The Greatest Prophecy Ever Foretold :: By James Pannafino

Daniel 9:24-27 (Dateline: circa 500 BC)

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.”

• A specific time period of “seventy sevens” or 490 years (70 x 7=490) is given to Daniel for the completion of this prophecy. (Note: Heb. ‘shabua’ simply means seven.)
• Notice who it is directed to – “your people” – or specifically the Jewish nation (cf. v.16).
• Notice that it speaks of “your holy city” that is at the epicenter of this prophecy, referring to Jerusalem (cf. v.16).
• Also, take note that this is clearly referring to a future event that would be understood as the unprecedented culmination of world history as we know it.

25 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One (Heb. Messiah), 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.”

• We are commanded (as Daniel was) to “know and understand” the words of this very important prophecy from the Lord.
• The prophetical launch begins with a certain “decree”: This prophecy of the coming Messiah is both remarkable and extremely precise. There were other orders to rebuild the Temple, but there was only one commandment to restore Jerusalem and its wall. On March 14th, 445 BC, as confirmed by modern archaeology, King Artaxerxes I of Persia issued the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem and specifically included its wall. (See Nehemiah 2:2-9 … the book of Nehemiah records this account of rebuilding the city and its wall.)
• This portion of Daniel’s prophecy totals 69 ‘weeks’ or sevens (shabua) of years. Chronologically, this totals 173,880 days.
• The long-awaited Messiah Savior would arrive and publicly be received by His people on this date.
• On April 1, 32 AD (10 Nissan Heb. calendar), Jesus was declared and proclaimed for the first time in a public setting to be the Messiah… exactly as foretold!

26 “After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be cut off and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed.” 


• Immediately following this fulfillment, the Messiah would be “cut off” (the Heb. karath literally means “executed”).
• It would appear to be an absolute defeat (i.e., “have nothing”).
• The “people of the ruler who will come” refers to the Roman Empire and its leaders. In 70 AD, General Titus brought in the armies of Rome and destroyed Jerusalem.
• The Jewish nation was crushed, and the people were either killed or scattered throughout the world.

27 “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing [of the temple] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”

• The “He” is the “ruler” of v. 26… it is this ruler (aka, ‘the Antichrist’) who would bring a “covenant” or peace treaty to a reestablished nation of Israel in the last days.
• This final completion of Daniel’s prophecy is referring to the missing “seven” or 7 years (cf. v.24). This is often spoken of as the “70th week of Daniel.”
• Notice that this “ruler” is also identified as the “man of lawlessness” (2 Thess. 2:3-4), and he breaks this peace “covenant” midway (after 3.5 years) into this final 7-year period (called the ‘Great Tribulation’).
• It is at the end of this time (with the completion of Daniel’s prophecy) that Jesus returns to this earth to bring in His “everlasting” peace.

For more information on Bible prophecy, go to PerspectiveInProphecy.com.

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