What was Daniel thinking before God’s angel showed up and interrupted his prayer? What was Daniel discerning about Jerusalem’s desolation? What was the timeline of these events?
Daniel had been taken captive to Babylon sometime after 606 BCE, because he was from the Royal Court in Jerusalem. So, he was very well aware of the timing and scriptural prophecies surrounding the nation of Israel. The fact of the matter is that Daniel had become God’s spokesman and the revealer of secrets of how God was directing the affairs of mankind, God was proving to be with Daniel the prophet.
Daniel 9:1-3… In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus of the seed of the Medes, who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans; in the first year of his reigning, I myself, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of the years concerning which the word of Jehovah had occurred to Jeremiah the prophet, for fulfilling the devastations of Jerusalem, [namely,] seventy years.
What Daniel was discerning had to do with the fulfillment of the 70-year desolation of Jerusalem. How will knowing this information help us today?
Understanding the fulfillment of God’s words to Jeremiah will help us see that the prophecy by God is having a fulfillment, it will help us to build our faith on all of the things that God has said, they will all come true.
Jeremiah 25:1-17 Shows that God called for 70 years of captivity of Jerusalem and Judah then of all the surrounding nations under Babylon. God called out the King of Babylon by name before he came and brought about the destruction 40 years before it happened.
This prophecy had to do with the judgment and the drinking from the cup of God the wine of his rage. This prophecy was to start with the house of God and all who drink from the cup would shake and act like crazed men until the final judgment against the last world government.
For this prophecy to start to become a reality there were a few things it would have to take place. Assyria was the world power of that time. That would mean that Babylon would have to overtake Assyria as the world power and then for Nebuchadnezzar to be made King of Babylon. Egypt also would have to fall as a world power.
The Timeline
646 BCE – Jeremiah 1:1-2. God’s Word about Jerusalem’s destruction started to be declared by Jeremiah.
625 BCE – Nebopolassar came to power in Babylon and then conquered Nineveh the Assyrian capital and put it under his control.
610 – 609 BCE – King Josiah was killed by Egypt possibly by accident, but he dies nun the less. 2 Chronicles 35:20-24, 36:1-23
609 BCE – 2 Chronicles 36:1-23 relates what was going on till Jerusalem was destroyed. It took a total of 22 years, 6 months 10 days.
609 – 598 BCE – The King of Egypt installed a vassal King Jehoiakim for a 11-years.
605 BCE – Babylon laid siege to Jerusalem and took the utensils from God’s house, worship at the temple stopped. Some of the king’s sons and royalty were taken to Babylon so, Daniel could have been around 15 years old. Daniel 1:1-3
605 BCE – Nebuchadnezzar 2nd came to power as king, but he still could have been in the army as a Commander over the Babylonian army before this date and time. Jeremiah 46:1-2
603 BCE – Vision of statue given to the king in Daniel chapter 2.
598 BCE – The King of Babylon installed a vassal King named Jehoiachin. Then 3 months later replaced him with Zedekiah for a 11-year reign.
598 – 587 BCE – Zedekiah had a 11-year reign but then betrayed the king of Babylon by trying to align himself with the king of Egypt. Jeremiah 52:3-7
587 BCE – The King of Babylon came and burned down the City and Temple. Jerusalem was destroyed as a city, and more people were taken off to Babylon. Jeremiah 52:12-27
As you can see by the timeline to date, there were very specific things that were being done at various times, so trying to decide which date to use for any calculation is going to be hard.
But what was God’s timeline and which events was he using to fulfill his prophecy? Will we be willing to adjust what we think based on the facts?
550 BCE – Vision about the four-beasts given Daniel chapter 7.
547 BCE – Vision about small horn given Daniel chapter 8.
539 BCE Oct 29 – Babylon fell that night, so the prophecy was about the nations serving the king of Babylon for 70 years was having some kind of fulfillment. Jeremiah 29:10-14
If we were to count backwards from 539 BCE, we would arrive at 609 – 608 BCE were the king of Egypt installed a vassal King over Jerusalem. This meant that self-determination and rulership by God over the nation of Israel had ended.
538 BCE – Cyrus came and gave the word to restore the temple just as God had Isaiah prophesied even by calling him by name. So, that prophecy started about or after 742 BCE. Isaiah 44:26-28, Ezra 1:1-8, 5:15
537 BCE Tishri – Ezra 3:8 There was a rebuild Alter on the Temple foundation and they started sacrificing on that date.
536 BCE – Details about the king of the North & South given at Daniel chapter 10 -12.
536 BCE – Ezra 4:23. All work stopped by an order from the new king Artaxerxes.
528 BCE – The date some historians claim that Babylon fully came under the Persian rule 10 years after it was sacked.
522 BCE – Darius sent word to start work back up on the Temple and reinstituted the sacrifices. Ezra 4:24
522 BCE – Gabriel came and gave the word about the 70 weeks of year prophecy some 80 years after Babylon was sacked. Daniel is now around 96 years old. Daniel 9:1-2. So, what was this prophecy that God had given all about exactly?
God’s Prophecy by the Angel Gabriel
Daniel 9:24-26…There are seventy weeks that have been determined upon your people and upon your holy city, in order to
- terminate the transgression, and to finish off sin,
- and to make atonement for error,
- and to bring in righteousness for times indefinite,
- and to imprint a seal upon vision and prophet,
- and to anoint the Holy of Holies.
How and when were these five events called out by the angel fulfilled? Where do they fit in the historical timeline?
We will be talking about these five points later on, under the subheading To Anoint the Most Holy.
What else did the angel of God say to Daniel?
Daniel 9:25… And you should know and have the insight [that] from the going forth of [the] word to restore (Artaxerxes Edict 458 BCE) and to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah [the] Leader, there will be seven weeks, also sixty-two weeks. She will return and be actually rebuilt, with a public square and moat (H2742 Wall), but in the straits (H6695 Distress) of the times.
How do you and I know that these events and dates are faithful and true? You need to make what you find, “the truth” your own, then keep proving it true to yourself and others around you.
Next the angel speaks about the Messiah being cut off among other things.
Daniel 9:26… And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah will be cut off, with nothing for himself. And the city (Jerusalem) and the holy place (God’s temple) the people of a leader (the Hellenistic culture with Rome) that is coming will bring to their ruin. And the end of it will be by the flood (Roman – Apostasy). And until [the] end there will be war; what is decided upon is desolations.
To help us understand these foretold events about Jerusalem we also need to understand the purpose of God’s festivals, the celebrations that God asked the Jewish people to celebrate at the Temple. We also need to understand the history of the Seleucid Empire, Julius Maccabees, and the Hasmonean dynasty that followed.
As you can see this is no simple matter, it requires a lot of research, spiritual meditation, and godly understanding to unravel the events, the facts from fiction, and what part of the prophecy has become a matter of history. We need to read the book of Maccabees; we also need to study what Josephus had to write concerning the historical events of his day.
Next the angel gives more details to Daniel.
Daniel 9:27… And he must keep [the] covenant in force for the many for one week; and at the half of the week, he will cause sacrifice and gift offering to cease. “And upon the wing of disgusting things there will be the one causing desolation; and until an extermination, the very thing decided upon will go pouring out also upon the one lying desolate”.
Was this part of the prophecy fulfilled? Absolutely! Jesus Christ came (29 CE) and for 3 ½ years spoke about the kingdom of God and what was coming next.
God kept the covenant in force during that time and after the Messiah was killed, resurrected, and ascended to heaven in 33 CE. God caused the sacrifices to cease from being acceptable and soon after that time period God had the physical temple destroyed by Rome in 70 CE.
Even the Roman Empire has been laid desolate fulfilling God’s word. Yes, by 1453 CE Constantinople was finally conquered by the Ottoman forces ending the Eastern Roman rule.
What are we to extrapolate from this information today?
Cyrus’s Edict in 538 BCE gave the Word to Restore the Temple only. Ezra 1:1-6
The Jewish people under the governor of Judah had only rebuilt the Alter on the Temple grounds by 537 BCE. Ezra 3:8
So, the start of the 70 years of God’s Word by Jeremiah the prophet happened when? If we were to look back and try to count back 70 years from 538 BCE, we end up at 609 – 608 BCE. Was Jerusalem serving the Kingdom of Babylon from this date? Isaiah 44:24 -28, 2 Chronicles 36:20-23
No, Jerusalem fell under Egypt’s control from about 609 – 607 BCE till the king of Babylon came in 607 and by 605 BCE took from the house of God and the household of the king all the valuable things. Jeremiah 25:11-12… these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon for 70 years. Can we say that the 70 years of desolation begin in 605 BCE?
Now the prophecy of the seventy-year desolation has more to do than just with the Temple’s destruction. True enough the Sabbath’s had to be repaid to the land. Jerusalem, with Judah, and all the nations roundabout would have to serve the king of Babylon for 70 years. We need to understand that Jerusalem and God’s Holy Temple, along with the people of the land will be brought to their ruin because what has been decided by God is desolation’s.
What does this 70-year desolation prophecy have to do with the 70 weeks of years prophecy?
We need to understand the 70 years of desolation which is used as part of the mathematical equation by the angel of God because It has to do with the restoration of the temple, the Sabbath’s along with the Jubilees and worship of God the be restored. Without knowing the history, we cannot move forward in time with the prophecy of God. The angel gives Daniel the events and math that he needs to calculate into the future.
A sampling of that mathematical formula is as follows, notice that the darker numbers correlate to pivotal events in history according to God. If this is true, then we will be able to use these dates as pivotal moments chosen by God to calculate time.
Just Simple Math
This is an example of some math that we can use to determine or calculate what the angel of God had said. I am not saying that this is by any means absolute, only a sample or example.
Let us start with 70 weeks x 7 years = 490 years.
Take 458 BCE the year Artaxerxes gave the word to restore and subtract 490 years as the 70 weeks = 32 CE + 1 year for the 0 year because of the 12 months you get 33 CE when the Messiah was to be cut off. These are just the facts that have proven, prophecy has become history.
We know that in 33 CE our Lord Jesus Christ was killed, that was just proven by history but now we have a good number of 458 BCE as being a pivotal year along with 33 CE. One of the most important things we also need to keep in mind is this these things happen in the time of the fall festivals this was halfway through the Jewish year.
Now that we have these two pivotal dates identified we now know that 29 CE is also a suitable number for the beginning of the ministry of Christ Jesus.
Now using the same math formula, take 62 weeks x 7 years = 434 years.
7 weeks x 7 years = 49 years.
If we add the 7 weeks + the 62 weeks + 1 week it would equal = 490 years, the same as the 70 weeks.
Why did the angel break up the 70 weeks in to 1 week, 7 weeks and 62 weeks?
It was to confirm the reestablishing of the 7-day Sabbath cycle and the 49 years to the Jubilee cycle.
See the timeline by clicking the hyperlink:
Leviticus 25:8-10… And you must count for yourself seven sabbaths of years, seven times seven years, and the days of the seven sabbaths of years must amount to forty-nine years for you. And you must cause the horn of loud tone to sound in the seventh month on the tenth of the month; on the day of atonement, YOU people should cause the horn to sound in all YOUR land. And YOU must sanctify the fiftieth year and proclaim liberty in the land to all its inhabitants. It will become a Jubilee for YOU, and YOU must return each one to his possession and YOU should return each one to his family.
I could not help but notice after reading this passage of Scripture that on the seventh month (that is Tishri) and on the 10th day of the month that would begin the Jubilee year that falls on the day of Atonement.
To Anoint the Most Holy
How were these five events called out by the angel fulfilled in Daniel 9:24? How was the Most Holy going to be anointed?
Daniel 9:24… terminate the transgression, and to finish off sin, and to make atonement for error, and to bring in righteousness for times indefinite, and to imprint a seal upon vision and prophet, and to anoint the Holy of Holies.
What the angel had set out as the 5 events that had to be accomplished was no simple feet. But the answer would be found in some of the celebrations and festivals called out by God himself. They can be divided out by the spring festivals and the fall festivals. But first let us talk about these five events that had to be accomplished.
In the kingdom of God, rebellion was found, heaven itself had become unclean and needed to be dealt with. Revelation 12:7-10
God provided for a perfect sacrifice so the atonement could be met, finishing off sin forever and terminating transgression. Leviticus 16:16-22, Hebrews 9:8-28
A new high priest and a perfect sacrifice came into existence. Jesus Christ offered himself up before God and he was allowed into the holy of holies. Heaven became anointed and God’s Holy Spirit was poured out.
The true prophet’s and their visions were identified. Christ came and fulfilled these things that were spoken by these prophets, at that time everybody knew something had changed, a new way of dealing with humankind had come into existence. The old temple arrangement had been done away with by God himself. God’s kingdom was now at hand.
That is not to say that something similar will be established in the future, for we can see in Ezekiel the prophecy about a future time that there will be similar festivals being celebrated by mankind. Ezekiel 45:21-25
But how are we to understand the future if we do not understand the festivals of the past. Let us take a quick review of some of the festivals that still need to be fulfilled.
The Festivals
The spring festivals consisted of the Passover celebration, Unfermented Cakes, and the Offering of First fruits followed up by the late Passover and the Festival of Weeks or Pentecost. Jesus Christ came and fulfilled these spring celebrations.
The fall festivals consisted of the Trumpet blast, the Day of Atonement, the Festival of Booths or Ingathering along with the Solemn Assembly.
Then there was The Festival of Dedication and the celebration of Purim. These last two events were something that humankind instituted and not necessarily called out by God to celebrate.
As to-date there has been no fulfillment to the fall festivals concerning God’s kingdom that we know of. So, let us review some of these dates and celebrations to get a grasp on what is yet to be fulfilled.
Tishri 1st is the beginning of the civil year for the Jewish people and is called the Festival of Trumpets. Where no man knows the day or hour. I also cannot help but think of the seven trumpets of Revelation and how they are to call out for the new civil year of the messianic Kingdom. Revelation 8:6
Tishri 10th is the day of Atonement upon the land. At every 50 years begins the Jubilee cycle that starts on this day.
Tishri 15th is a very special celebration for the Jewish people. It is the celebration of the Festival of Booths. The people gathered together in Jerusalem and built temporary houses out of palm branches to reside with God and to show they wanted live in peace with him, they could reside with him in his righteousness. Revelation 21:3-5
Tishri 22nd is the Solemn Assembly and it was a time that the people would afflict their souls. There was an offering made by fire on the alter. The reading of God’s word was done and there was a confession of sins made.
Chislev 25th is The Festival of Dedication, it was instituted by the Maccabees in 164 BCE and is celebrated down to this day, but this is not the first occasion for the rededication of the temple. There was a rededication that occurred during the time of Hezekiah in 726 BCE on Tishri 16th as found in the bible at 2 Chronicles 29:1-36. Because this time fell during the festival of booths there was no need to rename the celebration.
Click Hyperlink below to view a more complete list of the festivals.
These are but few facts about the celebrations that now lead us to talk about what happens next in history.
God’s Word Came
520 BCE Elul 1st – Gods word came to Haggai in the 2nd year of Darius the king of Babylon and Haggai 1:1-2 reveals that to us. It was time to build God’s house. The month of Elul falls in Aug / Sept and the Jewish people celebrate this as a time of repentance.
520 Tishri 21st – God spoke again to Haggai, this is one day before the Solemn Assembly celebration, this falls in the month of Sept / Oct. God’s word at Haggai 1:1, 2:1 establishes the timeline for us. You might also remember from reading earlier that God began to speak to Zechariah in the same very year but at a later month of Cheshvan that falls in September / October.
Next we read in the following chapter:
Haggai 2:1-9… In the seventh (7th month Tishri), on the twenty-first [day] of the month (during the Festival of Booths), the word of Jehovah occurred by means of Haggai the prophet … 6 For this is what Jehovah of armies has said, Yet once—it is a little while—and I am rocking the heavens and the earth and the sea and the dry ground. 7 And I will rock all the nations, and the desirable things of all the nations must come in; and I will fill this house with glory, Jehovah of armies has said. 8 The silver is mine, and the gold is mine, is the utterance of Jehovah of armies. 9 Greater will the glory of this later house become than [that of] the former, Jehovah of armies has said. And in this place I shall give peace, is the utterance of Jehovah of armies.
Did you notice that during the festival of booths that there was a word given to Haggai about God’s house would become filled with glory? Is this the physical house of God that is being spoken of here? Because we know that later on in the timeline that Jerusalem along with the Temple is once again destroyed in 70 CE. The reason for the destruction is because of what God had sworn to Solomon at 1 Kings 9:2-9.
And as of the date of the writing of this article the Temple has not been rebuilt, that is not to say that a movement to have it rebuilt is not underway. Money and resources are being gathered to establish a new temple of God in Jerusalem.
Priest are being chosen and trained for the temple service, and an alter has been built and it has begun to be used, some animal sacrifices are being offered up even as of now. Should we be looking for a physical fulfillment or are we to be looking to a spiritual fulfillment for the house of God to be filled with glory?
Remember God’s angel said that the end would be by a flood and desolation’s. Daniel 9:26 – So, no there will be no physical fulfillment for this prophecy of Haggai, but if a physical temple is built this could lead to the Man of Lawlessness seating himself down in the temple of God as revealed by the apostle Paul. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-12
Now back to the timeline and the events that follow:
The Word to Restore All
516 BCE – Darius checked into the records and sent the word to complete the work on the Temple of God because the Temple was not rebuilt by this date. Ezra 6:8-15.
458 Tishri / Artaxerxes gave the Word to Restore all. Ezra 7:11-26
445 BCE – Nehemiah goes to Jerusalem as found in Nehemiah 2:1-8
445 BCE Elul 25th – The walls of Jerusalem are built back, and the doors are hung.
At the building of the first Temple by Solomon God signified that he was with his people by the manifestation of his presence. 1 Kings 8:10-12, 2 Chronicles 7:1-2
So, there was something missing from the temple that Zerubbabel built. There was no manifestation that God was present. But there was an indication that God’s blessing was upon it, but the glory of God did not fill that house as before. But it had to be rebuilt for the Messiah to come and fulfill prophecy.
Now there were a few more things missing from the new temple. The ark of the covenant was missing and was never found, and so to was the dwelling of the presence of God signified by the Shekinah light that presided over the ark of the covenant. Revelation 11:19
In the Straight of Times
Some of the Jewish people had taken on the Hellenistic customs of the Greeks and then of the Romans, there developed a cultural difference between these traditionalists and the progressive Jews, soon the northern King of the Seleucid Empire came and so did his hatred for the Jewish way of life.
167 BCE / Antiochus the 4th “Epiphanes” of the Seleucid Empire defiled the Temple of God and erected an altar to Zeus inside the temple. The Maccabees started fighting back and soon the Hasmonean dynasty was established under the blessing of Rome. Daniel 8:8-13, 1 Maccabees 1:54
164 BCE Chislev 25th – The Rededication of the Temple by Judas Maccabees as he officiated as the high priest and king.1 Maccabees 4:47-59
Did the Prophecy come true about establishing a blessing?
Haggai 2:18-19… Set YOUR heart, please, [on this] from this day and forward, from the twenty-fourth [day] of the ninth [month], from the day that the foundation of the temple of Jehovah was laid; set YOUR heart [on this]: 19 Is there as yet the seed in the grain pit? And as yet, the vine and the fig tree and the pomegranate tree and the olive tree—it has not borne, has it? From this day I shall bestow blessing.’
God has promised a blessing from the day the foundation of the temple was laid. Was there a blessing upon the nation of Israel from the time of Governor Zerubbabel? Or is this meant as some greater fulfillment in the future? Did the rebuilt temple by King Herod in 20 BC bring blessings?
No, King Herod rebuilt the temple after killing and replacing some of the priest in the Sanhedrin. The temple was even dedicated to Rome.
Haggai 2:20… And the word of Jehovah proceeded to occur a second time to Haggai on the twenty-fourth [day] of the month, saying:
Now let us focus on the time God’s word came to Haggai the second time. It was now the 9th month that would be Chislev and on the 24th day would be one day before what is now called Hanukkah. This is one day before the cleansing of the Temple. But remember the year was 520 BCE that’s when God’s word came, the fulfillment for this was to be in 164 BCE, that was 356 years before Hanukkah was established as a celebration by Judas Maccabees and before the Hasmonean dynasty.
Was God’s word calling Judas Maccabees the greater Zerubbabel? We can answer that with an absolute no he was not, and the reasons will become clear to you as we review that history.
161 BCE – The Hasmonean dynasty was corrupted before it got started with Judah Maccabees seeking an allegiance with the Republic of Rome. Then the kingdom struck up a peace deal with Egypt later on.
139 BCE – By this time Simon Maccabees became the leader of Judah, the Roman Senate recognized the new dynasty. As you can see so far in this historical timeline nothing righteous has been established to date. Only that the rebuilding of the temple with its sacrifices has occurred according to what the angel of God had said. Daniel 9:24
Can the same thing be said of what we are reading here in Haggai 2:18-23? Let us look at it a little harder.
Haggai 2:21-22… “Say to Zerubbabel the Governor of Judah, ‘I am rocking the heavens and the earth. And I shall certainly overthrow the throne of kingdoms and annihilate the strength of the kingdoms of the nations; and I will overthrow [the] chariot and its riders, and [the] horses and their riders will certainly come down, each one by the sword of his brother.
We can certainly say as were looking through history that these events have occurred, that there is definitely been a rocking of the nations and an overthrow of kingdoms, and the sword has proved to be in the land. So, what is God’s purpose as regards the rocking of the nations?
I Have Chosen You
Haggai 2:23… ‘In that day,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies, ‘I shall take you, O Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel, my servant,’ is the utterance of Jehovah; ‘and I shall certainly set you as a seal ring, because you are the one whom I have chosen,’ is the utterance of Jehovah of armies.
The rocking of the nations is to serve this purpose:
- To fill God’s house with glory.
- To overthrow the throne of kingdoms and make them subject to the power of his kingdom.
- To designate the rightful ruler of God’s kingdom over the earth.
When is this going to occur? God says “in this day” this is going to happen, at the time of the rocking of the nation’s God will fulfill his promise of blessing. “I am not a God who can tell lies, yes I will yet fulfill my promises.”
So, who was this Zerubbabel the son of Shealtiel? And what is behind the meaning of these names?
Zerubbabel was the governor of Judah by Cyrus the great. He was a descendent of King David and in the Royal blood line. His name means offspring of confusion and his father’s name means inquired of God. So, Zerubbabel did come from the offspring of confusion, and he was a man inquiring of God.
Zerubbabel never saw the fulfillment, so are we to look to and for a greater Zerubbabel? Could Jesus Christ be the greater Zerubbabel?
Back to the timeline:
20 BCE King Herod started rebuilding the temple and then dedicated it to Rome.
29 CE – Jesus Christ was baptized and began his 3 ½ year ministry.
33 CE / Messiah was then cut off. The Jewish leaders of that day did not accept Jesus Christ as the Messiah, he was not crowned King of the kingdom of David at that time. But the fulfillment by God’s angel Gabriel was fulfilled. God did establish his kingdom. Now the resurrected Jesus Christ will build a spiritual temple for God to inhabit by spirit.
70 CE – Rome came and put down the rebellion and destroyed the temple by burning it. The Jews who survived were carried off to Rome and were used in the Coliseum for the games. Danial 8:14
The God of heaven is continuing to rock the nations today and the desirable things will come into his arrangement, by accepting his kingdom and becoming his spiritual temple, a place for God to be able to inhabit by spirit.
We look forward to the messianic Kingdom rule over humanity for the next thousand years according to what God’s word has said: “I will fill this house with glory.” Amen, yes come Lord Jesus, blessed is he that is coming in God’s name. Revelation 21:1-21
Reviewing What We Learned
First, Jeremiah 25:1-13 – Called for 70 years of captivity of all the surrounding nations under Babylon’s control so this prophecy was not just about Jerusalem.
Second, that trying to apply the 70-week year prophecy to anything outside of what God’s angel said will lead to problems.
Third, Leviticus 25:8-10 gives us the mathematical formula to calculate for Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy.
Fourth, any physical rebuilding of the temple will lead many into a greater apostasy.
Fifth, Haggai chapter 2 prophecy points to a spiritual fulfillment and gives a clear indication of who the rightful ruler to God’s kingdom will be.
Sixth, in 609 BCE God ended his rule over Israel, and in 605 BCE God ended the worship being given up in Jerusalem at his temple.
Let’s not let ourselves be confused any longer or deceived by the trickery of men because of the teaching of their doctrines as they try to fulfill their own prophecies. Turn away from the false teachers do not put your trust in men!
Writingwithlogos.com – Last Updated 5/26/23