Here it is:
Daniel 9:24-27, "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. 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. 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. 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 clock starts with the command and continues for 483 years till Messiah the Prince.
This 483-year period is divided but continuous. The seven-week or 49 year period covers the reconstruction of Jerusalem in troublous times. This construction period began with the command in Nehemiah 2:8, March 444 B.C. and continued for the next 49 years. Details of the troublous times are covered from Nehemiah 2 to 7. From this point to Messiah the Prince would be another 434 years. This is the
“Even in troublesome times” referred to in Daniel 9:25 See Daniel Timeline #2.
The second period, "Until Messiah the Prince" is another 434 years after the work by Nehemiah and his successors is complete. Who is this Messiah the Prince or anointed ruler? Could it be any king or anointed ruler in Judah? No, first, this Messiah must fit into the time line. This means the Messiah would have to exist and be cut off at the end of 69 weeks or 483 years, starting from the commandment given in 444 BC. See Daniel Timeline #3.
Lunar or Solar Calendar?
If we start at March 444 B.C. and subtract 483 years we arrive at 39 AD. However, there is a problem that must first be addressed. A year measured in Daniel’s day was Lunar not Solar. Today, we use the Sun to determine the length of a year, the Jews used the moon. Hence, the origin of the word, “Month” comes from moon, (New Moon). The length of a Lunar year was different from Solar. We currently use the Gregorian calendar which is determined on a solar basis. A solar-year is the number of days it takes the earth to revolve around the Sun and return to the same location.
The length of a year in terms of biblical accounting is different then the present Gregorian system. The biblical system was lunar while the Gregorian is Solar. Hence a month was 29 days and 30 days every other month, with adjustments every five to six years by adding a non-biblical extra month. We can observe from Genesis 7-8 that the flood continued for 5 months or 150 days, a month was 30 days. A day was 24 hours in Daniel’s day as in our day. By using days, instead of years, we can reconcile the two methods.
1. We know there are 360 days to a biblical year.
360 x 483=173,880 days
2. There are 365.242 days to a year in our calendar.
3. If we divide our days 365.242 days into 173,880 days we have 476 years and 24 days .
4. Subtract 476 years from 444 BC we arrive at 33 AD and add 24 days (year 0 being 1)
The command was given in the month Nissan. Nissan corresponds with March/April in our calendar. Therefore, 69 weeks ends on 24th day of Nissan or about March 29th 33 AD.
