We find a fascinating prophecy by Daniel in Daniel 9:24-27 (see notes).

24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.
25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.
26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

The whole prophecy found here deals with what is commonly called the "Seventy weeks of Daniel." We'll briefly touch on the entire "seventy weeks" in this document, but for a full understanding of the entire period of "seventy weeks," consult the notes found on that passage in the BibleTrack commentary. Here, we're going to look at the section of this prophecy that begins with a decree and ends with the Messiah.

First of all, a look at the word "weeks" is in order regarding this passage. The Hebrew word for "weeks" is "shaw-boo´-ah." This is the general Hebrew word for a group of seven - seven of anything (days, weeks, years). So, these "weeks" in Daniel 9:24-27 are referencing a period of groups of seven years - not seven days. It's just the way they talked back then. This usage is further validated inasmuch as Daniel was contemplating the meaning of the "70 years" of Jeremiah's prophecy at the time of the appearance of Gabriel here in Daniel 9:2 (see notes). Jeremiah's prophecy is first seen in Jeremiah 25:1-14 (see notes). Based upon that linkage, there's no question that Daniel is issuing a prophecy concerning a period of 70 years.

Now let's understand verse 24. This prophecy concerns 70 weeks (groups of 7 years or 490 years) of Jewish prophecy to fulfill the six conditions of verse 24; these will be realized for the first time in the millennium (the 1000-year period immediately following the 7-year tribulation). Daniel is made to understand that this criteria is not to be met at the conclusion of Jeremiah's prophesied 70 years of exile, but rather seven times longer than that - 490 years.

The six conditions to be fulfilled with regard to Israel in verse 24 are:

• to finish the transgression
• to make an end of sins
• to make reconciliation for iniquity
• to bring in everlasting righteousness
  
• to seal up the vision and prophecy
  
• to anoint the most Holy (Messiah rules)

Now, let's do the math in verse 25. Understanding each week to be 7 years, we have (7 x 7) + (62 x 7) = 483 years between two events. What are these two events? The first event is the decree that would result in the rebuilding of the walls of Jerusalem. We'll talk more about that later. The second event is the appearance of the Messiah. I am completely confident that the time lapse between these two events was exactly 483 years. HOW DID HE KNOW THAT? God told him in this vision. But wait! There's more! In verse 26, his vision reveals that after that (62 x 7) period (the end of the 483 years) the Messiah would be cut off. Daniel saw the crucifixion of Jesus, the Messiah! In that same verse he saw the destruction of the temple after that in 70 A.D. approximately 40 years later; it's a remarkable vision.

That being said, there are some differences of opinion regarding the exact beginning and ending points of this prophecy. It is most common for commentators to embrace one view as opposed to another - declining to make his readers aware of the controversy. Here, I'll attempt to show you the pertinent data regarding all three of the most prominent views on the issue and let my readers see the relevant math involved.