Daniel's 70 Week Prophecy

 Seventy Weeks of Daniel  

Da 9:24-27, Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate. 

In a recent written debate on the subject of Realized Millennialism vs Premillennial Dispensationalism my opponent referenced the texts of end time prophecy as  pieces of a “jigsaw puzzle” that must be assembled “without the reference picture on the box.” My response then and now was/is: This is EXACTLY the problem with Premillennial Dispensationalism. To those of the Premillennial position, prophetic texts of the end time do not lay out flat and smooth, but are all disconnected and confused. They lack a master picture, or code, to bring them together. They suggest that one must see the big picture of God’s plan in order to put the “jigsaw puzzle” together. The problem is that that picture may be different in different person’s fantasies. (For this reason the Premillennialists have as many scenarios of the end time as they have teachers.) These texts appear disjointed to the Premillennialists because of their refusal to interpret the 1,000 years of Revelation 20:2-6 within its context of apocalyptic literature, which is sym-

And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, 3 And cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season. 4 And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands; and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years. 5 But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrection. 6 Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. —Revelation 20:2-6

bolic in nature. When the symbolism of the 1,000 years is removed, much of end time prophecy is torn into separate pieces (as pieces of a “jigsaw puzzle”) that they attempt to piece back together: Daniel’s 70 weeks is violently torn into two separate pieces of their “jigsaw puzzle”; the resurrection of the dead is fiercely torn into separate parts of their “jigsaw puzzle” (I.e.: a first and a second physical resurrection—1,000 years apart); Israel and the Church are brutally separated into separate pieces of their “jigsaw puzzle” (I.e. the Messianic Kingdom and the Church). All this confusion because of a literal view of the 1,000 years of Revelation 20:2-6. Once this kingpin text is interpreted figuratively, all end time prophecy lays straight and flat: All of Dispensational Premillennialism’s “jigsaw puzzle” pieces meld into one homogenous picture.

Realized Millennialism presents a biblical understanding of the 70 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. Daniel 9:24-27 (see the opening passage) is apocalyptic literature that uses figurative language to predict the nature, timing and consequences of Christ’s work at His first coming.

The Bible uses “seven” as a figure of perfection and completeness, and “ten” as a figure of the work-price of redemption. Therefore, Daniel’s 7X10 weeks is a perfect and complete period of time for God to bring about the redemption of Israel. Just as forgiving seventy times seven (Mt 18:21-22, Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I forgive him? till seven times? 22 Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times seven.) is a figure for complete and perfect forgiveness, so Daniel’s 7X10 weeks of years is the “decreed” period in which the greatest work of God is brought to complete perfection.

Daniel portrays this greatest work of God, Christ’s redemption, with three negatives and three positives (Daniel 9:24).

The negatives are:

• “To finish the transgression,… .”: ~ Sin will be brought under control by the empowering of the Holy Spirit.
• “To make an end of sins:” ~ Sin will be remitted (removed), whereas before it was never removed only rolled ahead one year at a time.
• “To make atonement (reconciliation) for (lit. cover) iniquity”: When sin is covered by the blood of an eternal sacrifice.

The positives are:

• “To bring in everlasting righteousness”: God will bring in a righteousness from without, eternal in origin and duration.
• “To seal up (lit. authenticate) the vision and prophecy”: God’s Word will be accredited and attested by these events.
• “To anoint the Most Holy”: This has reference to Jesus Christ, the Son of God, Who was made both Lord and Christ (the Anointed One).

The purpose of this 70 weeks prophecy was to predict the timing and consequences of Christ’s work at His first coming. Daniel divides the “seventy weeks” into three divisions (vv. 25-27):

1. Seven weeks: 49 years, which began when Artarxerxes gave the command to rebuild Jerusalem (458/7 to 410/9 BC). Daniel describes this as “the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem.” This restoration and rebuilding occurred under Ezra and Nehemiah.
2. Sixty-two weeks: 434 years, which began with Jerusalem rebuilt and restored, and finished with Christ’s first coming and, more specifically, with the beginning of His public ministry (A.D. 26/7).
3. One week: 7 years, which began with Christ’s first coming (especially the beginning of His public ministry, i.e. His baptism) and included His life, death and resurrection (A.D. 33/4). 

After 7 + 62 weeks (69 weeks), or in the middle of the seventieth week (A.D. 30 [v. 26]), “Messiah will be cut off”: a euphemism for death. This cutting off will be for the benefit of others, “not for himself,” and it will “confirm the covenant with many.”

The covenant of grace, as revealed through the covenants with Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses, and David, and as further prophesied by Jeremiah, will be fulfilled by the Messiah.

In the middle of the seventieth week, Messiah will cause the whole temple worship to cease, to be rendered unnecessary by His death and resurrection (v. 27). Thus, the renting of the veil in the temple (Matt 27:51 And, behold, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did quake, and the rocks rent;).

The temple sacrifices did not actually cease until Jerusalem was desolated by Titus in 70 A.D., but that was really just the outward manifestation of what had already happened in God’s program. In God’s program, Christ’s death rendered the sacrificial system unnecessary and over.

So, although the Jews continued to reject Christ’s sacrifice and offer animal sacrifices, God viewed this as “the overspreading of abominations” (v. 27) for which He would punish them with desolation. “The people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: and the end thereof shall be with a flood” (Daniel 9:26).

There is no “jigsaw puzzle” here. Daniel’s 70 weeks flow undisturbed, un-dissected! 

Daniel’s 70 Week Prophecy and the Great Tribulation

Most Premillennial Dispensationalism see the Great Tribulation lasting seven years, and identify it as the last week of the prophesied 70 weeks of Daniel (see Da 9:20-27). All this is interesting, since the only mention in Scripture of a Great Tribulation is in The Olivet Discourse given by Jesus in Matthew chapters 24 and 25; here, Jesus explicitly places this Great Tribulation within His generation. There are some particular characteristics of this “tribulation” that must be acknowledged: 

• Daniel seems to speak of this Great Tribulation when he writes: “And there shall be a time of trouble, Such as never was since there was a nation, Even to that time.” (see Da 12:1). 
• Daniel assigns this “trouble” to the Jewish people. 
• Jeremiah agrees, by identifying this same period as “Jacob’s trouble” (Jer 30:7 Alas! for that day is great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble, but he shall be saved out of it.). 
• Jesus assigns this period of tribulation to His generation and names it “The Great Tribulation.” So, three things are observed concerning the Great Tribulation: 

1. It is a time of trouble like none other that ever was or ever will be. 
2. It comes upon the Jews - the Children of Jacob - thus, it is called: “Jacob’s Trouble.” 
3. It would occur during the lifetime of the multitude of people living as contemporaries with Jesus and the Apostles.

Challenging the Math

My friend with whom I debated this subject (I mentioned him in the beginning of this essay) argued for A.D. 33 as the date of the crucifixion and the birth of the Church (Pentecost). If he would have been correct then my math for the 70 Week Prophecy would not work. That, indeed, was his purpose in contending for this date. However, any first year Bible student would know that Herod the Great died in 4 B.C.—Christ was born before Herod died—Jesus was 30 when he began His ministry (A.D. 26/7)—Jesus’ earthly ministry lasted 3 1/2 years—consequently, Jesus died and the Church was born at Pentecost A.D. 30, not A.D. 33.

This is of some importance when counting the 70 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. (If one is interested in searching out the matter, I refer you to Emil Schiirer; also see Philip Schaff, History of the Christian Church, Vol. 1, page 112, Hendrickson Publishers, ISBN 978-1-56563-196-0.) My opponent in this particular debate (not to be easily dissuaded) referenced Luke 3:1 to show that the ministry of John the Baptist began in the 15th year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius. Tiberius became sole emperor in A.D. 14, a.u.c. 767, which, according to my friend, was A.D. 29. However, “Luke ... follows a common practice in dating the reign of Tiberius from the period of his association with Augustus as joint Emperor a.u.c. 765.” (Cambridge Bible for Schools and Colleges). “This is the 13th year of his being sole emperor. He was 2 years joint emperor with Augustus, and Luke reckons from the time he was admitted to share the empire with Augustus Caesar” (Barnes’ Notes on the Bible). Thus, we are back to A.D. 26/7.

Confirmed The Covenant

V27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:

Moreover, the “covenant” is religious, not civil, as covenants always are: especially true in the book of Daniel (Dan 11:22, 28, 30, 32). Sadly, most Christians do not have as strong a grasp on the covenants as we ought. The covenant from Sinai (the Law) was added to the Abrahamic covenant because of the Jew’s disobedience (Ga 3:19 Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.). The covenant God made with Abraham is the covenant Jesus “confirmed” (see Da 9:27cf Ga 3:17) for one week, or a period of 7 years. The “one week” (7 years) began at Christ’s water baptism and ended with the conversion of Cornelius in Acts chapter 10 (3 1/2 ears later); thus, we read: “That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Ga 3:14).

 Overspreading of Abomination

In the middle of the week (A.D. 30) Christ was crucified and effectively put an end to the efficacy of the entire temple apparatus. To this end, the curtain separating the holy place from the most holy was rent from top to bottom (Mt 27:51). The Jews’ total disregard for Christ’s sacrifice, and their continued animal sacrificing was the “overspreading of abomination” that brought the total desolation of the nation (Dan 9:27 cf Matt 23:38). Far from holding the cherished opinion of Premillennial Dispensationalism for the Jewish religion (they long for the Jewish temple to be rebuilt and animal sacrifices to be re-instated.), Jesus called them “the synagogue of Satan” (Re 2:9 I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.). I say it clearly, let none mistake my sentiment: Christian Zionism is a ploy of the Devil to rob the Lord’s Church of its place in the Kingdom of God.

Conclusion

Realized Millennialism presents a biblical understanding of the 70 weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. Daniel 9:24-27 (see the opening passage) is apocalyptic literature that uses figurative language to predict the nature, timing and consequences of Christ’s work at His first coming.

The Bible uses “seven” as a figure of perfection and completeness, and “ten” as a figure of the work-price of redemption. Therefore, Daniel’s 7X10 weeks is a perfect and complete period of time for God to bring about the redemption of Israel. Just as forgiving seventy times seven is a figure for complete and perfect forgiveness, so Daniel’s 7X10 weeks of years is the “decreed” period in which the greatest work of God is brought to complete perfection.

Daniel portrays this greatest work of God, Christ’s redemption of man and thus, all creation. The 70 weeks began with he decreed to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple and ended with the salvation of Cornelius (Acts ch 10). Why Cornelius? Because he marked the completion of the Abrahamic covenant promise and the completion of the Tabernacle of David (Amos 9:11ff cf Ac 15:16ff).

Apostolically Speaking,

☩Jerry L Hayes

Thank you for ordering our books for your library. 

Linked here is the debate referenced in the above essay:
https://www.amazon.com/Hayes-Wiltcher-Debate-Eschatology-Dispensationalism/dp/B09GXK8PHW/ref=sr_1_16?qid=1693453505&refinements=p_27%3ABishop+Jerry+Hayes&s=books&sr=1-16