Segment 6 - Daniel 9
“God’s Timing Is So Perfect”
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“… Who foretold this long ago, who declared it from the
the distant past? Was it not I, the Lord? And there is no God
apart from me, a righteous God and Savior; there is none but me.”
Isaiah 45:21

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Work with Me!

I call God’s objectives for the seventy weeks “Plan B.” Israel was in captivity because it had ruined “Plan A.” If the new Israel cooperated with God, He would bring an end to sin and establish His kingdom on Earth at the end of the seventy weeks. If Israel failed to cooperate, God promised to destroy Jerusalem and displace Israel with a “new” Israel, starting over again. One might call the next plan, “Plan C.” Remember Gabriel’s words: “Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.” (Daniel 9:24, KJV) The objectives presented in this verse are very similar to the objectives God gave Israel (“Plan A”) before entering the Promised Land, but the essential difference is timing. In Daniel 9:24, God declared that He was ready to bring in everlasting righteousness within 490 years of a particular decree! Talk about excitement! Of course, God’s objectives could only be met if Israel allowed the Holy Spirit to have dominion in the hearts of the majority of its citizens. God said, “Work with me and see what I will do through you!” If Israel had cooperated with Him, God would have accomplished four amazing things:

1. The nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem would have risen from its ashes and flourished above all nations as an example of God’s redemption. (God gave numerous prophecies about Israel’s restoration and prominent role to Daniel’s contemporary, Ezekiel. If Israel had cooperated with God, the prophecies of Ezekiel would have been fulfilled. This is a key point that will be discussed further at the end of this segment, because this point is connected to the 2,300-days prophecy.) Israel’s redemption and release from captivity were to be a pattern of salvation, giving hope to all nations of the world that God would redeem everyone and free them from the captivity of sin and rebellion if they loved Him. The exciting news that God gave to Daniel was that all this could occur within seventy weeks of years. Think of it! God had allotted the remaining time for sin and rebellion on Earth to be a mere 490 years, but only if Israel cooperated! It is such a tragedy to discover that each generation in Israel cared less and less about this amazing opportunity as the 490 years rolled by.

2. God promised to send His Sacrifice, the Lamb of God, and offer Him up for sin within 490 years. The Savior of the world would appear, and He would die in the middle year of the seventieth week. Afterwards, Jesus would usher in everlasting righteousness, but only if Israel cooperated.

3. If Israel cooperated with God, they would have had the privilege of anointing “The Most Holy.” The term, “anointing the most holy,” is a Hebraic concept that refers to anointing the most holy officer in Israel, the high priest. (Exodus 29:21; Leviticus 4:3; Leviticus 8:30)  Even though Israel had long anticipated the birth of Messiah (the word Messiah means the Anointed One), God told Israel they would have the privilege of anointing the Messiah! Tragically, He came unto His own and His own did not receive Him. (John 1:11) Therefore, the Holy Spirit anointed Jesus at His baptism. (Mark 1:10; Luke 4:18)

4. The fourth objective was an amazing promise. If Israel cooperated, God promised to seal up this vision and all other prophecies in the book of Daniel, because these prophecies would not come to pass. In other words, if the new Israel cooperated with God so that “Plan B” could be fulfilled, the course of human history would unfold a promised under the original plan. This is a very important point to understand. Once implemented, Daniel’s prophecies became unconditional. This means they are not subject to man’s cooperation to be fulfilled. The Rock in Daniel 2 will hit the ten kings and destroy them. The little horn power of Daniel 7 would appear and persecute the saints. The goat would overrun the ram in Daniel 8, etc. The point is that if the new Israel cooperated with God, He would seal up these visions and prophecies given to Daniel, and their contents would never be known or implemented. Notice what God is doing. God spoke to Ezekiel at the same time He spoke to Daniel, and God promised a grand and glorious future for Israel if they would cooperate with Him. The prophecies of Ezekiel were conditional. Israel would be marvelously blessed if they chose to cooperate with God. However, if Israel did not cooperate, then Daniel’s vision and prophecies would be fulfilled. You must see the larger picture of what God is doing to appreciate the contrasting massages that God sent to Daniel and Ezekiel.

Always Starting Over

These four objectives have profound significance, because they show God’s intentions if Israel would cooperate with Him. The prophecies of Jeremiah, Isaiah, and other prophets pointed to a grand fulfillment of “Plan A.” Unfortunately, Israel did not cooperate. Therefore, God destroyed His temple, people and city. After seventy years in Babylon, God offered a new Israel “Plan B,” promising to fulfill it within 490 years! It is hard to believe, but the new Israel failed, too. They rejected God and they rejected God’s Son. (Luke 20: 9-19; John 1; Romans 9-11) Therefore, God destroyed His temple, people and city a final time in A.D. 70. (There is another seventy – A.D. 70!) Mercifully, God started again with plan “Plan C.” Under this plan, God redefined Israel. Israel includes anyone who will believe in His Son, Jesus Christ. (Ephesians 2, Galatians 3) Under “Plan C,” there is a new covenant that is even better than the former covenant.

If I were to identify the primary reason for so much prophetic confusion among Christians today, it would have to be this: Scholars are still trying to figure out ways for God to fulfill the many Old Testament prophecies that belong to “Plan A” and “Plan B.” However, these scholars are wasting their efforts because God has implemented “Plan  C.” Instead of looking forward to a rebuilt temple in old Jerusalem, we should be looking forward to a rebuilt Jerusalem that comes from God out of Heaven. The exciting news is that there will be no temple in the New Jerusalem because the Father and the Lamb will be among their people. (Revelation 21:2,22) Think about this: If Israel had cooperated with God during the 490 years, there would have been no need for a Second Coming. Nowhere in the Old Testament, other than the book of Daniel, is there a mention of a Second Coming. Instead, God would have established His kingdom on Earth at the end of the 490 years! Sin would have ended and everlasting righteousness would have begun.

Back to Gabriel’s Statements, Numbers 2 and 3

“Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble.” (Daniel 9:25)

Four decrees were issued for the restoration of Jerusalem. Cyrus gave the first decree in the Friday year of 536 B.C. (Ezra 1) Darius gave the second decree in the Monday year of 519 B.C. (Ezra 6) Artexerxes gave the third and fourth decrees in the Sunday year of 457 and the Sabbath year of 444 B.C. (Ezra 7 and Nehemiah 2, respectively) Remember that God used the word ‘weeks” instead of years to indicate the synchrony for this all important decree with His weekly cycle of years established at the Exodus. In verse 25, Gabriel adds another specification that identifies which of the four decrees God will use to count off the seventy weeks: “From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘weeks’ and sixty-two ‘weeks….’” With these words, Gabriel points to the public ministry of Messiah. Gabriel used seven weeks and sixty-two weeks to highlight the all-important synchrony of a decree that would occur in a Sunday year and at the beginning of a Jubilee cycle of seven weeks. (See Chart 6.5) By separating the 69 weeks into smaller pieces – the first of which was a Jubilee cycle, God was doing everything He could to help Israel identify the right decree. Notice how this works: In verse 24, God points to a decree that occurs on a Sunday year by using the words “seventy weeks.” (Weeks always begin with a Sunday year.) In verse 25, God indicates the decree will occur at the beginning of “seven weeks” or 49 years. A seven-week cycle is a Jubilee cycle of forty-nine years and it always begins with Sunday year. Only one of the four decrees meets this specification. The decree in 457 B.C. occurred in a Sunday year, which also happens to start a new cycle of seven weeks (Jubilee cycle). Incidentally, if 457 B.C. is a Jubilee year, so is 702 B.C., the only Jubilee year mentioned in the Bible. (Isaiah 37:30) God uses language so plain that wise men from Ur figured it out! However, the religious leaders in Jerusalem never did figure it out. Religion can be so blinding.

Great Clocks from God discusses the year of the Exodus (1437 B.C.) and many other issues that accompany this topic. Please go to the reading room and click on to Great Clocks from God. For this study, just consider the possibility that 457 B.C. is a Sunday year and 457 B.C. is the first year of a Jubilee cycle. From the Bible we learn that on or about the very first day of the first month of the year of Jubilee (Nissan 1), King Artaxerxes issued a decree providing for the refurbishing of Jerusalem and its temple. (Ezra 7)  We also know that Ezra left Babylon with the decree in his hand on Nissan 12, the twelfth day of the first month! (Ezra 8:31)

Look at Chart 6.5 and count off the “seven weeks” which Gabriel mentioned (457 – 409 B.C.). Notice that the first week of the “sixty-two weeks” Gabriel mentioned began with 408 B.C., and if this chart extended long enough, the 69^th week would end with the Sabbath year of A.D. 26. Notice that 457 B.C. is both a Sunday year and a Year of Jubilee. (Remember, the Year of Jubilee is the fiftieth year of the old Jubilee cycle, and it is also the first year of the new Jubilee cycle.) None of the other decrees to restore and rebuild Jerusalem can satisfy the synchrony that God indicates in Daniel 9. Therefore, none of the other decrees can meet the “seven weeks and sixty-two weeks” requirements that Gabriel specified. If this information does not convince the reader, history proves these three decrees cannot meet the Daniel 9 specifications either.  Here’s how:

If 457 B.C. is the correct decree and it marks the beginning of the seventy weeks, then we should expect the appearing of Messiah “seven and sixty-to weeks later” (69 x 7 = 483 years), in the Sunday year of A.D. 27. History precisely confirms this to be the case! Jesus waited until His thirtieth birthday, which occurred in the Fall of A.D. 27., to begin His ministry. Notice how Luke documents the year of Jesus baptism: “In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar – when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, Herod tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and Traconitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene…. The people were waiting expectantly and were all wondering in their hearts if John might possibly be the Christ.” (Luke 3:1,15) Have you wondered why people thought John the Baptist might be the Christ? I believe people were expecting Christ because they knew that 483 years had lapsed since the decree of Artaxerxes. The year had come for the messiah to appear and John the Baptist; a forerunner of Messiah was attracting a lot of attention because the power of the Holy Spirit rested upon him. (Luke 1:17) Within this context Luke wrote, “When all the people were being baptized, Jesus was baptized too. And as he was praying, heaven was opened and the Holy Spirit descended on him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven: ‘You are my Son, whom I love; with you I am well pleased.’ Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry….” (Luke 3:21-23)

Tiberius and A.D. 27

Some scholars claim that the fifteenth year of Tiberius cannot be A.D. 27., but it was the fifteenth year of the Jews! The Romans did not date Caesar’s rule with regnal years. Rather, the official count of years in roman service was determined by the years Tiberius held tribunician power. Therefore, A.D. 14 would have been the 33rd or 34^th year of Tiberius’ tribunician power (Tiberius was granted power as a member of the tribune in 6 B.C.) I raise this point because Luke dates the fifteenth year of Tiberius according to Jewish tradition, not Roman tradition. The fifteenth year of Tiberius, according to Jewish tradition, began in the fall of A.D. 27. Here’s how:

History says that on August 19, A.D. 14, Augustus died. Tiberius maneuvered the Senate for a few weeks and did not allow it to name him emperor for almost a month. On September 17, A.D. 27, Tiberius became the emperor of Rome at age 56. Because this is what history says, we find that Luke follows the Jewish tradition of inclusive dating. This means Luke counted the ascension year of Tiberius as “year 1,” even though the ascension year was just a few days in length before a new civil year began on Tishri 1. Josephus also followed this practice when he dated the reigns of the Herods. (Antiquities xv. 5.2; xvii. 8.1) The Mishnah further confirms this method of Jewish regnal reckoning. (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1.1)

During the time of Christ, the Jews observed a fall-to-fall civil calendar. The first month of this calendar was the seventh month of religious year. It was called Tishri. Therefore, Tiberius ascended to the throne on September 17, A.D. 14, during a Jewish civil year that ended about two months later (November 11, A.D. 14.) Therefore, Luke counted inclusively, ascended to the throne that year. Therefore, the Jews regarded the following civil year Tishri-to-Tishri 1 (November 12, A.D. 14 to October 31, A.D. 15), as the second year of Tiberius’ reign. (See Chart 6.6.)

Luke’s Account: The Reign of Tiberius Caesar

Year   1 = A.D. 14/14 (September 17 – November 11)

Year   2 = A.D. 14/15 (Tishri 1 to Tishri 1)

Year   3 = A.D. 15/16 (Tishri 1 to Tishri 1)

Year   4 = A.D. 16/17 Etc.

Year   5 = A.D. 17/18

Year   6 = A.D. 18/19

Year   7 = A.D. 19/20

Year   8 = A.D. 20/21

Year   9 = A.D. 21/22

Year 10 = A.D. 22/23

Year 11 = A.D. 23/24

Year 12 = A.D. 24/25

Year 13 = A.D. 25/26

Year 14 = A.D. 26/27

Year 15 = A.D. 27/28

Chart 6.6

Chart 6.6 shows Tishri 1 to Tishri 1 (October 19, A.D. 27 through November 6, A.D. 28) as the 15^th year of Tiberius. According to Roman dating, Jewish reckoning and Luke’s report, Jesus was baptized in the fall of A.D. 27, sometime after Tishri 1. (The length of Christ’s public ministry on Earth was almost 32 months.) Just as Gabriel predicted, Jesus arrived at the banks of the Jordan River where John baptized Him. Jesus began His public ministry in the Sunday year of A.D. 27, which is the first year of the seventieth week! This is not the end of the story. To additional facts from history, confirm this synchrony of the Jubilee Calendar. In short, God’s timing is astonishing.

The Wise Men

The story of Jesus’ birth includes a surprising visit by the Magi from the East. Many people do not realize the Magi were careful students of prophecy. Scholars believe they were clergymen from Ur, in the province of Babylon. Evidently, they had discovered and deeply studied Daniel’s writings, as well as other books of the Old Testament. The Magi understood that priests and kings in Israel were typically thirty years of age when thy ascended to authority. (Numbers 4; Genesis 41:46; 1 Samuel 13:1; 2 Samuel 5:4; 1 Chronicles 23:3) Using this information, they determined when the sixty-nine weeks would end. Then, they subtracted thirty years from the calculation to determine the year of Messiah’s birth. When they saw the star appear in the heavens, they knew it was a sign from God.

Think about it. Their round-trip journey to see baby Jesus required them to travel more than a thousand miles over a period of a year. The intensity of their desire to see the Messiah was obvious. Their lavish gifts for baby Jesus reveals a love for God that few Jews could understand. (The gifts from the Magi financially sustained Mary, Joseph, and Jesus during their exile in Egypt when they escaped Herod’s decree to kill all baby boys less than two years of age.) Wise men do not go to these extremes on a whim. Like Simeon and Anna (the elderly prophets of Israel who longed to see Messiah before they died), the wise men longed to see the Savior of the world with their own eyes. Their visit was a powerful affirmation that the decree of Artaxerxes in 457 B.C. is the correct decree for starting the 483-year countdown. Consider their question to King Herod: “Where is the one who had been born king of the Jews? We saw his star in the east and have come to worship him.” (Matthew 2:2) They were not questioning whether the king of the Jews had been born. Perhaps they did not have access to Micah’s writings. If they did, they could have gone directly to Bethlehem. (Micah 5:2) Their presence in Jerusalem at just the right time suggests they understood Daniel 9, since no other prophecy in the Bible pinpoints the time of Messiah’s birth.

How could mere “Gentiles” from a distant land be better informed on the timing of Messiah’s appearing then Jewish Scholars? How did the Samaritan woman at the well know Messiah’s coming was near. She anticipated the appearing of the messiah because she said: “… I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming … when he comes, he will explain everything to us.” (John 4:25) The answer is simple. Centuries earlier, the Lord had said, “You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.” (Jeremiah 29:13) Unfortunately, Jewish scholars were not looking for Jesus. They were caught up in their tiny world of pseudo-scholarship. They had nit-picked the Word of God into so many senseless pieces; they could no longer see the big picture. Even though the religious leaders discussed and debated the prophecies of Daniel between themselves, they could not understand Gabriel’s words. Ironically, the same situation appears to be true today. Scholars still twist and distort Gabriel’s words. Sadly, they have led millions of people to anticipate a non-existent pre-tribulation rapture by tampering with the seventy weeks.

Jesus Died in the Middle of the Seventieth Week!

God’s timing is incredibly perfect. Let us review the facts. First, 457 B.C. aligns with the weekly cycle of years that began operating at the Exodus in 1437 B.C. Second, 457 B.C. aligns with the forty-nine year Jubilee cycles that began operating at the Exodus. Third, Messiah appeared sixty-nine weeks after 457 B.C., in A.D. 27, to be baptized by John the Baptist. Fourth, 457 B.C. was affirmed by the wise men shortly after Jesus was born. The fifth and best proof that 457 B.C. decree is the one indicated in Daniel 9, is the timing of Jesus’ death. Basically, Jesus began His ministry on time and He died on time. The death of Jesus not only confirms the synchrony of the Jubilee Calendar, it also confirms the decree of Artaxerses in 457 B.C. to be the right decree. Paul was aware of this phenomenon: “But when the time had fully come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law… You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly.”  (Galatians 4:4; Romans 5:6, italics mine)

Gabriel’s Statement Number 3

Gabriel said, ‘After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing …. He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the [last] ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering.” (Daniel 9: 26,27, insertion mine) Look ahead to Chart 6.7. Notice how A.D. 30 is located in the middle of the seventieth week of years. Of course, Christians have no question that Jesus confirmed the covenant that God gave to Adam and Eve, as well as Abraham and his descendants. There should be no doubt in any mind that he put an end to animal sacrifices and ceremonial offerings when He died on the cross. (Colossians 2) Yet, very few Christians realize that Daniel predicted Jesus’ death and Jesus fulfilled Daniel’s prophecy when he died in the middle of the seventieth week!

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