The Seventy Week Prophecy

If there is one unquestionable truth I hope each of you take away from these weekly messages it is that at this time, in this life, I am far from perfect. Because of this, I accept that my understanding of many subjects may also be far from perfect. This realization drives me to a greater search of the Scriptures in an effort to more perfectly understand the mysteries of God; and prompts me to share with you the results of my studies rather than try to teach what I have come to believe. With this in mind, I shall place before you my understanding of the Seventy Week Prophecy of Daniel Nine -- and the reasons why I believe as I do.

Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.”

This single verse is the focal point of the entire prophecy which has become known as “The Seventy Week Prophecy of Daniel Nine.” As it is with many prophecies, this one can be especially difficult to understand; nevertheless, if there is truth to be found within any mystery recorded for us in the Bible it is our duty to put forth some effort to find it.

Daniel 9:1-2 “In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans -- in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.”

Before going on, it would be wise for you to go to your own Bible and read the whole of Daniel chapter nine. Understand that Daniel set out by prayer and supplications with fasting, sackcloth, and ashes to ask God’s mercy and forgiveness for himself and for the whole of Israel. He also wanted to better understand a prophecy of the prophet Jeremiah wherein Jerusalem would become a place of desolation and for seventy years its people would be made to serve the king of Babylon.

Jeremiah 25:11 “And this whole land shall be desolation and astonishment, and these nations shall serve the king of Babylon seventy years.

The prophecy of Daniel Nine was God’s answer; specifically verse 24 which bears repeating: “Seventy weeks are determined upon your people, and upon the holy city [Jerusalem], to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring everlasting righteousness, and to seal up [bring an end to] the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.”

Bible scholars generally accept that Jesus was born in the year 4 B.C. He was thirty years old in the year 27 A.D., and at this time his ministry began. The ministry of Jesus lasted three-and-a-half years until his death by crucifixion. I agree with each of these facts and believe the seventy week prophecy of Daniel Nine gives us scriptural substantiation of what we have previously come to learn from history. For the sake of clarity, I have decided to use point form to explain my understanding:

1. History and Bible chronology suggest that Jesus began his ministry in the year 27 A.D. This was the time of Jesus’ baptism, his temptation by Satan in the wilderness, the time when he began to gather his disciples, and the time when he began to preach the gospel -- i.e. the good news of the coming Kingdom of God.

2. Daniel 9:24…Seventy weeks are determined as the time period from the beginning of the prophecy until the end of the prophecy and the anointing of the Most Holy. It is important to realize that if the anointing of the Most Holy refers to Jesus being anointed as King over the Earth, this is an event that has not yet taken place; and will not until the time immediately before the setting up of His Father’s Kingdom. Remember what Jesus himself had to say in John 18:36 when Pontius Pilate asked him: “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus answered: “My kingdom is not of this world: if my kingdom were of this world then would my servants fight that I should not be delivered to the Jews: but now is my kingdom not from hence.” In many other places the Bible clearly points out that Jesus will one day return to set up the Kingdom of God here upon the Earth. As of this moment in time, January 2007, Jesus has not yet returned; He has not yet set up his Father’s kingdom; He has not yet brought everlasting righteousness to the Earth; and He has not yet been anointed as king; therefore -- the prophecy of Daniel Nine has not yet been completed!

3. Daniel 9:25…Bible scholars recognize that several different decrees were given over a period of many years to rebuild Jerusalem and/or the temple; they agonize over which decree should be used as the starting point for the seventy-week prophecy. I have never seen this as a problem. Notice: the timing of the prophecy begins “…from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem…” Ezra was a scribe in the Law of Moses, and we are told that in the seventh year of Artaxerxes the king of Persia, Ezra went forth with the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem -- he arrived in Jerusalem from Babylon with a letter, a decree, that Jerusalem was to be restored and rebuilt (Ezra 7:1-28). Historical records have shown that the seventh year of Artaxerxes coincides with the year 457 B.C. -- surely then, 457 B.C. is the starting point for the seventy-week prophecy!

4. Daniel 9:25…“From the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem until the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and three-score and two weeks…” Seven weeks plus three-score and two weeks equals sixty-nine weeks (7 + 60 + 2 = 69). Therefore, according to the prophecy it would take sixty-nine weeks from the beginning of the prophecy until the Messiah the Prince.

5. The principle of a year for a day when determining time periods within prophecy is widely understood by Bible scholars. The reader should check the passages recorded at Numbers 14:34 and Ezekiel 4:1-8 to see where God himself explains this principle. If the principle of a year for a day applies to the prophecy of Daniel Nine then sixty-nine weeks from the starting point until the arrival of the Messiah would be 69 x 7 = 483 days = 483 years. If Ezra carried the decree from Artaxerxes in the year 457 B.C. then the 483 years would bring us to the year 27 A.D. the year Jesus was baptized and began his ministry. (Note: there can be some difficulty calculating time when passing from a date B.C. to a date A.D. I would therefore recommend that each of you do the calculation for yourselves.)

6. Turn your attention back to verse: 25 and the way the sixty-nine weeks to the arrival of the Messiah were calculated. Notice that it was to be seven weeks and (or plus) threescore and two weeks. Then in verse: 26 it states that: “After threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off (or killed), but not for himself.” What happened to the first seven weeks? Apparently it took 49 years (i.e. 7 weeks x 7 days = 49 days = 49 years in prophecy), from the beginning of the prophecy until the restoration of Jerusalem was completed. From that time (i.e. from the restoration of Jerusalem) until the coming of the Messiah was to be 62 weeks! Messiah would be killed after this; that is, after the 7 weeks and the 62 weeks. Therefore, Messiah would be killed, (i.e. “cut off, but not for himself”) -- after the 69th week of the prophecy!

7. What we must always remember is that the total time period of the prophecy, from the beginning to its conclusion, is to be seventy weeks. When verse: 26 tells us that Messiah would be cut off after seven weeks plus sixty two weeks, we need to realize there is still one full week left in the prophecy! Daniel 9:27 tells us that after the sixty-nine weeks: “He shall confirm the covenant with many for one week -- and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease…” Let’s try to be quite sure that we understand what the prophecy is telling us about this final week; and let’s remember that one week = 7 days = 7 years in prophecy. The Messiah would begin his ministry 483 years after the prophecy begins; 483 years from 457 B.C. brings us to 27 A.D. the date we generally accept as the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. He was to confirm the covenant for one whole week, and was to be cut off (or killed) in the midst (or in the middle) of the week -- i.e. in the midst of the last week following the first 69 weeks -- i.e. in the midst of the last 7 years following the first 483 years! Again, it is generally understood that the ministry of Jesus lasted three-and-one-half years and ended the day he was crucified. Let us also remember that Jesus died “not for himself” and that the sacrifice made by him “once for all” made the continuation of the Old Testament blood sacrifices and oblations for sin no longer necessary. His sacrifice as “the lamb of God” caused the need for sacrifice and oblations to cease!

8. So then; following the death of the Messiah we are left with half a week, or three-and-a-half days = three-and-a-half years in prophecy, yet to be completed. I believe the completion of that final week will take place following the return of the Messiah when He shall gather together His brethren from the four corners of the Earth. For three-and-a-half years He “shall confirm the covenant” and “seal up the vision and the prophecy” by preparing those who are to reign with Him during the time of the Millennium.

9. Since the vision and the prophecy cannot be sealed up until the covenant has been confirmed (i.e. until the end of the final three-and-a-half years); and the anointing of the Most Holy must take place before he can rule over His Father’s Kingdom; it must therefore be true that everything Daniel saw must be completed prior to the beginning of the 1,000 year reign of Jesus and His brethren!

Once again I must suggest that a more perfect understanding of the prophetic timing of the Autumn Holy Days as suggested in an earlier post here entitled The Incarceration of Satan is vital to understanding this and many other prophecies. To believe that the return of Jesus, the incarceration of Satan, and the beginning of the Millennium must all take place at one and the same time on one and the same day does not allow for the completion of the final three-and-a-half years of this prophecy!

Now is not the time, or the place, or even the format for a discussion into when we can expect the return of the Messiah. I shall even go so far as to say that anyone who would try to set dates for the fulfillment of any prophecy sets himself up to be a fool. However, this much I shall say: It is misleading when our ministers use the passage from Matthew 24:36 to “prove” to us that we cannot know the time for Messiah’s return. Notice:

Matthew 24:36 “But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven, but My Father only.”

If we study Matthew 24 with a view to understanding when these events may come to pass, I doubt we could even accurately determine the specific event expected to take place “at that day and that hour.” Nevertheless, it is my personal opinion that the event being referred to is “the initial return of the Messiah” when He shall return to gather together His brethren -- but I cannot know this with any certainty. This much I shall say: I am not overly concerned with “the actual day” or “the actual hour” of His return! However, if there is even the slightest chance that we might know the approximate time; or even the approximate year of His return, I believe it is our duty to find out!

We can even look with some justification of this hope to the Old Testament book of the prophet Amos where it records for us: “Surely the Lord God does nothing, unless He reveals His secret to His servants the prophets.” (I shall continue to wonder!)

Note: Next week I hope to offer a somewhat tongue-in-cheek theory for the existence of the vast deposits of oil and coal located in such profusion throughout the world. Science cannot positively explain the process by which petroleum came to be; even with coal they admit to having a less than perfect understanding. Perhaps there is something hidden in the ancient biblical texts which may help us -- to this end, I have written: “And the Dry Land Appeared”!