 2004. 100. Print.

[17] http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=26

[18] http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=27

[19] http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=28

[20] http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=29

[21] http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=30

[22] http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=31

[23] http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=32

[24] http://www.cgsf.org/dbeattie/calendar/?roman=33

[25] "Prophecy of Seventy Weeks." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 26 Feb. 2015. Web. 26 Feb. 2015.

[26] Josephus, Flavius (2013-01-21). Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) (Kindle Locations 32627-32630). Annotated Classics. Kindle Edition.

[27] Josephus, Flavius (2013-01-21). Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) (Kindle Locations 7516-7519). Annotated Classics. Kindle Edition.

[28] Josephus, Flavius (2013-01-21). Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) (Kindle Locations 7536-7539). Annotated Classics. Kindle Edition.

[29] Brenton, Lancelot Charles Lee. The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. Peabody, Ma.: Hendrickson, 1986. 1065. Print.

[30] Wikipedia contributors. "Vespasian." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, 22 Feb. 2015. Web. 10 Mar. 2015.

[31] Josephus, Flavius (2013-01-21). Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) (Kindle Location 101). Annotated Classics. Kindle Edition.

[32] Josephus, Flavius (2013-01-21). Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) (Kindle Locations 3762-3766). Annotated Classics. Kindle Edition.

[33] Josephus, Flavius (2013-01-21). Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) (Kindle Locations 4464-4477). Annotated Classics. Kindle Edition.

[34] "The Success of Vespasian." Josephus' War Chronology: The Campaign of Vespasian. Web. 10 Mar. 2015. <http://www.josephus.org/FlJosephus2/warChronology5Pg2.htm>.

[35] Josephus, Flavius (2013-01-21). Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) (Kindle Locations 33420-33421). Annotated Classics. Kindle Edition.

[36] Campbell, Duncan B. (1988). "Dating the Siege of Masada". Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 73 (1988): 156–158. JSTOR 20186870.

^{^[37]}Cotton, Hannah M. (1989). "The Date of the Fall of Masada: The Evidence of the Masada Papyri". Zeitschrift für Papyrologie und Epigraphik 78 (1989): 157–162. JSTOR 20187128.

[38] Josephus, Flavius (2013-01-21). Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) (Kindle Locations 7244-7253). Annotated Classics. Kindle Edition.

[39] Brenton, Lancelot Charles Lee. The Septuagint with Apocrypha: Greek and English. Peabody, Ma.: Hendrickson, 1986. 1065. Print.

[40] Josephus, Flavius (2013-01-21). Josephus Flavius: Complete Works and Historical Background (Annotated and Illustrated) (Annotated Classics) (Kindle Locations 3289-3301). Annotated Classics. Kindle Edition.

[41] By Benjamin Breece

Worship The One True God

Tuesday, March 1, 2016

Daniel 8 - 9: The Ram, The Goat, The Horn, The Messiah and Jerusalem Part 2