Daniel's 490-Year Prophecy

Daniel's 490-Year Prophecy - Daniel 9:24-26a

          24 "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people [Israel] and your holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the wrongdoing, to 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. 25 So you are
          to know and understand that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks
          and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with streets and moat, even in times of distress. 26 Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off
          [karath: expelled; disowned] and have nothing, [no divine advantage over Adam]
          - Beginning His earthly mission, Jesus left behind His divine nature. He lived out His victory over sin with no advantage which Adam didn't have.
          He was expelled from the Father's divine protective presence just as Adam had been from the Father's Tree of Life in the Garden.
          - The 490-Year Prophecy continues until Messiah the Prince. Messiah's Death completes the Prophecy and Daniel's subject now changes to the
          antichrist world which follows, under the prince who is to come and under all the antichrists who will follow him until the final Antichrist at the End
          of the Age. (Understanding the term antichrist: see notes at Revelation - The Prophecy Unfolds)

   Daniel's continuing narrative clearly shows that the prince who is to come appears after Messiah is cut off, and so after Daniel's 490-Year Prophecy has been completed. In spite of this, there are those who wish to include this prince and his schemata within the prophecy, even though this forces them to sever the prophecy's last seven years and relocate them 2000 years into the future. So we will continue on and examine Daniel's discourse on the coming antichrist princes as well.

Daniel's Coming Prince of Desolations Prophecy - Daniel 9:26b-27

          26b ... and the people of the prince who is to come [antichrist Roman General Titus, destroyer of Jerusalem & the Temple in 70 AD] will destroy the
          city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end [the End of the Age - the Day of the Lord] there will be war;
          - We know this happened in 70 AD, and there has been almost unceasing war from that time until the present. The destruction of the Temple
          was sudden and complete, as with a flood, and it will remain desolate until the Seven Years of Satan's Tribulation at the End of the Age.
          desolations are determined. [under many antichrists to come, including the final Antichrist - the Man of Lawlessness (2 Thess 2:1-12)]
          - This is Jesus' sign leading to the End; "desolations" - many - repeating until the End - the Day of the Lord. Read Mathew 24 & Mark 13.
          27 And he [the subject is still the antichrist prince who is to come; but now seen at the End Time as The Antichrist Man of Lawlessness] will
          confirm [wə·hiḡ·bîr: enforce through strength] a covenant [of "peace" (1 Thes 5:2-3; Rev 6:4)] with the many [those who worship him, nearly all
          the world (Rev 13:7)] for one week, [Revelation's 7 years of End Time Trouble] but in the middle of the week [the start of the second 3.5 years of
          Revelation; after the Temple has been rebuilt to begin the 7-Years End Time] he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering;
          - Through the first 3.5 years of the End Time (the Tribulation of the Church) the Temple and its services are under the control of Israel who will
          perform traditional services. During the second 3.5 years (the Great Tribulation of Israel), the Antichrist Man of Lawlessness appears. He will
          usurp the Temple, install himself as 'God', end the Temple's traditional services instituting his own evil ones, and he will become the Temple's
          object of worship. This vile desecration of the Temple is its second desolation. - 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Revelation 14:9-11
          - Note that this third Temple is desolated but not destroyed, and that this is without question a different Temple, and a different antichrist than
          the one who did destroy the second Temple in 70 AD.
          and on the wing of abominations will come the one [Antichrist Last Pope; Rev 17:4-5] who makes desolate, until a complete destruction, one
          that is decreed, [The Day of the Lord] gushes forth on the one who makes desolate."
          - God's Final Judgment and His destruction of the Antichrist. - Rev 17:11; 19:20; The Day of the Lord; The Day of Judgment
          - We know this is speaking of Revelation's End Time. - Compare Matthew 24:14-31
          - All of this aligns perfectly with the events of the End Time as detailed in the Book of Revelation. - See Revelation - The Prophecy Unfolds
               - Daniel 9:24-27

   The prophecy of 70 weeks or 490 years (the biblical principle in prophecy that each day represents a year; 70 weeks X 7 days/week = 490 years) was given by the prophet Daniel, who is confirmed to have lived well before this prophecy unfolded. These 490 years were set to begin "from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem". As we have previously seen (Seven-Millennium Timeline), there are four possible decrees we can look at as candidates to begin this prophecy, but only one is a decree to "restore" as well as to "rebuild". It is also the only one where the 490 years correctly terminate in the well-established time-period relevant to the ministry of Jesus, Messiah the Prince, as the prophecy itself stipulates it must. This decree is the one given by Artaxerxes in 457 BC (Which Decree Began Daniel'sProphecy?) which comes to a close in 33 AD, the very year of Jesus' death as we have also previously seen. The years in which the other three decrees would terminate are not anywhere near to the correct time-period of the First Advent.

   Some Bible scholars see an incomplete fulfillment of this prophecy, and would remove its last week to instead place it in the last days - the End Times. They would have the Seven Years of Messiah the Prince taking place at the same time as Satan's Seven Years of Final Tribulation upon the Righteous, the subject of Revelation.
   Others see the 490-Years Prophecy as completely fulfilled but they have a problem: With their understanding that Messiah be cut off refers only to His death, and that this took place "in the middle of the [70th] week" (v27) of the Prophecy, how is the second half of the 70th week even relevant?

   Though it is divided into three sections, the 490-Years Prophecy is clearly presented as having a singly-stated, congruent and self-contained 70-week duration: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people...." As such there can be no logical or justified severing of the 70th week, and sending it off into the far-distant future. To resort to such a tactic harms the clear intent of the prophecy. It is a ploy which is never necessitated elsewhere in the prophecies of scripture; neither should it be here. What we need to do then, is to look for an understanding of the prophecy that is more straightforward, and which avoids the exegetical harm imposed by this separation in time. As we shall see, when we let the prophecy speak for itself there is no such problem with the 70th week.

Actions Completed Under Daniel's 490-Year Prophecy:

It is not necessary to sever and delay the 70th week of this prophecy to gain a coherent understanding of it. Before the end of its 490 years, several actions which fulfill the prophecy are seen to have been accomplished. These actions are what constitute the prophecy - they are the prophecy - and knowing when they were completed tells us when the prophecy itself was completed.

Action #1: The Wrongdoing is Finished. Completed at Jesus' death . . .

   The Hebrew word in the prophecy translated as wrongdoing is pesha; meaning transgression; violation; revolt; rebellion. Its sense of use refers to the constantly disobedient and rebellious nature of the people of Israel which was on clear display throughout the Old Testament.

             Presumptuous sins are normally committed by those who know better but willfully commit them anyway. The Hebrew word describing these sins, pesha'
          (Strong's #6588), is translated [as wrongdoing in the NASB, but in the King James Version] as "transgress," "transgressions," "transgressors," or "transgressed"
          many times. The word contains a sense of expansion, of breaking away, or of continuousness, thus leading to its meaning "to revolt or rebel." - Bible Tools

   Old Testament Israel consistently transgressed against God through their refusal to honor His Covenant. The Bible narrative reminds the reader again and again of the heartbreaking story of Israel repeatedly violating God's trust by breaking His Covenant with them, and because of this God many times expresses His extreme displeasure and impatience with Israel:

          So the anger of the Lord burned against Israel, and He said, "Because this nation has violated My covenant which I commanded their fathers, and has not
          listened to My voice, I in turn will [cause them harm]...." - Judges 2:20-21 Also read Jeremiah 11.

   God's concern over Israel became so great that He eventually promised to offer them a new covenant which would be far easier for them to manage:

          31 "Behold, days are coming," declares the Lord, "when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant
          which I made with their fathers on the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband
          to them," declares the Lord. 33 "For this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days," declares the Lord: "I will put My law within
          them and write it on their heart; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 They will not teach again, each one his neighbor and each one his brother,
          saying, 'Know the Lord,' for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them," declares the Lord, "for I will forgive their wrongdoing, and their
          sin I will no longer remember." - Jeremiah 31:31-34

   God also explained that He would not put up with Israel's wrongdoing forever. And He made it clear that if Israel was to reject this New Covenant it would result in a very harsh reality of extreme loss for them. God of course knew what the future held, and that such a rejection would become Israel's pesha to end all peshas:

          27 Isaiah cries out concerning Israel, "Though the number of the sons of Israel may be like the sand of the sea, only the remnant [comp Rev 12:17] will be
          saved; 28 for the Lord will execute His word on the earth, thoroughly and quickly." 29 And just as Isaiah foretold: "If the Lord of armies had not left us descendants,
          We would have become like Sodom, and would have been like Gomorrah."
          30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, attained righteousness, but the righteousness that is by faith; 31 however, Israel,
          pursuing a [Old Covenant] law of righteousness, did not arrive at that law. 32 Why? Because they did not pursue it by faith, but as though they could by works.
          They stumbled over the [New Covenant] stumbling stone [Immanuel; Jesus (Isa 8; 1 Cor 1:23; Gal 5:11; 1 Pet 2)], 33 just as it is written: "Behold, I am
          laying in Zion [Israel] a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense, And the one who believes in Him will not be put to shame." - Romans 9:27-33

   As we know, Israel did stumble over Jesus their Messiah, and they did reject their New Covenant along with the Savior who brought it (John 1:11). Their crucifixion of their Messiah and their rejection of His New Covenant was their greatest and defining pesha. This ultimate wrongdoing against God's Covenant by Israel is what filled up, topped off and "finished" their wrongdoing. In stark contrast as described in Revelation: Under the guidance of God's Two Witnesses, the Israel of the Seven-Years End Time are finding their way back to their First-Advent Messiah, Jesus Savior.

Action #2: Make an end of sin. Completed when Jesus died, paying sin's penalty, even though He had lived a perfectly sinless life . . .

   The book of Revelation shows us that the final eradication of sin from the world, will occur when the last of those who are burdened with unforgiven sin are destroyed in the Lake of Fire, at the end of God's Seventh and Last Millennium. (Rev 20, esp v15) This is 1000 years after Jesus' Second Advent which occurred near the end of God's Sixth Millennium. All agree that Daniel's 490-Year Prophesy must end well before the end of the Final Millennium, and so the end of sin spoken of by Daniel cannot be alluding to sin's final eradication at that time.
   Instead, it is referring to that which made the end of sin even possible: Jesus' perfectly sin-free life followed by His payment of sin's unrelenting penalty of death. Because Jesus was God Himself in the body of a Man, the surrender of His infinite life is able to cover sin's infinite penalty for all of humanity. No one else could have paid this penalty.
   From the Jeremiah 31 passage quoted at Action # 1 above, we note that it is only with the New Covenant offered by Jesus, that God (if Israel had accepted His New Covenant) would have been able to 'forget' Israel's sin - and the sin of the entire world for that matter. It was the Lamb of God who ended the sin of the world:

          The next day [John the Baptist] saw Jesus coming to him, and said, "Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away [ends] the sin of the world!" - John 1:29

   It was the life and death of our Lord Jesus Christ which ended the reign of sin upon the earth:

          14 Nevertheless death reigned from Adam until Moses, even over those who had not sinned in the likeness of the violation committed by Adam, who is a type
          of Him who was to come.
          15 But the gracious gift is not like the offense. For if by the offense of the one the many died, much more did the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the
          one Man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many. 16 The gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned; for on the one hand the judgment arose from
          one offense, resulting in condemnation, but on the other hand the gracious gift arose from many offenses, resulting in justification. 17 For if by the offense of the
          one, death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through
          the One, Jesus Christ.
          18 So then, as through one offense the result was condemnation [death] to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness the result was justification
          of life to all mankind. 19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the obedience of the One the
          many will be made righteous. [free of sin] 20 The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more,
          21 so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord. - Romans 5:14-21

   Jesus ended the power of sin over us, releasing us from sin and ending its deadly grip:

          The blood of Jesus His Son cleanses us from all sin. - 1 John 1:7

          To Him who loves us and released us from our sins by His blood. - Revelation 1:5

          For the wages of sin is death, but the gracious gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. - Romans 6:23

          1 Therefore there is now no condemnation [death; bring to an end] at all for those who are in Christ Jesus. 2 For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus
          has set you free from the law of sin and of death. 3 For what the Law could not do, weak as it was through the flesh, God did: sending His own Son in
          the likeness of sinful flesh and as an offering for sin, [paying sin's penalty] He condemned [brought to an end] sin in the flesh. - Romans 8:1-3

   Because of God's immeasurable love for mankind, He formulated an unfathomable plan to restore the right of mankind to the eternal life which we had surrendered. Without the work which Jesus accomplished on our behalf, there would have been no way for us to break the hold that sin had over us, and there would have been no way for us to avoid having to personally pay sin's penalty of death.    Jesus made an end of sin through His perfectly sin-free life followed by His infinite sacrifice which payed the death-penalty we all owed.

Action #3: Make atonement for guilt [sin]. Completed when Jesus accomplished His earthly mission . . .

   To gain the fullest understanding of what it means to make atonement for guilt, we need to first look at the Old Covenant, which was a type (example; foreshadow) of what Jesus needed to accomplish in order to bring us His New Covenant.

   We just saw above that the only way one can be forgiven of their sin, is for sin's penalty of death to be paid. The payment of this penalty is that which provides atonement for our guilt [our sinfulness]. Under the Old Covenant this was accomplished through the sacrifice of an animal acceptable to God, with the priest then presenting it before God as the guilt offering. Prefiguring the infinitely superior sacrifice of the Savior who was yet to come, the slaying of an animal provided the Old Covenant believer with a temporary reprieve from the deadly demand of personal atonement for sin:

          6 [The sinner] shall also bring his guilt offering to the Lord for his sin which he has committed.... So the priest shall make atonement on his behalf for
          his sin. ... 16 The priest shall then make atonement for him with the ram of the guilt offering.... ... 18 He is then to bring ... a guilt offering. So the
          priest shall make atonement for him concerning his sin ... and it will be forgiven him. 19 It is a guilt offering.... - Leviticus 5:6,16,18,19

   However, the sacrifice of animals was a temporary solution which required constant repetition and renewal. We could say that what Old Covenant sacrifice really provided was more akin to postponement than it was to atonement. True atonement would only be possible through the infinite sacrifice of God Himself, in the Person of Jesus Christ:

          Therefore, in all things He [Jesus] had to be made like His brothers so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to
          make propitiation [atonement] for the sins of the people. - Hebrews 2:17

          22 Jesus also has become the guarantee of a better covenant.
          23 The former priests, on the one hand, existed in greater numbers because they were prevented by death from continuing; 24 Jesus, on the other hand,
          because He continues forever, holds His priesthood permanently. 25 Therefore He is also able to save forever those who come to God through Him,
          since He always lives to make intercession for them.
          26 For it was fitting for us to have such a high priest, holy, innocent, undefiled, separated from sinners, and exalted above the heavens; 27 who
          has no daily need, like those high priests, to offer up sacrifices, first for His own sins and then for the sins of the people, because He did this
          once for all time when He offered up Himself. 28 For the Law appoints men as high priests who are weak, but the word [Jesus; John 1:1-4] of the oath
          [God's promise of the New and Better Covenant; Action #1, above; Hebrews 7:22; 8:6], which came after the Law, appoints a Son, who has been
          made perfect forever. - Hebrews 7:22-28

          24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation [atonement] in
          His blood through faith. - Romans 3:24-25

          and He Himself is the propitiation [atonement] for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world. - 1 John 2:2

          In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation [atonement] for our sins. - 1 John 4:10

   Is it not unfathomable that our God loves us so much that He came to live on the earth in the Person Jesus Christ, then to die the horrid death of crucifixion in order to save us. This was the only solution. Sin's penalty of death demanded that it be satisfied, and because the sins of all mankind were to be covered, the payment needed for their atonement was infinite. Only God Himself could accomplish such a thing, and in His infinite Love and with His infinite Life, He did so on that old rugged cross.

Action #4: Bring in everlasting righteousness. Completed when Jesus accomplished His earthly mission . . .

   As with the end of sin (Action #2), righteousness does not truly become everlasting until the unrighteous have been eliminated at the end of the final Millennium when the 7000 years are finished. All agree that the 490 years of Daniel's Prophecy ocurrs well before this.

   Righteousness means to be completely free of sin, and it is required in order for us to receive God's gift of eternal life. In ourselves, we cannot attain the standard of perfect righteousness which God demands and so we must rely upon the everlasting righteousness which Jesus purchased for us with His blood upon the cross:

   As with atonement (see Action #3), any righteousness gained under the Old and temporary Covenant was also temporary in nature. It was but a foreshadow of the true and everlasting righteousness established by Jesus under His New and everlasting Covenant. Those believers who lived and died under the Old Covenant will receive salvation, but not directly through that Covenant. As with New Covenant believers, they will only be counted as righteous because of Jesus' Everlasting Righteousness. There has never been a single person who has been righteous enough to be saved by God. It is only through the New Covenant accomplishments of Jesus' perfect Life, Death and Resurrection that God is able to save anyone at all:

          12 For all who have sinned without the [Old Covenant] Law [Gentiles] will also perish without the Law, and all who have sinned under the
          Law [Jews] will be judged by the Law; 13 for [the Jews] it is not the hearers of the Law who are righteous before God, but the doers of the Law
          who will be justified. 14 For when Gentiles who do not have the Law instinctively perform the requirements of the Law, these, though not
          having the Law, are a law to themselves, 15 in that they show the work of the Law written in their hearts, their conscience testifying and
          their thoughts alternately accusing or else defending them. - Romans 2:12-15

          19 Now we know that whatever the [Old Covenant] Law says, it speaks to those who are under the Law, [the Jews] so that every mouth may be
          closed and all the world may become accountable to God; 20 because by the works of the Law none of mankind will be justified in His sight; for
          through the Law comes knowledge of sin.
          21 But now apart from the Law the righteousness of God has been revealed, being witnessed by the Law and the Prophets, 22 but it is the
          righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all those who believe; for there is no distinction, [between Jew and Gentile]
          23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 being justified as a gift by His grace through the redemption which is in Christ
          Jesus, 25 whom God displayed publicly as a propitiation [atonement] in His blood through faith. This was to demonstrate His righteousness,
         because in God's merciful restraint He let the sins previously committed [under the Old Covenant] go unpunished; 26 for the demonstration,
          [of Jesus to the world] that is, of His righteousness at the present time, [of the New Covenant] so that He would be just and the justifier of
          the one who has faith in Jesus. - Romans 3:19-26

   It was through His Atonement on the cross that Jesus proved to the universe the fact of His Everlasting Righteousness, as well as His right to gift this everlasting-life-saving righteousness to those who love Him:

          17 For if by the offense of the one, [Adam] death reigned through the one, much more will those who receive the abundance of grace and of the gift
          of righteousness reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.
          18 So then, as through one offense the result was condemnation to all mankind, so also through one act of righteousness [Jesus' Atonement] the
          result was justification of life to all mankind. 19 For as through the one man's disobedience the many were made sinners, so also through the
          obedience of the One the many will be made righteous. 20 The Law came in so that the offense would increase; but where sin increased, grace
          abounded all the more, 21 so that, as sin reigned in death, so also grace would reign through righteousness to eternal life through Jesus Christ
          our Lord. - Romans 5:17-21

Action #5: Seal up vision and prophecy. The vision and prophecy was sealed up when the Actions which constitute it were completed . . .

   The Hebrew word translated here as seal up is chatham, which can bear the intention of hiding a thing, or it can bear an intention more akin to authority, ratification and completion. It is this latter nuance which Daniel intended for Action #5. The "vision and prophecy" being spoken of is the one we are in the midst of reading - the 490-Years Prophecy given to Daniel. If this vision was to have been hidden from us, why are we even trying to understand it.

   Some biblical examples of chatham being used to convey authority, ratification and completion:

   The Law is obviously not hidden from these disciples, but instead has been given authority among them:

          Bind up the testimony, seal [chatham] the Law among my disciples. - Isaiah 8:16

   This sealed deed is not hidden. It has been ratified and given authority in order for it to become enforceable and then completed:

          9 "So I bought the field.... 10 And I signed and sealed [chatham] the deed.... 11 Then I took the deeds of purchase, both the sealed [chatham] copy
          containing the terms and conditions and the open copy; 12 and I gave the deed of purchase to [numerous parties and witnesses] 13 ... saying, 14 'This is
          what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: "Take these deeds, this sealed [chatham] deed of purchase and this open deed, and put them in an
          earthenware jar, so that they may last a long time." 15 For this is what the Lord of armies, the God of Israel says: "Houses and fields and vineyards will
          again be purchased in this land."' - Jeremiah 32:9-15

   Ahasuerus (Xerxes, the King of Persia) is speaking to Mordecai (a governmental official of the king) and giving him authority to ratify documents in the name of the king. These documents are certainly not hidden. They are documents which "may not be revoked", and so they will retain their authority until they are completed:

          Now you write to the Jews as you see fit, in the king's name, and seal [chatham] it with the king's signet ring; for a decree which is written in
          the name of the king and sealed with the king's signet ring may not be revoked." - Esther 8:8

Because Mordecai's documents were written in the name of the king and sealed, so they were ratified, given authority and could not be revoked - their completion was now demanded and assured. In the same way, Daniel's 490-Year Prophecy was written in the name of the King and sealed, so it was ratified, given authority and could not be revoked - it's completion was now demanded and assured.

   Sealing also prevents unauthorized alterations and changes:

          And a stone was brought and placed over the mouth of the den; and the king sealed [chatham] it with his own signet ring and with the signet rings of his
          nobles, so that nothing would be changed regarding Daniel. - Daniel 6:17

   So at what point did this sealing of completion take place? Since the prophecy itself states that its duration would be 490 years, it directly follows that its completion occurred 490 years after it began. Because the prophecy began in 457 BC its completion is placed in 33 AD.

   What about those who don't accept this rather clear statement from scripture, and who would rather, without precedent, sever and delay the last of the seventy weeks for what is now nearly two millennia? Besides the 490 years stated by the prophecy, what else is there to show when the prophecy ended?
   This is what we're presently investigating as we consider the six actions which the prophecy said were to occur under it, and which would bring the prophecy to completion. We have now looked at all but the last of these six, and so far each one can be clearly seen to have been fulfilled by Jesus Redeemer at His First Advent - by the year 33 AD.

Action #6: Anoint the Most Holy Place. Completed when Jesus completed His First Advent Mission, in 33 AD . . .

   Under the Old Covenant a priest was required to be anointed. This act ordained and consecrated the priest, and qualified him for service to God:

          And you shall anoint them and ordain them and consecrate them, so that they may serve Me as priests. - Exodus 28:41

   Under the New Covenant Jesus is our High Priest. He received His anointing from the Father when He was baptized by John, as He was about to begin the priestly service of His first advent:

          14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let's hold firmly to our confession. 15 For
          we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things just as we are, yet without sin.
               - Hebrews 4:14-15

          37 You yourselves know the thing that happened throughout Judea, starting from Galilee, after the baptism which John proclaimed. 38 You know of Jesus
          of Nazareth, how God anointed Him with the Holy Spirit and with power.... - Acts 10:37-38

   What precisely is the Most Holy Place? In Hebrew the term is qodesh haq-qodashim, meaning Most Holy, holiest, or holy of holies, and in the Old Testament, qodesh haq-qodashim often refers to the Most Holy Place within the Temple. But to be clear, when the word place is included, it has been added. It is not an inclusion within the meaning of the Hebrew term itself, which is most properly interpreted, and often is interpreted as Most Holy, or something equivalent.
   It seems clear (at least to me) that in Daniel's 490-Year Prophecy the insightful interpretation of this term would have been Most Holy, and this term should have been understood to be in reference to First Advent Jesus Redeemer Messiah, in His mission to take the sins of the world upon His very Being and to pay the Infinite penalty of Death which those sins demanded. The very meaning of Messiah is Anointed One!
   Jesus fulfills everything about the earthly tabernacle / sanctuary - God's Temple On Sinful Earth - as the antitype fulfills the type. Jesus was made sin for us, and He carried upon Himself the infinite burden of the sin of the entire world. God's Temple On Sinful Earth was a type of First Advent Jesus Redeemer, and in fact there isn't even a Temple as such, located in Heaven because Heaven's Temple is not a structure. Wherever Father God or (glorified) Jesus are, They Are The Temple. Let's look at some wonderful instruction from the Book of Hebrews:

          1 Now even the first covenant had regulations for divine worship and the earthly sanctuary [place set apart]. 2 For a tabernacle [tent] was equipped, the
          outer sanctuary, in which were the lampstand, the table, and the sacred bread; this is called the Holy Place. 3 Behind the second veil there was a tabernacle
          which is called the Most Holy Place, 4 having a golden altar of incense and the ark of the covenant covered on all sides with gold, in which was a golden
          jar holding the manna, Aaron's staff which budded, and the tablets of the covenant; 5 and above it were the cherubim of glory overshadowing the atoning cover;
          - The altar (with its utensils) is the only item in Israel's Temple which has a counterpart in Heaven. The function of Heaven's Altar was to
          symbolically receive the sacrifice of First Advent Jesus - His death-penalty payment for the sins of the world. His death took place on Earth and
          His dead body was never in Heaven, so the Heavenly Altar received the honor of His Sacrifice when Jesus ascended to His Father, who IS the
          Heavenly Temple (Rev 21:22), some days after His resurrection. (John 20:11-18) Since then, Heaven's Altar also serves to symbolically receive
          the prayers of the martyred saints - those who have been saved by Jesus' Redemption and subsequently been martyred because of it. (Rev 8:3-5)
          - All other contents within Israel's Temple are a type of Jesus our Redeemer - First Advent Messiah. Heaven requires no Ark to contain any
          covenant. The Covenants (both Old and New) were necessitated by SIN. There is no sin in heaven. Heaven has no need of manna; of a budded
          staff; or of tablets of commandments explaining to its citizens what sin is. And there is certainly no need for an 'atoning cover' in Heaven.
          Atonement is for sin, and it is only accomplished through blood-sacrifice - DEATH (v16). There is no sin or death in Heaven.
          but about these things we cannot now speak in detail. [Why not? Detailing these God-Truths about Jesus and revealing the Infinite Extent of His Deity
          at this early, frail and Jewish-oriented time in Church history, would have stirred much controversy, confusion and strife.]
          6 Now when these things have been so prepared, the priests are continually entering the outer tabernacle, performing the divine worship, 7 but into the second,
          only the high priest enters once a year, not without taking blood which he offers for himself and for the sins of the people committed in ignorance. 8 The Holy Spirit
          is signifying this, that the way into the holy place has not yet been disclosed while the outer tabernacle is still standing, 9 which is a symbol [type] for
          the present time. [when Jesus came and 'disclosed' it] Accordingly both gifts and sacrifices are offered which cannot make the worshiper perfect in
          conscience, 10 since they relate only to food, drink, and various washings, regulations [Old Covenant - the type] for the body imposed until a time of
          reformation. [New Covenant - Jesus, the antitype]

          11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things having come, He entered through the greater and more perfect tabernacle, [His own
          body - antitype] not made by hands, that is, not of this creation; [not created] 12 and not through the blood of goats and calves, [type] but through His own
          blood, [antitype] He entered the holy place [Heaven]
          - Jesus entered Heaven and the presence of God (v24) - not a Temple. In fact, where Father God or Jesus are ... THEY ARE THE TEMPLE
          (Rev 21:22; comp John 2:18-22). Jesus entered the Temple of God's Presence and there honored - and one could easily say anointed - Heaven's
          Altar by virtue of the Blood (v22) of His Sacrifice of the Ages (v26), which God had long ago promised would be accomplished in order to enable
          His salvation of mankind.
          once for all time, having obtained eternal redemption. 13 For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the ashes of a heifer [type] sprinkling those who have been
          defiled, sanctify for the cleansing of the flesh, 14 how much more will the blood of Christ, [antitype] who through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without blemish
          to God, cleanse your conscience [nothing in Heaven required cleansing] from dead works to serve the living God?
          15 For this reason He is the mediator of a new covenant, [antitype; Jesus Himself] so that, since a death has taken place for the redemption of the violations
          that were committed under the first covenant, [type] those who have been called may receive the promise of the eternal inheritance. [receiving eternal
          inheritance is not possible under the Old Covenant alone] 16 For where there is a covenant, there must of necessity be the death of the one who made it.
          17 For a covenant is valid only when people are dead, for it is never in force while the one who made it lives. 18 Therefore even the first covenant was not
          inaugurated without blood. 19 For when every commandment had been spoken by Moses to all the people according to the Law, he took the blood of the calves
          and the goats, with water and scarlet wool and hyssop, and sprinkled both the book itself and all the people,
          20 saying, "This is the blood of the covenant which God commanded you." 21 And in the same way he sprinkled both the tabernacle and all the vessels of
          the ministry with the blood. 22 And almost all things are cleansed with blood, according to the Law, and without the shedding of blood there is no
          forgiveness.
          - Compare Leviticus 17:11: For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make atonement for your souls; for it
          is the blood by reason of the life that makes atonement.
          - Nothing in Heaven requires a blood-cleansing for the atonement of sin. The Tabernacle with its services and sacrifices is a Type of Jesus.
          When He died, Jesus was 'sprinkled' with His own pure and sinless shed blood, which cleansed Him of the sin of the world; the SIN-burden
          which He Was Bearing - Removing - in order that you and I might have a way of Redemption. (v28; 2 Cor 5:21; Jn 1:29)

          23 Therefore it was necessary for the copies [types: of the altar and its utensils (2 Chron 29:18) and of Redeemer Jesus Himself] of the things in the
          heavens [ouranoi - skies] to be cleansed with these things, but the heavenly things themselves with better sacrifices than these. [Heavenly things do not
          require cleansing from sin; this speaks of the 'cleansing' of First Advent Messiah Redeemer Jesus from the world's sin which He bore]
         24 For Christ did not enter a holy place made by hands, a mere copy [type] of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of
          God [God, Jesus, Who are Heaven's Temple (Rev 21:22) - antitype] for us; 25 nor was it that He would offer Himself often, as the high priest enters the Holy
          Place year by year with blood that is not his own. 26 Otherwise, He would have needed to suffer often since the foundation of the world; but now once at the
          consummation [culmination] of the ages [dispensations] He has been revealed to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.
          27 And just as it is destined for people to die once, and after this comes judgment, 28 so Christ also, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will
          appear a second time for salvation without reference to sin, [the Redeemed are covered by Jesus' Perfection and have nothing to fear] to those who
          eagerly await Him. - Hebrews 9:1-28   (When considering this subject, studying the entire Book of Hebrews is very helpful.)

   Whether or not one wishes to accept the understanding that Daniel's Most Holy (Place) refers to First Advent Jesus Redeemer Himself, the Most Holy was surely anointed upon the completion of Jesus' earthly mission. Whether Anointing the Most Holy is understood to be:
          - the Father's anointing of Jesus at His baptism;
          - Jesus being anointed by His own Perfect Shed Blood upon the cross;
          - Jesus entering God's Heavenly Presence and anointing Heaven's Altar with His Sacrifice of the Ages; or
          - all of the above:
   As He uttered His dying words upon the cross - It Is Finished - Jesus had seen each of these actions gloriously accomplished, with only the last of them yet to see its magnificent fulfillment. Then, days later when Jesus our Redeemer returned to His awaiting Heavenly Father, He placed His Infinite Victory upon Heaven's Golden Altar.

   As we have now seen, the six actions which Daniel's 490-Year Prophecy said would be completed under it, were all completed by First Advent Jesus Redeemer at the time of His earthly ministry. This gives compelling assurance that to sever and delay its 70th Week (the last seven years), a trait which is unique to this prophecy, simply has no reason to be considered necessary, and in fact contradicts the prophecy itself.

"Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing...."

   We know that, as the prophecy itself states, it was to extend to the Messiah. After examining the actions accomplished under the prophecy (listed above), we know that the timeframe went up to and included His death. But then how are we to understand Daniel's statement that the Messiah would be cut off after the sixty-two weeks?

   We note that the cutting off of the Messiah is to take place after the 69 weeks. After the first 69 weeks of the prophecy are finished, at some point in the 70th week Messiah was cut off. The Hebrew word here is karath which is a cutting off. It can be accomplished through killing, but is often used to connote something other than to kill, such as a forceful separation as in to cut away, to cut off, to cut down, to cut out, to take away. (article)

   When it is distinct from causing death, karath often bears a meaning more akin to: to separate from; to expel; or to disown. Examples:
          - Gen 17:14 One who is not circumcised in the flesh of his foreskin, that person shall be cut off from his people; he has broken My covenant.
          - Ex 12:19 For whoever eats anything with yeast, that person shall be cut off from the congregation of Israel, whether he is a stranger or a native of the land.
          - Ex 30:33 Whoever [disobeys a ceremonial commandment] shall be cut off from his people.
          - Num 19:13 That person shall be cut off from Israel. Since the water for impurity was not sprinkled on him, he will be unclean; his uncleanness is still on him.
          - Josh 7:9 They will surround us and eliminate our name from the earth.
          - Josh 23:4 I have apportioned to you these nations which remain as an inheritance for your tribes, with all the nations which I have eliminated, from the Jordan
          even to the Great Sea toward the west. 5 And the Lord your God, He will thrust them away from you and drive them from you; and you will take possession
          of their land....
          - 1 Kings 9:7 Then I will cut Israel off from the land which I have given them, and the house which I have consecrated for My name, I will expel from My sight.

   And most particularly when comparing Daniel's intention within his prophecy:
     - Lev 22:3 While he has an uncleanness, that person shall be cut off from My presence; I am the Lord.

   The very action which we see in Leviticus 22, occurs once in Jesus' life when, shortly after His baptism by John, "... immediately the Spirit driveth him into the wilderness ..." (Mark 1:12 KJV) to face Satan's temptations without Heaven's support. Driveth here is the Greek ekballo meaning to cast out, to drive out, to send out with notion of violence ... to banish from a family; to compel one to depart". (source) It is the same word used to describe the manner in which Jesus drove out the moneychangers from the Temple. (John 2:15)
   Jesus, who was the Second Adam (Romans 5:14), was cut off from Father God by the Spirit, in order to face Satan's temptations absent of any advantage which the first Adam didn't have. Jesus was about to take upon Himself the sins of the world, and in so doing He became unclean before the Father who ultimately forsook Him (Matt 27:46) because of the sin with which He was burdened.
   Just as Adam retained communion with God after being cut off, so too did Jesus. But just as Adam was cut off from the Tree of Life, after which he was compelled to face life without the advantages of God's intervening mercies, so too did Jesus. Being thus cut off, it was now up to Jesus to successfully complete His mission, which was to conquer sin, in the flesh, having temporarily set aside His Divine Immunity to that sin.
   It is interesting to note that Jesus was driven out prior to His success, while Adam was driven out after his failure: "So [God] drove out the man (from the Garden of Eden)." (Genesis 3:24) Adam's failure brought death to the human race. Jesus' success, followed by His sacrifice in our stead, brought us life.

In order to create an alignment with the Antichrist's appearance at the midpoint of the final seven years at the End of the Age (at the end of the sixth millennium), some want to place Jesus' baptism in the middle of His final seven years, creating a division at three and a half years similar to the two periods of three and a half years comprising Satan's seven-year End Time of Tribulation. Still others who would prefer to have this midpoint want to view cut off as describing Jesus' death, and place it there.

Daniel's Prophecy dedicates its 70th week of seven years to Messiah the Prince, but says nothing about anything to occur at its midpoint. As we have seen (Before Beginning This Study - Essential Information), Jesus was baptised at the beginning of His ministry, four years before His death. This means that He was cut off three years after the 69th week of the prophecy, near, but not at the middle of the 70th week. The understanding that Messiah was cut off in the middle of the week - a week that is dedicated only to Messiah - is very cumbersome for those who would view this as Jesus' death.

If Messiah has died, His mission is now complete and He has returned to Heaven as God. What would be the significance of the remaining three and a half years?
What might the Messiah-related event be which closes these years out, at the end of the 70th week, three and a half years after Messiah left?
What is the justification for delaying this 70th week for nearly 2000 years in the first place?
How can the prophecy be for 490 years if it requires nearly 2500 years for completion?

   There are simply no good answers to these questions. Certainly none which satisfy a demanding researcher.

   Being cut off is a state of being. It has a beginning, a duration and an end - it covers a period of time. Jesus was cut off for four years; beginning just after His Father's anointing at His baptism, and lasting until His reconciliation with the Father; after He completed His earthly mission to conquer sin, and after His death and resurrection. So we see that Daniel's Messiah was cut off again brings us to Jesus' death and resurrection at the end of the 70th week, the terminus of the 490-Year Prophecy.

    As already noted, the prophecy began in 457 BC and it ends with six actions ultimately completed and accomplished at or very near to Jesus' death in 33 AD. So does the length of the prophecy equal 490 years as stated by Daniel? In fact yes, precisely, when calculated using the Hebrews' antedating method, which includes both the beginning and the ending part-years.

Daniel Prophesies past the end of the 490 Years:

   Severing and delaying the 70th week of the prophecy owes at least some of its origin to the misapplication of the events Daniel spoke of, which were to occur subsequent to the prophecy's 490 years.

   At chapter nine's verse 26, the passage begins to speak of "the prince who is to come". Everything from this point on occurs after the Seventy-Week Prophecy which ended at "Messiah the Prince", and is therefore subsequent to the 490 years of the prophecy. As such it does not form any part of the Seventy-Week Prophecy. The information Daniel is now giving is simply an added warning that in the future - after "Messiah the Prince" has completed His mission - there will be ongoing tribulations against God's people. Many antichrists are to come - the leaders referred to as princes - and there will be instances, two of them, when the Temple will be desolated.
     - Understanding antichrist: see notes at Revelation - The Prophecy Unfolds)

   Daniel 9:26 describes the first desolation of the Temple, when the prince will come who destroys and desolates:
     ●   This antichrist prince will destroy the city (Jerusalem) and the sanctuary (Temple), which he also desecrates.
               - Either destruction or desecration would cause the Temple to become desolate.
     ●   The destruction is fierce, as an annihilating flood, bringing the Temple to its utter end, just as described by Jesus in Matthew 24:1-2.
               - We know these things occurred in 70 AD under Roman General Titus. This destruction was sudden and overwhelming, as would occur with a flood.
     ●   The destruction (end) of the Temple will itself endure until the END, meaning there will be no earthly Temple until the Seven-Years End Time of Revelation.
               - We know the Temple has not been rebuilt from 70 AD until now (2022) and that we are now very near Satan's Seven-Years of Tribulation in the End Time.
     ●   There will be war throughout the world from the Temple's destruction and desolation in 70 AD, through until the Time of the END.
               - We know there has been almost unceasing war on the Earth through all of that time until now (2022).
     ●   Throughout these long years multiple desolations are determined, under many antichrists to come. - 1 John 2:18
               - This includes the two desolations of the Temple, both in 70 AD by antichrist Titus and in the End Time by Antichrist - Man of Lawlessness. - 2 Thes 2:1-12
               - Desolations is the very sign which Jesus states will lead into the End Time: desolations - many - repeating until the End - the Day of the Lord.
               - For unmistakable confirmation, read Mathew 24 (note v15) & Mark 13.

   Daniel 9:27 then describes the second desolation of the Temple, speaking of another coming antichrist - the Antichrist at the END:

     ●   He will confirm a covenant with the many for one week (7 years).
               - Some understand this one-week covenant with the many to be a covenant made by Messiah, either at His First or His Second Advent. However, the
               subject of the passage - the"he" of verse 27 - has already been clearly identified in verse 26, not as Messiah, but as the prince who destroys and desolates
               the sanctuary. In addition to this unjustified and illogical change of reference:
                    - When did Messiah ever make - or when will He ever make - a one-week (7 year) covenant with the many? Such a thing is never spoken of in Scripture.
                    - First Advent: Jesus' earthly ministry was for four years, so He could not have confirmed any covenant for seven years.
                    - Second Advent: Jesus only appears on the Earth near the end of the 7-Years End Time, and has no direct interaction with mankind until then.
               - To confirm means to rigidly enforce: wə·hiḡ·bîr - enforce through strength. This covenant is not optional. Other than to be marked for torture and
               death, there is no choice but to obey this covenant. This is the only covenant in the Bible to be described in this way, and the only time wə·hiḡ·bîr is used.
               - Antichrist makes this covenant with the many - an apt description of nearly the entire human race who will bow down and worship him. - Revelation 13:7
               - The covenant is made for one week, aligning perfectly with Satan's (and Antichrist's) seven years of End Time Tribulation.

     ●   In the middle of the week aligns perfectly with the midpoint break in the End Time Tribulation, three and a half years from both its beginning and its end.

     ●   At this midpoint he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering.
               - Sacrifices and grain offerings are the services of the Temple, and since the destruction of the Temple in 70 AD these services have not been performed.
               - The Temple did NOT cease its sacrifice and grain offering when Jesus died. These only ceased when the Temple ceased. They ceased because the
               place where they were to be performed no longer existed.
               - We know that the Temple will again be rebuilt, and will be present during the seven years of End Time Tribulation. - 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8
                    - Through the first 3.5 years of the End Time - the Tribulation of the Church - the Temple and its services are under the control of Israel who will perform
                    the traditional Temple services. During the second 3.5 years - the Great Tribulation of Israel - the Antichrist Man of Lawlessness appears. He will usurp
                    the Temple, install himself as 'God', end the Temple's traditional services, institute his own evil services, and he will become the Temple's object of
                    worship. This vile desecration of the Temple will be its second desolation. - 2 Thessalonians 2:1-8; Revelation 14:9-11
               - Note that this (third) Temple is desolated but not destroyed, and that without question, this passage is referring to a different Temple, and to a different
               antichrist than the one who destroyed the (second) Temple in 70 AD.

     ●   The arrival of this final antichrist is described as: on the wing of abominations will come the one who makes desolate.
               - We know this description pertains to the last and most evil of the antichrists, the one we refer to as The Antichrist. Compare Matthew 24:14-31, especially
               verse 15: "... when you see the abomination of desolation which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place...."

     ●   His evil rule will last until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, gushes forth on the one who makes desolate.
               - We know that the complete destruction which has been decreed, is the Day of the Lord. It is the Day of God's Final Judgment upon evil, which will bring to
               an end those who are evil; those who align with Satan, his Antichrist and his evil antichrist system. The Day of the Lord will bring all that is evil in the world to
               an end. It is the ultimate End Time event which brings the Seven-Years End Time to a close.

                    18 Neither their silver nor their gold Will be able to save them On the day of the Lord's anger; And all the earth will be devoured By the fire
                    of His jealousy, For He will make a complete end, Indeed a horrifying one, Of all the inhabitants of the earth.
                    1 Gather yourselves together, yes, join together, You nation without shame, 2 Before the decree takes effect- The day passes like chaff-
                    Before the burning anger of the Lord comes upon you, Before the day of the Lord's anger comes upon you. - Zephania 1:18 - 2:2

                    The beast . . . goes to destruction. - Rev 17:11
                    20 And the beast was seized, and with him the false prophet who performed the signs in his presence, by which he deceived those who had
                    received the mark of the beast and those who worshiped his image; these two were thrown alive into the lake of fire, which burns with brimstone.
                    21 And the rest were killed with the sword which came from the mouth of Him who sat on the horse, and all the birds were filled with their flesh.
                         - Rev 19:20-21

Nothing that is given in Daniel's chapter 9 Prophecies requires - or even "works better" with - the severing of the last seven years of Daniel's 490-Year Prophecy, to then place them in conjunction with the seven years of his Coming Prince of Desolations Prophecy, 2000 years later. In fact to do so is to compromise the integrity of both prophecies. As far as I know, it is an abuse that is thankfully still unique to this single instance, but it sets a precedent that could result in more of the same wild west style of prophetic interpretation. Such methodology needs to be discarded.

It should be noted that all the information discussed here aligns perfectly with the events of the Seven-Years End Time as detailed in the Book of Revelation.
- Compare: Revelation - The Prophecy Unfolds

Which Event Begins Daniel's 70th Week - until Messiah the Prince?

Scenario #1: The 70th Week is severed from the other 69 and relocated 2000 years later at the End Time - the Seven Years of Satan's Tribulation Upon the Righteous.
     - As we have seen above, certain of the six Actions which take place under Daniel's Prophecy can not find fulfillment during these seven years.
     - The events occurring on Earth at the start of these Seven Years are those which begin Satan's final and greatest violence against the Chuch.
     - Jesus is in Heaven unsealing the first of the seven seals of the Heavenly Scroll, revealing the nature of these tribulations.
     - This scenario holds that Jesus is at the same time confirming a covenant throughout these Seven Years; a fact which, if it were true, would certainly have been
     noted at the opening of the first seal, but which is in actuality never spoken of here or elsewhere in the scriptures.
     - Jesus is absent from the Earth throughout this time, so how these seven years can be relevant to Messiah's earthly mission is unknown.

Scenario #2: Jesus is said to die in the middle of the 70th week, with the beginning of the seven years marked by the beginning of His ministry, 3.5 years earlier.
     - This again receives no support from the scriptures, which are silent regarding a supposed 3.5 year midpoint in Jesus' ministry.
     - It also creates a completely nebulous ending of the seven years, since there is no definitive event relevant to Messiah, left to happen at that time.
     - Jesus is absent from the Earth for the second 3.5 years, so how this time can be relevant to Messiah's earthly mission is unknown.

Scenario #3: Some time after the 69th week Messiah is cut off for a period of four years. These four years are marked at the beginning by Messiah's wilderness temptation after being driven out by the Spirit. Their end is marked by Messiah's death and His pure-blood-sacrifice cleansing from the burden of the world's sin, followed by Messiah's resurrection and Heavenly reunion with the Father.
     - Messiah's death and resurrection occur at the end of Daniel's 70th Week. This ends Messiah's mission to Earth, and Jesus returns to Heaven in 33 AD.
     - Since Daniel's 70th Week represents seven actual years, the beginning of these seven years is necessarily seven years prior, in 26 AD.
     - The first three years before Messiah is cut off - 26 to 29 AD - is marked by the ministry of the greatest prophet who ever lived, John the Baptist.

In Defense of Scenario #3:

Who was John the Baptist and when was his ministry?

The very important, special and unique person of John the Baptist:

●   Upon the reading of Luke's first chapter, it is impossible to come away without the understanding that the importance of John the Baptist within God's Master Plan, is at the very highest level afforded to any person at any time:
     - John's birth was a miracle from a previously barren mother who was now well past childbearing age.
     - His coming birth was announced by an angel, just as it was for Isaac (the father of Israel) and for our Lord Jesus Messiah Himself.
     - John's announcing angel was of the highest heavenly rank - Archangel Gabriel who stands in the presence of God. (v19)
     - Gabriel's description of John (vs14-17) states:
          - Many will rejoice over his birth.
          - He will be great in the sight of the Lord.
          - He will be filled with the Holy Spirit while still in his mother's womb.
          - He will turn many of the sons of Israel back to the Lord their God.
          - He will go as a forerunner before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of fathers back to their children, and the disobedient
          to the attitude of the righteous, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.
               - Elijah was one of the greatest of all prophets. (1 Kings 18:22, 36; Mal 4:5) It was Elijah and Moses who were chosen to receive the supreme honor of
               being present at Jesus' transfiguration.
               - John's ministry was in the spirit and power of Elijah (Matt 11:13-14; 17:11-13; Luke 1:17) and so John's ministry was that of a prophet, not a priest.

●   John the Baptist was chosen to receive the unparalleled honor of baptizing the Messiah - God in the flesh - Jesus our Redeemer. - Mark 1:9

●   Jesus tells us just how significant a figure John the Baptist was:

          24 When the messengers of John had left, He [Jesus] began to speak to the crowds about John: "What did you go out into the wilderness to see? A reed
          shaken by the wind? 25 But what did you go out to see? A man dressed in soft clothing? Those who are splendidly clothed and live in luxury are found in
          royal palaces! 26 But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and one who is more than a prophet. [a very great prophet] 27 This is the
          one about whom it is written [by Isaiah]: 'Behold, I am sending My messenger ahead of You, Who will prepare Your way before You.'
          - John the Baptist was not just a Prophet of God; he was THE PROPHET who prepared the way before God Himself on Earth.
          28 I say to you, among those born of women there is no one greater than John; yet the one who is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he."
          - According to Jesus, there has never been any person - Prophet, Priest, King, NO ONE - greater than John the Baptist!
          - Believe it or not, there are those who would include Jesus in this category. John himself nicely clears this up, rejecting it completely in Mark 1:7-8.
          29 When all the people and the tax collectors heard this, they acknowledged God's justice, having been baptized with the baptism of John.
          - Statements like this certainly indicate that John had a large and effective ministry.
          30 But the Pharisees and the lawyers rejected God's purpose for themselves, not having been baptized by John. - Luke 7:24-30

The duration of John the Baptist's ministry:

●   Some believe that John, like Jesus, had to begin his ministry at the age of thirty and, because John was six months older than Jesus, his ministry could not have lasted longer than six months. They base this age of thirty belief upon their understanding that God has required priestly service to begin at thirty years of age. We will see that this is not the case. Biblical support for the age of thirty belief stems only from Numbers chapter four, which tells us the following:
     - God instructed Moses and Aaron to count all the men aged thirty to fifty who were members of the three clans which make up the complete tribe of Levi.
          - The three clans were Kohath, Gershon and Merari, who were the three sons of Levi who continued the lineage of their clans.
     - These men were then assigned the responsibility when Israel travels, to carry the dismantled tent of meeting as well as its myriad constituent parts and utensils.
     - At no point did God state anything related to levitical priesthood, and He certainly uttered no age-related ordinance for priests.

   The age limitation of Numbers 4 has nothing at all to do with requirements for the priesthood:
     - Numbers 4 states age limits - both lower and upper. No priest was ever made to retire at age 50. Aaron was age 83 when he began. - Num 33:38-39
     - Numbers 3 shows a previous counting of these same three clans, starting at age one month and with no upper limit. It counted the clans' full sizes. - Num 3:14-20
     - Age limits in Numbers 4 are clearly due to the physicality of the work these men were being assigned: to carry large heavy objects for many miles over many days.
     - These three clans - the Tribe of Levi - were not priests and the duties they were assigned had nothing to do with priestly service. Theirs was to do the grunt work.
     - Only Aaron's clan (Aaron descended from Kohath) was ever assigned to serve as priests (Exodus 28:1-4, 41), and this was ordained to never change:
          - "The priesthood is theirs by a lasting ordinance." - Exodus 29:9 (Also Ex 29:42-46; 30:30-33; 40:12-15; Lev 7:28-36; 21:1; Num 18:1-7)
          - The tribe of Levi were never priests; they were always assistants to Aaron's clan of priests. - Numbers 3:1-10 (Josh 21; 1 Chron 24; 2 Chron 13:10; 26:18)
     - It is therefore completely unjustifiable to believe that Numbers 4 is instituting any kind of ordinance from God regarding levitical priesthood.
     - For explanations from a Jewish perspective, see article; article.

   Pertaining to the aspect of age restrictions upon levitical priesthood, what we can say with certainty is this:
     - God has given no ordinance in the Bible stating that levitical priesthood cannot begin before age thirty.
     - Being a prophet and not a priest, John would not have been constrained by any such priestly ordinance, had there been one.
          - It then follows that John's prophetic ministry could have begun well before Jesus' priestly ministry, and certainly a number of years prior to it.
     - How this pertains to First Advent Jesus Redeemer Messiah:
          - As there are in many churches today, Judaism has many extra-biblical rules and stipulations originating from men, not from God. This includes a tradition that
          a priest's ministry should not begin before the age of thirty. No doubt this too has its origin in a misapplication of Numbers 4. (As believers we have not
          sufficiently guarded against beliefs creeping into the Church which are nowhere to be found within the scriptures. This needs to change.)
          - Thus, if Jesus had begun His priestly ministry at a younger age the people would not have taken Him seriously. He would have been ignored or worse.
          - So it was expedient for Jesus to begin His ministry at about the age of thirty. (Luke 3:23 - Note the imprecision and the absence of a reference to any priestly ordinance.)
          - Jesus' ministry was not a levitical priesthood, He was in the order of Melchizedek. (Ps 110; Heb 11, esp vs11-19)
          - Therefore any constraints upon the levitical priesthood (whether they originated from God or from men) did not apply to Jesus Messiah.
     - Because John was not a priest, and because there is no age of thirty ordinance to begin with, John's length of ministry could have certainly encompassed more
     than six months of time. It is perfectly reasonable to suggest that it could have lasted for a few years.

●   A more subjective evidence that John the Baptist's ministry would have lasted longer than six months, would be the clear impact which his ministry had throughout the region and indeed, throughout the ancient world. The evidence is somewhat anecdotal, however the demand for a ministry which lasted more than six months is clearly present:

   Some time after Messiah had already gathered His disciples, begun His ministry and was baptizing followers, John noted the following:

          He must increase, but I must decrease. - John 3:30

John and his ministry clearly must have attained significance before He needed to decrease and allow that significance to pass on to Messiah. Although not plainly stated, this and other New Testament passages connote a level of significance regarding John and His ministry, that would be difficult to establish in only six months:

     - John's influence was so great that, after his denouncement of King Herod, the outcry from the population against the king was so extensive that the king felt
     compelled to at first have John put in jail, and ultimately to have him killed.
          - "Although Herod wanted to put him to death, he feared the crowd, because they regarded John as a prophet." - Matthew 14:5
     - "Initially, John had developed a significant following of disciples and had baptized many. He preached repentance, calling people to prepare the way of the Lord.
     He had done his work with passion, with faithfulness, and without compromise. All of Israel was tuned in to understand something new was about to happen.
     Many had already been baptized by John, repenting of their sins, and anticipating the coming of the Messiah." (source)
     - "[T]he impact of [John's] life and ministry should not be underestimated. During his lifetime he had a following of disciples who shared common practices such as
     fasting and prayers ( Matt 9:14 ; John 1:35-37 ; 4:1-2 ). John's disciples survived his death and spread throughout the Mediterranean world. Apollos was from
     Alexandria in North Africa and at one point knew only of the baptism of John ( Acts 18:24-25). Similarly, upon arriving in Ephesus, Paul encountered about a dozen
     disciples of John. They too had only experienced the baptism of John ( Acts 19:1-7 ). These instances indicate that the Baptist's movement may have had more
     influence than what we are able to glean from the New Testament. . . .
        "In conclusion, John the Baptist is of great theological importance in the New Testament. He ended nearly four hundred years of prophetic silence and paved the
     way for the Messiah. In the spirit of Elijah, he preached a message of repentance and baptism. . . . He inaugurated a spiritual movement that had influence long
     after his death and extended throughout the Mediterranean world." (source)
     - "John had a tremendous impact on those in Jerusalem and Judea even after his death. In fact, when Herod (who beheaded him) heard about Jesus he said
     'John the Baptist is risen from the dead, and therefore these powers are at work in him.' (Mark 6:14, NKJV). The memory of his zeal and the lasting effect of his
     work continued both in his disciples and in the early church. . . .
        "He was truly the greatest of all the Old Testament prophets." (source)

   It seems quite implausible that any movement such as that of John the Baptist, impactful as it was, could have developed from nothing within the space of six months. While not explicit, this is an affirmation that our assertion is completely reasonable that John's ministry could have begun years before Messiah's.

The timing of John the Baptist's ministry:

●   Regarding the timing of John's ministry, we receive some help in Luke 3:1 where the good doctor gives us a number of signposts which mark its beginning. The most helpful of these is that John began his ministry in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar.

   The time elements of Tiberius' life are very well documented:
          - "On June 27,4 AD, Tiberius ... [was] adopted by Augustus. From this date on Tiberius came more and more into prominence, receiving the tribunician power
          for 10 years. In 13 AD (or according to Mommsen 11 AD) Tiberius was by a special law raised to the co-regency." (source)
          - "From A.D. 4 to 14 Tiberius was clearly Augustus's successor. When he was adopted, he also received grants of proconsular power and tribunician power; and
          in A.D. 13 his proconsular power was made co-extensive with that of Augustus. In effect, Tiberius was now co-princeps with Augustus...." (source)
          - "History tells us that [Tiberius] was co-regent with Augustus Caesar starting earlier in A.D. 11/12. This occurred because Augustus wanted a successor to his
          throne. Augustus' first choice of an heir to the throne died before Augustus did. So he adopted his grandson Tiberius Caesar Augustus as a son in A.D. 4 so that
          he would be the heir to the throne." (source) (This information comes from Prof. Jack Finegan, a much published and highly regarded expert on biblical chronology.)
          - Tiberius' accession to emperor occurred officially upon the death of Augustus in 14 AD. (source; source)
   We have a situation in which the starting point for Luke's fifteen years of Tiberius' reign, can legitimately be understood to be as early as 11 AD, or as late as 14 AD.

   Exactly how Luke was calculating the fifteen years of Tiberius cannot be precisely known:
          - Was Luke considering the reign to have begun with Tiberius' co-regency or with his official accession? Both are legitimate starting points.
               - If the former, which year did Luke choose as the starting point?
          - Which calendar was guiding Luke's fifteen year count? Options include Julian, Hebrew, and the Syro-Macedonian which many consider to be the best
          candidate. The choice here can make a significant difference.
          - Was Luke calculating Tiberius' fifteen years using antedating or postdating methodology? This in itself can also make a significant difference.
               - Luke was not Hebrew, and we are not certain that he antedated (included the beginning and ending part-years in) his calculation, as the Hebrews do.
               - The best evidence on this supports that Luke would have antedated his count:
                    - Luke was probably either a Greek (source) or a Hellenic Jew who embraced Greek culture. (source)
                    - Ancient Greeks antedated (counted inclusively) their time periods. (source; source)
                    - Luke's audience (the early Church) included many people of Hebrew heritage, who also antedate their calculation of time periods.

   There is much to consider when pondering Luke's fifteenth year of Tiberius. To say that there is no consensus on the year which Luke intended to single out, would be an understatement indeed. (example; example) The point to be made here is that, regarding the beginning of John's ministry, the best information we have reveals only a certain range of years, so John the Baptist's ministry could have reasonably begun anywhere from 24 AD to 29 AD. There is simply not enough information available for anyone to be dogmatic about any specific year. However, what we can say pertaining to our third scenario is this:
   It appears that antedated counting could be ubiquitous throughout the Bible. If Luke employed an antedated count beginning with Tiberius' co-regency in 12 AD, Luke's fifteenth year of Tiberius (as well as the beginning of Daniel's 70th Week of his Seventy Weeks Prophecy) is placed in 26 AD. This is in perfect alignment seven years later in 33 AD, with the Prophecy's end (and the end of the 70th Week) when Messiah's death and resurrection completed His triumphant earthly mission.

●   With this complete and accurate understanding we may now confidently assert that:
          - John and his ministry were absolutely important enough that they could have been prophesied beforehand by Daniel.
          - John's ministry could certainly have lasted longer than six months and a proposed duration of three years is fully tenable.
          - It is perfectly reasonable, and even probable, that John the Baptist began his ministry to the people in 26 AD.
               - This date, when coupled with Jesus' death and resurrection in 33 AD, creates a perfect seven-year alignment with Daniel's 70th Week.
          - It is probable that John the Baptist's ministry occurred from 26 to 29 AD, the first three years of Daniel's 70th Week.

Conclusion:

Pertaining to Daniel's 490-Year Prophecy, the above understanding resoundingly demonstrates the viability of an historical fulfillment for Daniel's 70th Week of Years; one which is not separated from the previous 69 weeks. The preceived need to sever and delay the fulfillment of these seven years, along with the shadow this casts over heretofore trustworthy principles of prophetic interpretation, should now be laid to rest.

The 490 years of Daniel's prophecy must now be considered in the manner which Daniel intended, and just as he presented them: These 490 years are an unbroken and uninterupted period of time, extending from the decree of Artaxerxes I in 457 BC to both "restore and rebuild Jerusalem", extending "until Messiah the Prince" at the completion of His earthly ministry in 33 AD.