. The 70 Weeks of Daniel. Jewish/Christian Dispute

The 70 Weeks Of Daniel. The Jewish/Christian Dispute.

THE SEVENTY WEEKS OF YEARS PROPHECY.

SECTION 1    A Traditional Jewish Translation, Interpretation & Calculation of DANIEL 9:24-27.

24. "Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city to finish the transgression, to end sin, to atone for iniquity, to bring in eternal righteousness, to seal vision and prophet and to anoint a Holy of Holies.

25. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem until [mashiach] an anointed one, a prince, shall be 7 weeks; and for 60 and 2 weeks it shall be rebuilt, street and moat, even in troublous times.

26. And after the 60 and 2 weeks shall [mashiach] an anointed one be cut off and have nothing, and the people of a prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the Sanctuary, and its end shall be with a flood. Until the end of a war desolations are decreed.

27. And he shall make a covenant with many for 1 week; and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering;...."

To understand a passage one must always study it in context. At the beginning of Daniel 9 we find:

Daniel 9:2

"In the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood from the Sacred Books, according to the word of the L-rd to Jeremiah the Prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last 70 years:"
Jeremiah 29:10 "When 70 years are completed for Babylon, I will remember you, and fulfill My good word to return you to this place."

These 70 years of desolation began when Jerusalem was destroyed and Jews were deported to Babylon (2 Kings 25:8-12). They ended with the building of the Second Temple (Ezra 6:15).

In Daniel 9:3-20, Daniel prayed for the Jewish people, praised G-d, implored Him to finish the exile and rebuild the Temple and Jerusalem.
In answer to his prayers, the angel Gabriel told Daniel that 420 years were being added to the 70 years:
Leviticus 26:18 "If after all this you will not obey Me, I will punish you 7 times more for your sins."
7 x 70 years = 490 years.

Daniel 9:24

Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city,

1 day = 1 year.......1 week = 7 years.......70 weeks = 490 years.
Leviticus 25:8 "You shall count 7 Sabbaths of years, 7 x 7 years, so that the 7 Sabbaths of years amounts to 49 years."

The 490 years began from the first destruction of Jerusalem. That occurred in our Hebrew Calendar year 3338 or 3,338 years from Creation.

They continued until the second destruction of Jerusalem (9:26).
Hence, the calculation for Daniel 9:24-27 is 3338 + 490 = 3828.
There were 3,828 years from Creation until the war against Jerusalem concluded in 70 C.E.

That the First Temple was destroyed in the Hebrew Calendar year 3338 is derived from Scripture:
Adam died in the year 930,  Flood was in 1656,  Shem died in 2158,  Jacob died in 2255.
Moses was born in 2368 + 80, his age at the Exodus from Egypt = 2448 (Genesis and Exodus).

The First Temple construction began 480 years thereafter, in the 4th year of Solomon = 2928 (1 Kings 6:1).
King Solomon continued to reign for another 36 years = 2964 (1 Kings 11:42).
Plus 374 years that the remaining kings reigned = 3338 (2 Chronicles 12:13-36:11). Timeline chabad.org

Our day to day Hebrew Calendar has continued to the present. The year 2000 C.E. was 5760 from Creation:
Exodus 12:41 "At the end of the 430 years, on the same day, the hosts of the L-rd left Egypt."

Daniel 9:24

to finish the transgression, to end sin, to atone for iniquity, and to bring in eternal righteousness,

At the end of this full 490 year period the Messiah would appear and these Messianic promises would be fulfilled. Or Jerusalem would again be destroyed and Jews would be exiled (Daniel 9:26). Not both. Not earlier.

Daniel 9:24

and to seal vision and prophet,

During this 490 year period, vision and prophecy ceased with the Prophet Malachi.

Daniel 9:24

and to anoint a Holy of Holies [Kodesh Kodashim].

The rebuilt and functioning Second Temple (Ezekiel 45:3).

Daniel 9:25

from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem

This is referring to the word that had gone forth to Jeremiah, 7 weeks of years earlier:
Jeremiah 30:18 "The city will be rebuilt on its ruins, and the Palace (Temple) will stand on its rightful place."

The Hebrew "debar" means word. It connects Jeremiah 29:10; Daniel 9:2, 9:25; and Cyrus' decree in Ezra 1:1,3.
Artaxerxes' decree to Ezra (7:13) is the Hebrew t'aim. Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah (2:7) letters (Hebrew iggerot).

The Hebrew shuv means to restore - to bring back. The return of Jews from Babylon to Israel:
Jeremiah 30:3 "... when I will restore from captivity My people Israel and Judah. I will bring them back to the land ..."

Daniel 9:25

until [mashiach] an anointed one, a prince, shall be 7 weeks;

Seven weeks of years after the destruction of the First Temple, Cyrus the first [mashiach] "anointed one" appeared as Isaiah the Prophet had foretold some 200 years earlier:
Isaiah 45:1,13 "Thus says the L-rd to His anointed, to Cyrus...He will build My city and set My exiles free, neither for price nor for reward, says the L-rd of hosts."

And so it was, Cyrus fulfilled the word of G-d through His Prophets Isaiah and Jeremiah:
Ezra 1:1,3 "Now in the first year of Cyrus, king of Persia, that the word of the L-rd by the mouth of Jeremiah might be fulfilled, the L-rd stirred up the spirit of Cyrus, king of Persia to make a proclamation...Whoever there is among all His people, his G-d be with him, let him go up to Jerusalem, which is in Judah, and rebuild the House of the L-rd, the G-d of Israel. He is the G-d Who is in Jerusalem."

Cyrus informed his governors, ruling in Syria, the details of his decree:
"I have given leave to as many of the Jews that dwell in my country as please to return to their own country, and to rebuild their city, and the Temple of G-d in Jerusalem. On the same place where it was before" (Josephus, Antiquities, Book 11, Chapter 1, Section 3).

In Ezra 4:12 our enemies complained that Zerubbabel and his group were rebuilding "the rebellious and bad city."
That was two years after Cyrus' decree (Ezra 3:8).

Daniel 9:25

and for 60 and 2 weeks it shall be rebuilt, street and moat, even in troublous times.

Neither our Scriptures nor ancient sources indicate when Jerusalem was completed. It was a small city. The wall surrounding it was built in 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). The Temple was rebuilt in four years (Haggai 1:14-15; Ezra 6:15).

Daniel 9:26

And after the 60 and 2 weeks shall [mashiach] an anointed one be cut off and have nothing,

This second "mashiach" was King Agrippa II of Judea. During the war in 66 C.E. the Jews dethroned and expelled him from Jerusalem. Although, Agrippa was Jewish, he deserted to the Roman side and did not regain his royal status (Agrippa II New World encyclopedia.org).

Daniel 9:26

and the people of a prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the Sanctuary,

The Roman army, led by Titus the crown prince, destroyed Jerusalem and the Second Temple (Titus Britannica.com).

Daniel 9:26

and its end shall be with a flood. Until the end of a war desolations are decreed.

Complete destruction is so described elsewhere:
Nahum 1:8 "But with an overrunning flood, He will make a full end of its place."

Daniel 9:27

And he shall make a covenant with many for 1 week; and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering;

Titus made a peace agreement with the Jewish leaders. However, he broke this covenant after the first half week (3.5 years) and prohibited sacrifices.

*************** *************** *************** ***************

SECTION 2

A Refutation of Christian Translation, Interpretations and Calculations of DANIEL 9:24-27.

THEIR TRANSLATION.

DANIEL  9:24-27.

24. "Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

25. Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be 7 weeks, and 60 and 2 weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

26. And after 60 and 2 weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.

27. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for 1 week; and in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering;...."

a. This present day King James Version has one event occurring after 7 weeks and 62 weeks (49 + 434 = 483 years). The arrival of their one mashiach Jesus (9:25). But, their original 1611 C.E. edition punctuated 9:25 differently:
"unto the Messiah the Prince, shall be 7 weeks; and 60 and 2 weeks, the street shall be built again,"

It correctly has a semicolon stop and separation after the 7 weeks - two mashiachs, not one (9:25/26). It was changed to a comma in their 1769 edition. We were in agreement for 158 years.

b. Neither our Scriptures nor ancient sources record an event occurring at the end of their 7th week. And which year was that? They have four opinions:
Artaxerxes' ^7th year decree 458 / 457 B.C.E. + 49 years = 409 / 408 B.C.E.
Artaxerxes' 20th year decree 445 / 444 B.C.E. + 49 years = 396 / 395 B.C.E.
They claim that it took 49 years to build the Temple and/or Jerusalem. But, that's conjectural. See Section 1.

c. This passage could have been written differently:
unto the mashiach the Prince shall be 69 weeks (9:25)
After the 69 weeks, the mashiach shall die for your sins (9:26)
Then, after a lapse of time, in the 70th week, the people of the prince (9:26)

d. The Hebrew has: "And after the weeks [ha shavuim] 60 and 2 shall ...." (9:26). They exclude "the" to make it less obvious that the 62 weeks is a distinct time period.
Hence, 7 and 62 appear as an uninterrupted 69 weeks of 7 years: 69 x 7 = 483 years. This is their timeline from Artaxerxes' decree in Ezra 7:1 until Jesus' baptism. OR his decree in Nehemiah 2:1 until Palm Sunday.

e. Conversely, the Hebrew does not have "the" before "mashiach" and "Prince" (9:25). They were inserted to stress that this is the Messiah.
Compare this verse with Leviticus 4:5 in Hebrew. There the letter hey (the) which is pronounced ha does appear twice: ha-kohen ha-mashiach. Literally: "The Priest, the anointed one."

f. The Hebrew root letters: mem-shin-yud-chet (mashiach) appear in the Hebrew Bible 39 times. Except in 9:25/26, the King James Bible correctly translates it as "anointed" or "anointed one."

g. "be cut off" Numbers 15:30-31 "But the person who does anything defiantly ... shall be cut off from his people. Because he has despised the word of the L-rd and broke His command." See Kareth en.Wikipedia.org.

h. "but not for himself" is wrong. The Hebrew "ve ein" means - and have nothing:
Proverbs 13:7 "There is one who pretends to be rich and has nothing."

THE 165 YEAR DISPUTE.
The First Temple Destruction   Until   The Second Temple Destruction
Rabbinic Timeline 421 B.C.E. - 70 C.E.      Secular Timeline 586 B.C.E. - 70 C.E.

The B.C.E. years corresponding to our Hebrew Calendar from Creation are:
The First Temple was destroyed in 421,  The Persian period was from 369 - 317,  Cyrus' decree was in 369,  Zerubbabel went to Jerusalem in 369,  Darius reigned from 353 - 317,  The Second Temple was built from 351 - 347,  Artaxerxes' decree to Ezra was in 346,  Artaxerxes' decree to Nehemiah was in 333,  The Second Temple was destroyed in 70 C.E.

421 - 369 B.C.E. ...... 52 years. First 7 [full] weeks of years.
421 - 351 B.C.E. ...... 70 years. Babylonian exile.
351 -- 70 C.E. ....... 420 years. Second Temple period.
421 -- 70 C.E. ....... 490 years. Daniel 9:24-27.

From here on:
A. Only the Secular Timeline is quoted.
B. Darius is Darius 1 son of Hystapses (522 - 486 B.C.E.).
C. Artaxerxes is Artaxerxes Longimanus (465 - 424 B.C.E. OR 464 - 423 B.C.E.).
Why? The 490 years end in Jesus' lifetime only if they began from Artaxerxes Longimanus. Artaxerxes means "Great King, the name or title of several kings of Persia" (ATS biblehub.com). They appear in Ezra 4:7, 6:14, 7:1; Nehemiah 2:1. Scholars disagree who they were.

The Persian period lasted for 52 years:
Daniel 11:2 "Behold, three more kings will arise in Persia, and the fourth ...."
Contrary to this declaration, the secular chronology lists 10 Persian kings who allegedly reigned during 207 years (539 - 332 B.C.E.). Its timeline is flawed:

1. Artaxerxes in Ezra 4:21-24 stopped the rebuilding of the Temple and city "until the 2nd year of the reign of Darius king of Persia" (520 B.C.E.). That Artaxerxes was the king before 520 B.C.E. Thus, he was not Artaxerxes Longimanis whose reign began 55 years after 520 B.C.E.
Josephus, 1st century historian, wrote that Artaxerxes in Ezra 4 was Cambyses II, the son of Cyrus (Antiquities, Book 11, Chapter 2, Section 1-2). He reigned from 530 - 522 B.C.E. The Scotfield Reference Bible is in agreement.

2. If Artaxerxes Longimanus sent Ezra to Jerusalem in 458 B.C.E. (Ezra 7), then that was 58 years after the Temple was rebuilt in 516 B.C.E. It would contradict Ezra 7:1,6, which has a short time between these events:
"Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia,... Ezra went up from Babylon;...." (Compare Esther 3:1)

However, if Darius was Artaxerxes in Ezra 7, then 13 months after he rebuilt the Temple (Ezra 6:15), Darius sent Ezra "to glorify the House of the L-rd in Jerusalem" (Ezra 7:27).
The Temple was rebuilt on Adar 3rd, the 12th month. The 6th year of Darius (Ezra 6:15).
Passover was observed on Nisan 14th, the 1st month. The 6th year of Darius (Ezra 6:19).
Ezra went to Jerusalem on Nisan 1st, the 1st month. The 7th year of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:8-9).
NOTE: Our New Year begins in Tishrei, the 7th month. The timeline was Adar 3rd, Nisan 14th, Tishrei 1st, Nisan 1st.

3. Ezra was the son of Seraiah (Ezra 7:1), the last High Priest, who was killed before the First Temple was destroyed in 586 B.C.E. (2 Kings 25:18-21). Therefore, Ezra was above 128 years old if Artaxerxes Longimanus sent him to Jerusalem in Ezra 7 (586 - 458 B.C.E.). Compare Ezra 7:1-2 with I Chronicles 6:11-14.

4. Ezra 6:14: The Jews rebuilt the Temple according to the decree of Cyrus and Darius and Artaxerxes.
The Hebrew letter vav primarily means and, but not when even is more logical:
I Samuel 28:3 "... in Ramah, even in his own city."

Cyrus decreed that the Temple be rebuilt in 538 B.C.E. (Ezra 1:3-4). Darius decreed that the work be restarted in 520 B.C.E. (Ezra 6:7). Between their decrees, the 1st Artaxerxes stopped its construction (Ezra 4:21-24). The 2nd (Ezra 7-10) and 3rd Artaxerxes (Nehemiah) ruled after it was completed.

5. Nehemiah 12:1-8 lists the Priests and Levites who left Babylon with Zerubbabel in 538 B.C.E. But, in the 20th year of Artaxerxes (Nehemiah 2:1), at least 17 of them, their names listed in the same order, signed a covenant with Nehemiah. If this king was Artaxerxes Longimanus, then it was 93 years later in 445 B.C.E. They were above 120 years old.
If this Artaxerxes was Darius, then they signed 36 years later in his 20th year (502 B.C.E.).
Those who signed were Seraiah,  Jeremiah,  Amariah,  Hattush,  Shebaniah,  Malluch,  Meremoth,  Ginnethon,  Abijah,  Mijamin,  Maaziah,  Biglai,  Shemaiah,  Jeshua,  Binnui,  Kadmiel,  & Sherebiah (Nehemiah 10:2-13).

Floyd Nolen Jones Th.D, Ph.D   The Chronology of the Old Testament p. 241, 23rd Edition:
"Not having noticed the problem inherent in comparing these two registers in relation to the dates they have assigned to them, nearly all scholars have failed to fathom the true extent and depth of the perplexity."
"Unless a solution is found, the time disparity between the Nehemiah 10 and 12 lists invalidates not only Sir Robert Anderson's solution...but all other accepted scenarios in use today as well."
Anderson founded a calculation for Artaxerxes' 20th year decree. (see below)

ARTAXERXES' DECREES.

The New Testament quotes verses from our Scriptures that Jesus supposedly fulfilled. Yet, the 490 year timeline of Daniel 9 is not among them. Nor does any one in the New Testament identify Jesus as the mashiach of Daniel 9:24-27. Nevertheless, it gradually developed into a major polemical asset:

The FIRST SCHOOL declares: "from the going forth of the word to restore and to build Jerusalem" (Daniel 9:25) refers to Artaxerxes' 7th year decree in 458 / 457 B.C.E. (Ezra 7) and the 490 years began from then.
The SECOND SCHOOL starts it from Artaxerxes' 20th year decree in 445 / 444 B.C.E. (Nehemiah 2).

His 7th and 20th year decrees can not be dated because it is not known if his reign began in 465 or 464 B.C.E. There is confusion when Xerxes, the previous king was killed (Artaxerxes 1 Encyclopedia Iranicaonline.org).

Futhermore, no event in their calculations can historically be verified:
Jesus was born between 6 and 4 B.C.E.        He died between 30 and 36 C.E.
Jesus was baptized / ministry began between 26 and 29 C.E.        His ministry lasted 1 to 3 years.
The crucifixion occurred on Wednesday, Thursday or Friday.        The 14th or 15th of Nisan.
Chronology of Jesus Wikipedia.org

ARTAXERXES' 7th YEAR DECREE ..... EZRA CHAPTERS 7 - 10.

1st Month Nisan  (March / April) ****** 5th Month Av  (July / August) ****** 7th Month Tishrei  (September / October)
In the Hebrew Bible, the 1st month is always Nisan. Its the 1st month of the Jewish calendar:
Esther 3:7 "... the 1st month which is the month Nisan."
But, Tishrei the 7th month of our calendar begins the New Year (Mishnah Rosh Hashanah 1:1).

Ezra 7:1,6 "Now after these things, in the reign of Artaxerxes king of Persia,... the king granted [Ezra] all he requested."
Ezra left Babylon with a copy of the decree, on the 1st day of the 1st month and arrived in Jerusalem on the 1st day of the 5th month in the 7th year of Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:8,9,11). The trip was from Nisan 1st to Av 1st.
Artaxerxes did not order that the city be rebuilt. There was no construction work under Ezra's leadership.
The date that the decree was signed and issued is missing. An unknown begin date invalidates their timelines.

Inevitably, the FIRST SCHOOL posits different start dates:
Opinion A1: Tishrei 458 B.C.E. - Six months before Ezra left Babylon.
Opinion A2: Tishrei 457 B.C.E. - Two months after Ezra arrived in Jerusalem. They assert that the decree "went into effect" when Ezra gave it to the Persian officials. That the decree took effect from a later event is hypothetical.

Opinion B1: Nisan 458 B.C.E. - When Ezra left Babylon.
Opinion B2: Nisan 457 B.C.E. - When Ezra left Babylon.

Ezra completed his initial obligations to the king swiftly. After their arrival on Av 1st, they rested for three days. On the fourth day, they brought the silver and gold to the Temple and sacrificed animals. "And they gave the king's orders to his satraps and governors beyond the River ...." (Ezra 8:32-36).

The Persian officials received the decree on the 5th of Av, mid-summer. Because it was earlier than Opinion A2's 490 year begin date (Tishrei), they state that Tishrei is in "late summer or early fall."

The decree was signed and issued before Nisan. This factor disqualifies Opinions A2 and B.
1. The organizers planned and prepared for the trip before departure.
2. The volunteers for the journey were ready before departure (Ezra 7:7).
3. The silver and gold that the king "freely offered to the G-d of Israel" were prepared before departure (Ezra 7:15).
4. The silver and gold donated by the population were collected and prepared before departure (Ezra 7:16, 8:25).
The people donated their precious metals before Ezra and his group left, because the decree had begun. And "a decree or statute that the king issues can not be changed" (Daniel 6:16).

Opinions A1 and A2:
Tishrei 458 / 457 B.C.E. - - The Decree.
+     483 years - - 69 weeks x 7 years.
--------------------
Tishrei 26 / 27 C.E. - - Jesus was baptized. At the end of the 69th week.
+     3.5 year ministry.
--------------------
Nisan 30 / 31 C.E. - - Jesus was crucified. At the middle of the 70th week.
+     3.5 years

************

Opinion B1: Nisan 458 B.C.E. + 483 years = Nisan 26 C.E. + 3.5 years = Tishrei 29 C.E. + 3.5 years.
Opinion B2: Nisan 457 B.C.E. + 483 years = Nisan 27 C.E. + 3.5 years = Tishrei 30 C.E. + 3.5 years.

Opinions B are disqualified because they have the crucifixion in Tishrei. All the gospels agree it was in Nisan.
Therefore, it is not uncommon for them to leave out the months and/or merge the years (26 / 27 C.E.).

The FIRST SCHOOL'S opinions:
1. The 70 weeks ended in 33 / 34 C.E. The destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. was not included (Daniel 9:26).
2. The last 3.5 years were placed in an non-existent time gap until 66 - 70 C.E.

A 3.5 year ministry for Jesus is too long. Matthew 26-27, Mark 14-15, and Luke 22-23 have one Passover. And Jesus was crucified on its 1st day, the 15th of Nisan. Thus, his ministry lasted a maximum 1 year.
John 19 has Jesus crucified on the 14th of Nisan, the day before Passover. He also has two earlier Passovers (John 2 and 6). So, Jesus' ministry lasted a maximum 3 years.

It is not known if Jesus was baptized and began his ministry in the year John the Baptist began his ministry. Also:
Luke 3:1-2 has John the Baptist beginning his ministry "In the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar." But scholars disagree from which year the count started:
a. When Tiberius began to co-reign with the emperor Augustus? That was in 11, 12 or 13 C.E. (Encyclopedias disagree).
b. When Tiberius became the sole emperor in 14 C.E.?

The timelines for their 458 B.C.E. decrees have John's ministry starting in 26 C.E.
Their 457 B.C.E. decrees have 27 C.E.
Their 445 B.C.E. decree has 28 C.E.
Their 444 B.C.E. decree has 29 C.E.

ARTAXERXES' 20th YEAR DECREE ...... NEHEMIAH CHAPTERS 2 - 13.

Because Cyrus' decree was issued in 538 B.C.E., the 483 year intervening period (69 weeks x 7 years) ended before Jesus was born. Therefore, the SECOND SCHOOL chose Artaxerxes' 20th year decree in 445 / 444 B.C. It enabled Nehemiah to build the city wall in only 52 days (Nehemiah 6:15). It was his only construction project.
They see a connection between the wall in Nehemiah 2:8 and the "wall" in Daniel 9:25. The Hebrew "chomat" in Nehemiah means wall. But "charuts" in Daniel means to cut in or dig. It is most frequently translated as moat.

They must begin their "day to day" calculations on Nisan 1st. But the decree is dated:
Nehemiah 2:1 "IN THE MONTH OF NISAN, IN THE 20th YEAR OF KING ARTAXERXES,"

The day is missing. It is not recorded in our Oral Tradition, nor in ancient histories. So this School begins it on Nisan 1st because its the "Jewish New Year Day." Wrong, that's Tishrei 1st. An unknown start day invalidates their chronologies.

But, 483 years from 445 / 444 B.C.E. ended at 39 / 40 C.E.
Since that was after Jesus died, this School devised a stratagem to end 7 years earlier.
They invented a 360 day Prophetic year.
483 years x 360 days = 173,880 days.
Their intervening period was now calculated in days.

The 173,880 days were then divided by numbers larger than 360 days:
173,880 days divided by 365 days per year = 476 years and 140 days (Robert Anderson).
173,880 days divided by 365.24219879 days per year = 476 years and 25 days (Harold Hoehner).
Their intervening period was now calculated in years and days.

Their start and end days (Nisan 1st and 10th) were then changed to Julian calendar dates:
March 14, 445 B.C.E. + 476 years and 140 days = April 06, 32 C.E.
March 05, 444 B.C.E. + 476 years and 25 days = March 30, 33 C.E.

1. A Nisan 1st decree ended on Nisan 1st, 483 and 490 years later:
Exodus 12:41 "At the end of the 430 years, on the same day, the hosts of the L-rd left Egypt."
Our year has 354 days. Each month has 29 or 30 days. A month is added 7 times during each 19 year cycle. This 365.25 lunar-solar year has our holidays observed on its date.
In the Biblical era, the next month began when the New Moon was sighted:
Isaiah 66:23 "And it shall be from New Moon to New Moon,..."

2. Their dates are from the Julian calendar, but its 365.25 days per year were not employed. Because they broke the calendar's rules, their timelines are null and void.

3. The U.S. Navy computer program has the intervening period for Anderson at 173,882 days and for Hoehner at 173,884 days (usno.navy.mil Julian calendar). A wrong end day invalidates their "exactly to the day" calculations.

They still claim that the 173,880th day, (end of the 69 weeks) was Palm Sunday, Nisan 10th (Daniel 9:26). The day Jesus rode into Jerusalem. However, that places the crucifixion (Nisan 14th) in an non-existent time gap. It lies between the 69th and still future 70th week (9:27). Therefore, Jesus was not "cut off" (crucified) during the 70 weeks! Thus, his death could not have atoned for sins etc. (9:24). The year Palm Sunday and the crucifixion occurred is not known.

Our Bible and Holy Writings do not refer to a 360 day Prophetic year. But, some say its in Genesis:
The flood waters rose for 5 months. The 17th day of the 2nd month to the 17th day of the 7th month, 150 days (Genesis 7:11, 24; 8:4). From this, the SECOND SCHOOL claims that the entire Biblical period had a 30 day month (5 x 30 = 150) and a 360 day year (12 x 30 = 360). Hence, their 69 x 7 x 360 = 173,880 day calculation.

But, nothing definitive is known about the flood calendar:
a. How many months were in its year?
b. How many days were in each of the 5 months?
c. How many days were in each of the other months?
d. Were days added at the end of the year?
e. In our Scriptures, numbers are not always exact (Numbers 1:21-43). Were the 150 days a rounded off number?

TALMUD SANHEDRIN 97b.

"Blasted be the bones of those who calculate the end. For people will say: since the awaited time has arrived and yet the Messiah has not come, he will never come."
Some say that it forbids Jews to even read Daniel 9. But:
1. It does not say Jews.
2. It does not say Daniel 9.
3. Nothing in our Rabbinic works forbid Daniel 9.
4. Our greatest commentators wrote extensively on Daniel 9.
5. After the Talmud closed, several leading Rabbis calculated the Messiah's arrival. They included: R' Saadiah Gaon, Rambam, Ramban, Rashi and R' Bachya.
6. The Talmud included Daniel 9 in its religious discourses:
Talmud Nazir 32b: While the destruction of the Second Temple was being discussed:
Abaye said: "And they didn't know when it would happen? Is it not written: 70 weeks are decreed for your people and for your holy city."