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Often in Bible study we over look the "keys" given to us which assure we arrive at the correct interpretation of the Biblical text at hand. This happens to the best of us; even Daniel the prophet as we shall see. No greater example exists that that of the Book of Daniel and the Seventy Weeks prophecy. At the beginning of the chapter, Daniel mentions the "word of the Lord" that came to the prophet Jeremiah. Daniel was agitated because of his misunderstanding of the prophecies of Jeremiah which foretold the captivity of Israel in Babylon and Israel's subsequent deliverance and return to their own land. This was the future salvation of the Jewish people after their repentance in captivity and is to be understood as their "salvation."
The prophecies that we need to look at are found in chapters 25 and 29 of the book of Jeremiah.
Jeremiah 25
8 ¶ Therefore thus saith the LORD of hosts: Because ye have not heard My words, 9 behold, I will send and take all the families of the north, saith the LORD, and I will send unto Nebuchadrezzar the king of Babylon, My servant, and will bring them against this land, and against the inhabitants thereof, and against all these nations round about; and I will utterly destroy them, and make them an astonishment, and a hissing, and perpetual desolations. 10 Moreover I will cause to cease from among them the voice of mirth and the voice of gladness, the voice of the bridegroom and the voice of the bride, the sound of the millstones, and the light of the lamp. 11 And this whole land shall be a desolation, and a waste; and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years. 12 And it shall come to pass, when seventy years are accomplished, that I will punish the king of Babylon, and that nation, saith the LORD, for their iniquity, and the land of the Chaldeans; and I will make it perpetual desolations.
Compare the following passage from Jeremiah 29:
Jeremiah 29
10 For thus saith the LORD: After seventy years are accomplished for Babylon, I will remember you, and perform My good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
We need to understand that the subjugation of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon, occurred in the Hebrew year 3320. According to Jeremiah's prophecy, the captivity would last 70 years and therefore end in the year 3390 which is some 70 years later. Now let us understand that according to the first verses of chapter 9, Daniel was praying in the first year of the reign of Darius the son of Ahasuerus. Darius became king in the year 3389.
We can now understand why Daniel was so upset as the text relates. According to Daniel's understanding of Jeremiah's prophecy the captivity of Israel was about to end. This normally should have been good news for Daniel but it was not as you shall see. However, Daniel saw no indication that the Temple was about to be rebuilt or his people being freed and returning to their land. This was bad and Daniel was fearful. Therefore, Daniel thought that the sin of the people was so great that God had decided to extend the captivity or had possibly canceled the prophecy altogether. This is why Daniel was fasting and praying in sackcloth and ashes.
Daniel was NOT praying for the coming of the Messiah - indeed, there was no allusion to the Messiah in any of Jeremiah's prophecies. Daniel was praying that God would honor His promise to restore Israel and the Temple. Daniel's error was that he thought that the prophecies of Jeremiah 25 and 29 were the same and spoke of the same "seventy year period." In fact, as you will see, the prophecies of Jer. 25 and Jer. 29 were not the same. This is where Christian exegesis begins to jump the track because their accurate dating of the prophecy of Daniel cannot be correct unless this fact is taken into consideration as we will see shortly.
A very important point that needs to never be forgotten is that Jeremiah 25 does not mention the restoration of the Jewish people to the Land. This prophecy specifically refers to the 70 years attached to the domination of Babylon which began in the year 3320. It is Jeremiah 29 that refers to the destruction of the First Temple in 3338 and the promise that it would be rebuilt 70 years later.
Answer for yourself: How can we know that this seventy years period mentioned twice in Jeremiah is not the same?
We only need look at some other passages that are directly related to the restoration and the rebuilding of the Temple.
Ezra 1
1 ¶ NOW IN the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying: 2 'Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD, the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. 3 Whosoever there is among you of all His people--his God be with him--let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and build the house of the LORD, the God of Israel, He is the God who is in Jerusalem.
2 Chronicles 36
19 And they burnt the house of God, and broke down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. 20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; and they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia; 21 to fulfil the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had been paid her sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years. 22 ¶ Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the LORD by the mouth of Jeremiah might be accomplished, the LORD stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying: 23 `Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia: All the kingdoms of the earth hath the LORD, the God of heaven, given me; and He hath charged me to build Him a house in Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Whosoever there is among you of all His people--the LORD his God be with him--let him go up.'
Previously I took notice of the mention of the "word" in both Jeremiah 25 and Jeremiah 29. Out attention need to focus on Jeremiah 29 & the reference to "the WORD." This is God's word that the Temple would be rebuilt and is significantly different from the prophecy concerning the subjugation of Jerusalem found in Jeremiah 25. Daniel was counting 70 years from the subjugation of Jerusalem beginning in 3320 and ending in 3390. This was Daniel's mistake. In order to determine when the Second Temple would be rebuilt Daniel should have started the count from the destruction of the first Temple which took place in 3338, 18 years after the subjugation of Jerusalem. In order to straighten Daniel out due to his confusion God would send him an angelic messenger with the divine interpretation of this prophecy because Daniel had not understood it properly.
Daniel 9
21 yea, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, approached close to me about the time of the evening offering. 22 And he made me to understand, and talked with me, and said: 'O Daniel, I am now come forth to make thee skilful of understanding.
Like Daniel, as we see, neither has the vast majority of Christain commentators today understood Daniel chapter 9 and the Sevent Weeks prophecy as well. This we will see very clearly as we continue our study.
Let us proceed.