Daniel 9:25
Dan 9:25. Know therefore and understand, that from the going fourth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
When was the command to restore and build Jerusalem given?
Before we can answer this question, we should ask ourselves when was Jerusalem destroyed?
Jerusalem was destroyed in 586 B.C. during the time of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.[1]
2 Kings 25:8-10. And in the fifth month, on the seventh day of the month (which was the nineteenth year of King Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon), Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard, a servant of the king of Babylon, came to Jerusalem. He burned the house of the Lord and the king´s house; all the houses of Jerusalem, that is, all the houses of the great, he burned with fire. And all the army of the Chaldeans who were with the captain of the guard broke down the walls of Jerusalem all around.
2 Kings 25:11.12. Then Nebuzaradan the captain of the guard carried away captive the rest of the people who remained in the city and the defectors who had deserted to the king of Babylon, with the rest of the multitude. But the captain of the guard left some of the poor of the land as vinedressers and farmers.
2 Kings 25:26. And all the people small and great, and the captains of the armies, arose and went to Egypt; for they were afraid of the Chaldeans.
How long did the Israelites from Judah and Jerusalem remain captive in Babylon?
Jeremiah 25:11. And this whole land shall be a desolation and an astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.
Jeremiah 29:10. For thus says the Lord: After seventy years are completed at Babylon, I will visit you and perform my good word toward you, and cause you to return to this place.
When was the command given to restore and build Jerusalem again after 70 years?
There were a few commands to restore and build Jerusalem.
- Ezra 1:1-4. 537 B.C. by king Cyrus of Persia. “The first large group of exiles returned from Babylon, led by Zerubbabel. This was probably in 536 B.C., which was 70 years, inclusive, from the 1st deportation in 605 B.C. Immediately they set out to rebuild the Temple, but experienced so much opposition from the Samaritans, and other difficulties, that their work did not really get into full swing until the 2nd year of Darius I. 520/19 B.C.”[2]
- Ezra 6:1-12. 520 B.C. by Darius I.
- Ezra 7:1.6. by king Artaxerxes king of Persia. “In the 7th year of Artaxerxes I, Ezra was authorized to take a 2nd group of exiles to Jerusalem. He reorganized the province and set up an administration, based on Jewish law in 457 B.C.”[3]
- Nehemiah 2:1.6. by Artaxerxes king of Persia. “Nehemiah succeeded in having himself appointed as governor by Artaxerexes I. He went to Jerusalem in 444 B.C. and completed the rebuilding and repair work in a few weeks in spite of many hindrances.”[4]
It was the decree by Artaxerxes I in 457 B.C. we are interested in, because it gives the Jewish state full autonomy, subject to Persian over lordship. So the beginning date to restore and build Jerusalem was in 457 B.C.
Dan 9:25. Until Messiah the Prince.
In the Hebrew it says, “until the anointed one the Prince.”
Why the discrepancy between the two: Messiah and the anointed one? Because the Hebrew word “mashiac” sounds like Messiah. But the meaning is the anointed one. “Meshiac” comes from the verb “mashac” which is used for the anointed High Priest during the services in the tabernacle. Lev 4:3.5.16.
Jesus Christ was also anointed as High Priest at his baptism. Luk 3:21.22. 4:18. Acts 10:38. Heb 4:14. 8:1.2. Therefore, the anointed one the Prince refers to none other than Jesus Christ.
Dan 9:25. There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
Seven weeks is equal to 49 days. 49 days in prophecy is equal to 49 years. The beginning of the 49 years was in 457 B.C.
What happened during the 49 years?
There was a command to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. The street (open square in Hebrew) and the wall shall be built even in troublous times. The open square could be the space or area inside the walls of Jerusalem, which would include the building of houses and streets.
Why did the building take place during troublous times?
Because the Samaritans who replaced the Israelites in the land of Israel, became the enemies of the returning exiles and tried to prevent them from rebuilding the city.
2 Kings 17:6. In the ninth year of Hoshea, the king of Assyria took Samaria and carried Israel away to Assyria, and placed them in Halah, and by the Habor, the river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes.
2 Kings 17:24. Then the king of Assyria brought people from Babylon, Cuthah, Ava, Hamath and from Sepharvaim, and replaced them instead of the children of Israel; they took possession of Samaria and dwelt in its cities.
2 Kings 17:33. These people feared the Lord yet served their own gods – according to the rituals of the nations from among whom they were carried away.
What did these Samaritans do to the returning exiles from Babylon?
Ezra 4:1-5. When the people of Judah started building the walls of Jerusalem the Samaritans asked if they could help. Zerubbabel refused their help because they worshipped other gods. Verses 4.5. Then the people of the land tried to discourage the people of Judah. They troubled them in building and hired counselors against them to frustrate their purpose all the days of Cyrus the king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia.
Nehemiah 4:1-23. Verse 1. The leaders of Judah´s enemies called Sanballat heard that we were rebuilding the wall, that he was furious and very indignant, and mocked the Jews. Verse 7. Now it happened when Sanballat, Tobeah, the Arabs, the Ammonites, and the Ashdodites heard that the walls of Jerusalem were being restored and the gaps were beginning to be closed, that they became very angry. Verse 8. And all of them conspired together to come and attack Jerusalem and create confusion. Verse 13. Therefore, I (Nehemiah) positioned men behind the lower parts of the wall, at the openings; and I set the people according to their families, with their swords, their spears, and their bows.
Nehemiah 6:15. So the wall was finished on the twenty-fifth day of Elal, in fifty-two days.
“According to the Jewish calendar followed by Nehemiah, Elal 25 in the 20th year of Artaxerxes was approximately September 21, 444 B.C.”[5]
Although the walls were finished there were no houses built inside the city walls.
Nehemiah 7:4. Now the city was large and spacious, but the people in it were few, and the houses were not built.
Nehemiah 11:1.18. Now the leaders of the people dwelt at Jerusalem; the rest of the people cast lots to bring one out of ten to dwell in Jerusalem, the holy city, and nine-tenths were to dwell in other cities. All the Levites in the holy city were two hundred and eighty-four.
Dan 9:25. “There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.”
We have dealt with the seven weeks. Now we shall look at the sixty-two weeks prophecy.
The starting point of the seven and sixty-two prophecy is 457 B.C. This was the command to restore and build Jerusalem.
How many days are there in sixty-two weeks? There are 434 days. These would be 434 years in prophecy. When counting 434 years from the date 457 B.C., we must remember that the years decrease and not increase when using B.C. Fx. 457 B.C., 456 B.C., 454 B.C., 453 B.C etc.
Another point to remember is that when we come to the change over from B.C. to A.D we miss a year. Fx. B.C. 5.4.3.2. 1. 2.3.4.5. A.D. The year 1 becomes both B.C. and A.D.
Dan 9:25 says “There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.” Seven weeks added on to sixty-two weeks gives us sixty-nine weeks. These weeks gives us a total of 483 days or years in prophecy. When we add 438 years to 457 B.C. it gives us a date A.D. 27.
What happened in A.D. 27?
The text says in Dan 9:25 from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem (that is from 457 B.C) until the Messiah the Prince (that is Jesus Christ).
What happened to Jesus Christ in A.D. 27?
He was baptized by immersion in the river Jordan by John the Baptist. Matt 3:13-17.
Jesus Christ was also anointed as High Priest to his ministry in A.D. 27. Luk 3:21.22. 4:18. Acts 10:38. Hebrews 4:14. 8:1.2.
Here is a prophecy using dates to prove 100% that Jesus Christ is the Messiah and was anointed High Priest to the heavenly sanctuary. The Bible does not say that we shall come to any other priest to receive forgiveness of sins and go to confession. Christ is the only priest in the heavenly sanctuary we can come to, to receive forgiveness of sins. 1 John 1:9.
This verse in Dan 9:25 is the beginning of the transfer of the earthly sanctuary ministry to the heavenly sanctuary ministry. From the earthly priesthood in Jerusalem to the heavenly priesthood of Christ.
[1] Siegfried H. Horn, Seventh-day Adventist Bible Dictionary Vol 8 (Washington D.C.: Review & Herald Pub., Assoc., 1979), 577.
[2] Ibid., 577.
[3] Ibid., 577.
[4] Ibid., 577.
[5] Francis D. Nichol, Edit., The Seventh-day Adventist Bible Commentary Vol 3 (Washington D.C.: Review & Herald Pub., Assoc., 1977), 419.