The first thing to understand is the Hebrew word for “week” is sevened . The King James Bible translators interpreted Daniel 9 and understood that the “seven” was talking about seven days which is why the prophecy is called Daniels 70 weeks.
So the KJV translates rendered shâbûa‛ as one week. Apparently James Strong didn’t agree with the King James translators so he changed the definition of shâbûa‛ from the original meaning which was sevened to “week of years”.
My point in all of that is just trust what the says. If God meant weeks of years then he would have said weeks of years.
But more important than all of that, we KNOW beyond the shadow of a doubt that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, died on the cross five days later and then rose from the dead exactly seven days from Palm Sunday.
So my question for you is, is it a mere coincidence that Jesus fulfilled Daniel 9:27 in exactly one week (7 days)?
If the 70th week is literally one week then the other 69 weeks are literal weeks also.
We all know the right way to understand the passion week was fulfilled in seven days. It's historical fact! But there is more to the prophecy that you don't seem to understand. The timing of Daniel's prophecy PROVES Christ is Messiah the Prince promised to come. And He did come at exactly at the time the prophet says He would.
Any man could have done what Jesus did that one week. How does seeing a mortal man riding on a donkey, and dying on a cross, even resurrecting from the dead PROVE that Jesus is the promised Messiah? Jesus was not the only man to ever ride a donkey, nor was He the only man to die on a cross, and the Old Testament prophets had raised others before Jesus from the dead. It is the exact timing that PROVES beyond a shadow of doubt that Jesus IS the Messiah/Savior! That's why Christ tells us to consider that which was spoken by the Prophet Daniel.
The reason most Bible scholars agree the weeks of Daniel 9 are to be understood as weeks of years is because it is the only way to arrive at the EXACT time that Jesus came. Disagreement between Bible scholars is not about understanding the prophecy being weeks of years. The disagreement is over the EXACT starting time for the prophecy so that it fulfills the EXACT coming of the Messiah to do the six things of vs 24. The disagreement stems from the fact that the decree to build and restore Jerusalem and the temple was issued by three different kings. But is that true? And if it is which king's decree do we begin the timing from?
But the decrees given by the three was not new decrees but the same decree that was issued and re-issued.
Here are the dates for when the three Kings decreed and re-issued: BC 538 Cyrus decree, BC 520 Darius re-issued, BC 457 Artaxerxes.
Ezra 6:14 (KJV) And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished
it,
according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia.
The counting of weeks of years begins with Cyrus, not with Artaxerxes as some believe. The decree first given by Cyrus to build and restore Jerusalem, and the Temple was completed in the 6th year of Darius: the count of the 69 weeks begins. The re-issuance of the same decree by Artaxerxes never tells the Jews to build the Temple as it was already completed in the days of Zerubabel when Darius was king. Nearly sixty years elapsed from Darius during which time the temple was completed, but rebuilding of Jerusalem’s infrastructure had to wait until Artaxerxes ratified the decree again in his seventh year. According to the Hebrew calendar, this date was 457 BC, and Ezra says it happened on the “first day of the first month in the seventh year of King Artaxerxes.” Now, when we count forward 483 years from 1 Nisan 457 BC, it comes out at 1 Nisan AD 27 - Jesus' public ministry.
When Jesus began His ministry 483 years after the prophecy was decreed, reckoning 69 weeks of years, were fulfilled. But there is still the one week to finish the exact amount of time the prophet foretells would be 490 weeks of years. That is the one week set apart from the other weeks of years because Jesus' coming was a Jubilee year.
It is true the final week is literally one week when the prophecy regarding Jesus was fulfilled. It is also true the one week being a Jubilee is also counted as the last seventh week of 49 years that ushered in the Day of Atonement when Jesus came to set people free.
Leviticus 25:8-13 (KJV) And
thou shalt number seven sabbaths of years unto thee, seven times seven years; and the space of the seven sabbaths of years shall be unto thee forty and nine years. Then shalt thou cause the trumpet of the jubile to sound on the tenth
day of
the seventh month, in the day of atonement shall ye make the trumpet sound throughout all your land. And ye shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land unto all the inhabitants thereof: it shall be a jubile unto you; and ye shall return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his family. A jubile shall that fiftieth year be unto you: ye shall not sow, neither reap that which groweth of itself in it, nor gather
the grapes in it of thy vine undressed.
For it is the jubile; it shall be holy unto you: ye shall eat the increase thereof out of the field. In the year of this jubile ye shall return every man unto his possession.
The Lord's quoting of Isaiah 61 proves he was proclaiming that a Jubilee year was taking place. The Jubilee Jesus declared had begun the exact day his public ministry began.
Isaiah 61:1-3 (KJV) The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound; To proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all that mourn; To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified.
Luke 4:14-21 (KJV) And Jesus returned in the power of the Spirit into Galilee: and there went out a fame of him through all the region round about. And he taught in their synagogues, being glorified of all. And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was,
he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was delivered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written, The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, To preach the acceptable year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them, This day is this scripture fulfilled in your ears.
