Chapter 10 - Seventy Weeks

 Chapter 10 

Seventy weeks 

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.(Dan.9:24)

Gabriel came to Daniel with the message from God, revealing God's plan for man till Messiah establishes His kingdom on earth. Gabriel showed Daniel the mystery of the 'seventy sevens' (seventy weeks) set for the purification and restoration of Israel. This is an important prophecy concerning the people of Israel.

Explanation of the prophecy: 

The prophecy about the "seventy weeks" is recorded in Daniel 9:24-27

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’ are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27 He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ In the middle of the ‘seven’ he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple[j] he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.”

It is necessary to explain the meaning of  "seventy weeks" to understand the prophecy clearly. 

"Seventy weeks"

'Seventy weeks' is also referred to as 'seventy sevens'. One week represents a period of seven years. Therefore 'seventy weeks' represents a period of 490 (70*7) years. This period of time has been set "to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity and to bring in everlasting righteousness". This period is specifically connected with the people of Israel.

'Seventy sevens' in the history of Israel

We can observe groups of 490 years throughout the history of Israel. Their years of disobedience with God's anger dwelling on them are counted as wasted years in their history and hence ignored in the accounting. 

1. From the call of Abraham (B.C. 2111) till the exodus of Israel from Egypt (B.C. 1606) was 505 years. Ishmael ('son of flesh') stayed in Abraham's house for 15 years. If we remove 15 years from 505 years, we get a period of 490 years.

2. From exodus of Israel till the building of Soloman's Temple (BC 1606 to 1005) was 601 years. The period of the judges when Israel was rebellious and strayed away from God was 111 years. If this period of time is deleted from 601, we arrive at a duration of 490 (601-111) years again.

3. From the dedication of Solomon's Temple till the order issued by Artaxerxes to restore the damaged Temple (BC 1005 to 445) was 560 years. If we remove 70 years of Babylonian captivity from 560, we get the period of 490 years again.

4. 'Seventy weeks' in the vision of Daniel point to the time from the order of Artaxerxes till the appearance of Messiah (Dan.9:25)

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. (Dan.9:25)

This duration can be divided into three periods:

i). Seven weeks: This duration of 49 (7 *7) years represents the time for the restoration of Jerusalem. The prophecy, "The streets shall be built again, and the wall", was fulfilled at the time of Nehemiah. 49 years are to be counted from BC 445, the year in which Artaxerxes issued the order for restoration of Jerusalem.

ii)  Sixty-two weeks: This period of 434 (62*7) years follows the previous period of 49 years. At the end of this period, Messiah will be 'cut off'.

iii) One week: This age of Gentiles begins at the 'cutting off' of Messiah. It is not known when exactly the age of the Gentiles will end. When that age is completed, Messiah will take away His church. The following seven years will see the restoration of Israel (Rom. 9:25,26)

As he says in Hosea:

“I will call them ‘my people’ who are not my people;

    and I will call her ‘my loved one’ who is not my loved one,”

26 and,

“In the very place where it was said to them,

    ‘You are not my people,’

    there they will be called ‘children of the living God.(Rom. 9:25,26)

As we have already seen, the first 69 weeks (483 years) begin with the issue of the order by Artaxerxes in BC 445. Daniel's vision predicts the 'cutting off' of the Messiah after 483 years counting from BC 445. According to the Gregorian calendar that we follow, Artaxerxes issued his order on March 14, 445 BC (first day of Nisan in the 20th year of his reign - Neh 2:1). 'Hosannah Sunday' - the day on which Messiah entered Jerusalem riding upon a donkey as predicted by Prophet Zachariah (Zach 9:9, Luke 19:36-38) was on April 4, 31 AD.

Rejoice greatly, Daughter Zion!

    Shout, Daughter Jerusalem!

See, your king comes to you,

    righteous and victorious,

lowly and riding on a donkey,

    on a colt, the foal of a donkey.(Zach.9:9)

35 They brought it to Jesus, threw their cloaks on the colt and put Jesus on it. 36 As he went along, people spread their cloaks on the road.

37 When he came near the place where the road goes down the Mount of Olives, the whole crowd of disciples began joyfully to praise God in loud voices for all the miracles they had seen:

38 “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord!”

“Peace in heaven and glory in the highest!”(Luke 9:35-38)

The period between the two events in 476 years and 21 days. Biblical prophecies are calculated on the basis of lunar calendar years of 360 days. Therefore, 476 years in the Gregorian calendar works out as 483 years in the lunar calendar. Messiah was crucified at the precise time as God revealed to Daniel through Gabriel. We can be sure that the prophecies relating to the seventieth week will also be fulfilled in future at the right time.

The Age of Grace: 

When Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem riding upon a donkey as the "king of the daughter of Zion", it was the fulfillment of prophecy. But He was rejected by the Jews. Thus ended the prophetical Sixty-nine weeks in the history of Jews. Messiah was crucified as the atonement for the sins of mankind. After His resurrection and ascension to heaven, He anointed His disciples with the Holy Spirit on the Day of Pentecost. Thus began the building of His Church. People from all nations and languages and creeds joined His Church by accepting Him as their Lord and Saviour and receiving salvation by grace. The process is continuing even today. Therefore, this age is called the Age of Grace of the Age of the Church or the period of Gentiles. But for Israel, it is a period of rejection and can be counted as a period kept in between two brackets. The Age of Grace will come to a close with the rapture of the Church from the world and the seventieth week will begin for Israel.

Prophecies concerning the seventy weeks are being fulfilled very accurately. We are happily living in the Age of Grace between the sixty-ninth week and the seventieth week. Let us praise God for His glorious plan for mankind and receive salvation by grace, by baptized, live a Spirit-filled life and wait for the rapture of the Church at the second coming of our Lord.