THE 70 WEEKS OF DANIEL
by Elliott Nesch
I. Introduction and Context of Daniel's 70 Weeks
The "seventy weeks" prophecy of Daniel is definitely one of the most astounding prophecies in the Bible because it foretold the very year Messiah would come. Tertullian said, "By showing 'the number of years, and the time of the sixty-two and one-half completed weeks,' we have proved that Christ came. That is, He was born at the time predicted."
In the context of of the prophecy, Daniel was reflecting on the fulfillment of Jeremiah's prophecy concerning the captivity of Judah, Daniel's people.
Jeremiah 29:10
[10] For thus saith the LORD, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place.
II. Understanding the Biblical Week
There are two types of weeks discussed in the Bible: a week of days and a week of years.
According to Deuteronomy 5:12-15, the work week for a man was divided into seven days, the seventh of which was a day of rest. If this type of week was what the prophet Daniel had in mind, then we could have expected a fulfillment in Daniel's own lifetime. Nobody interprets the passage this way, nor was this the intention of God.
In Leviticus 25:1-6, there is a work week for the land which is similar to that week for man in Deuteronomy 5:12-15, but this week was divided into years rather than days. Most commentators interpret the passage of Daniel's 70 weeks with this understanding.
That being established, whether these are biblical years or lunar years comes into question. Neither interpretation would negate the fulfillment of the prophecy in Jesus, but it is worth considering for a thorough and explorative interpretation.
The Biblical Year and Biblical Week are important in order to understand Bible prophecy correctly, especially Daniel's 70 weeks.
We read that the Biblical Years consists of 360 days (12 months of exactly 30 days each), not 365 days or 365.25 days as on our modern-day calendar. For example, in the flood account (Genesis 7:11,24; 8:3,4), 150 days from the seventeenth day of the second month (Genesis 7:11) brings us to the seventeenth day of the seventh month (Genesis 8:4). This is 5 months of 30 days each (150 days of a 360 day year). Again, the Biblical Week consists of 7 Biblical Years of 360 days each as we read in the account of Genesis 29:18,20,27-30.
Also, the book of Revelation is consistent with this idea of the Biblical Week (Revelation 16:6,14). Revelation 12:6 gives us a precise 1,260 day period for the time the woman is in the wilderness. This same time period is repeated again in verse 14 as a time and times and half a time or a year and two years and half a year (360 days and 720 days and 180 days which equals 1,260 days). Again, in Revelation 13:5, the beast is given authority to continue in lawlessness for 42 months (30 days times 42 months equals 1,260 days).
In sum, the biblical year is 360 days consisting of 12 months of 30 days each. One Biblical Week consists of 7 years. Some have used the year in calculating the fulfillment of Daniel's 70 weeks while others have used the modern lunar year of 365 days. Either interpretation gives us the approximate time of fulfillment in Jesus' lifetime. Now, we can move on to the "seventy weeks" prophecy in the book of Daniel.
III. The Prophecy, Interpretation and Purpose
Daniel 9:24-27
[24] 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.
The purposes of the prophecy (v. 24) are as follows:
1. Finish the transgression
2. Make an end of sins
3. Make reconciliation or atonement for iniquity
4. Bring in everlasting righteousness
5. Seal up the vision and prophecy
6. Anoint the most Holy
There are three parts of the prophecy, and each week corresponds to seven years:
1. Seven weeks or 49 years (v. 25)
2. Threescore and two (sixty-two) weeks or 434 years (v. 25)
3. One week or seven years (v. 27)
The angel Gabriel answered Daniel's prayer by revealing to him that there would be 69 weeks (483 years) from the decree to "restore and to build Jerusalem" until Messiah the Prince (v. 25). Thus, the rebuilding of Jerusalem would begin the 69 weeks (483 years) unto Messiah the prince (v. 25).
After the 69 weeks (483 years), Messiah would be cut off (v. 26). Unlike the previous events, verse 26 is not precise in giving a date, it just says, "after threescore and two weeks." Therefore, we cannot be dogmatic in setting dates or interpreting the precise fulfillment in this verse but it is not the main idea of the passage. The term "cut off" means death (Isaiah 53:8). So, after the 69 weeks (483 years), the Messiah would be "cut off" or die "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."
IV. Historical Dates
The going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem (v. 25), the beginning of the 69 weeks, has more than one possible date because there was more than one decree:
1. 539 BC, Cyrus the Persian (Darius the Mede) allowed the jews to return from the Bablyonian Captivity and rebuild the temple in Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4; 6:1-4). However, the problem with this date is that these Jews were only allowed to rebuild the temple but not, "the street . . . and the wall."
2. 458 BC, Artaxerxes allowed Ezra the scribe to return home (Ezra 7:11-26), but because of pressure from the Samaritans they were forced to stop (Ezra 4:11-23).
3. 444 BC, Artaxerxes allowed Nehemiah to return to Jerusalem and finish the work begun by Ezra (Nehemiah 2:1-10).
This author prefers the third date considering it fits most precisely the fulfillment of "the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times" (v. 25).
Before doing the math and figuring the precise fulfillment of the prophecy, keep in mind that Jesus was born between 6-4 BC, and his death in approximately 30 AD.
V. Different Possible Interpretations of the 70 Weeks
This author is uncertain in the specifics of the fulfillment of this prophecy but has offered evidence for the reader to conclude for themselves. Though there are several possible interpretations of the prophecy (some preterist and some futurist), all of these suggestions point to the Messiah of Israel being Jesus because the prophecy limits the timeframe of fulfillment to Jesus' lifetime.
1. Messiah was crucified or "cut off" at the end of the 69th week. The 70th week will be a seven-year period in the end times during the Great Tribulation.
2. Messiah was crucified or "cut off" at the end of the 69th week. The 70th week occurred in the seven years immediately afterwards.
3. Messiah was crucified or "cut off" at the end of the 69th week. The 70th week began later in A.D. 66, the midpoint of the seventieth week being A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
4. Messiah began His three and a half year ministry at the end of the 69th week. Messiah was crucified or "cut off" at the midpoint of the 70th week. The second half of the 70th week occurred immediately afterward and ended approximately three and a half years later with the Apostle Paul's conversion and ministry to Gentiles.
5. Messiah began His three and a half year ministry at the end of the 69th week. Messiah was crucified or "cut off" at the midpoint of the 70th week. The second half of the 70th week will correspond to the three and a half year period spoken of in the book of Revelation.
6. Messiah began His three and a half year ministry at the end of the 69th week. Messiah was crucified or "cut off" at the midpoint of the 70th week. The second half of the 70th week was fulfilled in A.D. 70 with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.
VI. The Fulfillment
Nehemiah 2:5-8
[5] And I said unto the king, If it please the king, and if thy servant have found favour in thy sight, that thou wouldest send me unto Judah, unto the city of my fathers' sepulchres, that I may build it.
[6] And the king said unto me, (the queen also sitting by him,) For how long shall thy journey be? and when wilt thou return? So it pleased the king to send me; and I set him a time.
[7] Moreover I said unto the king, If it please the king, let letters be given me to the governors beyond the river, that they may convey me over till I come into Judah;
[8] And a letter unto Asaph the keeper of the king's forest, that he may give me timber to make beams for the gates of the palace which appertained to the house, and for the wall of the city, and for the house that I shall enter into. And the king granted me, according to the good hand of my God upon me.
As we read in Nehemiah, this was the fulfillment of the decree to "restore and to build Jerusalem" as prophesied by the Daniel as the beginning of the 69 weeks.
1. First, we will calculate the fulfillment in biblical years.
Most scholars agree that King Artaxerxes made this decree in 444 BC Now, 483 years of 360 days is 173,880 days. 173,880 days divided by 365 days (Julian calendar year) is about 476 years. Subtract 444 from 476 and the answer is 32. Remember to add 1 because there is no 0 year from 1 BC to 1 AD. Thus, 476 years after 444 BC is precisely 33 AD. The year Messiah was "cut off" or crucified, as God foretold centuries earlier through His prophet Daniel, was right around this year of 33 AD!
2. Second, we will calculate the fulfillment in modern-calendar years.
If we do not convert the years into biblical years of 360 days, we come up with another valid interpretation of Daniel's seventy weeks prophecy. Again, beginning in 444 BC when King Artaxerxes made the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, add 483 years plus 1 to account for the year 1 B.C. to A.D. 1 and the answer is AD 40. This interpretation would still bring us to the approximate fulfillment in Jesus' lifetime. However, since the modern calendar is not the calendar used in the Bible, this interpretation should be dismissed in light of the first interpretation.
VII. Additional Prophetic Fulfillment in the 70th Week
1. This author favors the preterist leaning of fulfillment of the seventieth week.
Many preterists place the fulfillment of the seventieth week in 70 AD. Titus was the "prince" of Rome in 70 AD and had not come to be emperor of Rome until later. The people of the prince to come that destroy the city and sanctuary (v. 26) is fulfilled in the Roman General Titus and his army that destroyed the city of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD (v. 27).
In support of this view, all of Daniel 9 was fulfilled in Jesus the Messiah. The prophecy could read as follows: 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. 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. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off [the crucifixion of Jesus], but not for himself: and the people [Romans] of the prince [Titus] 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. And he [Jesus] 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 [this would have been fulfilled in 70 AD with the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem].
In the preterist interpretation, there is an approximate forty year gap between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week during the 70 AD destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans. Some have also placed this forty year gap between the first three and a half years of the seventieth week (Jesus' ministry and crucifixion) and the last three and a half years (the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple in 70 AD). This gap could be explained by God's long suffering with Israel forty years in the wilderness (Deuteronomy 8:2; Joshua 5:6). Therefore, He was forty years long suffering toward the Jews rejecting Jesus as Messiah before He came in judgment and destroyed the temple and Jerusalem in 70 AD, about forty years after the crucifixion of Jesus.
Since there is a lack of precision, there is a variety of interpretations for the events surrounding the midst of the seventieth week (v. 27). For example, some suggest that Messiah was "cut off" at the end of the sixty-ninth week and that the seventieth week was fulfilled later beginning in AD 66 when Vaspasian entered into war against the Jews. The midpoint of the seventieth week, of course, would be three and a half years later in 70 AD with the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple. Others have suggested that the midpoint of the seventieth week was at the crucifixion of Jesus. Both views suggest a gap somewhere. Without a gap, it is also possible that the last three and a half years were fulfilled immediately after Jesus was crucified (if the midst of the week is His crucifixion). Evidence in support of this is the fact that the disciples witnessed to only Jews for approximately three and a half years until the death of Stephen and the conversion of Saul (Paul), both of which occurred at relatively the same time, about three and a half years after the death and resurrection of Jesus. This point in time (three and a half years after the resurrection of Jesus) may conclude the seventy weeks leaving out a gap (which is not suggested in the prophecy).
While the precise dating cannot be certain, we can know for certain that this was fulfilled in Jesus Christ the Messiah. Beyond this, much evidence within the gospel's also lend credibility to the preterist approach to the fulfillment of the seventieth week in 70 AD, especially in Jesus' prophesying the events surrounding the destruction of the temple and Jerusalem (the context of the Olivet Discourse). In Luke's record of the Olivet Discourse, Luke declares that the abomination of desolation spoken of by Daniel the prophet is when Jerusalem is surrounded by armies (Luke 21:20). Luke's mention of Jerusalem compassed with armies directly corresponds to what Mark and Matthew recorded as the abomination of desolation in the Olivet Discourse (Matthew 24:15-18; Mark 13:14,15). This suggests mean that the abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel was fulfilled in A.D. 70 with the Roman destruction of the temple and Jerusalem. This would mean that the "people of the prince that shall come," of Daniel 9:26 is a reference to the armies of Rome.
2. There are also a futurist fulfillment.
For the sake of fairness, though this author does not hold to the futurist view of the seventieth week, we will present it as a possibility. We will be brief because this is the view most widely held by people today, and the only view held by those in the dispensational train of thought. Suggesting that the seventieth week will be fulfilled in the last days, there is a gap of over two thousand years between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week that is not explained by Daniel, nor is there a biblical explanation to this gap other than it being the age of the church.
Most holding to this view also suggest a future dealing of God with the nation of Israel. Also, they believe the prophecy of the seventieth week was not completely fulfilled, not even the purposes described in Daniel 9:24: to finish the transgression, make an end of sins, make reconciliation or atonement for iniquity, bring in everlasting righteousness, seal up the vision and prophecy, and anoint the most Holy.
This interpretation necessitates the assumption that God has a future for Israel beacuse the nation of Israel is still in sin and transgression. Secondly, they Israel has not made reconciliation for iniquity by coming to Yeshua. Third, Israel has not brought in everlasting righteousness. Fourth and most importantly, Israel has not anointed the Most Holy: Jesus. Based on this particular interpretation, these were all determined conditions to be met for the people of Israel before the prophecy of the seventy weeks could be sealed up and fulfilled as Daniel stated. Of course, this particular interpretation would not fit if we read the passage to suggest that Jesus fulfilled all of the conditions in the seventieth week.
Another basis of the futurist argument comes from the book of Revelation. Revelation mentions these 1,260 days (Revelation 10:3; 12:6), in other words, three and a half years or a time, and times, and half a time (Revelation 12:14).
Most futurists interpret verse 27 as follows, "And he [Antichrist, not Jesus] shall confirm the covenant [a peace treaty with the secular nation of Israel] with many for one week: and in the midst of the week [three and a half years] 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."