'Book of Daniel'
Dan 9:25a "And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary."
From the command of King Cyrus to rebuild the temple of God to the completion of wall of Jerusalem is 7x7 = 49 years.
From the command to the death of the Messiah is 69x7 = 463 years.
The Messiah's death was not for Himself but for all mankind as the sacrificial Lamb.
Jesus, the sacrificial Lamb
Luke 2:7-12 And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling cloths, and laid Him in a manger, because there was no room for them in the inn.
The birth of Jesus the Son of God:-
1. In the animal shed as the Lamb of God.
John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we beheld His glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father, full of grace and truth.
2. In swaddling cloths as the sacrificial Lamb – all newly born lambs meant for sacrifices are wrapped with swaddling clothes to prevent them from blemishes.
3. Lay in the manger as food and water for His sheep – the manger is used for holding the feed and possibly water for feeding the sheep and also other livestock.
John 6:48 "I am the bread of life."
Our Lord Jesus is the bread of life and the living water and for our spiritual food we only need to believe, read, understand and keep His words.
4. Shepherds testified the Birth of the Lamb of God
Luke 2:11-12 "For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Saviour, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be the sign to you: You will find a Babe wrapped in swaddling cloths, lying in a manger."
The shepherds were joyfully testifying the birth of the Messiah (Christ) as the Lamb of God drawing parallels to the birth of their lambs.
Luke 2:17-18 Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told them concerning this Child. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
Ministry of Jesus
His three and a half years ministry filled with exceptional signs and wonders, love, compassions, and humility had convinced many Jews to accept Him as their Messiah. These converted Jews were persecuted by the blind Priesthood.
John 1:45 Philip found Nathanael and said to him, "We have found Him (Messiah) of whom Moses in the law, and also the prophets, wrote—Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph."
Why Priesthood rejected Messiah?
Without Daniel's prophecies, the Priesthood and Jews were expecting the Messiah to come as a Deliverer, annihilating the Romans, and then established His Millennium Rule in Jerusalem. They, including Jesus' disciples could not accept Him as a Lamb of God nailed to the cross.
Rejecting the Book of Daniel
Luke 16:31 "But he said to him, 'If they do not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will the be persuaded though one rise from the dead.' "
Without the book of Daniel, the Jewish leaders were deceived and missed their chance of salvation for rejecting Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, as their Messiah.
Must understand Book of Daniel
Mark 13:14a "So when you see the 'abomination of desolation,' spoken of by *Daniel the prophet*, standing where it ought not" (let the reader understand),"
Our Lord warned the Jews that Daniel was God's prophet and that they must read the book of Daniel in order to understand Endtime Prophecies.
Similarly, in the last days and without the understanding of the book of Daniel, many Christians will be deceived and will lose their salvation.