End Times: the 70 Weeks of Daniel's Prophecy

End Times: the 70 Weeks of Daniel's Prophecy

WAY2GOD

According to the book of Daniel in chapter 9, one of the most significant is about the Messianic prophecies of the Old Testament which is the third vision of Daniel the prophet, that is the “seventy weeks.” As Daniel began this chapter with his intercession in asking for God’s mercy for the sins of Israelites, Gabriel appeared to him and gave him Israel’s future in vision.

The Divisions of the 70 Weeks
In verse 24, Daniel was told that seventy weeks or seventy sevens (in other words 490 years) are decreed/determined for his people and his holy city. The following verses gave us a clear sense of when this period along with its segments begins, paused, and ends. According to verse 25, it is pretty clear that the whole period is segmented into three parts that are 7 weeks, 62 weeks, and 7 weeks. The first two segments, 7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 weeks begin from the time a decree is out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem by . Also, this time is when ”the street and the wall shall be built again in the time of trouble” – v.25. Here 1 week equals 7 years and 1 year equals 360 days (not 365 days) because this is the counting pattern of the Israelites – Jewish custom.

king Artaxerxes decree till the Messiah be cut off

To restore and rebuild Jerusalem, four decrees are out
1). the first decree by Cyrus in 538 BCE (2 Chr.36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; 6:1-5)
2). the second decree by Darius that was the affirmation of the decree of Cyrus (Ezra 6:6-12).
3). the third decree by Artaxerxes (Ezra 7:11-26).
4). the fourth decree by Artaxerxes of Persia given to Nehemiah in 445 B.C (see Neh. 2:1-8).

Here, From the time this decree is out till the Messiah is cut off (i.e. Jesus Christ was rejected by Israelites on the day of entering Jerusalem as their King by sitting on the donkey – Day of Triumphal Entry, for understanding Palm Sunday).

Therefore, 7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 weeks x 7 years = 483 years after 445 B.C is felt exactly at A.D 32 on which Jesus rode the donkey and entered Jerusalem - Triumphal Entry (Mt. 21:1-9). This is the fulfillment of what Daniel said in v.26 that Messiah or Anointed One shall be cut off. Hence, Jesus was crucified the next few days. As the prediction in this verse 26 that is after the Anointed One (Messiah) is killed, “the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary” is fulfilled when Jerusalem was destructed in A.D 70 by the Romans. It is because the prince who is to come is Antichrist, who it seems has a connection with Rome.

The Purpose of the 70 Weeks
This prophecy has certain six-fold purposes according to verse 24 such as 1) “to finish the transgression,” 2) “to put an end to sin,” 3) “to make reconciliation for iniquity,” 4) “to bring in everlasting righteousness,” 5) “to seal up vision and prophecy,” and 6) “to anoint the Most Holy.”

It is good to know that these purposes are resulting in ending up of sin and bringing in everlasting righteousness. Some are fulfilled like atonement for sin by the death of Jesus on the cross (Rom.3:25; Heb.2:17) and some are still to be taking place literally in the future before the millennial kingdom is established.

The Final Week of the 70 Weeks
As we parted these 70 weeks into three segments, the first two segments 7 weeks + 62 weeks = 69 weeks have been fulfilled in history. Now the last week of the 70 weeks is to be fulfilled shortly just after Rapture happens, it is also called the tribulation period or the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy (7 years). We are now living in this unpredictable length gap that is the period just after the 69th weekend till the 70th week begins. This period is also called the “Grace Period,” “Church Period, or Church Age.”

Daniel’s prophecy makes us known who is to be the Antichrist because verse 27 tells us that the ruler, Antichrist, will make an agreement or will accord with many for these 7 years to come. These 7 years are mainly segmented into two equal periods where after the first half period is over he will establish an abomination that causes desolation in the . His action in the first half will break his covenant with Israel as he will lift himself as God. This is the very point when the great tribulation will begin and number 666 is to be issued that will last for the remaining last-half period till the 7 years tribulation period is over (Mt. 24).

Temple

This temple is to be the third Jerusalem temple (first temple – during king Solomon, completed in 957 BCE also called Solomon temple; the second temple is in during Daniel’s time, destroyed in 586 BCE) which is to be built shortly and to be used during this first-half tribulation period before Antichrist let it defunct.

When the last 70th week is over, the 70 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy will be fulfilled. This fulfillment will end up a decreed Antichrist’s governance (Daniel 9:27) with judgment as Christ along with His saints will descent from heaven – second coming. Therefore, Satan will be bound and make inactive for 1000 years and all unbelievers including the antichrist will also be judged. We will talk about this portion much more in a clearer way in times to come.

Conclusion
Daniel’s 70 weeks is pretty detailed though many scholars interpreted it in various ways, we have presented here a dispensational and premillennial view while other views are skipped. As God is out of time-bound, he knew all things at once (Is.46:10). Therefore, we are awaiting His return to take us home (1 Thes. 4:13-18).

Also Read

70 week of Daniel (Zokam)
End Times: Rapture