Sermon Tone Analysis

There is a prophetic understanding that I want you to have as we move on to discover the richness of the Millennial Kingdom of the Lord Jesus Christ.

The Prophet Daniel in , speak about the seventy weeks.

This passage and our understanding of it has been called by many to be the backbone of all prophetic passages.

Daniel 9:24-27

Let me give you just a brief background into what is going on here.

The context of the prophecy in has to do with Daniel’s awareness of the fact of Jeremiah’s prophecy that Jerusalem’s desolation at the hand of the Babylonian would end after 70 years.

In , Daniel makes a reference to the prophecy that God gave to Jeremiah in and concerning the fact that there will be 70 years of desolation in the land.

Now in , God mandated that every seventh year the people of Israel needed to the land a rest.

However, on 70 occasions Israel failed to observe the sabbath rest for the land.

The 70 years captivity that the Lord allowed Israel to endure in Babylon gave the land the needed 70 rests’ that the law required.

In verses 3-19 of , Daniel began to pray for his people and the angel Gabriel came with the answer.

Of course, I do not think that there needs to be any discussion as to the identity of Daniel’s people and the “holy City”.

Obviously, Daniel’s people are Israel and the holy city is Jerusalem.

But what are the seventy weeks that Gabriel is referring?

First of all, in Hebrew “seventy weeks” means “seventy sevens”.

Seventy sevens (or seventy times 7) equals 490.

But what are the 490? 490 what?

We know that what is in view here are years and not days or months.

You remember the Babylonian Captivity?

First of all, the Jews had the concept of weeks of years.

For example, the Sabbath year rest on the land was to occur, according to , every seven years.

In other words, there were seven years that you worked your land and then on the seventh year you had to let your land rest.

Daniel knew that one of the reasons that the children of Israel had been taken into captivity was because of their violation of the seven year sabbath.

Now, remember according to , the law required a seventh year rest on the land.

In other words, you worked your land for six years and then on the seventh year, you ceased from your work and you allowed the land to rest.

The people of Israel and become selfish and self-indulgent and materialistic and they would plow the fields years after years after year after year.

And one of the reasons God removed them from the land is so that He could give the land the proper rest.

You see if they would not let the land rest with them in it, God would take the land from them so that it could rest on His terms.

God says that you are going to stay out of the land for seventy years.

You know why?

Because they had violated seventy sabbath’s.

How many years would it take you to violate seventy sabbaths?

490 years.

The same exact time that Daniel says that the days are determined upon them.

And it seems that the Spirit of God is saying that just like they violated the sabbath for 490 years, I am going to determine another 490 years on their history.

Since it was sabbath year violations that caused the punishment of Israel by being captive for seventy years.

This 490-year period of Daniel 9:24 will yield six results: it will (1) “finish the transgression,” (2) “put an end to sin,” (3) “atone for iniquity,” (4) “bring in everlasting righteousness,” (5) “seal both vision and prophecy,” and (6) “anoint the most holy place”

The first three effects focus on defeating sin in Israel.

The final three focus on positive developments regarding the kingdom—the bringing in of righteousness with Messiah’s kingdom, fulfillment of all prophecies in Scripture, and anointing the temple in Jerusalem.

The basis for the first three were accomplished with Jesus’ first coming and death; although the application has not yet been applied to Israel.

The final three await the fulfillment at the second coming of Jesus Christ.

At this point in history, everlasting righteousness has not been brought in, all prophecies in Scripture have not yet been fulfilled, and the temple is Jerusalem has not been anointed.

But these will occur when Jesus establishes His Millennial Kingdom.

The seventy weeks (490 years) begin with “the going out of the word to restore and rebuild Jerusalem”.

This restoration was likely fulfilled in 445 b.c when King Artaxerxes decreed that the Jews could return and rebuild Jerusalem ().

Now, I want you to hold on to this fact that verse 25 tells us that this 490 year period started when the decree to restore the land was given.

So this is very key to trying to determine when this 490 period started because there were four commands.

Three of them are given in the book of Ezra; by Cyrus, Darius and then Artaxerxes and then the fourth was given by Artaxerxes, this was his second one.

And the reason that this is so key is because this determines the date that it started which determines the date when it ends.

Some say that it was the decree of Cyrus in .

After all, according to the Prophet Isaiah in Cyrus would be the servant of God who would lead the people or let the people go back to rebuild their land.

So some say that the 490 years began when Cyrus made his decree

That decree was made in 536 B.C.

So lets take that one, the text tells us in verse 25 that the 490 years began with the order to rebuild Jerusalem all the way to the Messiah.

It will not only be seven weeks but the text adds another “threescore and two weeks”.

Threescore and two weeks is 62 plus add the original seven and you have 69 weeks.

69 times 7 is 483 of the total 490.

So some say that the first 69 weeks or the 483 years of the 490 began with the proclamation of the Cyrus until the Messiah comes.

The problem is that when you go 483 years from 536 B.C. you wind up at 54 B.C and you cannot have the Messiah 54 years before Christ.

You have a problem.

In fact, Christ does not start His ministry until 30 A.D. so you are 80 years off.

So we do not accept that decree; besides the text never says that Cyrus will rebuild the city but only the Temple.

What about the second decree of Darius?

Well, no one says that it is Darius so we will not even cover that.

But then there is first decree of Artaxerxes in 458 B.C., that is moving a little bit closer.

But if we go 483 years from 458 B.C. we wind up at 25 A.D.

Well, that is a problem because the only thing that is even remotely close to 25 A.D. is the baptism of Christ but the baptism of Christ was not His presentation as the Messiah.

The Baptism was the Father’s approval; that was between Christ and the Father.

And by the way, the first decree of Artaxerxes had nothing to do with the City either, just the Temple.

So there is one alternative.

That is is the fourth decree or the second decree of Artaxerxes.

And when did it end?

So, from the going out of the commandment the second time by Artaxerxes to the coming of the Messiah is going to be seven weeks plus 62 weeks; which equals 69 weeks or 483 years, right?

How many weeks are we looking at total? 70 weeks or 490 years.

So from the command to the coming of Messiah is 483 years or 69 weeks.

Here is an interesting mathematical equation for you to consider.

Ok, we want to get to 483 years, right?

You have 69 weeks times 7, which is 483.

And then you have 483 times 360 (because the ancient Jewish calendar was 360 day year, not 365), and the figure is 173,880.

So from the time that Artaxerxes gave the command in 445 B.C. to the coming of the Messiah is going to be 173,880 days.

Now, Daniel spoke about the coming of the Messiah in verse 25.

Just what coming is that?

There are basically two presentations of Jesus in the NT; one was at His baptism.

And we have already told you that is not the correct one because that was not presenting Himself to the people as Messiah but to obtain the approval of the Father.

The second presentation was when He rode into the city of Jerusalem during Passion week on a donkey.

So if it is not the baptism, then the only other alternative that you have is the Triumphal entry into the city.

God is so precise that He gave the actual date the Christ would enter Jerusalem, exactly 173,880 days after the decree of Artaxerxes.

Now, notice what happens here.

“After” the text says; after what?

Well after the the 62 weeks something is going to happened.

“Messiah shall be cut off”.

So you have the seven and then you have the 62, which equals 69.

Now it does not say that during the 69 weeks that Messiah will cut off but it says that after the 69 weeks that Messiah shall be cut off.

Now it is essential that you understand that there is a gap here.

The text tell us that something happens after the 69th week, but does not say anything about the 70th week, so there is a gap here.

The 70 weeks do not run sequentially.

The text tell us that after the seven, and you always have to add in the seven from verse 25, and then after the 62 which now equals to 69 that Messiah will be “cut off”.

“Cut off” is a Hebrew verb that means “to kill” or “to destroy”.

It is used that way in ; and .

It literally means that after the 62 weeks that the Messiah will be killed.