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Daniel 9:24 NASB
24 “Seventy [a]weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to [b]finish the wrongdoing, to [c]make an end of sin, to make atonement for guilt, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy Place.
Not so fast - the word "place" does not appear in the Hebrew text - the Hebrew only says, "anoint most holy". Further, another five things were to occur as well.
Notice that from the beginning of Daniel’s prayer in Dan 9, Daniel is concerned for (a) the “desolation of Jerusalem” (V2), and, (b) the people of the covenant who have been unfaithful (V4-6). This is again summarised in V19 where Daniel pleads: “O Lord, listen! O Lord, forgive! O Lord, hear and act! For Your sake, O my God, do not delay, because Your city and Your people bear Your name.” It will be seen shortly, that two-fold purpose of the Daniel’s confessional prayer is answered with a two-fold response involving the city and the people of the covenant.
Let us begin with the literary structure of the passage.
Literary Structure
A simplified literary structure of Dan 9:24-27 looks something like this:
70 weeks are determined for
A: Your people [2 word phrase]
. B: Your Holy City [3 word phrase]
A: Finish the-transgression, end sin, expiate iniquity [2 word phrases]
. B: Introduce eternal righteousness, seal vision & prophecy, anoint most holy [3 word phrases]
A: From the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem till Messiah – 7 weeks + 62 weeks
. B: Rebuilt in times of trouble
A: After 62 weeks Messiah cut off and will have nothing
. B: People of prince destroy city & sanctuary, end like a flood, war & desolations
A: He confirms covenant with many for 1 week, cut off mid-week & stops sacrifice & offering
. B: On the wing will come abomination that makes desolate until the end
Without getting into a detailed exposition of this Messianic prophecy, anointing the most holy refers to anointing Messiah, ie, at His baptism which initiated His earthly ministry, as per Luke 3.
The Hebrew word "נֶחְתַּ֥ךְ" (neḥ·taḵ), translated as "decreed" in the NASB, means to be determined, be settled, be marked out. However, we look for a decree to indicate the start of the time period based on the following verse:
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. (Daniel 9:25)
That commandment, recorded in Ezra 7, was most fully given by Artaxerxes in his seventh year (vs. 7). The command broadly applied to the rebuilding of Jerusalem, but especially was the temple's rebuilding a focus of this commandment.
Whatsoever is commanded by the God of heaven, let it be diligently done for the house of the God of heaven: for why should there be wrath against the realm of the king and his sons? (Ezra 7:23)
Because the reign of Artaxerxes is well established in history, the date of this proclamation is known to have been in 457 B.C. However, if we understand the prophecy, we can calculate back to that date ourselves from its endpoint.
Prophetic years in the Bible were represented by days. The book of Daniel was written in multiple languages, but this part is actually Hebrew, and in Hebrew the word for "day" ("יוֹם", yowm) could also mean "time" or "year." So it was natural for the Hebrew mindset to link the concepts of day and year. And God used this parallelism to apply His prophetic times, where He appoints a day to represent a year.
After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise. (Numbers 14:34)
For I have laid upon thee the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, three hundred and ninety days: so shalt thou bear the iniquity of the house of Israel. And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year. (Ezekiel 4:5-6)
These verses demonstrate the Biblical day-for-year principle that is used in prophecy, and in Revelation parallel times are given showing the same principle. When we apply this to the prophecy given in Daniel 9, the math is simple.
70 weeks = 490 days --> 490 years
But the last week is "cut off" from this time period, or set apart.
Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. (vss. 25-26)
Seven weeks and threescore and two weeks = 69 weeks
(Remember that a score is 20.)
69 weeks = 483 days --> 483 years
From the time of the commandment to the coming of the Messiah was to be 483 years. In the midst of that last week (see vs. 27, below) that is set apart from the the others (70 - 1 = 69), the Messiah is to be "cut off." That's a Hebrew euphemism for being killed.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. (Daniel 9:27)
When Jesus was crucified, that ended the law of sacrifices. The veil in the temple was supernaturally rent, top to bottom, to indicate this, as described in the gospels.
And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent; (Matthew 27:51)
And the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom. (Mark 15:38)
And the sun was darkened, and the veil of the temple was rent in the midst. (Luke 23:45)
This was prophesied to occur "in the midst of the week." Since one week represents seven years of time, the middle of the week would have three and a half years to either side. Jesus ministered for three and a half years. Following this, there were yet three and a half years' time granted to the Jews until A.D. 34 when the gospel went from them to the Gentiles, as marked by their rejection of it at the stoning of Stephen.
As I understand the prophecy, it was Christ's atonement, Christ's blood, which "anointed" the Most Holy Place.
Daniel 9:24 שבעים שבעים נחתך על עמך ועל עיר קדשך לכלא הפשע ולחתם חטאות ולכפר עון ולהביא צדק עלמים ולחתם חזון ונביא ולמשח קדש קדשים׃
And to anoint the Most Holy, קדש קדשים kodesh kodashim, "the Holy of holies." משח mashach, to anoint. Commentary's are divided if this was a future event to be taken literally (e.g Millenium era) or to be taken spiritually.
The arc of the covenant which without their is no holy of holies was lost/hidden at the Babylonian invasion, the same time as prophet Daniel was taken to Babylon. When he write this the arc is gone and their is no holy of holies, the question is what did Daniel see in his vision given from God?
First Advent fulfilment;
The majority shear the spiritual aspect that through the cross, Christ finished the transgression of His people Israel and made an end to sin.
He Himself is the atoning sacrifice for our sins, and not only for ours but also for the sins of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 - Berean Study Bible)
In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of His grace. (Eph 1:7 - BSB)
Ron Wyatt even dear to claim, that at the crucifixion the blood of Jesus poured down trough a crack in the mountain that occurred when the earth was shaken, and atoned the arc, that was hidden below him Golgotha. Ron Wyatt - The Ark of the Covenant
50 When Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, He yielded up His spirit. 51 At that moment the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth quaked and the rocks were split. 52 The tombs broke open, and the bodies of many saints who had fallen asleep were raised. (Matthew 27:50-52 - BSB)
Instead, one of the soldiers pierced His side with a spear, and immediately blood and water flowed out. (John 19:34 - BSB)
Second Advent fulfilment;
A minority believe in a literally fulfilment of the atoning in the Holy of holies, Those lean to a millenium fulminant of Daniel 9:24 from to Ezekiel 40-48 (see also; Isaiah 56:7, 66:20-23, Zechariah 14:16-21).
17 It shall be the prince's duty to furnish the burnt offerings, grain offerings, and drink offerings, at the feasts, the new moons, and the Sabbaths, all the appointed feasts of the house of Israel: he shall provide the sin offerings, grain offerings, burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to make atonement (H3722) on behalf of the house of Israel. 18 “Thus says the Lord God: In the first month, on the first day of the month, you shall take a bull from the herd without blemish, and purify the sanctuary. 19 The priest shall take some of the blood of the sin offering and put it on the doorposts of the temple, the four corners of the ledge of the altar, and the posts of the gate of the inner court. 20 You shall do the same on the seventh day of the month for anyone who has sinned through error or ignorance; so you shall make atonement (H3722) for the temple. (Ezekiel 45:17-20 - ESV)
(H3722) כָּפַר kāp̄ar - to cover, purge, make an atonement, make reconciliation
and that through His Second Advent, the millennial rule and eternal kingdom that Christ will bring in everlasting righteousness and will one day finally deliver up the kingdom to God the Father, after having destroyed every rule; authority; principality and power.
The destruction of the Temple in AD 70 is prophesied in Dan. 9:24-27 and Mt. 24/Lk. 21. When the physical old covenant temple was destroyed in AD 70 a new covenant spiritual Most Holy Place one would be complete and replace it. We see that in Rev. 21:16 having come down to earth at the “soon” coming of Christ in AD 70 (Rev. 21:16–22:7, 10, 20). The MHP New Jerusalem is also the Bride that is anointed on the wedding. That’s how I exegetes this in my book, “Armageddon Deception….” Hope that helps.
But AD 70 was also the time that the office of prophet would be stopped, so if it is referring to the OC priesthood stopping at that point - that makes sense as well.
