In today’s episode, David Hawking embarks on an exploration of the prophecy foretold in Daniel 9:27. Through a meticulous cross-referencing of scriptures, we journey through the historical timeline from Artaxerxes’s edict to the Messianic proclamation. Detailed insights and calculated chronology bring these ancient predictions to life. Discover how Sir Robert Anderson’s exhaustive research and Sir Anderson’s legal expertise reaffirm the reliability of these biblical events. As we peel back each layer, the resonance of Daniel’s vision echoes down to the contemporary era, reminding us of the profound interconnectedness of this prophetic narrative.
00:00:00 Introduction to the Importance of Biblical Details
the Bible in all its little details and facts. They’re all important. You put them together, and with all we know from archaeology and history, the Bible’s right on target. That means the prophecy of Daniel chapter 9, written hundreds of years before Christ, is absolutely amazing and astounding. Only God could have done it. No one else could have. It’s right on the nose, folks.
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This is Hope for Today with David Hawking. On today’s program, we step into one of the most explosive verses in prophecy, Daniel 9, 27. It’s here we meet the prince who is to come, a future world leader who will rise to power, strike a seven-year covenant, break it halfway through, and unleash a wave of deception and destruction. Now, to really grasp the weight of this verse, David’s going to take time to lay the groundwork, cross-referencing scripture, explaining the context, and connecting the pieces. Well, day one of The Coming Prince begins in just a moment. Stay with us. First, a quick request that David has shared, and boy, it applies right now. David?
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I just want to personally talk to all of you in the audience. We need your help. And we don’t harangue people and jump all over them about giving at all, as you know. And once in a while, I just like to come on the air and tell you the facts. The facts are we have hardly anything left over to do all the many wonderful projects that a lot of you want us to do, printing books and literature and getting it out, as well as going on your station. Well, folks, we’re strapped. If you can help us, praise the Lord. And whatever you can get, don’t ever underestimate your gift, whatever it is. We need your help, and we’d love to hear from you. And thanks in advance. God bless you all.
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Now on to our lesson.
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Daniel chapter 9. We began our study in these last few verses of chapter 9 in our last message on 70 weeks of Daniel. Daniel chapter 9, beginning at verse 24. Daniel 9.24, 70 weeks are determined. Now the word week, shavua in Hebrew, is sevens. It refers to days, weeks, months, years. You have to determine in the context what you’re talking about. It would probably help us a lot more to say 77s. Seventy-sevens are determined for your people and for your holy city to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity. Now that deals with the sovereignty of God, the word determined. It’s all settled. God’s in charge. It deals with the sins of God’s people, Israel. Finish the transgression. Make an end of sins. Make reconciliation for iniquity. And it also deals with the setting up of God’s kingdom. Last part of 24. To bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy. So we have predicted the termination of direct revelation. No more to be added. The contents are irreversible. It’s going to happen within the 70 weeks or 77s. And to anoint the most holy, which is the temple, the holy of holies. And the Messianic temple is going to be established, which the last nine chapters of Ezekiel speak about. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command, so we talked last time about the command that begins the prophecy, from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem, it mentions the street in verse 25, the wall, sometimes called the plaza or the moat, There’s only one of four decrees that is or can be the fulfillment of this prophecy, and that’s the one of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah in Nehemiah chapter 2. There are three other Persian decrees about coming back to build Jerusalem, but that’s the only one that deals with this subject of the wall, and that’s recorded in the book of Nehemiah. It says, “…from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince.” We talked about the coming of Messiah the Prince. We mentioned that in the Bible in Luke 19, 37 to 44, Jesus clearly refers to his triumphal entry as the fulfillment of that statement. And that’s how we get the dating. The command starts with the command of Artaxerxes to Nehemiah, and 77s then will continue from that point until Messiah the Prince, when he’s introduced to the nation, which was on the triumphal entry of Christ. There should be seven weeks and 62 weeks. Not all 70. There’s a gap here. Verse 26, after the 62 weeks… If you look back at verse 25, it says 7 and 62. What’s the division for? Some say the seven deals with the completion of the process of rebuilding Jerusalem. But when it says after the 62 weeks, it’s as though in Hebrew it picked up the opening statement of verse 25, 7 and 62. It just repeats the last one to know that’s what is being referred to. So technically, in our understanding, it’s after the 69th. Now what happens after the 69 are 1, verse 26, Messiah shall be cut off, the cutting off of the Messiah, but not for himself. And the people of the prince who is to come, that’s our subject, the coming prince, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war, desolations are determined.” Then he, meaning the prince that will come, shall confirm a covenant with many for one seven, or one week, or one seven-year period, depending on your view. But in the middle of that seven, in the middle of the week, he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering, and on the wing of abomination shall be one who makes desolate.” In other words, there’ll be all kinds of trouble to the people of Israel regarding their holy place, but on the tail end of it all is going to be the guy who makes desolate, the one they’ve been warned about throughout all the teaching of the Hebrew prophets. Even until the consummation, to the end, which is determined, thank God, it’s under the control of the Lord, and it’s poured out on the desolate or the desolator, the one who makes desolate. Everybody understand? Let’s have a closing word of prayer and we’ll dismiss. Amen. Let’s pray. Father, we pray in these moments you’ll open up our hearts and minds and that we might truly rejoice that the King of all kings, the Lord of all lords, is soon to come back. May our hearts be lifted up in praise to you as we study this wonderful prophecy quoted by our Lord himself. And God, we thank you that we have a sure word of prophecy, an anchor of the soul. No prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, the Bible says, but holy men of God spake as they were moved, carried along by the Holy Spirit of God. Thank you, Father. Bless our time together. Draw people, Father, who are sitting on the fringe, hearing but not making a commitment. God, help them to see the seriousness of their hesitation. Thank you, Lord. In Jesus’ name we pray. Amen. Well, let’s go back to Daniel 9, verse 26, and pick up. If you have outlined with us from last time, we talked about the cause behind this prophecy. The causes involve the sovereignty of God, the sins of God’s people that have to be atoned for, and they will be. And all Israel will be saved at the end of the tribulation, the end of the 70 weeks. God is going to take away the sin of His people Israel. That’s what the Bible predicts. That’s called the New Covenant. Now, a covenant is a will. A will is in force when you have the death of the testator, the death of the one in whose name the will is written. That’s why from the death of Jesus Christ to now, a lot of Gentiles can be saved and become participants of the new covenant, even though its primary fulfillment is at the end of the tribulation when the nation of Israel will be forgiven, reconciled, and atoned for by Christ Himself. When we take the bread and the cup, we are celebrating the new covenant, which is in His blood. It’s the forgiveness of sins. And because the testator has died, it put the covenant in force. And that’s why we can be saved and get the benefits of that covenant that deals with forgiveness of sin. We can be forgiven of our sins now because Jesus died on the cross and paid for it. Now, in our outline, we dealt with the cause, the sovereignty of God, sins of God’s people, the setting up of God’s kingdom. And then we looked at the command that begins the prophecy. And we said it’s in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, king of Persia, mentioned in Nehemiah 2, verse 1. The command, we know exactly when it was. It was the first of the month Nisan in 445 B.C., which was the 20th year of King Artaxerxes of Persia. Now that’s right on the nose. There isn’t any doubt or question about this. You may doubt the significance of the prophecy if you want, but we know exactly when the prophecy begins. The 70 weeks. The 77s.
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490.
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We believe they’re years. It begins on March 14th, 445 B.C. Now that was the second point in the outline, the command that begins the prophecy. The third deals with the coming of Messiah the Prince. And we mentioned from Luke 19, 37 to 44, that it clearly refers to the triumphal entry. The triumphal entry was on April 6, 32 A.D. Now we’re told… March 14, 445 BC to April 6, 32. From the command of Artaxerxes to Messiah the Prince being introduced to the nation as the one who would come in the name of the Lord. April 6, Sunday, 32 AD. Now… How do you get 69 weeks between those two? 69 sevens. Well, let’s suppose they’re years for a moment, and let’s multiply it out. 69 times seven is what? 483 years. Now we said, and showed you very clearly, that both from the book of Genesis and the book of Revelation, a prophetic year is not 365 days, but it’s 360 days. Is everybody still with us? Therefore, if you multiply 483 times 360, you’d get the total amount of days, right? The total amount of days is 173,880. Total amount of days between March 14, 445 B.C. to April 6, 32 A.D. Now you say, well, I’m confused. I work on 365 days. Well, we appreciate you, and we want to help you. Now when you count 445 down to zero, you’ve got 445 years, right? Then you count 32 years and you’ve got 400 and what? You’ve got 477. Is that right? There’s just one problem. It’s only 476. Why? Because in the dating systems, when you counted Roman time, you were dating straight through. There wasn’t any BC or AD. That comes later. Well, technically, it’s only one year between 1 BC and 1 AD, not two years. So it’s really only 476 years. So those of you who are fans of 365 days and are rather confused with what I gave you last time, let’s try to straighten it out. Now you can see clearly that there’s 476 years. So let’s multiply 476 years between those two dates times 365, which you’re more used to. You say, what about leap year? Hang on. If you multiply that out, it’s 173,740 days. But now wait a minute, we have from March 14th to April 6th, which is 24 days. So you’ve got to add that. And oh, by the way, we have 116 leap years in there, so you have to add the 116 days. Well, isn’t that interesting? It comes out to 173,880. Is everybody with me? Amen? And all God’s people said? You say, so what? So what? So what? My Bible makes no mistakes. It’s right on the nose. You say, wait a minute. How do I know April 6, 32 AD is the correct date of the triumphal entry? Thought you would ask. Amen? Open your Bible to Luke chapter 3, verse 1. I love the Bible. I absolutely love it. I can’t begin to tell you how wonderful it is. There is no book in all of this world that you can rely on and depend upon like the Bible. And of course I believe it’s God’s Word. There isn’t any other choice if you really know what you’re talking about. Luke chapter 3, verse 1. Luke chapter 3, verse 1. It says, “…in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar…” Pontius Pilate being governor of… Well, how do we know that? The Bible just makes it… Well, we know it very easily. In the city of Caesarea, which is on the beautiful Mediterranean in Israel, you have the excavations of Caesarea. Beautiful amphitheater there. They have dramas there now in the summer. Beautiful programs and concerts. It’s all been… excavated, and they’re doing a lot more work, too, at Caesarea. And guess what? On a slab of stone, in giant Latin letters, they have the name of Tiberius Caesar and Pontius Pilate both. It’s on display there, and you can look at it. Yes, we have archaeological evidence to all the names. They’re accurate. It says the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius. And what is this all about? Well, look down at the text. Just glance through your eyes. It’s talking about John the Baptist. Well, that’s when Jesus’ ministry began, when John the Baptist baptized him, right? Right? When did Tiberius Caesar begin to rule? This is not up to debate, folks. We know exactly when he began his rule. It was on August 19th, A.D.
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14.
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That is when Tiberius began to rule. Well, the 15th year would be what? Would be 29 A.D. Now look at verse 23 of Luke 3. It says, Now Jesus himself began his ministry at about 30 years of age. It doesn’t say he was 30. We don’t really know. We use the word 30 there and kind of conclude he’s 33 or 34 when he died, but we don’t really know. He’s about 30. Could be 31. We don’t know. But we know he’s about 30 at the time he began his ministry. That’s what it says in Luke 3, 23. Therefore the first Passover, when does it occur? Well, since the 29th year was occurring beginning on August the 19th, in 28 A.D., he would begin his 15th year, then the first Passover would be in the spring of A.D. 29, which means that Jesus was baptized in the fall of 28 A.D., The first Passover is A.D. 29, and if you’re counting the Passovers in the Gospel of John, then his crucifixion was in A.D. 32, and in A.D. 32, Sunday, the week of the crucifixion of Passover, there’s no guesswork here, is on April the 6th, 32 A.D. You say, is there any other evidence to show that these dates are correct? Yes. Look, please, in John 2, verse 20. It has taken 46 years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days? John 2, 20 speaks of Herod’s work on the temple. Now, folks, once again, we’re not left with guesswork. We know exactly when the temple project was started by Herod the Great. It was begun in 18 B.C. So count 46 years. And remember, from 1 B.C. to 1 A.D. is one. So what year is it? It’s 29 A.D. In John 2, this is the first Passover, very clearly marked, verse 13, the Passover of the Jews. We know exactly when it was, 29 A.D. It matches not only the statement in Luke 3, 1 about the 15th year of Tiberius Caesar, but it also matches the statement about Herod’s temple was for 46 years in building. By the way, we know when it was completed also. It was completed in 64 A.D. and destroyed in 70 A.D. You see, the Bible, in all its little details and facts, they’re all important. You put them together, and with all we know from archaeology and history, the Bible’s right on target. That means the prophecy of Daniel chapter 9, written hundreds of years before Christ, is absolutely amazing and astounding. Only God could have done it. No one else could have. It’s right on the nose, folks. 173,880 days was ended on April the 6th, 32 AD. It started on March 14th, the first of Nisan in 445 BC. Right on the nose. You say, is this just your work? No. No, I study a lot, and I’ve gained a lot of facts. But let me tell you, there was a man in England, a lawyer, one of England’s most brilliant men, Sir Robert Anderson, who happened to be the head of Scotland Yard. Oh, you would know him, I think, in a different way. He is the one who was on Jack the Ripper case. Sir Robert Anderson was one of the most brilliant men in all of English history, and the project of his life was Daniel chapter 9. The most important history ever written on this subject was written by Sir Robert Anderson, with all the details and all the facts outlined in that wonderful book. The Coming Prince by Sir Robert Anderson. It’s fabulous. Not only are these facts there, you will see many more related to the events of the life of Christ and Roman history that will absolutely astound you. It was presented in English courts of law and established as an absolute fact beyond human ability to change. In English courts, 100 years go by, no one seems to care anymore. Sir Robert Anderson, he did a wonderful job. The facts are there in the Bible. We can put them together.
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That’s David Hawking, and this is Hope for Today. David returns in just a moment to offer an additional bit of teaching, so stay with us. First David’s son Matt is here, and together we’ve got a great new home Bible study for you that’s going to help you get a head start on preparing for our upcoming study through the book of Revelation. Matt, what do we have? What is the central message of Revelation, and how close are we to the events portrayed in this final book of the Bible? Well, if you really enjoy digging deep into the book of Revelation… Then you’ll certainly appreciate my dad’s book on Revelation titled, The Book of Revelation, Understanding the Future. Matt, or simply, Revelation, Understanding the Future. Yep. Revelation is a critical book of the Bible because it tells us what to expect as this age draws to a close. Are we to be fearful about the future, Matt, or… Or what should we do to prepare for these final days? Will the rise of the Antichrist be sudden? Will his rule be long? Well, if you’d like to know the answers to these questions, get your copy of Revelation, Understanding the Future. It’s usually $25, but this month it’s just $20. That’s a nice discount ahead of our Revelation radio series, which launches in just a few days. The book captures much of what David will be teaching. And shares even more in-depth details and insights. Exactly. And another most helpful tool we have for you is David’s original sermon notes from his study of Revelation. These are the notes that he used as he preached the sermons, Matt. Yeah, key points, references, and outline points will help you track along and get the most out of your daily study time in this upcoming series. Well, the Revelation sermon notes are just $10 by download. You In fact, if you purchase them online, you can download them, get them right away, or PDF, CD. Yeah, call us in Canada at 1-888-75BIBLE. In the U.S., call us at 1-800-75BIBLE. And Bible by the Numbers is 24253. Well, and also please know that your resource purchase or donation will help the ministries of Hope for Today and make you a co-laborer with us in the work. And please start by praying for Hope for Today. and give if God lays the work on your heart. Yes, we only want you to give if the Lord speaks to you about it. That way you’ll be giving with a cheerful heart. And after all, that’s what God wants when it comes to financial giving. Amen? So pray about it. And as David said at the open of today’s broadcast, give whatever you can. No gift is too small. Every gift counts. Again, our numbers, 1-800-75-BIBLE, that’s in the U.S., or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada, and Bible by the numbers 24253. Now, if you’d like to write us a letter as a vehicle for donating to Hope for Today, well, we’d be grateful to hear from you. Your gifts help keep this teaching ministry going strong, reaching people around the world with the truth of God’s Word and the saving gospel of Jesus Christ. In the U.S., write to Hope for Today, Box 3927. Tustin, Tustin is spelled T-U-S-T-I-N, California, 92781. In Canada, write to Hope for Today, Box 15011, RPO, Seven Oaks, Abbotsford, B.C., V2S, 8P1. And thank you. Thank you for standing with us. Every gift, as we said, large or small, makes a real difference.
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Once again, here’s David. Thanks for listening to Hope for the Day. I hope you’re enjoying our study of the coming prince. And we’re in Daniel 9, 27. We need to take some time with this. And what we see in the Word of God is that this coming prince is going to make a covenant with the people of Israel, and then he’s going to break it. Well, these are issues that are related to New Testament teaching also. There’s a wonderful passage, if we have time, we’re going to get to it, in 2 Thessalonians chapter 2. But right now, we’re looking at that covenant. his relationship with the destruction of the city and sanctuary. Verse 26 says, “…the people of the prince who is to come destroyed it.” Well, that was Rome, so he’s coming out of that system and that worldwide view of government. But the reliability in making a treaty with the people of Israel is a great question because And the terms of the treaty, it says he’ll make a covenant with the many, the majority, for one week or one period of seven. We think that’s seven years, which is a very, very important issue. And I hope you’re following this. The many would be the unbelieving majority of Israel who make a decision, a covenant with them. And it’s not something we should pay attention to. We should oppose it. It is the Antichrist. Well, I hope you could be with us for our next broadcast.
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Well, thank you, David. And just before we go, we want to mention the Daniel Message Pack that we’re offering right now. Now, this is David’s complete audio series through the entire book of Daniel, what we’ve been sharing on radio these past few weeks. We’ve got a couple weeks to go. Of course, a chapter-by-chapter study of one of the most prophetic and powerful books in the Bible. You can get it on MP3, the entire series, for just $30. To order, call 1-800-75-BIBLE in the U.S. or 888-75-BIBLE in Canada. Or visit us online at davidhawking.org. And by the way, while you’re at the website, check out all the great Bible study resources available to you. Oh, and be sure to share that link with a friend who loves the Word of God. davidhawking.org Well, next time on the broadcast, David continues to lay out the groundwork as we move deeper into Daniel chapter 9, verse 27, where the coming prince, a future global leader, steps into view. He’ll promise peace, then bring chaos. Prophecy is unfolding, and you won’t want to miss a moment. Invite a friend to join you right here on Hope for Today. Hope for Today
