| Over 500 years before the birth of Christ a | | | | we can receive forgiveness and begin to live |
| predictive prophecy was given that foretold the | | | | righteously) |
| exact time of Christ's death. This prophecy is | | | | ". . . and to seal vision and prophet, and to anoint the |
| contained in the ninth chapter of the Old Testament | | | | most holy place. Know therefore and discern, that |
| book of Daniel. | | | | from the going forth of the word to restore and to |
| The Old Testament contains over 300 prophecies of | | | | build Jerusalem . . ." |
| the birth, ministry, death, resurrection and ascension | | | | (According to Bible scholars, the word to rebuild |
| of Jesus the Messiah. ("Messiah" is synonymous with | | | | Jerusalem was a decree given by King Artaxerxes on |
| "Christ" and is derived from the Hebrew word | | | | the first day of the month of Nisan , 444 BC, see |
| "Mashiyach.") | | | | Nehemiah 2:1-8.) |
| It is interesting to note that of the more than 300 | | | | ". . . unto one anointed, a prince, . . ." |
| predictive prophecies that tell of the coming of the | | | | (The Hebrew word rendered "one anointed" is |
| Messiah very few actually use the word "Messiah." | | | | "Mashiyach" which is usually anglicized to "Messiah." |
| Most Old Testament prophetic passages that | | | | The fact that the Jewish Bible renders it "one |
| describe aspects of the coming Messiah do so | | | | anointed" rather than "Messiah" is perhaps to conceal |
| without actually using that specific word. | | | | that this passage is referring to the Messiah who, as |
| The passage in Daniel we are about to study, Daniel | | | | we shall see, was to have come by the early part of |
| 9:24-26, is one of the few passages that uses the | | | | the first century AD and Jesus of Nazareth certainly |
| word "Mashiyach" in the original Hebrew to describe | | | | fits into that time frame!!!) |
| the coming One. In fact, this one passage uses the | | | | ". . . shall be seven weeks; and for three score and |
| word, Mashiyach, twice. Therefore we can say that | | | | two weeks, . . ." |
| this passage is not only clearly messianic but is | | | | (7 plus 62 equals a total of 69 weeks of years or |
| certainly one of the strongest messianic prophecies in | | | | 483 years) |
| the Hebrew scriptures. | | | | ". . . it shall be built again, . . ." (Jerusalem was built |
| The ancient rabbis considered Daniel 9:24-26 to be | | | | again, it had been destroyed in 586 BC) ". . . with |
| predictive of the coming of the Messiah. (The Talmud | | | | plaza and moat, but in troublous times. And after the |
| in Yalkut Vol 2, page 79B and Nazir 32B records their | | | | threescore and two weeks shall an anointed one . . ." |
| opinions on this.) | | | | (Again "Anointed one" is the word "Mashiyach" in the |
| Daniel 9:24-26 also predicts the destruction of the | | | | original Hebrew!!!) |
| Second Temple. The rabbis rightly came to the | | | | ". . . be cut off..." (Daniel 9:24-26) |
| conclusion that the Messiah had to come before the | | | | ("Cut off" is an expression meaning death, i.e., the |
| destruction of the Second Temple. The Second | | | | death of the Messiah a.k.a. Jesus of Nazareth!) So this |
| Temple was destroyed in 70 AD. | | | | is a clear prediction of the coming and death of |
| Daniel the Jewish prophet was captured by the | | | | Messiah. The resurrection is not mentioned here but |
| Babylonians around the time that the Babylonians | | | | other Old Testament passages do prophesy of the |
| destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 586 BC. Daniel | | | | resurrection of Messiah. |
| was taken to Babylon and there he wrote his book | | | | H. W. Hoehner, in his book Chronological Aspects of |
| which was later incorporated into the Old Testament. | | | | the Life of Christ has calculated the time period of |
| In Daniel 9:21 Daniel wrote that the angel Gabriel | | | | the 69 septads (weeks) which is 483 years (lunar |
| appeared to him and gave him a prophecy regarding | | | | calendar, 360 days in each year) which comes to |
| a time period of 490 years. It would be a time period | | | | 173,880 days from Nisan 1, 444 BC and comes to |
| marked out by seventy periods of seven years each. | | | | the conclusion that on Nisan 10 (March 30) of 33 AD |
| We measure years in decades but the ancient | | | | Jesus the Messiah made His triumphal entry into |
| Hebrews measured years in septads (weeks of | | | | Jerusalem. (See Josh McDowell's book A Ready |
| years). | | | | Defense pp. 57-59.) |
| In the prophecy given by Gabriel to Daniel it is | | | | On April 3, 33 AD Jesus was crucified or "cut off" |
| revealed that after the decree is issued to rebuild | | | | (Daniel 9:26). His death brought forgiveness of sins |
| Jerusalem there would be 70 weeks (70 x 7 = 490 | | | | because Jesus in His suffering and death endured the |
| years) in which certain events would take place and | | | | wrath of God in our place. Thus He made an end of |
| that after the 69th week (or septad), Messiah would | | | | sins and brought in everlasting righteousness. |
| be "cut off." The term "cut off" is an ancient | | | | We've discussed 69 of the 70 weeks; the 70th |
| euphemism for "killed." Hence, a very clear time | | | | week has its own dramatic fulfillment which occurs |
| frame for the coming and death of the Messiah is | | | | after the death and resurrection of Messiah but that |
| given. | | | | discussion is beyond the scope of this short article. |
| I will now quote the relevant portion of this prophecy | | | | The resurrection and ascension of Jesus are |
| from a Jewish Bible: "The Holy Scriptures According | | | | prophesied in other passages of the Old Testament. |
| to the Masoretic Text" (Jewish Publication Society of | | | | The second coming of Jesus the Messiah is |
| America; Philadelphia 1980). The wording in this | | | | prophesied in several passages in the Old Testament |
| traditional Jewish Bible seems to partially conceal that | | | | including a very dramatic unfolding of events leading |
| the passage refers to the Messiah but even this | | | | up to it recorded in chapters 12, 13 and 14 of the |
| unsympathetic translation can't obscure its true | | | | book of Zechariah. |
| meaning. | | | | Prophecies and fulfillments such as these are not |
| Here is Daniel 9:24-26 with my comments | | | | seen in any other writings of any other world religion. |
| interspersed within it: "Seventy weeks are decreed | | | | For instance, Muslims have traditionally not claimed |
| upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the | | | | that Mohammed came in fulfillment of prophecy. The |
| transgression, and to make an end of sin, and to | | | | sacred writings of nonchristian faiths have nothing to |
| forgive iniquity, and to bring in everlasting | | | | compare to the Bible's amazing record of prophecy |
| righteousness, . . ." (Messiah died for our sins so that | | | | and fulfillment of prophecy. |