Background on Daniel the Prophet Daniel 9:1-2 However, it will be wise to survey the entire chapter in order to see what engendered the prophecy of when Messiah would come. The purpose of this article is to discuss in some detail verses 24-27 of Daniel nine. At the very latest, the book was completed around 530 B.C.E. It is Daniel’s detailed accuracy in his prophecies that has caused many critics to try to give a late date to the book of Daniel, although no evidence has been discovered that would negate the book’s composition at the time that it claims to have been written. He prophesied the role of the Maccabees during this period. He accurately predicted the fortunes, conflicts, wars and conspiracies of the two kingdoms of Syria and Egypt between the fracturing of the Greek Empire and the conquest by Rome. He accurately prophesied the rise of the Medo-Persian, Greek and Roman empires even at a time when the Babylonian Empire, which preceded them all, was at its height. That Daniel was indeed a prophet is well substantiated. It is Daniel’s detailed accuracy in his prophecies that has caused many critics to try to give a late date to the book of Daniel. More than any other book of the Hebrew Scriptures, the writings of the prophet Daniel confront us with evidence of the time of Messiah’s coming-evidence that many people would rather not see.
