When Jesus stepped into the Jordan River, heaven itself bore witness. The Spirit descended like a dove, and the Father declared: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Matthew 3:17). This was no ordinary moment. It was the exact fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks — the anointing of Messiah the Prince, the confirmation of God’s covenant, and the setting in motion of history’s greatest plan.

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Daniel’s Prophecy and the Timeline

Daniel 9:24–27 reveals a precise calendar of redemption:

“From the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks…” (v. 25).

From Artaxerxes’ decree in 457 B.C., restoring Jerusalem in its religious order, the prophecy counts forward 483 years (7 weeks + 62 weeks). That brings us exactly to A.D. 27 — the very year Jesus was baptized.

This was no coincidence. Daniel said the goal was “to anoint the Most Holy” (v. 24), and that is precisely what happened: the heavens opened, the Spirit anointed Jesus, and the Father gave Him glory. Messiah means Anointed One. This was the very moment Daniel’s prophecy was pointing to.

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The Anointing and the Confirmation of the Covenant

At His baptism, Jesus was not just showing humility. He was confirming the covenant. John the Baptist knew the gravity of the moment: “I need to be baptized by You, and do You come to me?” (Matt. 3:14). Jesus answered, “Permit it at this time; for in this way it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness” (Matt. 3:15).

This was the fulfillment of Daniel 9:27: “And He shall confirm the covenant with many.” The Hebrew word for confirm means “to strengthen.” Jesus was strengthening the covenant already made with Abraham — not replacing it, but raising it to its fullest and eternal form in His blood. Later He said at the Last Supper, “This is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many” (Matt. 26:28). Daniel said He would confirm it with many; Jesus said His blood was shed for many. The harmony is undeniable.

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After the Sixty-Two Weeks

Daniel continues: “And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for Himself” (v. 26). Notice carefully: this cutting off comes after His anointing. The anointing at His baptism sets the stage; the cutting off at the cross fulfills the mission.

Verse 27 continues: “In the midst of the week He shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease.” Exactly three and a half years after His baptism, Jesus was crucified. By His death He ended the sacrificial system — not by force, but by making it obsolete: “By one offering He has perfected forever those who are sanctified” (Heb. 10:14). Half of the seventieth week was fulfilled in His earthly ministry leading to the cross. Three and a half years remain in God’s prophetic calendar — not a future seven-year tribulation created by men.

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The People of the Prince

Daniel also says: “The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” (v. 26). The Prince here is Messiah, and His people are Israel. This is where cause and effect becomes clear.

When Jesus wept over Jerusalem, He cried: “If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes… because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation” (Luke 19:42–44). The cause was Israel’s rejection of their Messiah. The effect was that their enemies — the Romans — destroyed the city and the sanctuary in A.D. 70.

Daniel’s prophecy explains it: the people of the Prince rejected Him, and so the city was left desolate. If they had known the time of their visitation, the city would have held its peace. This is why understanding Daniel’s timeline is essential — without it, our eschatology goes off course.

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The Glory Belongs to Jesus Alone

This prophecy was never about exalting a future antichrist. To insert him here is to rob Christ of the glory that belongs to Him. God the Father exalted Jesus at His baptism. John the Baptist trembled at the privilege. Jesus Himself declared it was necessary to fulfill righteousness. And Daniel’s prophecy aligns with each step: anointed at baptism, covenant confirmed, Messiah cut off in the midst of the week, sacrifices made to cease.

Friend, three and a half years remain in this prophecy — not seven years of antichrist. If we are not walking on God’s timeline, then whose timeline are we on? Daniel’s prophecy is a lighthouse pointing to Yeshua HaMashiach: His baptism, His covenant, His cross, His glory. Let us join the Father’s voice that day and give Him all the honor: “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.”