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This prophecy of the 70 times 7 or 70 weeks or 490 years comes
at the end of a time of intense prayer and intercession by Daniel
for his people and there sin which had caused the exile from Jerusalem,
its desolation and the desecration of the temple,-" the abomination
which causes desolation."
Daniel is shown that the answer is coming and the prophecy of
Jeremiah, that the exile would be for 70 years only is true, but
although they will return and rebuild the city and the temple,
it will all happen again at a later date.
This period of time, 490 years, is divided into three main periods
with a fourth period of a "week" divided again into two
equal parts (the word used that is translated "midst" does
mean the middle.
This period of time is to bring about 7 things:-
- To shut up the transgression
- To seal up sins i.e. to bring an end to sins, or an end of
sacrifice would come about. The word in Hebrew for sin can be
the same as that for sin-offering. It can also mean failure - " to
miss the mark" . This speaks of the new covenant needed
because the people failed to keep worshipping only God.
- To cover iniquity. The word for cover means to forgive or atone
for. It is the same root as the Kippas worn by men, Yom Kippur
(day of atonement) and the mercy seat were the sins of Israel
were atoned for once a year. The word for iniquity means perverseness
or wickedness.
- To bring in righteousness everlasting - means justification
or deliverance.
- To seal up vision.
- To seal up prophecy.
- To anoint the holy of holies- meaning the most holy, consecrated
or set apart. kings, priests, prophets and parts of the tabernacle
were anointed.
Verse 27 says the covenant is strengthened for one week. The word
used means to make valid or stronger - it is more than just confirming.
It seems the lord who comes destroys the people and the temple
again, by his own people. That is how it comes over in the Hebrew..
If this is so then it is not a reference to the antichrist's activities
(although Antiochus Epiphanies did desecrate the temple and it
was purified again after about three and a half years, but he did
not destroy the temple.) It was much later at AD70 that it was
destroyed. At that time Josephus tells the warring factions in
Jerusalem ended up fighting in the temple area and the Jews themselves
set fire to a connection with the fortress of Antonia next door
to prevent the Romans coming through that way. The Roman leader
tried to stop the soldiers firing the temple itself. The intense
heat melted the gold and it ran into the cracks in the stone and
they were pulled apart to get it out after.
This prophecy is telling of a time to bring about the end for
priest and temple.
The first 49 years is the time taken to rebuild the temple after
the exile, this being 7x7 is a perfect number, but the next period
of 62 weeks is not.
This is an interesting number of years,434, being about the time
the nation was forming in Egypt, and the time in the land until
David completed the forming of the land, and the temple built,
and now a time revealed to Daniel as that from the reforming of
the nation and land and temple until its ending again.
This period unto the Messiah who is cut off does bring us to the
time of Jesus, but also to the time the temple was destroyed and
the priesthood ended in AD70.
The word "unto" more commonly means a long time, during
a testifying or witnessing. The High priest was also anointed (see
end of Exodus) As there were no kings after the exile the High
priest was the leader or prince of the Jews then. So it could mean
it was his ministry that was cut off at the end of that time.
Yet the covenant would be strengthened ; as God would keep His
promise to Jeremiah and Ezekiel to put His laws in the hearts of
His people to enable them to keep them without the visual aids
of the temple and priest and ritual.
This would explain why the New Testament writers did not use Daniel
9 that Jesus was the Messiah awaited who would be cut off i.e.
die. Why, then do people insist on using it today in such a way?
It must puzzle Jews confronted with it in tracts etc. who know
their scriptures!
Jesus did warn of a time coming when the temple would be destroyed
and they would worship only in spirit and in truth (John chapter
4).
next section : Who was Jesus? - The Life of Jesus
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