Josephus, a Jewish historian living in Rome nearly 2000 years ago wrote about the book of Daniel in Antiquities of the Jews, book 10:
"from among them there should arise a certain king that should overcome our nation and their laws, and should take away their political government, and should spoil the temple, and forbid the sacrifices to be offered for three years' time. And indeed it so came to pass, that our nation suffered these things under Antiochus Epiphanes, according to Daniel's vision, and what he wrote many years before they came to pass. In the very same manner Daniel also wrote concerning the Roman government, and that our country should be made desolate by them."
This is speaking of the second messiah in Daniel 9:26  -- written by Josephus nearly 2000 years ago.

Then see The Wars of the Jews, also by Josephus and written nearly 2000 years ago.  The reference is in book 6, chapter 2. 
AND now Titus (the Roman leader) gave orders to his soldiers that were with him to dig up the foundations of the tower of Antonia, and make him a ready passage for his army to come up; while he himself had Josephus brought to him, (for he had been informed that on that very day, which was the seventeenth day of Panemus, [Tamuz,] the sacrifice called "the Daily Sacrifice" had failed, and had not been offered to G-d, for want of men to offer it, and that the people were grievously troubled at it. . .
See the footnote by William Whiston (18th century) English Christian Theologian:
This was a remarkable day indeed, the seventeenth of Paneruns. [Tamuz,] (CE) 70, when, according to Daniel's prediction, six hundred and six years before, the Romans "in half a week caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease," Daniel 9:27. For from the month of February, (CE) 66, about which time Vespasian entered on this war, to this very time, was just three years and a half. See Bishop Lloyd's Tables of Chronology, published by Mr. Marshall, on this year. Nor is it to be omitted, what year nearly confirms this duration of the war, that four years before the war begun was somewhat above seven years five months before the destruction of Jerusalem, ch. 5. sect. 3.
I reference Josephus who pre-dates the Masoretes by about 600 years or more -- he looks upon the second "half" of Daniel's prophecy as explained by Uri in his previous post.  There were two messiahs -- and even Josephus makes it clear that the second messiah had to do with the fall of Jerusalem to the Romans.

Josephus was able to understand this passage quite clearly without the help of the Masoretes and their notation methodology.

I highly recommend that Douggg read R' Moshe Shulman's excellent chronology of Daniel 9.  He discusses both Jewish and Christian dating.  Link.

סופי

And everything that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice. Bereshit (Genesis) 21:12
Last Edited By: Sophiee1 Thu, 3-Sep-15 16:59:49. Edited 1 times.