III. The 70 Sevens ( Daniel 9:24).

1. a. 70 x 7 = 490 years to complete the 6 things God promised
2. b. The starting point (Daniel 9:25).
• 1. The issue of the 4 decrees to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.
• 2. 1st decree -Cyrus-(538 B.C., 2 Chronicles 36:22-23, Ezra 1:1-4).
• 3. 2nd decree-Darius I (522 -486 B.C.) in 512 B.C. (Ezra 6:1, 6-12).
  Confirmation of the 1st decree, 2nd decree confirms the 1st decree.
• 4. 3rd decree-Artaxerxes (465-423 B.C.) in 457 B.C.
• 5. The first 2 decrees were the rebuilding of the Temple.
• 6. The 3rd decree was to finance animal sacrifices in the Temple.
• 7. These 3 say nothing of rebuilding the city itself, therefore an unwalled
  city in that time was no threat to military powers.
• 8. The 4th decree was the one that formed the beginning of the 70 "Sevens".
3. c. Artaxerxes issued the 4th decree in March 445 B.C.
4. d. Nehemiah was the cup bearer to Artaxerxes-the cupbearer certified that
   the wine the King drank was not poisoned, therefore, Nehemiah was a
   trusted servant and had an influential rule.
5. e. Granted the Jews permission to build Jerusalem's city walls
6. f. Nehemiah received permission from Artaxerxes to go to Jerusalem to
   rebuild the walls (Nehemiah) 1:1-5).
7. g. This is the decree referred to in Daniel 9:25-"it will be built with plaza
   and moat.
• 1. Plaza or street: large open space inside the gates where business
  was conducted.
• 2. Moat: deep trench outside the wall to protect the city.
8. h. The end goal of the prophecy is the appearance of the Anointed one (Lord
   Jesus Christ, Daniel 9:24).
• 1. The anointing in Daniel 9:24 refers to the anointing of Christ as the
  ruler of His Kingdom (Millennium).
• 2. Daniel 9:24 anointing prophecy does not end with the 1st advent but with the 2nd advent and the establishing of the Millennial Kingdom.
9. i. Until the Messiah, the Prince, there will be 7 weeks and 62 weeks (Daniel 9:25).

IV. Seventy Weeks of Daniel as:

1. ...Understood by Sir Robert Anderson (1841-1918) who wrote The Coming Prince in 1895. He was a lay preacher and Chief of the Criminal Investigation Department in Scotland Yard in 1888. Authored 17 Christian Books.

Daniel 9:24-25 says...

1. that the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah
   there will be 483 years. 7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 groups of seven years.
   7 x 69 = 483 years.
   Anderson sees a prophetic year as 360 days. This is based on the Jewish Lunar
   Calendar (Exodus 12: 2; Rev.11:2-3; Rev. 12:6; Rev. 13:5 which indicate that 42
   months 3 1/2 years are equal to 1,260 days. Therefore, 483 years x 360 days =
   173,880 days. Artaxerxes started his reign in 465 B.C. The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given
   on the first day of Nisan, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes. In our calendar system (the
   Julian calendar) that date is March 14,445 B.C. (Neb. 2:1).

Jesus started His ministry...

1. in the 15th year of Tiberius (see Luke 3:1). Tiberius 1
   started his reign in 14 A.D., so Jesus' ministry started in 29 A.D. Anderson believes
   that Jesus celebrated four Passovers during His ministry, one each in 29, 30, 31 and
   His final Passover in 32. With the help of lunar charts, we can calculate the exact
   date of ancient Passovers, so it is possible to calculate the exact day of Jesus'
   triumphal entry into Jerusalem as April 6, 32 A.D.

From 445 B.C. to 32 A.D.

1. there are 476 years on the Julian calendar (not 477 years,
   because there is no year zero). 476 years x 365 days= 173,740 days. Adjusting for
   the difference between March 14 and April 6 adds 24 days. Adjusting for leap years
   over a period of 476 years adds 116 days. The total number of days from March 14,
   445 B.C. to April 6, 32 A.D.
   
2. 173,740 + 24 + 116 = 173,880 days
4. According to his calendar, Daniel told us there would be 173, 880 days between the
   decree and the arrival of Messiah, the Prince.

Jesus said to the Jews of this day:

1. If you had known, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes    (Read Luke 19:42-44).

V. The Anointed One was Cut Off (Daniel 9:26).

1. 1. Our Lord Jesus Christ was not cut off in the 70th Seven, but after the
   69th Seven.
2. 2. He was cut off after the 7 Sevens + 62 Sevens had run their course.
   (7 x 7) + (62 x 7) = 483 years.
3. 3. Therefore, there is an interval between the 69th Seven and the 70th Seven.
   Christ's crucifixion was in that interval right after His Triumphal Entry
   which concluded on the 69th Seven.
• a. The Lord Jesus Christ anticipated the interval when He prophesied
  the establishing of the Church (Matt. 16: 18).
• b. Setting aside the nation of Israel for a season in order that the Church
  might be instituted (Matt.21 :42-44).

• c. The Church Age is the interval between the 69th week and the 70th
  week.
1. 4. Ministry of John the Baptist; "in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius
   Caesar "(Luke 3:1-3).
• a. Tiberius reigned from 14 A.D. to 37 A.D.
  14 A.D. + 15 years= 29-1 (in the Spring of the 15th, year was not
  completed) = 28 A.D.
  Spring of 28 A.D. -exact year when John the Baptist started his
  ministry.
2. 5. Church Bishop Epiphanes writings were found on the Island of Cyprus
   300-400 A.D. states that John the Baptist baptized the Lord Jesus Christ in the
   summer of 28 A.D.
• Given that... Jesus' ministry spanned over 4 passovers.
• 1. 1st Passover-Spring 29 A.D. -to- 3rd Passover-31 A.D.
• 2. 2nd Passover-Spring 30 A.D. -to- 4th Passover-32 A.D.-crucified
• 6. Lines up with the 69th week prophecy in Daniel written 500 years before
  the Lord Jesus Christ was crucified.
• 7. Church Bishop Epiphanes writings state that the LJC died in the Spring
  of 32 A.D.

VI. Jerusalem and the Sanctuary, Second Temple (Daniel 9:26).

1. 1. 538 B.C. Cyrus ended captivity of the .Jews and Artaxerxes. Carried out
   the decree March 445 B.C. (Ezra, Nehemiah).
2. 2. Upon His Triumphal Entry, Jesus said that the Temple would be destroyed again.
   (Luke 19:37-44).
• a. Jesus wept as He saw the city.
• b. Jesus said "If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes."
3. 3. "the people (Romans) of the prince (Antichrist)"(Daniel 9:26).
• a. 66 A.D. Jewish revolt against the Romans and in 67 A.D. the Romans
  surrounded Jerusalem and in the Summer of 70 A.D. they broke
  through the wall and leveled the Temple and the city to the ground.
• 1. "The 4th Beast-Roman Empire (Daniel 7).
• a. Western ½ of Roman Empire, pt 1,000 years lasted until 476
  A.D.-barbarians broke it up.
• b. Eastern½ of Roman Empire (Byzantine), 2nd 1,000 years,
  lasted until 1453 A.D.-conquered by the Muslim Empire.
• c. The invasion by the Roman Empire did not end the Nation of
  Israel's sufferings.
4. 4. The Leaders rejected the Lord by saying He was of Beelzebul ( of the devil),
   the prince of demons (Matt. 12:24).