Seventy Weeks Prophecy

Seventy-Weeks Prophecy

There are over three hundred prophecies about the Messiah that were either fulfilled in Christ or are going to be fulfilled in his Second Coming. One messianic prophecy that has caught a great deal of attention is in Daniel 9:24-27. This prophecy is called the Seventy Weeks Prophecy! Here it is:

24. Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end to sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.

25. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublesome times.

26. And after the sixty-nine weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself; And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the sanctuary. The end of it shall be with a flood, and till the end of the war desolations are determined.

27. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall be the one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured on the desolate.

Gabriel gave this prophecy to Daniel. The Seventy-Weeks Prophecy is a timeline of future events. At the end of this timeline, Gentile rule will end and the Messiah will come and set up His rule. God promises Israel two sets of three accomplishments that will highlight the end of the age. The first set deals with sin:

1. To finish the transgression
2. To make an end to sins
3. To make reconciliation for iniquity

Israel's sins as a Nation will be ended when they repent and turn back to God. They will see their Messiah whom they have pierced (Rev 1:7) and a fountain will be opened for the house of David and the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and uncleanness (Zech 13:1). The Messiah will return to finish what he stated and will cleanse Israel from her sins as a nation and draw them back to Him. This is God's purpose in these three future accomplishments - redeem Israel. The second set of accomplishments deal with righteousness:

1. To bring in everlasting righteousness
2. To seal up vision and prophecy
3. To anoint the Most Holy

This second set of accomplishments cannot occur until the first set has occurred. After that happens the Lord shall confirm a "New Covenant" with the House of Israel. (Jeremiah 31:33-34). The transgression of Israel will end and there will be communion with God so there will no longer be a need for vision and prophecy. The Most Holy (or Most Holy Place in some translations) is the new temple, which will be consecrated and will be the center of worship in the millennial kingdom (Ezek 40-48).

Then the Seventy-Weeks Prophecy goes into the beginning of the timeline. The first point of the timeline is the "going forth of the command to build and restore Jerusalem." We have to look for a command from a ruler to restore and build Jerusalem. Here are four possible decrees:

1. Cyrus - 536 BC - Ezra 1:1-4 & 2 Chronicles 36:22-23
2. Darius - 519 BC - Ezra 6:1-12
3. Artaxerxes - 458 BC - Ezra 7:11-22
4. Artaxerxes - 445 BC - Nehemiah 2:1-8

The first decree by Cyrus gave Israel the right to rebuild the temple. The second decree by Darius and the third decree by Artaxerxes gave more supplies to rebuild the Temple and for sacrifices. The fourth decree by Artaxerxes gave Nehemiah the command to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem. The fourth decree is the correct decree. After seven weeks and sixty-two weeks after 445 BC (decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem), the Messiah will come. Since the Seventy weeks is rendered as seventy-sevens (490 years) it would be safe to assume that after seven sevens and sixty-two sevens (49 and 434 years) the Messiah will come. So after sixty-nine weeks (7 + 62 = 69 X 7 = 483 years) the Messiah will come. The meaning of "Messiah will come" will be explained later. Where do we get a week being seven years? From Numbers 14:34 where it says

After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities even forty years (KJV).

This judgment was literally fulfilled for the Children of Israel wandered in the wilderness for forty years, a year for every day that the spies searched out the land of Canaan. See also Ezekiel 4:6. We know the starting point for the seventy weeks but what about the end of the sixty-nine weeks. There are many views of what is the end of the first sixty-nine weeks. Some say it ends with the birth of Christ. Since Gabriel gave the seventy weeks prophecy to Daniel it is fitting that Gabriel announced the birth of the Messiah to his mother Mary

The event most associated with the presentation of the Messiah is found in Zechariah 9:9.

Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion! Shout, O daughter of Jerusalem! Behold, your King is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, lowly and riding on a donkey, a colt, the foal of a donkey.

After this presentation, the Messiah will be cut off or suffer a death penalty. The streets, walls, and the Temple will be still standing. After the Messiah is cut off, the "people of the prince who is to come" will destroy the Temple. These are the Romans. We’ll get back to the Messiah being cut off later. I’m now focusing on the events between the sixty-ninth and seventieth weeks. The seventieth week hasn’t started yet so after the sixty-ninth week, there is a gap of almost 2000 years. Verse 26 shows us this gap. Verse 26 tells us about the Temple being destroyed. In AD 70, Prince Titus led the Roman legions and destroyed Jerusalem because they rebelled. Jesus spoke of this event in His famous Olivet Discourse speech. Jesus says:

But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, let those who are in the midst of her depart, and let not those who are in the country enter her. For these are the days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe to those who are pregnant and to those who are nursing babies in those days! For there will be great distress in the land and wrath upon this people. And they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led away captive into all nations. And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled (Luke 21:20-24).

Look closely at the last sentence in verse 24: "And Jerusalem will be trampled by Gentiles until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled." Some people believe that the times of the Gentiles was fulfilled when Israel became a nation again in May 14, 1948. This is not true for Gentiles (Arabs) still have a foothold in Israel and in Jerusalem. The Six Day War in 1967 was the first time that Israel had full control of Jerusalem but soon they gave a part of Jerusalem back to the Arabs. 1948 and 1967 are hardly the fulfillments of this prophecy. The times of the Gentiles will be fulfilled when the Messiah come and ends Gentile Rule. When I mean Gentile rule I don't mean Arabs but also other Gentile nations. Israel is currently surrounded by Gentile nations that plot her destruction like the Palestinians (West Bank), Iraq, Syria, Iran, Russia, Ethiopia, Libya. Israel has few allies like the United States, Egypt, Britain, and Saudi Arabia. The times of the Gentiles is still on! Gentile rule will be at it's highest point with the rule of the Antichrist and his kingdom.

"And after the sixty-two weeks (plus 7 weeks to make it 69 weeks) [the] Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself." We know that the Messiah had to die before AD 70 and Zechariah 9:9 was fulfilled to the day in Daniel's Seventy-Weeks prophecy. So we now do a mathematical calculation. The starting date is March 14, 445 BC. According to Jewish tradition, that decree to Nehemiah by Artaxerxes was done on the first day of the Jewish month of Nisan, which is the first month of the religious Jewish year (They have two calendars – one political, one religious). So the first day is the Jewish New Year – Nisan 1 or March 14. So the corresponding date is March 14, 445 BC! A prophetic year is 360 days so 360 days is multiplied by 483 years, which equals 173,880 days. 173,880 days is divided by 365.24219879 (an earth year today) or 365.25 days, we get 476 solar years. So 476 years from 445 BC is AD 32, which was the year Jesus was crucified.

SIR ANDERSON'S EXPLANATION

Note that for this first explanation we turn to Sir Robert Anderson’s classic book on the 70 weeks THE COMING PRINCE for these calculations. So: 476 years multiplied by 365 days equals 173,740 days. Between this period there are 116 days coming as a result of leap years. 173,740 days plus 116 days equals 173,856 days. Then when we add 24 days to get to 173,880 days, we have the date April 6, 32 AD. So 173,740 days plus 116 days plus 24 days equals 173,880 days or 483 prophetic years or sixty-nine weeks. Note: Sir Robert Anderson in his book counts 1 BC and AD 1 as one year not two. So the Messiah is none other than JESUS CHRIST! The text says, "[The] Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself." This is another clue, which points us to Jesus Christ. Jesus died not for Himself but for the sins of mankind. He died for us. In Luke 19:41-44, Jesus weeps over Jerusalem after His Triumphal Entry saying (I’m paraphrasing here but it doesn’t take away from the meaning) "If you only knew on this day the things that make for your peace." Jesus wept because the people didn’t recognize the significance of this day – The Triumphal Entry, which was a fulfillment of Daniel’s Seventy-Weeks prophecy. The same Jews who praised Him on that day would cry that Jesus be crucified. And for this Jerusalem’s utter destruction was divine judgment for failure to recognize that DAY. Jesus said in verse 24, "They did not know the hour of My visitation." Five days later on Good Friday, Jesus was crucified or cut off but not for Himself. But on Sunday, He resurrected from the grave and is now seated at the right hand of the Father awaiting the day He will lead the armies of heaven and destroy the armies of the Antichrist (See Daniel 7:13,14 & Revelation 19:11-16).

THE LAST WEEK

The seventieth week is still future. The gap is the Church age and its almost 2000 years since the Church was started. The deadline for the seventieth week is approaching. In Luke 4, Jesus read Isaiah 61 in the Synagogue and he omitted the GREAT AND TERRIBLE DAY OF THE LORD while leaving TO PROCLAIM THE ACCEPTABLE YEAR OF THE LORD'S FAVOR. The Lord's favor is the dispensation of grace (the Church). That's why Jesus omitted the later part of the Isaiah 61 verse for the time of salvation was at hand because Jesus (being the Messiah) was going to die for the sins of the world and resurrect and ushering in the church age when he sends his Holy Spirit. The seventieth week is for Israel so the church must not be around because that will be conflicting with Israel's program.

"Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; But in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering." The person ("he") is none other than the Antichrist. The same prince in verse 26 is the same person in verse 27. Verse 26 is ironclad proof that the Antichrist is Roman descent because it says "the people of the prince who is to come." The people – the Romans – destroyed Jerusalem. Many people think that the prince is Titus but the prince who is to come is still future. So the Antichrist is of Roman descent. The Antichrist will enter into a covenant with Israel. As soon as it is signed the seventieth week will start. The texts say "confirm" so a covenant already exists. This is logical because in order for a covenant to be confirmed, some form of the covenant has to exist. The covenant is God’s protection of Israel, which He has done because the Jews still exist. No one can successfully wipe off all the Jews because he or she will fail. So by confirming the covenant, the Antichrist is assuming God’s responsibility and role in the protection of Israel. The Jews will rely on a human being that is the personification of evil for their protection rather than God. The Antichrist will deceive many including Jews. The Jews will believe their Savior and Messiah had come. But in the middle of the week (7 years / 2 = 3½ years) or after 3 years and 6 months passed, the Antichrist will turn his back on the Jews and bring an end to sacrifice and offering.

If there is no Temple now then there will be a new Temple built in Jerusalem by order of the Antichrist because for sacrifice and offering to cease, there will have to be a Temple. So in addition to Israel’s protection, the Antichrist will throw in a bonus – a new Temple to the gift package, which is the "confirmed covenant." In the middle of the seventieth week, the Antichrist will have an indwelling of Satan himself. After he suffers a head wound, which kills him, he will resurrect and will be EVIL. He will be Satan incarnate. He will set up an idol of himself in the rebuilt Temple and will perform the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION! He will proclaim to be God Almighty. The Antichrist will cause abomination against the Jewish religion by putting an idol in the Temple. The wings of abomination are an expression of protection in an idol or system. Many people will be deceived and worship the idol so that they won’t die by Guillotine. Another wing of abomination would be the MARK OF THE BEAST – 666. Many will be deceived and because of their fear of starvation will take the mark in order to buy or sell. The Mark would be a protection but these two "WINGS OF ABOMINATION" lead to HELL. It’s not worth taking it. Many will flee to the mountains (Ancient City of Petra) where God will protect with His angels for 1,260 days or 3½ years during the "GREAT TRIBULATION." During this time God will release His Vials of Wrath to punish the unsaved and the partakers of the Mark of the Beast. This is the "consummation which is poured on the desolate" in verse 27. But Jesus will come back as King and as the Messiah. The Jews will look upon Him whom they pierced and will repent as a nation and Jesus will make a new covenant with Israel. Jeremiah 31:31-34 discusses the new covenant. God says:

Behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the LORD: But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the LORD, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbour, and every man his brother, saying, Know the LORD: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more (KJV).

The seventieth week is approaching and the only way to escape it is to let Jesus Christ into your heart and make Him Lord of your life. That way of escape is Jesus and His passage to escape is through the "BLESSED HOPE," which is the rapture of the church. Let Jesus come and make you a new creation. Let Him transform your life and let Him use you for His glory. It doesn’t matter if you are too small, young, or not intelligent because God uses the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. He used 12 men (the Disciples) who were misfits and used them to confound the Pharisees and the world. He used small David to defeat a giant. He used Paul who killed many Christians to become the greatest evangelist ever and an author of a third (1/3) of the New Testament. God loves to use broken vessels for His glory. Come now and receive Him as your Savior. Pray this prayer:

Lord Jesus, I know that I’m a sinner and that I cannot save myself by good works. My righteousness is filthy rags. I believe that you died for me and that you shed your blood for my sins. I believe you conquered death by you raising from the dead. And now I’m receiving you as my personal savior, my Lord, my only hope of salvation. I know that I’m a sinner who deserves to go to Hell. I know that I cannot save myself. Lord, be merciful to me, a sinner, and save me according to the promise of Your Word. I want Christ to come into my heart now to be my Savior, Lord and Master. In the name of Jesus I pray, Amen!

JOSH MCDOWELL'S EXPLANATION

Here is another explanation of the Seventy-Weeks prophecy, which is found in Josh McDowell's book THE NEW EVIDENCE THAT DEMANDS A VERDICT (pp. 197-201). The purpose of this is that there are conflicting dates between McDowell's and Sir Anderson's dates. If you want to, you can pursue this subject in your spare time. Before we delve into the calculations I’m going to tell the dates of the edicts that conflicts with Sir Robert Anderson’s dates. Cyrus is 539 BC, Artaxerxes is 457 BC, and Artaxerxes is 444 BC. Darius is 519 BC just like Anderson’s. The edict to restore and rebuild Jerusalem took place in 444 BC not 445. The date is March 5 not March 14. March 5, 444 BC is the starting point. There are 476 solar years between 444 BC and AD 33. Multiply 476 years by 365.25 days (365.24219879 days to be more precise) and the answer is 173,855 days them when you add 25 days to get to 173,880 days you get the date March 30, 33 AD as the date for the Triumphal Entry. This is Nisan 10 but my only problem with this is if Nisan 1 is March 5 then wouldn’t Nisan 10 be the 15th of March instead on the 30th.

The difficulty in finding the correct dates is that the calendar was messed up (the Julian calendar) and there was some problem with the leap years (they counted a leap year every three years instead of four) during the time of the Roman calendar. The Gregorian calendar supposedly fixed this problem. But this doesn’t take away from the meaning. Jesus Christ fulfilled this prophecy and wept over Jerusalem because they didn’t recognize this day being the 173,880th and last day of the sixty-nine weeks. The only thing that matters that its around AD 29-33, which is the 5 year time span in which the crucifixion may have taken place. The point is that the Messiah had to come before AD 70 because the Temple in view for Daniel 9:26 was the Second Temple for it was in existence when the decree to rebuild Jerusalem took place. The first Temple already was destroyed by the Babylonians. Who can this Messiah be? Jesus Christ!

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