The Daniel Papers - Our Daily Bread Ministriesweb001.rbc.org/pdf/discovery-series/the-daniel-papers.pdf · THE DANIEL PAPERS Daniel’s Prophecy Of 70 Weeks M any of us are skeptical

THE DANIELPAPERSDaniel’s ProphecyOf 70 Weeks

MMany of us are skepticalabout using numbers or statistics to prove a

point. Too many good numbershave been combined with badassumptions to create misleadingconclusions.

But when calculations arecarefully handled, they can be an important indicator to resolvecontroversial issues. We can’tafford to ignore the numbers that have the potential to resolvesuch disputes.

Numbers come into play in the ancient writings of theprophet Daniel. Many believethat in one important predictionDaniel showed us how tocalculate the time of Messiah’scoming. Did he make such aprediction? And if so, what canwe conclude? In the followingpages, former RBC seniorresearch editor Herb Vander Lugt surveys the evidence.

Mart De Haan Managing Editor: David Sper Cover Photo:Terry BidgoodScripture quotations are from the New King James Version. Copyright © 1982 by ThomasNelson, Inc. Used by permission.All rights reserved.© 1994,2002,2009 RBC Ministries, Grand Rapids, Michigan Printed in USA

CONTENTS

The Messiah Question . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

The Prophecy Of Daniel 9

Daniel’s Portrait Of The Messianic Age . . . . . 7

Daniel’s MessianicCalculations. . . . . . . . . . 13

Daniel’s View Of The Endtimes . . . . . . . . 23

What Do We Believe? . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30

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THE MESSIAHQUESTION

MMany orthodox andconservative Jewsbelieve the time

is ripe for the coming ofMessiah. They see Israel’sreturn to her homeland aftermore than 1,900 years ofnational dispersion ashaving great propheticsignificance. They believethe 1948 rebirth of Israeland waves of immigrationfrom all over the world areconverging with many otherfactors to set the stage forthe predicted coming of anational Deliverer. They seethe coming of this Messiahas being good not only forIsrael but for the wholeearth. According to theprophet Isaiah, He willcause the nations to “beat their swords intoplowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lift up swordagainst nation, neither shall

they learn war anymore”(Isa. 2:4).

Many Christians also live with a heightenedexpectation of the coming ofMessiah. They view eventsoccurring in Israel as a likelyfulfillment of propheticScriptures and haveproduced a rash of bookscontending that we areseeing the unprecedentedconvergence of propheticindicators. They point outthat the increased frequencyof natural disasters—floods,tornadoes, hurricanes,earthquakes—are part of the “last days” scenariodescribed in the NewTestament.

Messianic hopes are alsobeing fueled by the fear thatbefore long many religiousextremists and even criminalorganizations like the Mafiawill be able to obtain nuclearweapons. The Frenchscholar Jacques Ellul, forexample, has said thatwhether we like it or not,

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© 2009 RBC Ministries

a world dictatorship with acentral commerce system to monitor businesstransactions will be anecessity before long.Without it, nuclear weaponswill soon be in the hands ofcriminals and madmen.

Interestingly, both Jewsand Christians share thebelief that a period of turmoiland distress will precede thecoming of Messiah. TheJewish document called“Talmudic Sages” draws a dark picture of this time.Accordingly, one of theseJewish sages wrote, “Let him[Messiah] come, but let menot see him” (Sanh. 98b).And Christians, thoughdiffering quite widely in theirview of prophesied endtimeevents, almost unanimouslyagree that the rise of an evilworld ruler and a time ofgreat tribulation will precedeMessiah’s return.

Much of this messianicexpectation is rooted in theOld Testament prophecy

known as Daniel. No book in the Bible says more about the endtimesthan Daniel. Daniel speaksnot only of the comingMessiah but of the time of His coming, the marks of His kingdom, and thetrouble that will precede it.

Interestingly, the Jews in the Qumran community,which flourished in the firstcentury before Christ andproduced the Dead SeaScrolls, prized Daniel sohighly that they may havehad more copies of it thanany other book. They left eight complete copiesand many fragments.

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Those who wait for Messiah knowthat His coming

will be preceded bya day of unequaled

trouble.



Daniel And HisBook. Daniel was among the first of the Jewishhostages who were deportedby Nebuchadnezzar, theking of Babylon, in 605 BC. He seems to have been from a prominent family,because he was among thefirst group of young menselected to receive trainingfor government service inBabylon.

Jews and Christians whotake their faiths seriouslyalmost unanimously acceptDaniel as the author of the book that bears hisname. Even though no other records of Daniel’sdeportation have been found,the historical setting of thebook is well-documented bycuneiform texts. RecognizedOld Testament scholars likeR. K. Harrison, GleasonArcher, and Leon Woodassure us that everythingabout the book, including thestyle of the Hebrew languagein which most of it was

written and the Aramaic of afew sections, points to sixth-century BC authorship.

But people who do notbelieve in a personal Godand His supernaturalinvolvement in human affairshave a hard time with theidea that it is a sixth-centurydocument. Why? Because in chapters 2 and 7 Danielpresents a foreview of historythat took place during thefollowing five centuries—therise of Medo-Persia, Greece,and Rome as world powers.The 8th chapter describesfuture developments thatcorrespond to the rise ofGreece under Alexander the Great, the division of hisempire into four kingdomsafter his death, and theactivities of AntiochusEpiphanes, a Syrian kingwho became a notoriousenemy of the Jews and theirreligion during the decade of 160 BC. The 11th chapteralso contains a detailedaccount of unnamed

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national movements that arenow history—the defeat ofMedo-Persia by Greece, the partitioning of theMacedonian kingdom intofour realms (vv.1-4), the warsbetween the Ptolemies andSeleucids (vv.5-20), and thegreat persecution underAntiochus Epiphanes (vv.21-35). All of these events were spelled out insuch great detail and matchso well what occurred during the fourth, third, and second centuries BC thatnonbelievers insist that thesesections of the book had tobe written during the secondcentury BC.

Anti-supernaturalistcritics of Daniel hold theirposition with great tenacity,because if they don’t theymust acknowledge Daniel’sability to predict the future.They give the writing ofDaniel a late date in spite ofa great deal of evidence tothe contrary. As mentionedearlier, the language style

and content indicate that the book was written bysomeone living in Babylonduring the sixth century BC.

The discovery ofexcellent manuscript copiesamong the Dead Sea Scrollsmakes it almost mandatoryto accept the earlier date forits composition. Why wouldthe Qumran Jews view thebook as inspired and makecopies of it if they knew itwas a contemporary forgery?Two fragments of the bookare said by paleographers tobe as old as the large Isaiahscroll, which everyoneadmits was copied several

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Anyone who deniesthe possibility of

predictive prophecymust assign a late

date to Daniel,in spite of the

contrary evidence.



centuries before 160 BC. Daniel And Messiah.

While most of Daniel’sprophecies were fulfilledbefore 150 BC and wererelated to secular history,some were clearly messianic.He depicted a vision inwhich he saw the “Ancient ofDays” seated in the presenceof “ten thousand times tenthousand” in a heavenlycourt scene (7:9-10). He alsosaw “One like the Son ofMan, coming with the cloudsof heaven” to whom the“Ancient of Days” gave“dominion and glory and akingdom . . . , an everlastingdominion, which shall notpass away” (7:13-14). Hedepicted “Messiah thePrince,” who would appearafter a time period of 483years (9:25-26). He spoke ofthe “time of the end” when apowerful king would meet hisdoom, and said that after atime of unprecedentedtribulation God’s peoplewould be “delivered,” a

large company who “sleep in the dust of the earth shallawake,” and “those who arewise shall shine . . . like thestars forever and ever”(11:40–12:3).

The coming of someone “like the Son of Man”! A resurrection ofbodies! A final judgment!These are magnificentthemes that point to theMessiah and His kingdom.

Who is this Messiah andwhat is His mission? Theright answer is a matter ofeternal importance. And webelieve that it can be foundin the Old Testament bookof Daniel.

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Daniel saw ‘One like the Son

of Man,’ who would come fromthe heavens to rule the earth.



THE PROPHECYOF DANIEL 9

IIn this study we will focus on the “70 weeks”prophecy of Daniel

9:20-27. We will do sounder three headings: (1) Daniel’s Portrait of theMessianic Age; (2) Daniel’sMessianic Calculations; and(3) Daniel’s View of theEndtimes. The analysis ofthese verses will raise someimportant questions. If Jesus is the Messiah of Old Testament prophecy,why didn’t He usher in the golden age of peace, prosperity, andrighteousness predicted byDaniel? How can we knowthat the “Anointed One” or“Messiah” of verses 25 and26 is Jesus Christ? Whatcompelling reasons can begiven for inserting a longperiod of time between theend of the 69th week andthe beginning of the 70thweek? These are valid

questions and deservecareful answers.

DANIEL’S PORTRAITOF THE MESSIANICAGE (DAN. 9:24)The place was Babylon. The time was 538 BC. AndDaniel, who was more than80 years old, had beenreading the book of theprophet Jeremiah. As heread, he discovered thatGod had decreed Israel’stime of captivity to last 70years (Jer. 25:11-12; 29:10).

This discovery impressedDaniel. He longed for theday when the Jewish peoplecould once again possess the city of Jerusalem andworship in their temple.Since he had been takencaptive in 605 BC, 67 yearshad passed. But he wasn’t

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sure that the starting pointfor the 70 years of judgmentwas 605 BC. He probablyremembered that anothergroup of exiles was deportedin 597 BC, and that the final,complete devastation ofJerusalem did not occur until 586 BC. If the 70-yearperiod was reckoned fromthese dates, the restorationof the Jewish people could be another 20 yearsaway. Troubled by theseuncertainties, Daniel began to pray.

While Daniel was still in prayer, the angel Gabrielappeared with a prophecyfrom God. This message hadin view far more than the 70years of judgment Danielwas concerned about. It

would appear to be themaster timetable for God’smessianic plan.

This prophecy began bypredicting that the messianicage would arrive after “70weeks.”

Seventy weeks aredetermined for your people and for your holy city, to finish thetransgression, to make an end of sins, to makereconciliation for iniquity,to bring in everlastingrighteousness, to seal upvision and prophecy, andto anoint the Most Holy(Dan. 9:24).“Seventy weeks” sounds

like a relatively short periodof time for Daniel to wait.But almost withoutexception, Jewish andChristian scholars take the“weeks” (lit. “sevens”) torepresent “sevens” of years.Since a “week” is thetranslation of a Hebrewword meaning “a seven,”most believe that the 70

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The angel Gabrielgave Daniel a

timetable for themessianic age.



weeks is a period of 490years (70 x 7). Some takethe number literally. Others,noting that 7 and 70 oftenhave symbolic significance,view the 490 years as anindefinite span of time. Ineither case, according to theangel Gabriel, the messianickingdom that will beushered in at the close of this 70 weeks will bemarked by six elements:

1.TransgressionFinished. God’s 70 weeks will “finish thetransgression.” The Hebrewword translated transgressioncarries the idea of rebellionagainst God. Jews andChristians take this to meanthat rebellion against Godwill end. They also agree thatonly true believers in God—whether Jew or Gentile—willenter the messianic kingdom.But Christians believe that“to finish the transgression”also includes a nationalacceptance of Jesus asMessiah.

2. Sin Sealed Up.Daniel also predicted thatthe 70-week period would“make an end of sins.” The word translated sinsrefers to sins other thanrevolt or rebellion—generalimmorality, dishonesty, andthe like. The verb in theHebrew text translated “putan end to” in NIV literallymeans “to seal up.” Themargin of the Hebrew text

uses the word that means“put an end to” or “finish.”So most translators haveadopted this alternatereading. But the expression“to seal up,” the literalrendering of the Hebrewtext, should not be lightlydismissed.

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The coming of themessianic age willbring an end to

both secularism andreligious pluralism.



R. D. Duncan points outthat God “seals up the stars”so they don’t shine and thatcold weather “seals up thehand” of men so they cannotcontinue their daily labor(Job 9:7; 37:7). To “seal up”sin is to place people undercomplete restraint so thatamong the citizens of thekingdom, sin will be rare by today’s standards andjudgment for wrongdoing will be administered quicklyand justly.

Jews and Christians alikebelieve that this will occurwhen Messiah rules theworld.

3.WickednessAtoned For. The thirdaccomplishment of God’s 70-week program is “to makereconciliation for iniquity” or “to atone for wickedness”(NIV). The verb in thissentence is kaphar, the Old Testament term used todenote the covering of sin bymaking a sacrifice. Hebrewscholar Keil says the form of

the verb indicates that theword means “to cover sothoroughly that the sin isobliterated.”

Christians see this ashaving been fulfilled in thedeath of Jesus Christ, whoaccording to the NewTestament gave Himself to die on the cross as theperfect sacrifice. Jewishscholars view the promise of this verse as having to dowith reconciliation, but not areconciliation by a once-for-all sacrifice. They do notaccept the idea that Messiahwill offer Himself as the final and complete sacrifice.Therefore they take littlenote of the word kaphar as it appears here. They holdthat animal sacrifices will be a divine requirement aslong as the earth stands. But the words “to makereconciliation for iniquity”seem to denote somethingunique and special—anatonement that has beenaccomplished.

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4. RighteousnessEstablished. Theconclusion of the 70-weekperiod will also “bring ineverlasting righteousness.”This undoubtedly points tothe justice and peace of thenew social order that Israelhas been waiting for sincethe days of the prophets. Itis a mark of the messianicage, which corresponds towhat other prophets havealso predicted.

According to the prophetZechariah, it is a coming dayof righteousness that will bepreceded by a strange mix of national victory andrepentance. Zechariahquotes the Lord as saying,“It shall be in that day that I will seek to destroy all thenations that come againstJerusalem. And I will pouron the house of David and on the inhabitants ofJerusalem the Spirit of graceand supplication; then theywill look on Me whom theypierced. Yes, they will mourn

for Him as one mourns forhis only son, and grieve forHim as one grieves for afirstborn” (Zech. 12:9-10).

According to the prophetEzekiel, the nation will thenreceive a “new heart” fromthe One who promised, “Iwill put My Spirit within youand cause you to walk inMy statutes, and you shallkeep My judgments, and dothem” (Ezek. 36:26-27).

5.Vision AndProphecy Sealed. Thefifth element of Daniel’smessianic portrait is found inthe words “to seal up visionand prophecy.” When themessianic age begins, Godwill, by accomplishing allthat was promised through

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A new world orderwill occur after the

nation of Israelgrieves for its sins

against God.



visions and prophecies,stamp His seal on what His servants had spoken.Finally the whole world willunderstand prophecies thatgo all the way back to thetime God first spoke toAbraham and said, “Get outof your country, from your

family and from your father’shouse, to a land that I willshow you. I will make you agreat nation; I will bless youand make your name great;and you shall be a blessing.I will bless those who blessyou, and I will curse himwho curses you; and in you all the families of the

earth shall be blessed” (Gen. 12:1-3).

6.The Most HolyAnointed. The sixthachievement of Daniel’smessianic portrait involvesthe anointing of “the MostHoly.” Some Jews see this as being fulfilled in theconsecration of a rebuilttemple in the days of a yetundisclosed Messiah. SomeChristians also believe “theMost Holy” refers to arebuilt temple. They take literally the templedescription of Ezekiel 40–44and believe that animalsacrifices will once again be offered at the holy place.They believe that this time,however, the sacrifices willbe seen as memorials to theOne whom John the Baptistcalled “the Lamb of Godwho takes away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29).

Other Christians, whileagreeing that Christ’s secondcoming will usher in thisgolden age, do not agree that

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The messianic agewill be the last

chapter of God’svision to use onenation to bringblessing to thewhole world.



“the Most Holy” refers to arebuilt temple. They interpretEzekiel 40–44 as apocalyptic,as teaching spiritual truthsthrough symbols drawn froma familiar form—the temple.They believe Jesus Himselfwill be anointed as “the Most Holy.”

While there is muchdisagreement among Jewishand Christian communitiesabout how all of this willwork out, some things areclear. According to Daniel’sportrait, God has a 70-weekprogram that will culminatein an age when spiritualrebellion will end, sin will berestrained, reconciliation willhave been accomplished,righteousness will prevail,prophecy will have beenfulfilled, and God’sanointing of either a new temple and/or HisMessiah will occur.

What remains is for us to consider the actual490-year time period Daniel predicted.

DANIEL’SMESSIANICCALCULATIONS(DAN. 9:25-26)After assuring Daniel that at a predetermined time hispeople and his holy citywould experience the fullblessings of the messianicage, the angel Gabriel gaveDaniel calculations relatedto “the Anointed One, theruler” who is “cut off” so asto “have nothing” (NIV).

Know therefore andunderstand, that from the going forth of thecommand to restore andbuild Jerusalem untilMessiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeksand sixty-two weeks; thestreet shall be built again,and the wall, even in

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troublesome times. Andafter the sixty-two weeksMessiah shall be cut off,but not for Himself; andthe people of the princewho is to come shalldestroy the city and thesanctuary. The end of itshall be with a flood, andtill the end of the wardesolations are determined(Dan. 9:25-26).These verses account

for 69 of the 70 weeks (lit. “sevens”) in God’sannounced program forDaniel’s people and their city.

This time period beginswith “the command torestore and build Jerusalem.”The Hebrew word translated“command” in the KJV isdaber, which literally means“word” and can refer to a“command,” a “decree,” or a“commission.” It depicts anofficial authorization, in thiscase to restore and rebuildJerusalem.

It is necessary to identifythe decree in order to know

when the “70 weeks” began. It’s also necessary to determine what happened“7 weeks” after this timespan began, to understandwhy the “69 weeks” isdivided into two segments.

The PertinentDecree. The Bible recordsthe issuing of three decreesby Gentile kings authorizingthe Jews in exile to return totheir homeland. The firstone was by Cyrus in 539 BC(2 Chr. 36:23; Ezra 1:2-4).But this cannot be thedecree Daniel had in mind. It referred only

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This prophecypredicts when

Messiah will come,that He will die, and

that He will die before thedestruction of the temple.



to the temple, making nomention of the city.

The second royal decreeinvolving the Jews and theirhomeland was made byArtaxerxes in 458 BC (Ezra7:11-26). Like the decree ofCyrus, no specific mention ismade of rebuilding the city

of Jerusalem or its walls.However, Ezra must haveviewed this decree asauthorizing the rebuilding of the city and its walls,because in his prayer ofconfession recorded in Ezra9:6-15 he thanked God forgiving them the favor of “thekings of Persia, to revive us,to repair the house of ourGod, to rebuild its ruins, and

to give us a wall in Judahand Jerusalem” (v.9).

The third royal decreeinvolving the Jews and theircity was issued by the sameArtaxerxes in 444 BC (Neh.2:5-8,17-18). This is specificin authorizing the rebuildingof the city walls.

The 7 Weeks. The textsays, “From the going forthof the command . . . . thereshall be seven weeks andsixty-two weeks.” These 69weeks culminate in“Messiah the Prince.” Butwhy this special mention of 7 weeks? The answer isexpressed in the last wordsof verse 25, “The street shallbe built again, and the wall,even in troublesome times.”The 7 weeks that precedethe 62 weeks is undoubtedlythe time period it took forEzra, Nehemiah, and othersto rebuild the city. Accordingto Barnes and several other trustworthy Biblecommentators, the historianPrideaux declared that

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The “70 week” timeperiod began with

the decree in either 458 BC or in 444 BC.



Nehemiah’s last action inrebuilding the city occurredin the 15th year of thePersian ruler Darius Nothus(423-404 BC). His 15th yearwas the 49th year from the458 BC decree. Josephusseems to support this idea in his remarks about thedeath of Nehemiah. This is remarkable and can beviewed as an indication thatthe 458 BC date is correct.But it is possible that somerebuilding continued until49 years after the 444 BCdate.

The 69 Weeks. The62 weeks plus the 7 weeksbrings us to the time of“Messiah the Prince” (v.25),the Messiah who will be“cut off and will havenothing” (v.26 NIV).Christian Bible scholarspoint out that the period ofthe first 69 “weeks” (483years) ends in the days ofJesus of Nazareth, and thateither start date of 458 BCor 444 BC is possible.

Both the 458 BC and 444 BC dates have theiradvocates among Biblescholars. Beginning with 458 BC and using standardchronology, one arrives atAD 26, the year Jesusreached the age of 30 (Hewas born in 4 BC). It was at the age of 30 that a maledescendant of Aaron beganhis priestly duties.

The text tells us that after69 weeks (7 + 62) Messiahis “cut off.” It doesn’t tell us how long after, nor doesit indicate that the 70th week would begin as soonas the 69th ended. Biblechronologists generally take either AD 30 or AD 33 as the year of Christ’scrucifixion. So adding 483years to the 458 BC datebrings us to the beginning

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458 BC+

483 years (365 days each)

AD 26



of Jesus’ ministry in AD 26 and allows for Him to be“cut off” in AD 30.

The 444 BC decree of Artaxerxes, however, also deserves seriousconsideration. If one uses“prophetic years” of 360days each, it is exactly 483years (173,880 days) fromthe day of Artaxerxes decreein 444 BC (Neh. 2:1) to theday of Christ’s triumphalentry into Jerusalem duringthe last week of His earthly

life (Mt. 21). H. W. Hoehner,a respected biblical scholar,details this in his bookChronological Aspects Of TheLife Of Christ. It was on thatday in AD 33 that Jesusofficially announced to theIsraelites that He was the

Messiah. Later that week He was “cut off” or crucified.

The idea of 360-dayprophetic years is takenfrom the fact that the 1,260days of Revelation 12:6, the“time and times and half atime” of Revelation 12:14(31⁄2 years), and the 42months of Revelation 13:5are equals—a 31⁄2-yearperiod.

Both of these methods of computing the 483-yeartime period in relation toJesus Christ work out in an astounding manner.

The Anointed One.Starting with either 458 BCor 444 BC, the conclusion of the 483 years does indeed coincide remarkablywith the date Jesus Christpresented Himself to Israelas her Messiah. But what ifthis is only an astoundingcoincidence? A critique ofalternative explanations is in order.

Cyrus And Onias. Somescholars (Christian and

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444 BC+

173,880 days (483 prophetic years of 360

days each or 476 solar yearsof 365 days each)

AD 33



Jewish) begin the 70 weekswith the decree of Cyrus in538 BC. But, as mentionedearlier, this decree did notauthorize the rebuilding ofJerusalem. Furthermore, thisapproach requires that thenumbers given must betaken symbolically. Takingthem literally doesn’t tie inwith any significant dates in the history of Israel.

Other scholars see two“messiahs” in the prophecyand make Cyrus the Greatthe first “anointed one.”They point out that at thetime of Jerusalem’s completedesolation (587 BC), Godassured Jeremiah that thecity would be rebuilt (Jer.29:10). From thisauthoritative word untilCyrus in 538 BC was indeed49 years or 7 “weeks.” Butto make this interpretationwork, they must rearrangethe Hebrew word order andtranslate Daniel 9:25-26 asfollows:

Know therefore and

understand: From thetime that the word wentout to restore and rebuildJerusalem [God’s wordexpressed in Jeremiah29:10 in 587 BC] untilthe time of an anointedprince, there shall be 7 weeks; and for 62weeks it shall be builtwith streets and moat,but in troubled times.And after the 62 weeks,an anointed one shall be cut off, and shall have nothing.Most of these scholars

view the second “anointedone” as Onias, the legitimatehigh priest who wasmurdered in 171 BC withouta successor. But the secondcluster of 62 weeks from 538BC to 171 BC is 367 years,not the 434 years Danielpredicted. Moreover, asnoted earlier, the translationgiven by these scholars ispossible only if one altersthe word order of theHebrew text and makes

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a few changes dictated byopinion, not by the rules of grammar. One shouldexplore all the possibilitiesof coming up with aworkable interpretation of a text as it stands beforealtering or modifying it.

Cyrus And Phananias.Some current Jewish scholarstranslate Daniel 9:25-26essentially the same as theRevised Version translatorsdid. They view the 70 weeksas beginning with God’sdecree announced inJeremiah 29:10 in 587 BC

and take Cyrus to be the firstanointed prince. They see“the Anointed One [who] will be cut off and will have nothing” (NIV) as thepriesthood of AD 70. Tomake Daniel’s numbers workout, the advocates of thisinterpretation use a datingsystem that brings the 490-year period (“70 weeks”) tothe time Jerusalem wasdestroyed by the Romans.They say the destruction of the temple in AD 70 has ushered in the age ofMessiah. From this point on,they say, Israel had no hopebut in the Messiah whomGod will send to fulfill all themessianic elements Danieldescribed.

This viewpoint, however,raises even more problemsthan those considered earlier.The time span from 587 BCto AD 70 is 658 years, not490. Furthermore, it isdifficult to think of either thepriesthood or the high priestof AD 70 as being God’s

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One should exploreall the possibilities

of coming up with a workable

interpretation of atext as it standsbefore altering or

modifying it.



anointed. The last high priest was Phananias who was appointed to thisposition by a group of zealotsafter they had killed theRoman appointee Ananias.And the high priesthoodduring the first century wasan office manipulated by the Sadducees and Romansto keep the Jewish peopleunder control. Old Testamentqualifications were not evenconsidered. The high priestscertainly were not God’sappointees.

Jesus Christ. Readingthe Hebrew text as it standsand beginning the 483 yearsof Daniel 9:25-26 with awell-documented royaldecree in either 458 BC or 444 BC results in theconclusion that Daniel’s 69“weeks” ends with the dateof Christ’s presentation ofHimself as Messiah.

Moreover, the declarationthat this Messiah will be “cutoff and will have nothing”(NIV) needs no manipulation

to be seen as a declarationof His crucifixion. TheHebrew word translated

“cut off” refers to theexecution of wrongdoers(Lev. 7:20; Ps. 37:9; Prov.2:22). Christians believe thisis most appropriate because,according to the NewTestament, God made Christ“to be sin for us” (2 Cor.5:21). Although He hadnever sinned, He died as awrongdoer to pay the pricefor our sin. Even the methodof His death (crucifixion)was that of a criminal.

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The most logicalconclusion is that

Daniel’s 69 “weeks”ends with the date of Christ’spresentation of Himself as Messiah.



Christians believe the expression “will havenothing” is an accuraterepresentation of the factthat Jesus died withoutapparent followers orpossessions. It seemed to onlookers that He was a dismal failure.

The Messianic Age.But there is a problem. Eventhose who believe everythingthe New Testament saysabout Jesus Christ’s birth,death, and resurrection mustadmit that Jesus’ coming didnot usher in all the blessingslisted in Daniel 9:24. He didnot “finish the transgression,”“make an end of sins,” “bringin everlasting righteousness,”“seal up vision andprophecy,” or “anoint the Most Holy.”

All that can be argued is that He did “makereconciliation for iniquity” by His sacrificial death. (Asnoted earlier, the Hebrew textcarries the thought of makingatonement.) By doing this,

Christians believe, He put anend to the sacrificial systemof the Old Testament. Thisconcept is stated repeatedlyin the New Testament booksof Galatians and Hebrews.The message “Believe on theLord Jesus Christ, and youwill be saved” (Acts 16:31) is offered repeatedly to allpeople everywhere. In thatsense, Christians believe themessianic age has begun.When the Holy Spirit,accompanied by a sound of rushing wind and fierytongues, descended upon a group of believers 10 daysafter Christ ascended, theapostle Peter told the crowdthat had gathered:

This is what was spokenby the prophet Joel: “Andit shall come to pass in thelast days, says God, that Iwill pour out of My Spiriton all flesh; your sons and your daughters shallprophesy, your young menshall see visions, your oldmen shall dream dreams.

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And on My menservantsand on My maidservants Iwill pour out My Spirit inthose days; and they shallprophesy. I will showwonders in heaven aboveand signs in the earthbeneath: blood and fireand vapor of smoke. Thesun shall be turned intodarkness, and the mooninto blood, before thecoming of the great andawesome day of the Lord.And it shall come to passthat whoever calls on thename of the Lord shall besaved” (Acts 2:16-21).Some elements in Joel’s

prophecy (Joel 2:28-32) werenot fulfilled on the Day ofPentecost. But, according toPeter, the age of the Spirithad arrived—the age thatwould culminate in thecelestial disturbancesaccompanying the secondcoming of Jesus Christ.Similarly, Christians fromthe beginning have believedthat the death, burial, and

resurrection of Jesus Christpaid the price for sin, brokethe power of death (1 Cor.15), defeated Satan (Heb.2:14-15), and ushered in a new age.

When will the fullrealization of that whichDaniel predicted occur?Christians believe it willhappen when Israel turns to Jesus Christ as Messiah.Remember, Daniel 9:24opens with the words,“Seventy weeks aredetermined for your peopleand your holy city.” The69th week has ended, butthe last week has not yetbegun. It is after 70 weeksthat the fullness of theblessings will come.

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When will the fullrealization of that

which Danielpredicted occur?



DANIEL’S VIEW OF THE ENDTIMES(DAN. 9:26-27)From a New Testamentpoint of view, the term “last days” takes in theentire time period from the apostles to Christ’ssecond coming. From thisperspective, everything in Daniel 9:26-27 that followed Messiah being “cutoff” is part of the endtimes.In these verses, Daniel firstdescribed what happensafter the 69th week ends butbefore the 70th week begins.Then he depicted the eventsof this 70th week.

The Destruction OfJerusalem In AD 70.

After “Messiah the Prince” is “cut off,” the people of acoming prince will destroyJerusalem.

After the sixty-two weeksMessiah shall be cut off,but not for Himself; andthe people of the princewho is to come shalldestroy the city and thesanctuary. The end of itshall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations aredetermined (Dan. 9:26).A new hostile prince

comes into the picture. He is literally “a prince, theone coming.” The use of thearticle in “the one coming”suggests that this comingprince has been introducedearlier. He is undoubtedlythe “little horn” of Daniel7:8,24-26 who makes warwith the saints until theAncient of Days intervenes.He will head the restoredRoman Empire in theendtimes.

His “people,” the 23



Romans, destroyed Jerusalemin AD 70. These words inDaniel 9:26 cannot refer toAntiochus Epiphanes of thesecond century BC, becausehe destroyed neither the cityof Jerusalem nor the temple.

The phrase “the end willcome like a flood” (NIV)perhaps points to both thedestruction of Jerusalem inAD 70 and the end of theage. It will come suddenlyand overwhelmingly. Untilthat end comes, wars willmark human history. And“desolation,” especially inrelation to Daniel’s peopleand his city, will continue.

What desolation? EricSauer points out that 1.1million Jews were killed inAD 70; 500,000 killed in AD 132-134; 1,200 killed in Rhineland, Germany, inAD 1096; 100,000 killed inBavaria and Austria in AD1298; 400,000 killed duringthe Russian-Polish-Swedishwar in 1648-1658; and 4 to 6 million killed in Nazi

Germany between 1935 and1945. And no one knowshow much suffering liesahead for the people theprophet Zechariah called“the apple of His eye” (2:8).

The Antichrist InThe 70th Week. The70th week will begin whensomeone with authority willmake a binding commitmentwith a group of people called“the many.” After 31⁄2 yearshe will break his agreement.This will be accompanied by some kind of sacrilege.But in the end, the personwho breaks the treaty andengages in this abominationwill meet his doom.

Then he shall confirm acovenant with many forone week; but in themiddle of the week heshall bring an end tosacrifice and offering. And on the wing ofabominations shall be onewho makes desolate, evenuntil the consummation,which is determined, is

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poured out on the desolate (Dan. 9:27).It seems obvious that

this 70th week does notimmediately follow the 69thweek. The time period of 7 weeks plus 62 weeksextends from the decree to restore Jerusalem to“Messiah the Prince” (v.25).It is after this time period of49 years plus 434 years thatthe Messiah is “cut off,” andthe city and sanctuary aredestroyed. No time spansare given for these events,which are both well-attestedhistorically. Moreover, toview verse 27 as taking usback to the Messiah whowas “cut off” doesn’t workout very well. Jesus did not make a covenant. And He wasn’t the kind of manwho would make a 7-yearcovenant and then break it.

Since the eventsdescribed in verse 27 cannotbe tied in with the time ofChrist’s crucifixion, thedestruction of Jerusalem,

or anything that happenedin the first century, the textmust look to the future.

The man who “shallconfirm a covenant withmany for one week” isundoubtedly the rulerintroduced to us in verse 26 as “the prince who is tocome.” As noted earlier, heis the “little horn” of Daniel7. He will head a westernconfederacy of nations, therevived Roman Empire in its“ten toes” phase of Daniel2:40-43, the “ten horned”phase of Daniel 7:24. Thissame individual is referredto as the “man of sin” (2 Th.2:3), the “Antichrist” (1 Jn.2:18), and the “beast” (Rev.

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It seems obviousthat the 70th week does not

immediately followthe 69th week.



13:1-10). He will apparentlypose as a friend of Israel,giving the Jewish people a sense of security andallowing them to worship in their newly rebuilt temple.Revelation 13 opens withthis man receiving theadulation of all mankind. He will have unified theWestern world. He will havebrought order out of chaos.People will feel confidencein his goodness. It is thenthat he dares to drop allpretense and show himselfto be Satan’s henchman. He begins to blasphemeGod and “make war withthe saints and to overcomethem” (vv.6-7). From thispoint on, he remains inpower for 42 months beforemeeting his doom.

The final statement ofDaniel 9:27 is difficult totranslate, but the renderingin the NIV clarifies themeaning. He will “set up an abomination that causesdesolation.” Three New

Testament passages throw some light on thesewords: Matthew 24:15, 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, and Revelation 13.

Addressing Jewish people,Jesus said, “Therefore whenyou see the abomination ofdesolation, spoken of byDaniel the prophet, standingin the holy place, . . . thenlet those who are in Judeaflee” (Mt. 24:15). It appearsthat the image of Antichristwill be placed in the templeand that people will beordered to worship it. This is the abominable event thatwill trigger the desolation of the temple and the city of Jerusalem at the end ofthe age.

Paul, instructingChristian believers about thecoming time of tribulationthat will precede Christ’sreturn to set up Hiskingdom, declared thatduring this period of troublethe “man of sin” will berevealed, describing him

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as one “who opposes andexalts himself above all thatis called God and that isworshiped, so that he sits asGod in the temple of God,showing himself that he isGod” (2 Th. 2:3-4).

Revelation 13 tells us thathe will start a war against thesaints and blaspheme God.Then his partner, the FalseProphet, will make an imageof the Beast (Antichrist) anddemand that people worshipit or die. Jesus and Paul both indicated that thisoutrageous blasphemy willtake place in the restoredJewish temple. The devilhimself as the Antifather (the dragon of Rev. 13:4), the Antichrist (the Beast),and the Antispirit (the

False Prophet) are theinfernal trinity. They willattempt to make the restoredJewish temple their religiousheadquarters, the placewhere they will beworshiped.

The last words of Daniel9:27, “until the end that isdecreed is poured out onhim” (NIV), indicate Anti-christ’s doom. OtherScriptures clearly declarethat he will be totally anddisgracefully defeated. Hisfinal series of battles and his destruction are portrayedin Daniel 11:40-45. Thispassage closes with thewords, “Yet he shall come to his end, and no one willhelp him.”

Israel’s ConversionIn The 70th Week.Daniel 9 closes, as notedabove, with a summarystatement about the shockingsacrilege and predetermineddoom of the future worldruler the Bible calls theBeast, the man of sin, and

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“He shall exalt andmagnify himself

above every god.”Daniel 11:36



the Antichrist. His defeat isfurther described in Daniel11:40-45. But that’s not theend of the story. Daniel 12:1-3 gives a summary of whatwill happen to the Israelitesas a nation:

At that time Michael shallstand up, the great princewho stands watch over thesons of your people; andthere shall be a time oftrouble, such as never wassince there was a nation,even to that time. And atthat time your people shallbe delivered, every onewho is found written in thebook. And many of thosewho sleep in the dust of theearth shall awake, some toeverlasting life, some toshame and everlastingcontempt. Those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of thefirmament, and those whoturn many to righteousnesslike the stars forever andever (Dan. 12:1-3).“At that time” refers to the

interval between the rise ofAntichrist and his destruction.During this time of greattribulation—tribulation for Israel predicted inDeuteronomy 4:30, Jeremiah30:7, Matthew 24:21-22, andmany other Bible passages—the archangel Michael willsee to it that the Israelites arenot annihilated. Multitudes of Jewish people will repentand believe in their Messiah.Zechariah 12 graphicallydepicts God’s supernaturaldeliverance of the survivingIsraelites at the close of thisterrible time. He thendescribes the repentantnation as Messiah returns to establish His kingdom:

I will pour on the house of David and on theinhabitants of Jerusalemthe Spirit of grace andsupplication; then they will look on Me whomthey pierced. Yes, they will mourn for Him as one mourns for his onlyson, and grieve for Him

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as one grieves for afirstborn (Zech. 12:10).The Jewish people who

still refuse to believe will beremoved in judgment (Ezek.20:33-38). Therefore, all theIsraelites who go into the fullblessings of the kingdom agewill be true believers, peoplewhose names appear in thebook of life. All the promisesin Daniel 9:24 will berealized. The prophet Isaiahportrays what will then occur:

Now it shall come to passin the latter days that themountain of the Lord’shouse shall be establishedon the top of themountains, and shall beexalted above the hills;and all nations shall flowto it. Many people shallcome and say, “Come,and let us go up to themountain of the Lord, tothe house of the God ofJacob; He will teach usHis ways, and we shallwalk in His paths.” Forout of Zion shall go forth

the law, and the word ofthe Lord from Jerusalem.He shall judge betweenthe nations, and rebukemany people; they shallbeat their swords intoplowshares, and theirspears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lift upsword against nation,neither shall they learnwar anymore (Isa. 2:2-4).And what about the

Israelites whose bodies haveturned to dust? They will notbe forgotten! The Christianscholar Tregelles, followingearlier Jewish commentators,translated verse 2, “Andmany from the sleepers ofthe dust of the earth shallawake, these shall be toeverlasting life; but those ofthe rest of the sleepers, thosewho do not awake at thistime, shall be unto shameand everlasting contempt.”The coming of God’s Messiahwill be a tremendous eventfor all the believing Israelitesof all the ages!

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WHAT DO WEBELIEVE?

AAre we at a crisis point in human history?Many conservative

Jews and Christians believewe are. They see as highlysignificant the fact that Israel is often at the center ofworld news with her internalconflicts and her treatieswith Arab neighbors. They insist that we areinevitably moving towardsuch internationalizationthat mankind is ripe for aworld dictator who couldeasily be the Antichrist.

On the other hand, someChristians believe we are onthe verge of a worldwide

spiritual revival. People arebecoming alarmed at worldconditions. Reports ofspiritual awakenings inIndia, Africa, and countriesin Central and SouthAmerica support thisoptimistic outlook.

We believe the nextevent in God’s propheticprogram is described by the apostle Paul:

The Lord Himself willdescend from heaven witha shout, with the voice ofan archangel, and with thetrumpet of God. And thedead in Christ will rise first.Then we who are alive andremain shall be caught uptogether with them in theclouds to meet the Lord inthe air. And thus we shallalways be with the Lord (1 Th. 4:16-17).The Scriptures indicate

that this “catching up,” orrapture, of those who are “in Christ” must take placebefore Antichrist reveals histrue identity.

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The Bible tells uswhat’s ahead, but it doesn’t tell us

what’s just ahead.



Paul wrote his letter tothe Thessalonians in partbecause some of themthought they had entered the great tribulation of theendtimes. Paul assured themthat they were wrong andsaid it would not begin untilafter the man of sin hadbeen revealed (2 Th. 2:1-3).He went on to explain:

Now you know what isrestraining, that he maybe revealed in his owntime. For the mystery oflawlessness is already atwork; only He who nowrestrains will do so untilHe is taken out of the way(2 Th. 2:6-7).It’s important that we

see the Holy Spirit and the church together as the restrainer mentioned inthis text. The third-personmasculine pronoun suggeststhe Holy Spirit. As God, He is always presenteverywhere. He cannot be“taken out of the way.” ButHe can leave the earth as

the restrainer when the Lordcatches up His church to bewith Himself. His departurein this sense will open thedoor for Antichrist to makehis move.

This identification of the restrainer fits the contextof 2 Thessalonians 2 betterthan any other suggestedinterpretation. Good reasons can be given forrejecting the idea that therestrainer who will beremoved is the devil, anangel, or civil government.This passage of Scripturegives us solid reasons forbelieving that the return ofChrist for His church couldoccur at any moment.

Believers therefore must live in healthy tension.On the one hand, we arelooking for His any-momentcoming for us. On the otherhand, because we do notknow exactly where we arein God’s endtime program,we pray and work to spreadthe good news about Jesus

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Christ. The fact that thenation of Israel is makingtreaties reminds us of Bible passages about theendtimes. It heightens oursense of anticipation. Thenews about multitudesturning to Christ throughoutthe world moves us to prayand give and work.

For nonbelievers, the factthat Christ could return atany moment has ominousovertones. The Bible has asolemn warning to thosewho have heard the gospeland have not believed. Pauldeclared that when the

Antichrist is revealed, it may be too late for a change of mind:

The coming of the lawless one is accordingto the working of Satan,with all power, signs, andlying wonders, and withall unrighteous deceptionamong those who perish,because they did notreceive the love of thetruth, that they might be saved. And for thisreason God will sendthem strong delusion,that they should believethe lie, that they all maybe condemned who didnot believe the truth but had pleasure inunrighteousness (2 Th. 2:9-12).Now is the time to make

the decision to trust Jesus asMessiah. Tomorrow may betoo late. “Behold, now is theaccepted time; behold, nowis the day of salvation” (2 Cor. 6:2).

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The Bible has a solemn warningto those who haveheard the gospel

and have notbelieved.



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Documents

The Daniel Papers - Our Daily Bread Ministriesweb001.rbc.org/pdf/discovery-series/the-daniel-papers.pdf · THE DANIEL PAPERS Daniel’s Prophecy Of 70 Weeks M any of us are skeptical