Bob's Notes: The Seventy Weeks of Daniel – Part two (Daniel 9:24-27)
Post date: Jun 30, 2019 8:37:13 PM
1. The Seventy Weeks of Daniel – Part two (Daniel 9:24-27)
Introduction
During our last lesson, we began our study of the 70 Weeks of Daniel which plays a significant role in the existence of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people and a significant role in end time prophecies. We began with verse 24 that dealt with the angel Gabriel appearing to Daniel telling him that God had made a decree that dealt with the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem. The decree has six purposes that would be consummated in 490 years. The six purposes included to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Today we are going to continue discussing the decree God made and sent Gabriel to impart to Daniel.
Daniel receives the decree about the 70 weeks (Part Two)
9:25 - The 490 years would begin with the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. There were four decrees made by Persian kings concerning the Jews. The first was Cyrus' decree in 538 b.c. concerned the rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. The second decree given by Darius I in 520 b.c. was actually a confirmation of the first decree about rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. The third was the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus in 458 b.c. concerned finances for animal sacrifices at the Temple. These three decrees had nothing to do with the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem or beginning the 490-year timeclock.
The fourth decree was issued on March 5, 444 BC by Artaxerxes Longimanus, who also issued the third decree. This decree authorized Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem (Neh. 2:1-8). This decree is the one referred to in Daniel 9:25 and it begins the timeclock to begin the 490 years. Therefore, it would be 94 years from the time Daniel received the decree from Gabriel in 538 BC until the decree was actually issued on March 5, 444 BC by Artaxerxes.
From the beginning of the decree by Artaxerxes in 444 BC to rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah or the Anointed One, there would be 483 years i.e. 69 weeks. The end of the 483 years coincided with the Messiah’s first coming to the earth. One might think that His’s death would end the 483 years, but that is not the case. As we shall see, His’ death would not occur until after the 483 years had ended.
The 490 years would be divided into three distinct time periods – 49 years, 434 years, and 7 years. The last 7 years represent the seven years of Tribulation. We will discuss the seven years of Tribulation later as we move along in our study of end time events. Let’s first look at the first segment which is 49 years. Based on what we do know from history, Jerusalem was rebuilt within 49 years of the starting point of the decree. Though Nehemiah's wall construction project took only 52 days, many years was needed to remove the city's debris from the destruction Nebuchadnezzar and his’ army from 605 BC to 586 BC. Also, the city was desolate for many decades. Houses and streets also had to be built.
In the decree given to Daniel by Gabriel the Lord promised that the city would be built again to include adequate housing, a plaza, and a mote. The NIV translate this phrase “the streets and the trench” which is preferred. Jerusalem never had a typical moat or trench around it. However, the valleys of Hinnom and Kidron, on Jerusalem's east, south and west sides, resemble a moat or trench around most of the city. In heavy rains they did and still do carry water and function as a moat or trench. Therefore, they probably cleared and cleaned all the debris out of these valleys to deal with the heavy rains. As the walls and the houses were being constructed, the streets being laid, and the valleys being cleaned and cleared, there would be opposition from men like Sanballat from Samaria, with Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arab as Gabriel had predicted.
Many respected scholars have concluded that since it is not the Messiah’s death that ends the 483 years because of verse 26, then it must be some other event that ends it. The have concluded that the event in question is Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as predicted in Zech. 9:9 and fulfilled in Luke 19:28-44. They have calculated that from the issuing of the decree in 444 BC to Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem it was exactly 483 years.
Because of Daniel 9:24-26, Israel was anticipating the coming of the Messiah within the 483 years What was so important about Israel’s Messiah? Why did they want Him to come? In Israel there were three offices that were ordained by God for ministry - Prophet, Priest, and King. The men who were ordained to serve in each of these offices were anointed and called an anointed one. The ministry of each office was different. The prophet was God’s spokesman to the people. The priest was the people’s spokesman to God. He was the people’s advocate, lawyer, intercessor, and intermediator before the Lord. The king was God’s vice-regent upon the earth. He would rule in God’s stead. You see, every need one had could find the solution in one of these three offices. The people of Israel anticipated the coming of the Messiah i.e. the Anointed One because the Messiah or the Anointed One would have the distinction of incorporating all three of these offices in His ministry. He would be a prophet, a priest, and king. The Messiah or Anointed One would be able to meet every need that an Israelite might have.
9:26 Did you notice the two first two words in this verse are “then after?” The cutting off of the Messiah would not occur until after the 483 days had ended. The Hebrew word ‘cut off” refers to the violent death of a criminal. This means that there is an interval or gap of time between the 69th and 70th "sevens." Jesus’ crucifixion, then, was in that interval, right after His Triumphal Entry, which concluded the 69th "seven." Was this interval anticipated by Jesus? He prophesied in Matthew 16:18 about the establishment of the church.
The phrase “and have nothing” refers to the fact that when the Messiah died, He would not have a Davidic crown on His’ head. He would not be anointed as the Messianic King nor sit on the throne of David in the Messianic Kingdom. He would not wear the royal garments. He would not live in a royal palace, and He would be rejected by most of the people in Israel as the King of Israel.
In the second part of verse 26 the prince mentioned here is not the Messiah. The Messiah’s people, the Jews, did not destroy the city of Jerusalem. What people destroyed the city of Jerusalem in AD 70? The Romans under the leadership of General Titus Therefore, the prince would be a Roman. Who might he be? The prince who will come will be a future prince or leader. This prince is called the Antichrist. We will focus on him later in our study of prophecy.
The part of the verse that says, “its end will come with a flood” is not to be taken literally. This phrase symbolically represents Roman soldiers under General Titus overwhelming the city of Jerusalem and destroying it and the Temple just as a flash flood destroys property. Jesus said not one stone will be left upon another. (Matthew 24:2). Gabriel announced, then, that God had determined the city's desolation some time during the time gap between the 69th and 70th week (cf. Matt. 24:7-22). From history we know this occurred in AD 70.
Application
The prophecy of the 70 Weeks of Daniel should both encourage us and demonstrate to us that the Bible is absolutely true and trustworthy. If the first 483 years were fulfilled as prophesied by Daniel, then we can be assured that the final 7 years prophesied by Daniel will also be fulfilled by God as predicted. This is a great witnessing tool, as well as other prophesies like Isaiah 53 that have been Daniel’s Seventy Weeks chart adapted from Dr. Thomas L. Constable’s Notes on the Book of Daniel, p.117, 2014 Edition
fulfilled as predicted. Also, since every Word is inspired, we can bank on the fact that Israel, not the church, will go through the Tribulation period to get her ready for the Messianic Kingdom. This does not mean that the church is better than Israel, far from it. If God makes positive or negative promises to the church as a whole or to individual believers in the church, we can be assured that God will keep those promises.
2. The Seventy Weeks of Daniel – Part two (Daniel 9:24-27)
Introduction
During our last lesson, we began our study of the 70 Weeks of Daniel which plays a significant role in the existence of the nation of Israel and the Jewish people and a significant role in end time prophecies. We began with verse 24 that dealt with the angel Gabriel appearing to Daniel telling him that God had made a decree that dealt with the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem. The decree has six purposes that would be consummated in 490 years. The six purposes included to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy. Today we are going to continue discussing the decree God made and sent Gabriel to impart to Daniel.
9:25 - The 490 years would begin with the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. There were four decrees made by Persian kings concerning the Jews. The first was Cyrus' decree in 538 b.c. (2 Chron. 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; 5:13) concerned the rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. The second decree given by Darius I (522-486) in 520 b.c. (Ezra 6:1, 6-12) was actually a confirmation of the first decree about rebuilding the Temple in Jerusalem. The third was the decree of Artaxerxes Longimanus (464-424) in 458 b.c. (Ezra 7:11-26) concerned finances for animal sacrifices at the Temple. These three decrees had nothing to do with the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem or beginning the 490-year timeclock.
The fourth decree was issued on March 5, 444 BC by Artaxerxes Longimanus, who also issued the third decree. This decree authorized Nehemiah to rebuild Jerusalem (Neh. 2:1-8). This decree is the one referred to in Daniel 9:25 and it begins the timeclock to begin the 490 years. (Daniel had been in Babylon for 67 years from 605 BC to 538 BC. We know this because it is a well know historical fact that Darius i.e. Cyrus took the throne of Babylon in 538 BC [Daniel 9:12-2]). Therefore, it would be 94 years from the time Daniel received the decree from Gabriel until the decree was issued on March 5, 444 BC by Artaxerxes.
From the beginning of the decree by Artaxerxes in 444 BC to rebuild Jerusalem until the Messiah or the Anointed One, there would be 483 years. The end of the 483 years coincided with the Messiah’s first coming to the earth. One might think that His’s death would end the 483 years, but that is not the case. As we shall see in a few minutes, His’ death would not occur until after the 483 years had ended.
The 483 would be divided into two distinct time periods – 49 years and 434years. If the first two time periods equal 483, how much then of the 490 years remain? Yes, seven years. Can anyone here tell us what the last 7 years may represent. Yes, the 7 years of Tribulation. We will discuss the seven years later.
As we gave seen the 483 years is divided into two time periods – 49 years and 434 years. What then does each segment represent? Let’s first look at the first segment which is 49 years. Based on what we do know from history, Jerusalem was rebuilt within 49 years of the starting point of the decree. Though Nehemiah's wall construction project took only 52 days, many years was needed to remove the city's debris from the destruction Nebuchadnezzar and his’ army from 605 BC to 586 BC. Also, the city was desolate for many decades. In the decree given to Daniel by Gabriel The Lord promised that the city would be built again that would adequate housing and to rebuild the plaza the mote. The NIV translate this phrase “the streets and the trench” which is preferred. Jerusalem never had a typical moat or trench around it. However, the valleys of Hinnom and Kidron, on Jerusalem's east, south and west sides, resemble a moat or trench around most of the city. In heavy rains they did and still do carry water and function as a moat or trench. Therefore, they probably cleared and cleaned all the debris out of these valleys to deal with the heavy rains. As the walls and the houses were being constructed, the streets being laid, and the valleys being cleaned and cleared, there would be opposition from men like Sanballat from Samaria, with Tobiah the Ammonite and Geshem the Arab.
Many respected scholars have concluded that since it is not the Messiah’s death that ends the 483 years because of verse 26, then it must be some other event that ends it. The have concluded that the event in question is Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem as predicted by Zech. 9:9 and fulfilled in Luke 19:28-44. They have figured out that from the issuing of the decree in 444 BC to Jesus’ Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem it was exactly 483 years. (Discuss chart)
Because of Daniel 9:24-26, Israel was anticipating the coming of the Messiah within the 483 years What was so important about Israel’s Messiah? Why did they want Him to come? In Israel there were three offices that were ordained by God for ministry - Prophet, priest, and King. The men who were ordained to serve in each of these offices were anointed and called an anointed one. The ministry of each office was different. The prophet was God’s spokesman to the people. The priest was the people’s spokesman to God. He was the people’s advocate, lawyer, intercessor, and intermediator before the Lord. The king was God’s vice-regent upon the earth. He would rule in God’s stead. You see, every need one had could find the solution in one of these three offices. The people of Israel anticipated the coming of the Messiah i.e. the Anointed One because the Messiah or the Anointed One would have the distinction of incorporating all three of these offices in His ministry. He would be a prophet, a priest, and king. The Messiah or Anointed One would be able to meet every need that an Israelite might have.
9:26 Did you notice the two first two words in this verse are “then after?” The cutting off of the Messiah would not occur until after the 483 days had ended. The Hebrew word ‘cut off” refers to the violent death of a criminal. This means that there is an interval or gap of time between the 69th and 70th "sevens." Jesus’ crucifixion, then, was in that interval, right after His Triumphal Entry, which concluded the 69th "seven." Was this interval anticipated by Jesus? He prophesied in Matthew 16:18 about the establishment of the church. This necessitated the setting aside of the nation Israel for a season in order that His new program for the church might be instituted. This would occur during the interval between the 69th and 70the week.
The phrase “and have nothing” refers to the fact that when the Messiah died, He would not have a Davidic crown on His’ head. He would not be anointed as the Messianic King not sit on the throne of David in the Messianic Kingdom. He would not wear royal garments. He would not live in a royal palace, and He would not be recognized by most of the people in Israel as the King of Israel.
In the second part of verse 26 the prince is not the Messiah. The Messiah’s people did not destroy the city of Jerusalem. What people destroyed the city of Jerusalem in AD 70? The Romans under the leadership of General Titus Therefore, the prince would be a Roman. Who might that be? The prince who will come will be a future prince or leader. This prince is called the Antichrist. We will focus on him later in our study of prophecy.
The is not to be taken literally. It represents Roman soldiers under General Titus overwhelming the city of Jerusalem and destroying it and the Temple. Jesus said not one stone will be left upon another. Matthew 24:2 (cf. 11:10, 22, 26, 40; Isa. 8:8). Gabriel announced that God had determined the city's desolation (cf. Matt. 24:7-22).
Application
The prophecy of the 70 Weeks of Daniel should both encourage us and demonstrate to us that the Bible is absolutely true and trustworthy. If the first 483 years were fulfilled as prophesied by Daniel, then we can be assured that the final 7 years prophesied by Daniel will also be fulfilled by God as predicted. This is a great witnessing tool, as well as other prophesies made that have been fulfilled as predicted. Also, since every Word is inspired, we can bank on the fact that Israel, not the church, will go through the Tribulation period to get her ready for the Messianic Kingdom. This does not mean that the church is better than Israel, far from it. If God makes positive or negative promises to the church as a whole or individual believers in the church, we can be assured that God will keep those promise.