Does Daniel 9:24-27 predict the timing of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem?
And if so, which details in Daniel 9:24-27 are fulfilled by Jesus’ triumphal entry? I.e. how does the prophecy of the seventy weeks in Daniel 9:24-27 relate to Jesus’ triumphal entry? Daniel 9:24 “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 Place. 25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, 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. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death 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. 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 at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”
Anonymous
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Jack Gutknecht
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I had Dr. Harold Hoehner at Dallas Theological Seminary in Dallas, Texas for a professor. Dr. Harold Hoehner was a Distinguished Professor of New Testament Studies at Dallas Theological Seminary (DTS) who taught for 42 years, served as Director of Ph.D. Studies and chairman of the New Testament department, and is known for his work on biblical chronology and his magnum opus, the commentary Ephesians: An Exegetical Commentary. This is his greatest single scholarly work, the culmination of his decades of research and teaching. He taught us New Testament Introduction and a class on Ephesians in Greek. His view is included here as well as ideas from The Coming Prince by Sir Robert Anderson. I had to fuse them as they differ only slightly. Daniel 9:24-27 contains the prophecy of the seventy weeks, which provides a timeline for the coming of the Messiah. The prophecy begins with “the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25), which historically corresponds to the decree issued by Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem, recorded in Nehemiah 2:1-8. This decree marks the starting point of the 69 weeks of years (7 + 62 weeks), totaling 483 years. Each “week” represents seven years, following the prophetic principle of a “year for a day” used elsewhere in Scripture (Ezekiel 4:6). When these 483 years are counted, they lead directly to the arrival of the Messiah, Jesus Christ, who presented Himself to Israel as the King during the triumphal entry into Jerusalem. This event is recorded in Matthew 21:4-5 and Luke 19:37-44, fulfilling the prophecy of the Messiah coming to Jerusalem on a donkey as foretold in Zechariah 9:9. Therefore, Daniel 9:24-27 accurately predicts the timing of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem. In summary, Daniel 9:25 says there will be 7 weeks and 62 weeks (69 weeks of years) until Messiah the Prince. That’s 69 × 7 = 483 years. Using the prophetic year of 360 days (cf. Ezekiel 4:6; Revelation 11:2-3), that equals 173,880 days. Counting forward from Artaxerxes’ decree on March 14, 445 B.C., this takes us to April 6, A.D. 32, the day Jesus entered Jerusalem in His triumphal entry (Luke 19:37-44). Or even better, Daniel 9:25 predicts 69 weeks of years (7 + 62), or 483 years. Using the prophetic year of 360 days (Ezekiel 4:6; Revelation 11:2-3), that equals 173,880 days. Counting from Artaxerxes’ decree on March 14, 445 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-8), the timeline reaches April 6, A.D. 32, the very day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem (Luke 19:37-44). Most of the above information can be found @ https://www.preceptaustin.org/daniel_924-27 It might be easier to compute if I broke it down like this: Daniel 9:24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, (fulfilled in Christ’s atoning death, cf. Hebrews 9:26) to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. (pointing toward the establishment of God’s eternal kingdom and Christ’s future reign). Daniel 9:25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem (the decree of Artaxerxes in 445 B.C., Nehemiah 2:1-8) until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ (7 + 62 = 69 weeks of years, or 483 years = 173,880 prophetic days. This calculation leads precisely to April 6, A.D. 32 — the day of Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, cf. Luke 19:37-44). It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. (fulfilled as Jerusalem was rebuilt amid opposition, Nehemiah 4:16-23). Daniel 9:26 “After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. (fulfilled at the crucifixion of Christ, Isaiah 53:8; Luke 23:46). The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. (fulfilled in A.D. 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem.)
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