The ram symbolizes the former kingdom of Medo-Persia, also represented by the bear of Daniel 7:5. The prophecies of Daniel and Revelation follow the principle of “repeat and expand” — they repeat earlier prophecies and add detail, bringing clarity and certainty.

A male goat with one huge horn, moving at great speed. He attacked and conquered the ram. Then the great horn was broken and four horns arose in its place. The goat symbolizes the third kingdom, Greece, and the huge horn symbolizes Alexander the Great. The four horns represent the four kingdoms into which Alexander’s empire was divided.

The little horn represents Rome — in both its pagan and papal forms. By the “repeat and expand” rule, Rome is the power that follows Greece. The little horn follows Greece and is finally destroyed supernaturally, without human hand, at the second coming (compare Daniel 8:25 with Daniel 2:34). Pagan Rome crucified Christ, and papal Rome sought to replace the ministry of Jesus, our High Priest in heaven, with an earthly priesthood claiming to forgive sins, though only God can forgive sins (Luke 5:21), and Christ is our one mediator (1 Timothy 2:5).

Heaven replied that the sanctuary in heaven would be cleansed after 2,300 prophetic days — 2,300 literal years (by the day-for-a-year principle — Ezekiel 4:6; Numbers 14:34). As the earthly sanctuary was cleansed on the Day of Atonement, so after 2,300 years God would begin the heavenly Day of Atonement, or judgment, when sin and unrepentant sinners would be identified and later removed from the universe forever.

Gabriel asserted that the 2,300-year vision involves events in the time of the end, which began in 1798 (as we learned in Lesson 15). The 2,300-year prophecy is a message that applies primarily to all of us living at the end of earth’s history.

The angel Gabriel touched him and said he had come to explain the rest of the vision of chapter 8 (compare Daniel 8:26 with Daniel 9:23). Daniel prayed that God would help him understand the message.

Seventy weeks were determined for the Jews. These 70 prophetic weeks equal 490 literal years (70 × 7 = 490). God allotted 490 years out of the 2,300 to His chosen people as another opportunity to repent and serve Him.

The starting event was a decree from Persian King Artaxerxes authorizing God’s people to return to Jerusalem and rebuild the city. The decree, found in Ezra chapter 7, was issued in 457 BC (the seventh year of the king) and implemented in the autumn.

Yes! Counting 483 years from the fall of 457 BC reaches the fall of AD 27 (there is no year 0). The word Messiah means anointed one (John 1:41). Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Acts 10:38) at His baptism (Luke 3:21,22) in the fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar (Luke 3:1) — AD 27. Then Jesus began preaching that the prophetic time was fulfilled (Mark 1:14,15; Galatians 4:4), confirming the prophecy. This proves the Bible is inspired, Jesus is the Messiah, and all other dates in the prophecy are valid.

Jesus was cut off — crucified — in the middle of the week, three and a half years after His anointing, in the spring of AD 31. Daniel 9:26 reveals the gospel: the Messiah would be cut off, yet not for any wrong of His own. He who committed no sin (1 Peter 2:22) was crucified for our sins (1 Corinthians 15:3; Isaiah 53:5). Jesus lovingly gave His life to save us.

The covenant is His blessed agreement to save people from their sins (Hebrews 10:16,17). After His 3½-year ministry ended, Jesus confirmed the covenant through His disciples (Hebrews 2:3). He sent them first to the Jewish nation (Matthew 10:5,6) because His chosen people still had 3½ years remaining of their 490-year opportunity to repent as a nation.

They began preaching the gospel to other nations of the world (Acts 13:46). The righteous deacon Stephen was publicly stoned in AD 34. From then on, the Jews, having collectively rejected Jesus, could no longer be God’s chosen nation. God now counts as His chosen people those of all nationalities who accept and serve Him — spiritual Jews (Galatians 3:27–29; Romans 2:28,29).

There were 1,810 years remaining (2,300 − 490 = 1,810). The ending date is 1844 (AD 34 + 1,810 = 1844). The angel said the heavenly sanctuary would be cleansed — the heavenly judgment would begin. As in Noah’s day God said the Flood would come in 120 years (Genesis 6:3) and it happened, so God’s end-time judgment began in 1844. God’s end-time people must be announcing it (Revelation 14:6,7).

There is no warrant for inserting a gap between the years of the 490-year prophecy — it is continuous. Never in Scripture is a number of time units anything but continuous. AD 27 was the starting date for the last seven years, which Jesus emphasized by declaring that the prophetic time was fulfilled (Mark 1:15). At His death in the spring of AD 31, Jesus proclaimed that the work was finished (John 19:30), fulfilling the predictions of Daniel 9. There is no biblical reason to detach the last seven years; the gap theory leads people astray.