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The Book of Daniel written during the 6th century B.C.E., contains prophecies like the time of the Messiah’s appearance, calculated as 26 C.E., and his crucifixion in 30 C.E. The book’s quick inclusion in the Jewish canon attests to its authenticity. These prophetic assertions establish the impossibility of the book being written post-event. This further emphasizes its divine inspiration and dismisses the idea that Daniel was a mere historical reflection of events.

The Book of Daniel contains specific prophecies that make it impossible for the book to have been written after the fulfillment of those predictions. First, Daniel includes detailed geopolitical scenarios that, if written post-event, would diminish its role as a divinely inspired document. Daniel’s reputation as a prophet would be unfounded, and the book would be nothing more than historical reflection, a fraudulent impersonation of predictive prophecy. Second, the book’s rapid acceptance into the Jewish canon attests to its authenticity and its being written in the 6th century B.C.E. If Daniel were written post-event, its acceptance into the canon would have been scrutinized and delayed, unlike what we observe historically. Thus, writing Daniel after the events would undermine its divine authority and its categorization as prophetic Scripture.

Prediction of the Time of Messiah’s Appearance

Daniel 9:24-27 is a cornerstone prophecy that predicted the time of the Messiah’s appearance. The angel Gabriel told Daniel, “Seventy weeks are decreed about your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.” The “seventy weeks” or 490 years would commence from a specific starting point, which was the issuing of the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem.

Calculating the Year of the Messiah’s Appearance

The decree to rebuild Jerusalem was issued in the 7th year of King Artaxerxes, in 458 B.C.E. According to Daniel 9:25, from this decree, it would be “seven weeks and sixty-two weeks” until the appearance of the “anointed one,” a total of 69 weeks or 483 years. Simple arithmetic takes us from 458 B.C.E. down to 26 C.E., the year when Jesus was baptized and began his ministry, being recognized as the Messiah or the Anointed One.

Length of Jesus’ Earthly Ministry and Its Conclusion

The prophecy in Daniel 9:26-27 suggests that after the 69 weeks, “the anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing.” This signifies that during the 70th week, in the middle of it, the Messiah would be “cut off,” which happened when Jesus was crucified in 30 C.E., three and a half years after his ministry began. This event did “put an end to sin” and “atone for iniquity,” fulfilling the prophecy in a most profound way.

Jehovah’s Exclusive Dealing with the Jews and Its Termination

The “seventy weeks” or 490 years also outline a period during which Jehovah would deal specifically with the Jews. This span started with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem in 458 B.C.E. and ended in 36 C.E. with the conversion of Cornelius, a Gentile, as recorded in Acts 10. This marked the moment when Jehovah’s favor opened up to non-Jews, concluding the exclusive period of divine dealing with the Jewish nation.

Conclusion

In summary, the Book of Daniel provides a compelling prophecy that accurately predicted the timing of the Messiah’s appearance, his ministry, and his sacrificial death. These fulfilled prophecies affirm Daniel’s early date of writing, its divine inspiration, and its categorization as authentic Scripture. These facts also uphold the concrete timeline during which Jehovah interacted exclusively with the Jewish nation, reinforcing the prophecy’s credibility. All these intricacies make it inconceivable that Daniel could have been written after the events it predicts, further testifying to the divine inspiration of the Bible against modern-day skepticism.

About the Author

EDWARD D. ANDREWS (AS in Criminal Justice, BS in Religion, MA in Biblical Studies, and MDiv in Theology) is CEO and President of Christian Publishing House. He has authored over 220+ books. In addition, Andrews is the Chief Translator of the Updated American Standard Version (UASV).