The Final Deliverance

Eliezer Wiesel was a Jewish boy from a small town in Romania. “You went out on the street on Saturday and felt Shabbat in the air,” he described his tight-knit community.

But everything changed when the Nazis arrived. Fifteen-year-old Eliezer watched as his neighbors were taken away: “One by one, they passed in front of me . . . . They went by, fallen, dragging their packs, dragging their lives, deserting their homes, the years of their childhood, cringing like beaten dogs.”

Soon, the Wiesel family faced the same fate. Upon arrival at Auschwitz, Eliezer was separated from his mother and sister, never to see them again. He and his father faced the exhaustion of labor camp while weak from starvation and frequent beatings. Eliezer could do nothing as his father wasted away and died. He recalled, “I had no more tears.”¹

Those born into Judaism understand this heritage of persecution—not only during the Holocaust but for thousands of years before that.   

Good News for the Jews

Daniel was earnestly searching for answers. Jeremiah’s prophecies were clear: the Jewish people would leave Babylon and return to their land after 70 years (Jeremiah 29:10). Daniel thought that Israel’s sins must be so great that God had postponed their return. So he confessed the sins of Israel in a passionate prayer (Daniel 9:4–19).

Suddenly, the angel Gabriel appeared and comforted Daniel regarding Jerusalem. He told Daniel how Israel would receive forgiveness through the Mashiach-Nagid (Daniel 9:25).

Mashiach Will Be Cut Off

How would the Mashiach accomplish all this? The Almighty wanted to teach Israel that forgiveness could be obtained only by the death of the sinner or of a substitute. The biblical story of the Akedah illustrates this lesson. Isaac, the son of Abraham, had to die, but at the last moment, God provided a ram that died instead of him.

In the same way, Israel received forgiveness through the sacrifices in the temple. The animals took the places of the sinners, symbolizing what the Mashiach would do (compare with Isaiah 53). Daniel 9:26, 27 says that “Mashiach will be cut off” and that he “will put an end to sacrifice and offering.” By his death, the Mashiach would take the place of the sinner, bring sin to an end, and bring in everlasting righteousness.

The Fulfillment of the Prophecy

Let’s explore the timing of this prophecy. In prophetic time, a day equals one literal year (Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers/Bamidbar 14:34). Thus, 70 prophetic weeks is 490 prophetic days or 490 literal years. This 490-year period is divided into three parts:

1. Seven weeks or 49 years

2. 62 weeks or 434 years, and 

3. One week or seven years. 

The starting point for the 490-year journey was “the decree to restore and build Jerusalem” (Daniel 9:25). The decree by King Artaxerxes to rebuild Jerusalem occurred in 457 BCE. 

The first period of 49 years was the direct answer to the prayer of Daniel. It announced the restoration of Jerusalem (457 BCE–408 BCE, see Ezra 7). 

The second period of 434 years pointed to the anointing of the Mashiach. “From the issuing of the decree to restore and to build Jerusalem until the time Mashiach, the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and 62 weeks” (408 BCE–27 CE; Daniel 9:25). Exactly on time, in 27 CE, Yeshua went to Yochanan ben Zechariah ha Cohen at the perfect mikveh (the Jordan River) for his tevilah. When he came up out of the water, a voice from heaven and a dove descending upon him confirmed the anointing.

The last period of seven years closes the prophecy. In the middle of that seven years, the Mashiach would be cut off. Just as prophesied, Yeshua died at the hands of the Roman soldiers on Pesach 31 CE.

However, Yeshua did not remain dead. He was resurrected (Isaiah 53:10). During the last half of the prophetic week (31–34 CE), he established a covenant with his disciples, finishing the 490 years. 

Just as this prophecy gave hope and encouragement to the exiled Jews of Daniel’s time, it offers good news today: God remembers His people who have been crushed and marginalized. Out of His great love, He has sent us a Mashiach who offers victory amid suffering.

Just like Daniel, we can put our trust in the prophecies which point to the Mashiach and His coming. To learn more about these incredible prophecies in the Tanakh, contact us at the information on the back of this paper.