A Study of Daniel 9:20–27 — Daniel's 70 Weeks

(See also: Revelation 20, also by L.R. Shelton)

To Anoint the Most Holy

Let us today look at the last of the six things which the angel Gabriel told Daniel would come to pass in the 70 weeks of years determined upon Daniel's people, the Jews, and upon the holy city, Jerusalem. This sixth thing spoken of in Daniel 9:24 was — “TO ANOINT THE MOST HOLY.”

Dear friend, in this expression “to anoint the most Holy,” we see again why this is the GREATEST PROPHECY EVER FULFILLED. It is because we have set before us the Holy One of God, the Messiah, the Anointed of God, the Christ who was appointed and anointed to accomplish the great work of redemption. This He did by the sacrifice of Himself.

“For by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption for us” (Hebrews 9:12).

But this was not all that He was anointed to do. He tells us Himself in Luke: “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised, to preach the acceptable year of the Lord” (Luke 4:18–19). This He did in His earthly ministry before He was “cut off for His people” according to Daniel 9:26.

“How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him” (Acts 10:38).

The Exaltation of the Anointed One

But this is not all this expression “to anoint the most Holy” means. It means also that by virtue of His resurrection, He was to be “anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows” (Hebrews 1:9). That is:

“God hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Philippians 2:9–11).

It means that when God raised Him from the dead, He set Him at His own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world but also in that which is to come — and hath put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is His body, the fulness of Him that filleth all in all (Ephesians 1:20–23).

This expression also means that by virtue of the shedding of His blood and His resurrection, by virtue of His glorification at the right hand of the Father in heaven, He was to anoint the most holy place in heaven with His precious blood and turn the throne of judgment into a throne of grace for His people according to Hebrews 9:22–28.

The Gift of the Holy Spirit

But this is not all. It means also that by virtue of His resurrection, ascension, and glorification at the right hand of God the Father, He has been anointed to send the gift of the Holy Spirit — anointing the “Holy Place,” which is ALL of His blood-bought and blood-washed children. Our Lord gave His disciples and us this promise:

“I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever, even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you” (John 14:16–17).

Peter on the day of Pentecost declared this promise fulfilled:

“This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses. Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear” (Acts 2:32–33).

Dear fellow believer, this means: not only did Christ die for our sins and pay our sin debt in full, not only did He arise from the grave as our Justifier and Righteousness, not only did He ascend to the right hand of the Father as our interceding High Priest — but by virtue of all of this, He has given us of His Holy Spirit, and we have been anointed as the holy temple of God.

“For ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people” (2 Corinthians 6:16).
“But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John 2:27).

The Riches Revealed by the Spirit

The question is asked: “What are some of these riches of Christ and deep things of God which are revealed unto us by the Holy Spirit who is our anointing?” In 1 Thessalonians 1:4 we read of one: “Knowing, brethren, beloved, your election of God.” Elected, chosen by the Father in Christ to salvation, to deliverance from all our sins, before the very foundation of the world (2 Thessalonians 2:13–14; Ephesians 1:4). Another precious thing revealed to us is that we were “predestinated to be conformed to the image of God's dear Son” (Romans 8:29).

We also have the precious knowledge that we have been adopted into the family of God, and have therefore become heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ (Romans 8:16–17): “We have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Father.”

“Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him. But God hath revealed them unto us by His Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God” (1 Corinthians 2:9–10).

The Timetable of the 70 Weeks — Daniel 9:25–26

As we continue our study in Daniel 9, let us look at verses 25–26 and see how the timetable of 70 weeks of years unfolds before our eyes, and how all the things mentioned in verse 24 would be fulfilled in the earthly ministry of the Messiah, the Prince. The thing we need to determine is: what was the occasion when the 69th week or 483 years ended and the 70th week or the last seven years of this prophecy began?

We are told very definitely in verse 25 that the beginning point of this prophecy would be the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem — when the children of Israel were allowed to return to Jerusalem from Babylonian captivity. This decree is recorded in both 2 Chronicles 36:22–23 and Ezra 1:1–4:

“Now in the first year of Cyrus king of Persia, that the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus king of Persia, that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom… Thus saith Cyrus king of Persia, the Lord God of heaven hath given me all the kingdoms of the earth; and he hath charged me to build him an house at Jerusalem, which is in Judah. Who is there among you of all his people? his God be with him, and let him go up to Jerusalem… and build the house of the Lord God of Israel” (Ezra 1:1–3).

This took place, as Daniel 9:25 tells us, even in “troublous times” — under Ezra the priest as recorded in the book of Ezra, under Nehemiah the cup-bearer to the king as recorded in the book of Nehemiah, under Zerubbabel God's anointed as recorded in the book of Zechariah, and all urged on by the prophets Haggai and Zechariah.

No wonder Satan has deceived the minds of so many today in causing them to believe that the 70th week of Daniel is yet in the future — because this portion of Daniel 9 so glorifies and magnifies our Blessed Lord Jesus Christ in the work which He accomplished nearly 2,000 years ago.