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Daniel 9:24-27 Daniel tells of the comming of the messiah Jesus. This was a prophecy and the Magi or wise men read the prophecy and identified the Mesiah well in advance. This proves that for men of faith prophecy is fact not mere speculation. Jesus told Thomas, ""more blessed is he that belives without first seeing"". I have posted an article by Pastor David Bay for you to read which explains in detail the prophecy of Jesus's comming.

THE UNPARALLELED PRECISE PROPHECY

Daniel 9:24-26, ""Seventy weeks of years, or 490 years are decreed upon your people and upon your holy city Jerusalem, to finish and put an end to transgression, to seal up and make full the measure of sin, to purge away and make expiation and reconciliation for sin, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint a holy of holies. Know, therefore, and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem until the coming of the anointed one, a prince, shall be seven weeks of years, and sixty-two weeks of years; it shall be built again with city square and moat, but in troublous times. And after the 62 weeks of years, shall the anointed one be cut off (killed) and shall have nothing and no one belonging to and defending Him...""

The remaining one week is found in verse 27, and refers to the last seven years of earth's history, the period which we know as the ""Great Tribulation"".

The term ""Weeks of Years"" was a common Jewish term. It meant literally seven (7) years. The term comes from God's commandment in Leviticus 25:3-4 to farm a piece of land for only six years, allowing it to lie fallow for the seventh. This seven-year period came to be known as a ""week of years"". Therefore, Seventy Weeks of Years was 490 Hebrew years.

Note this prophecy contains three parts:

    1. 7 Weeks of Years (49 Hebrew Years)

    2. 62 Weeks of Years (434 Hebrew Years)

    3. 1 Week of Years (7 Hebrew Years)

At the precise point in history when the 7 + 62 Weeks of Years occurred, Israel could expect Messiah to announce Himself as Messiah. What great news! This means that Israel could not miss Messiah. All they had to do was to count, be cognizant of current events in Israel as they unfolded, and be aware of this prophecy.

This study will show us several things:

    1. Why the Wise Men knew the time for Messiah was close.

    2. Why Israel missed Messiah.

    3. How this applies to us today.

Let us now consider the meaning of the prophecy.

I. The Duration of the Prophecy

This prophecy stipulated that Messiah would be presented to Israel and would be killed after 69 weeks of years had elapsed from the specified starting point. When we multiply 69 times 7, we understand that the time involved here equals 483 Jewish years. Since the Jewish calendar contains 360 days, we can easily see that God is talking about 173,880 days. Therefore, we can expect that 173,880 days after the prophecy started, the Messiah would present Himself to Israel as Messiah-King.

II. The Starting Point of the Prophecy (Daniel 9:25a)

In this verse , God said the prophecy would begin ""from the going forth (the issuing) of the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem..."" At the time God gave Daniel this prophecy, Israel was a slave nation under Babylon; however, God had foretold that this slavery would last only 70 years. This 70-year period was rapidly coming to a close; indeed, non-Jewish history records that the Medo-Persian emperor Artaxerxes issued such a decree on March 14, 445 B.C. Therefore, precisely 173,880 days from this day should bring us to some significant event in Jesus' life which presented Him to the nation Israel as Messiah.

III. The Mathematics Of The Prophecy

A. The First Seven Weeks (49 Jewish Years)

If you study the book of Nehemiah, you will find the account of the Jewish pilgrimage to rebuild Jerusalem following King Artaxerxes' decree. The prophet Nehemiah assumed charge of this rebuilding effort, which was carried out in such extreme hardship and danger that the builders carried swords with them as they were building the walls. Thus was fulfilled precisely the prophecy in verse 25b,""...it shall be built again with city square and moat, but in troublous times.""

This effort began in 445 B.C. and culminated in 396 B.C., exactly 49 years, just as foretold.

B. The Second Period (62 Weeks of Years, 434 years)

Daniel 9:26 foretells that the ""anointed One"" would come after this period and would then be killed. This wording is understood by most conservative scholars to refer to Jesus Christ, not at His birth, but at His presentation as the Messiah-Prince. (2) ""