Daniel's Revelation of Messiah   The Babylonians attacked the city of Jerusalem in six waves destroying the city, the temple, and leading the majority of the surviving Jewish population back to Babylon in chains. Daniel was one of the survivors who was taken captive, and longed to return. It was during a time while Daniel was confessing his sin, the sin of his people, and apprealing to God through prayer and fasting with hopes that God would restore him and God's other covenant people to the land of promise, and specifically Jerusalem that the angel Gabriel was dispatched by God to Daniel in Babylon(Daniel 9). Daniel learns that he will not see or experience the second exodus from their present Babylonian captivity (Dan 12:13), but that it would indeed occur in the future in accordance with God's word given to the preexilic prophets. However, God does grant Daniel insight into the times and seasons of this future post exillic exodus. Not only that, Daniel learns the time and purpose of the promised Mesiah's visitation (Daniel 9:24-26a).

Daniel's Mystery of Sevens   Gabriel is recorded in Daniel chapter nine as saying, (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 prophesy and to anoint the most holy. (25) Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree 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 cut off, but not for himself and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the santuary, and end of it shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

The Mystery of Sevens In Perspective   It is important to understand that the holy temple and Jerusalem had already been destroyed by the Babylonians, and still lay in ruins at the time Daniel was given this insight indicating the temple/city would be rebuilt before the coming of the Anointed One. Daniel also learns the rebuilt temple/city would again be destroyed shortly after the Anointed One visited Jerusalem and was "cut off." Gabriel goes on to explain the precice time of messiah's visitation indicating the Anointed One would apear sixty-nine sevens from the issuing of a decree to rebuild the city of Jerusalem. Interestingly, the decree to rebuild the city was issued by the Persian King Artexerxes on April/Nissan 30 445 B.C (Nehemiah 2:8), and well after Daniel died. But, what is the relationship between this decree and the mystery of sevens passed on by the angel Gabriel?

Mystery of Sevens Time Table   Mel Miller shows how God had it in mind for cycles of seven to be calculated using 365 day years, and 360 day years together in order to show messianic fulfillment in accordance with the solar calendar (Artexerxes decree) and Biblical calendar of special days instituted by God, e.g. Passover, Unleavened Bread, and First Fruits. This is important as Passover only fell on Friday once every seven years(84 months), and yet the prophesy had to be fulfilled by the 483rd aniversary of Artexerxe's decree (69 x 7). As you can see 483(69 X 7) minus 445(Decree Issue Date) equals 39; not 32 AD. Read on.

There are 2536.75 solar days per seven year cycle (365.25 solar days X 7 years), or 173,859 days (The completion of 68 seven-year cycles X 2536.7 solar days). This is signifigant because 173,859 days from Artexerxes' decree on Nisan/April 30, 445 B.C. is Nisan/April 9, 32 AD., which is the very day Mesiah Yeshua (Jesus) rode into Jerusalem on a colt (Zechariah 9:9). This is twenty-one days shy of the sixty-ninth seven from the anniversy date of Artexexes decree issued April/Nissah 30, 445 B.C. Thus, the solar days are used within the framework of Biblical cycles to pinpoint the time "The Anointed One Comes" and is "cut off." On the other hand, there are 2,520 Biblical days per seven year cycle (360 X 7 years), or 173,880 days (69 seven-year cycles X 2,520 Biblical days). This is signifigant because 173,880 days from Artexerxes decree to rebuild Jerusalem issued Nisan/April 30, 445 B.C. is Nisan/April 30, 32 AD, which is the 483rd aniversary date as described to Daniel by the angel gabriel (sixty-nine sevens). In other words, the missing seven (39-32 AD) is reconcilled using 360 day years within the Biblical prophetic framework of sixty-nine sevens. Thus, God's foreordained word was not only given in view of three accounts, but it came to pass, and can be confirmed on three accounts; the feast cycle including their symbolic signifigance, the aniversary of the Artexerxes' decree itself, and to the precise day! Clearly, Yeshua (Jesus) fulfilled all in accordance with the scriptures as history affirms.

Daniel's Mystery of Sevens & Historical Context   After Daniel died the Persians conquered the Babylonians, and the Jews in captivity were eventually allowed to return to Jerusalem at differnt times. It was King Cyrus of Persia that issued a degree allowing Zerubabul (Ezra) to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple (completed 516 B.C), and King Artexerxes that later issued the fortold decree allowing Nehemiah to rebuild the city of Jerusalem (445 B.C.). Subsequently, Yeshua "The Anointed One" appeared and was indeed "cut off" on the precise day foreordained in order to "finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophesy and to anoint the most holy" (Dan 9:24; Cf. Isaiah 53). Neither King Agrippa or Menachem Ben Amiel of this era qualified as messiah; nor did they "finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness." However, Messiah Yeshua (Jesus) was crucified on the eve of passover, Nisan/April 14, AD 32; the 483rd passover, and twenty-one days prior to the 483rd, sixty-ninth seven, or aniversary date of Artexerxes' decree. No wonder the Jewish apostle of Yeshua remarked, "You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungoldly" (Romans 5:6). Moreover, the holy temple and city was again destroyed in 70 A.D. by General Titus and his roman legions after the Messiah's visitation in accordance with Daniel's prophecies (Dan 9:26).

Jesus Qualifies Daniel's Mystery of Sevens   During Jesus' eartly ministry he referred to Daniel's prophesy, and made the connection with the gospel of the kingdom (cf. Isaiah 40-60). After arriving in Jerusalem at the foreordained time as described in Daniel's book (Mark 11:1-11; Luke 19:28-44), Jesus tells his disciples that he would be "cut off" in advance as Daniel and Isaiah desribed centuries before (Matthew 20:17-19; Mark 8:31-33; Luke 18:31-33; cf Isaiah 53). It is noteworthy Jesus attributes the title "Son of Man" to himself in these texts (cf Dan 7:13; 8:15-17). Moreover, Jesus explains the temple that had already been rebuilt by the time of Jesus' ministry would indeed again be destroyed in accordance with the pre/post exilic prophets, and Jesus began to explain the end of the current age as well as the end time when Jesus would return never again to be "cut off." This is ecspecially important to those not recognising Messiah Yeshua's (Jesus) messianic visitation fullfilling the the suffering servant passages in AD 32. While many are rightfully perceiving God's hand in bringing Jews dispersed throughout the world back to the land of promise today, many are wrongfully looking forward to another messiah after the temple that was destroyed by Titus in AD 70 is rebuilt and its institutions reinstated in our day! (Cf. Daniel 12:11). In other words, many will embrace a false messiah who is surrounded by political turmoil but presents himself, and/or perceved to be fulfilling the messianic suffering servant passages in our day, which is compatable with the "Rule of God perfected" framework held by those who perceive the coming Messiah fulfilling the suffering servant passages after the messiah comes as a triumphant world king! (cf. Mechilta, p. 75; Yalkut, Vol 2, p. 14a last line). Jesus makes it clear that his second coming will not only meet, but exceed the first century messianic expectations. Having fulfilled Isaiah 61:1-2a as a suffering servant on Nisan/April 14, AD 32, Jesus will fulfill Isaiah 61:2b in his messianic role on "the day of vengence" with his second coming. Not only will his second coming be clear to all, but "They will look on the one they pierced and mourn for him as one mourns for and only child" (Zechariah 12:10ff). Yeshua/Jesus cited Daniel three times as recorded in the New Testament. Consider Messiah Jesus' insights on Daniel's propehecies.

Among other things Jesus says the "Gospel of the Kingdom" as presented in the Holy Bible alone will be preached to all people groups of the nations as a testimony before the end of time as we know it, and those who persevere in the gospel of the kingdom by grace through faith unto the end will be saved; hence Jesus' warning against deception, the real possibility of falling away, and/or consequences of embracing another messiah/gospel. This is consitent with the gospel teaching of the aposteles as articulated in the New Testament books. ___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Textual History  The book of Daniel not only deals with Israel the nation, but all of Gentile history. Daniel was multi-lingual, and educated in the court of Babylon during his captivity. Threfore, it is not unusual that chapters 2-7 are written in Aramaic as these chapters deal with the Gentile nations whereas chapters 1, and 8-12 are written in Hebrew as Daniel was writing to the Jews in these chapters. The prophetic relevance is in keeping with theme of the Gospel of the Kingdom of God through the Jewish Messiah for the nations in this book. The Septuagint (285-247 BC) includes the book of Daniel, which are among proofs for its existence well before the events predicted it occured. Furthermore, Daniel was found among the Dead Sea Scrolls. This is signifigant becasue the Daniel manuscripts found in Qumran are identical in substance to the Septuagint in wide circulation. This is comperable to the oldest manuscript of the book of Isaiah predates Jesus the man by a hundred years (dated 100 B.C.), and is kept at the Shrine of the Book Museum in Jerusalem. For information about the Dead Sea Scrolls select the image to the right, or visit Isaiah & the Dead Sea Scrolls-Book of Isaiah published by AllAboutGOD.com Ministries, M. Houdmann, P. Matthews-Rose, R. Niles, editors, 2002-06. Used by permission. Moreover, the links below will direct you to the English Greek intilenear, and concordance for the book of Isaiah. Prior to the discovery of the Dead Sea Scroll manuscripts one could appeal to other ancient records confirming what Old Testament books were intended for doctrine and how they were discovered/recognised to be canon. For example, Josephus (Against Apion 1.41), rabbinic literature , and Melito of Sardis 170 A.D. as cited by Eusebius' Ecclesiastical History 4.26.14 (325 A.D.) held that the Old Testament canon was complete by 400 B.C. Interestingly, Melito of Sardis, Athanasiaus of Alexardria, and Origen list only those Old Testament books that match what the Jewish people accepted as scripture predating Christianity, and what we find in the Bible today with the exception of Esther (Melito did not include Esther in his list). In each case, the book of Isaiah was unanomously recognised as sripture as is in the Old Testament canon. Moreover, all scriptural references cited in the New Testament are from among the Old Testament books that were regarded as Biblical canon before Jesus the man! This internal/external "paper trail" allows one to examine the textual integrity of the Bible as we have it, confirms that modern English translations of Isaiah are subtantially the same, and has remained in tact. The Dead Sea Scroll manuscript of Isaiah combined with preserved writings of the early church leaders  citing passages that concurr with the same passages found in modern translations of the Holy Bible affirms the book's integrity. Therefore, we can have confidence in its itegrity. We should also seriously heed the message of this book where Isaiah states the unredeemed alienated from God and dying in their sin will experience everlasting torment where "their worm will not die, nor will their fine be quenched" (Isaiah 66:24), and urges to "Seek the Lord while he may be found" (Isaiah 55:6). Click here for more.