The Six-Fold Purpose of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel (Doctrinal Bible Church in Huntsville, Alabama)

Doctrinal Bible Church

Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom

Wednesday January 3, 2024

Day of the Lord Series: The Six-Fold Purpose of the Seventy Weeks of Daniel

Lesson # 5

As we have noted in our previous classes, there are many day of the Lord prophecies which will be fulfilled during the seventieth week of Daniel (Zeph. 1:14; Joel 2:1; 2:11, 31; 3:14; Zechariah 14:1-2; Is. 13:6-16; Acts 2:20; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2).

Most students of the Bible and in particular biblical prophecy know, the prophecy of the seventieth week of Daniel helps to compose the prophecy of the seventy weeks which is recorded in Daniel 9:24-27.

Daniel 9:24 “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. 25 “Know and understand this: From the issuing of the decree 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 cut off 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 on a wing of the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him.” (NIV 84)

Daniel 9:24 “Seventy units of seven years have been decreed for the benefit of your people as well as for the benefit of your holy city in order to put an end to the rebellion and in addition to bring sin to an end as well as to atone for iniquity likewise to bring about everlasting righteousness as well as to seal up prophetic vision and in addition to anoint the most holy place.” (Pastor’s translation)

The angel Gabriel begins to give Daniel an answer to his prayer, which ultimately is above and beyond what Daniel asked for.

Remember, Daniel was interceding for the Jewish exiles in Babylon because of Jeremiah’s prophecy recorded in Jeremiah 25:11-12 and 29:10-14 and was praying that God’s will for Israel, as revealed in Jeremiah’s prophecy would be accomplished.

Daniel’s prayer for the Jewish exiles as recorded in Daniel 9:3-19 makes clear that this is what Daniel was praying for, however, Daniel 9:24-27 makes clear that Gabriel provides him with more information with regards to the future of the nation of Israel than he asked for.

Therefore, the prophecy of the seventy weeks not only answered Daniel’s prayer that the Jewish exiles would return from Babylon to their homeland after seventy years but also provided Daniel a comprehensive understanding of God’s program for the nation of Israel.

The prophecy not only made clear that Jerusalem would be rebuilt but that her Messiah would appear but would be rejected and thus she would be disciplined again for rejecting her Messiah and Jerusalem would once again be destroyed.

The nation would also be deceived into entering into an agreement with a Roman dictator who will stop the sacrifices in the temple but would be destroyed in the end by God.

So the prophecy of the seventy weeks tells Daniel that Israel would continue to rebel against God and would thus again be disciplined by Him severely, however, this corporate apostasy would come to an end.

Her corporate sin would be dealt with, which we know was dealt with through the cross of Jesus Christ and everlasting righteousness would be experienced in Israel and all that God predicted with regards to the nation of Israel would come to pass.

Gabriel begins by telling Daniel that seventy sevens have been decreed for his people as well as his holy city, which refers to 490 prophetic years of 360 days.

Notice that Gabriel informs Daniel in Daniel 9:24 that this decree of seventy weeks of years or 490 prophetic years was for the benefit of Daniel’s people and his holy city.

Daniel’s holy city is a reference to Jerusalem of course.

Gabriel proceeds to describe for Daniel the six-fold objectives of the seventy sevens or seventy units of seven years (490 prophetic years).

“To put an end to the rebellion” speaks of the corporate rebellion of the nation of Israel against God being brought to an end on the Day of Atonement which will occur at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

This phrase does not refer to the cross of Jesus Christ since the nation of Israel continued to rebel against God after the cross, however, the cross of Christ is the basis for this rebellion being brought to an end.

Rather it refers to the Day of Atonement which will occur at the Second Advent since at that time the rebellion against God by the nation of Israel will come to an end since at that time there will be a national regeneration in Israel.

“To bring sin to an end” also speaks of the corporate sin of the nation of Israel being brought to an end on the Day of Atonement which again will occur at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

This phrase does not refer to the cross of Jesus Christ since the nation of Israel continued to sin and rebel against God after the cross, however, the cross of Christ is the basis for Israel’s sin being brought to an end.

Rather it refers to the Day of Atonement occurring at the Second Advent since at that time the corporate sin of Israel will be brought to an end since at that time there will be a national regeneration in Israel.

At the Second Advent the majority in Israel will exercise faith in Jesus Christ for eternal salvation and will be regenerated and receive the forgiveness of their sins and so therefore, the corporate sin of Israel will be brought to an end.

“To atone for iniquity” is again another reference to the corporate sin of the nation of Israel but this time being atoned for on the Day of Atonement which again will occur at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

This phrase does not refer to the cross of Jesus Christ since the nation of Israel continued to sin and rebel against God after the cross, however, the cross of Christ is the basis for Israel’s sin being atoned for.

Therefore, this third objective refers to the Day of Atonement which will take place at the Second Advent because at that time, the corporate sin of Israel will be atoned for in the sense that the majority in Israel will exercise faith in Jesus Christ which appropriates the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.

Therefore, we can see that the first three objectives for the seventy sevens or weeks (490 prophetic years) refers to the corporate or national sin of the nation of Israel being brought to an end on the Day of Atonement which will take place at the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.

At that time, the majority in the nation of Israel will exercise faith in Jesus Christ so as to appropriate His finished work on the cross which He accomplished during His first advent (Jeremiah 31:33-34; Ezekiel 37; Zechariah 12; Romans 11:25-27).

Thus, the sacrifice of Christ on the cross affects the national regeneration and restoration of the nation of Israel.

The implication of these first three objectives is that the seventieth week has yet to take place in history and is still yet future since these three objectives and the last three are all to be fulfilled within the seventy weeks.

At this time in history, the nation of Israel is still in rejection of Jesus Christ and the Second Advent of Jesus Christ has yet to take place.

Another implication which would be obvious to Daniel based upon his knowledge of the Mosaic Law is that God would provide a future sacrifice, which would satisfy the demands of His holiness that sin and sinners be judged.

This sacrifice would be future from Daniel’s perspective in the sixth century B.C. and would deal with the corporate sin of his people.

The sin of his people could never come to an end without a sacrifice to satisfy God’s holiness or in other words, these first three objectives mentioned by Gabriel in Daniel 9:24 could never be accomplished or fulfilled without a sacrifice which would completely satisfy the demands of God’s holiness.

The blood of the animal sacrifices stipulated in the Mosaic Law could not satisfy but only the blood of Christ.

“To bring in everlasting righteousness” refers to the righteousness which will be manifested by regenerate Israel during the millennial reign of Jesus Christ and the millennial kingdom will be characterized by righteousness.

“To seal up prophetic vision” denotes that all that God communicated to Israel through the prophets regarding her future and the future of planet earth will come to pass or in other words, will be completely fulfilled and this has not been fulfilled yet because much prophecy has yet to be fulfilled.

For example, the rapture of the church, the Seventieth Week, the Second Advent of Christ, the resurrection of Old Testament Israel, the national regeneration of Israel, and Christ’s millennial reign on earth have yet to be fulfilled.

We have yet to see fulfilled in history the Gog/Magog rebellion, the destruction of the present heavens and earth, the Great White Throne Judgment and the creation of the new heavens and earth have yet to come to pass.

This objective refers to all the prophetic, supernatural revelations from God, which was communicated to Israel through the prophets like Daniel.

“To anoint the most holy place” refers to the millennial temple being anointed as a symbolic act of dedicating this temple to the worship of the Lord.

To summarize the first three divine objectives for the seventy sevens or weeks (490 prophetic years) deal with the Day of Atonement which will take place at the Second Advent of Christ.

The last three deal with our Lord’s literal one-thousand-year bodily reign as King over all the earth in which He will rule from Jerusalem over the nations.

Notice the order in that the Second Advent precedes the millennial kingdom, thus, Daniel is premillennial.

Also, each of these objectives has yet to be fulfilled in history and is thus awaiting fulfillment in the future.

The Second Advent of Christ has not taken place and neither has His subsequent millennial reign on the earth which are being referred to by these six objectives.