Our discussion of Isaac Newton’s bifurcated interpretation of Daniye’l 9:25 continues. This verse has a two-fold prophecy which declares the first advent of MASHIACH to be threescore and two weeks of years from the going forth of the word, and the second advent of MASHIACH to be seven weeks of years from the second occurrence of the going forth of the word.
Daniye’l (Daniel) 9:25
Know therefore and understand, from the going forth of the word to return and to build Yerushalayim until HAMASHIACH the Prince is seven Shavua, and threescore and two Shavua; return and build the wide place with eagerness in troublous times.
However, there is more prophetic realization to be had concerning the first advent in the verses which follow:
Daniye’l (Daniel) 9:26-27
And after threescore and two shavua, cut off is MASHIACH, but nothing of holy city is ruined: and the people of the prince to come thereafter shall conquer until the war is decided with devastation. 27 And the greatness of the covenant multiplies for one shavua: and in the middle of the shavua, the sacrifice and the oblation cease, and the overspreading of abominations makes it desolate, even until the consummation is determined and poured over the desolation.
It is clear that verses 26 and 27 refer to the first half of the prophecy in 9:25, i.e., the first advent of MASHIACH based upon threescore and two weeks of years. Verse 26 tells us that after the prophecy of verse 25 is realized – which we have postulated as having occurred in the year 17 A.D. MASHIACH, according to this prophecy, is cut off after that.
Now, let us consider the timing of the crucifixion. There is only one possible scenario according to scripture. We begin with the length of the time in the tomb:
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 12:39
But he answered and said unto them, An evil and adulterous generation seeks after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Yonah: 40 For as Yonah was three days and three nights in the fish’s belly; so shall the Son of Adam be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.
1 night 2 nights 3 nights
Roman version: [Friday] [Saturday]
(Nights In tomb)
1 day 2 days 3 days
Roman version: [Saturday] [Sunday]
(Days In tomb)
As we can see, the Roman version fixes the crucifixion on Friday afternoon (“Good Friday”), and the resurrection on Sunday morning. At best, this is two nights and two days.
However, consider the following schedules:
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 27:57-61
When the evening was come, there came a rich man of Ramah, named Yoceph, who also himself was YAHUSHA’S Talmidiy: 58 He went to Pilate, and begged the body of YAHUSHA. Then Pilate commanded the body to be delivered. 59 And when Yoceph had taken the body, he wrapped it in a clean linen cloth, 60 And laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and departed. 61 And there was Miryam of Migdal, and the other Miryam, sitting over against the sepulchre.
Yahuchanon (John) 19:31-42
The Yahudiym therefore, because it was the preparation, that the bodies should not remain upon the cross on the Shabbat, (for that Shabbat was a high day,) besought Pilate that their legs might be broken, and that they might be taken away. 32 Then came the soldiers, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other which was crucified with him. 33 But when they came to YAHUSHA, and saw that he was dead already, they broke not his legs: 34 But one of the soldiers with a spear pierced his side, and forthwith came there out blood and water. 35 And he that saw it bore record, and his record is true: and he knows that he says true, that ye might believe. 36 For these things were done, that the Scripture should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken. 37 And again another Scripture says, They shall look on him את eth whom they pierced.
38 And after this Yoceph of Ramah, being a Talmidiy of YAHUSHA, but secretly for fear of the Yahudiym, besought Pilate that he might take away the body of YAHUSHA: and Pilate gave him leave. He came therefore, and took the body of YAHUSHA. 39 And there came also Niqodiymon, which at the first came to YAHUSHA by night, and brought a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pound weight. 40 Then took they the body of YAHUSHA, and wound it in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Yahudiym is to bury. 41 Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. 42 There laid they YAHUSHA therefore because of the Yahudiym’s preparation day; for the sepulchre was nigh at hand.
We can see with these verses that Mashiach was crucified on the day of preparation, which is the Passover or Pecach. A necessity arose that required the body to be placed in the tomb before the Sabbath day to follow, which was the first day of Matstsah, a chag and a high Sabbath. This didn’t stop the chief priests and the Parashiym from taking care of business the next day.
Mattithyahu (Mattithyahu) 27:62-66
Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Parashiym came together unto Pilate, 63 Saying, Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive, After three days I will rise again. 64 Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until the third day, lest his Talmidiym come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first. 65 Pilate said unto them, Ye have a watch: go your way, make it as sure as ye can. 66 So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch.
Finally, the discussion in Mattithyahu (Matthew) 28:1 begins:
Mattithyahu (Matthew) 28:1
After the end of the Shabbat, as it began to draw near toward the Shabbat of the next day, came Miryam of Migdal and the other Miryam to see the sepulchre.
Therefore, the timing of the crucifixion and resurrection necessarily proceeded as follows:
1 night 2 nights 3 nights
By scripture: [Wednesday] [Thursday] [Friday]
(Nights In tomb) Matsah begins Sabbath begins
1 day 2 days 3 days
By scripture: [Thursday] [Friday] [Saturday]
(Days In tomb)
These are the only days of the week that the timing set forth in the gospels can take place. As you see here, Mashiach spends three nights and three days in the tomb. He is taken from the cross and placed in the tomb just before the high Sabbath of Matstsah. Miryam and Miryam visit at the close of Sabbath, just before the next Sabbath, at sunset on Saturday evening, which is First Fruits or Bikoor, and find that MASHIACH has risen.
As a matter of the historical record, there are only two years during the life of MASHIACH where the full moon was had on a Wednesday, and those years are 16 A.D. and 28 A.D. YAHUSHA reached his 30th year in the year 2026, so the year 28 A.D. is a likely candidate for the year of his crucifixion.
Therefore MASHIACH is cut off after the three score and two weeks of years is completed, but nothing of holy city is ruined: and the people of the prince to come thereafter did conquer until the war was decided with devastation. 27 And the greatness of the covenant multiplies for one shavua: and in the middle of the shavua, the sacrifice and the oblation cease, and the overspreading of abominations makes it desolate, even until the consummation is determined and poured over the desolation.
Again, the historical record is of interest concerning the covenant which multiplied for one shavua, or one week of years. And it is in the middle of this one week of years that the sacrifice and the oblation ceased. Thereafter, the overspreading of abominations (pagan superiority and governance) began to make Yerushalayim and surrounding Judea a desolation. The consummation is of course the destruction of the second temple.
Take a look at the record found in the Yerushalmi Talmud:
"Forty years before the destruction of the Temple, the western light went out, the crimson thread remained crimson, and the lot for the Lord always came up in the left hand. They would close the gates of the Temple by night and get up in the morning and find them wide open" (Jacob Neusner, The Yerushalmi, p.156-157).
This is further corroborated in the Babylonian Talmud:
"Our rabbis taught: During the last forty years before the destruction of the Temple the lot ['For the Lord'] did not come up in the right hand; nor did the crimson-colored strap become white; nor did the western most light shine; and the doors of the Hekel [Temple] would open by themselves" (Soncino version, Yoma 39b).
The second Temple was destroyed in 70 A.D. This places the date of the first occurrence when the crimson-colored strap on the scapegoat failed to turn white in the year 31 A.D. during the preparation for Yom Kippuriym (the feast of Atonement). Let’s calculate:
70,69,68,67,66,65,64,63,62,61 (ten years)
60,59,58,57,56,55,54,53,52,51 (ten years)
50,49,48,47,46,45,44,43,42,41 (ten years)
40,39,38,37,36,35,34,33,32,31 (ten years)
You recall that Pecach occurs on the 14th day of the first month, and Yom Kippuriym occurs on the 10th day of the seventh month – six months later. The crucifixion took place on Pecach, in 28 A.D.
28-29 (1 year)
29-30 (1 year)
30-31 (1 year)
Pecach to Yom Kippuriym (six months)
TOTAL: three and a half years, or half of one week of years.
Given these calculations, it is possible to see that Daniye’l 9:24-27 has been realized with particularity in regard to the first portion of 9:25 –the three score and two weeks of years. Is Isaac Newton’s interpretation of the seven weeks of years likely to be correct as well?