The Prophecy - Daniel 9:24-27 - Daniel's 70 Weeks |
Old Testament Prophecy |
24) Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, 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 discern 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 plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26) Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27) And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate. |
To anoint the most holy place is mostly likely the Holy of Holies inside the temple. Prophecy points toward another, not yet built temple, being in place as this end time prophecy finishes its final fulfilment. For more on this please read Rebuilding The Temple.
The Second Temple was standing before the Messiah was "cut off" or put to death as Daniel 9:26 fore told. However, due to things missing from inside the Holy of Holies before it's destruction in 70 A.D. it is unclear if the Holy of Holies was ever ceremonially anointed or anointed by God Himself. There is also the possibility that this section of the prophecy has a duel fulfilment role. First pointing toward the Holy of Holies of the Second Temple and also pointing toward the Holy of Holies that is not yet built, in the Third Temple.
While this part of the prophecy was fulfilled in principle at Christ's first coming, it will be fulfilled in full at His return. The English word Messiah comes from the Hebrew word Moshiach which means anointed. Christ is the Greek equivalent. The Messiah was the anointed one and He is the Most Holy. With His second coming, with the rebuilt temple which will include the Holy of Holies room and with His rule over the Millennial Kingdom, all things will tie in together as the anointed of the Most Holy.
From The Talmud:
Some Jewish commentaries teach that this expression refers specifically to the chamber of the temple containing the ark with the Tablets of the Law. The ark was not present in the Second Temple. The Holy Ark, the altars, and the holy vessels will be revealed through the Messianic King. This refers to the Third Temple. The Second Temple was considered to had been not anointed because of the lack of evident presence of God. It was missing God's Shekinah (Yoma 21b).(1)
May refer to the consecration of the Holy Place in a temple of the future that will be the center of worship in the Millennial kingdom. (Ezekiel 40-48).(2)
It may refer not to a holy place, but to the Holy One, Christ. If so, this speaks of the enthronement of Christ, “the Anointed One” (Dan. 7:25-27) as King of kings and Lord of lords in the Millennium.(3)
The final goal, "to anoint the most Holy," must also look to the future, specifically, to a future dedication of the Temples's Holy of Holies. Many revered rabbis also interpreted the passage as referring to a future third temple, maintaining that the last and second temple (destroyed in 70 A.D.) had never been anointed because it had lacked both the Ark of the Covenant and the Shekinah (The Divine Presence). According to rabbinical thinking, the Ark will be revealed by the Messianic King, who will also build the Temple (Zech. 6:12).(4)
When Messiah returns in glory, He will build the millennial Temple (Ezek. 40-48); it will be filled with the Divine Presence (Ezek. 43:1-7) and will be consecrated for use throughout the Messianic age (Ezek. 43:11, 18-27; 44:11-28; 45:13-46; Isa. 56:6-7; 60:7; Jer. 33:18; Zech. 14:16-21). Therefore, Daniel described Messiah's mission to Israel beginning with His crucifixion as Israel's Savior and culminating with His reign as Israel's King. Thus Daniel's prayer for an end to exile can only be fulfilled when all of the elements of his petition will be realized, and this can only be accomplished in the coming of Messiah's reign.(4)
When the temple is rebuilt it is expected that the sacrificial system will be re-instituted. Since the blood of the Messiah (the permanent sacrificial lamb) is the blood that God uses for the atonement process the sacrifices are thought to be some type of memorial to what was accomplished on the cross, similar in some ways to a communion memorial.
Some Jewish interpretations look forward to a literal fulfillment of Ezekiel 40-44 which talks of a future temple. This would fit with the teaching of the Messiah ruling as King from the yet to be built temple in Jerusalem. In this case the "Most Holy" would be the rebuilt temple.(5)
Here are some links that have been created to help move around inside of the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy.
Other links of interest include:
1). ArtScroll Tanach Series (Daniel) p.261
2). John MacArthur Study Bible p.1218
3). Walvoord, John F. ; Zuck, Roy B. ; Dallas Theological Seminary: The Bible Knowledge Commentary : An Exposition of the Scriptures. Wheaton, IL : Victor Books, 1983-c1985, S. 1:1362
4). Randall Price writing for Israel My Glory a Friends of Israel publication: Feb./March 2000 p21.
5). RBC Ministries Discovery Series (The Daniel Papers)
