Douggg:

All I can do is show you Josephus' words (keeping in mind that Christians maintained Josephus over the past 2000 years so errors have been known to creep in -- but most of those seem to be in proof texts). . .  Again, from Antiquities of the Jews:
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. All these things did this man leave in writing, as God had shewed them to him.
Note that in The Wars of the Jews (also by Josephus) which I quoted in my first response to you Josephus identifies the Roman Emperor Titus (Vespasian) as the second messiah of Daniel 9.  That passage was quoted in my earlier post, but I'll post it again from 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.

You and I have discussed previously (in 2008) that Titus may well be the second messiah (it does seem more likely than Antiochus).  From the Artscroll footnote on Daniel 9:26::
Quote:
9:26 I.e., Agrippa, the last Jewish king, at the end of the second Temple era. After his death, the prince of this verse the Roman Titus, would command the destruction of the Temple, which will not rebuilt until after the War of Gog and Magog in messianic times (Rashi).

סופי

And everything that Sarah tells you, listen to her voice. Bereshit (Genesis) 21:12
Last Edited By: Sophiee1 Fri, 4-Sep-15 06:42:21. Edited 1 times.