Daniel 9.24a-The Seventy Weeks are 490 Years Which Are Used in Relation to the Jewish People and Jerusalem
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Thursday December 12, 2013
Daniel: Daniel 9:24a-The Seventy Weeks are 490 Years Which Used in Relation to the Jewish People and Jerusalem
Lesson # 283
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 9:1.
Daniel 9:24 “Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place.” (NASB95)
“Seventy weeks” is composed of the masculine plural noun šā·ḇûaʿ (שָׁבוּעַ) (shaw-boo´-ah), “weeks” which is modified by the masculine plural cardinal number šiḇ·ʿîm (שִׁבְעִים) (shib-eem´), “seventy.”
The masculine plural noun šā·ḇûaʿ means “a unit of seven” since it refers to a unit or period of seven, heptad, or week.
Here the context as we will note denotes that the word means “a unit of seven years.”
This noun is modified by the plural form of the cardinal number šiḇ·ʿîm, which means “seventy.”
Therefore, these two words mean “seventy units of seven years” or “seventy weeks.”
Thus Daniel is speaking of seventy of these units of seven years or a total of 490 years, which as we will note is specifically 490 prophetic years with a year being 360 days according to the Jewish calendar.
“Have been decreed” is the verb ḥā·ṯǎḵ (חָתַךְ) (khaw-thak´), which means “to decree, to determine, ordain” pertaining to a particular plan.
Here the word refers to the Father’s decree in eternity past.
Specifically it expresses the fact that in eternity past the Father issued a decree that He would fulfill six objectives with regards to the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem within 490 prophetic years.
These six objectives are: (1) to finish the transgression (2) to make an end of sin (3) to make atonement for iniquity (4) to bring in everlasting righteousness (5) to seal up vision and prophecy (6) to anoint the most holy place.
G. H. Lang writes “Decreed means divided or severed off from the whole period of world-empire in the hands of the Gentiles, as to which Daniel was already well informed. It points to a fixed and limited period, of definite duration, forming part of a longer period the duration of which is not fixed, or at least not declared.”
“For your people” is composed of the preposition ʿǎl (עַל) (al), “for” and its object is the noun ʿǎm (עַם) (am), “people,” which is modified by the second person masculine singular pronominal suffix ʾǎt∙tā(h) (אַתָּה) (at-taw), “your.”
The noun ʿǎm is in the singular and means “people” in the sense of a large group based on various cultural, physical and geographical ties.
It refers to a large group that is larger than a tribe or clan but smaller than a race.
This word speaks of a national entity and specifically the nation of Israel.
It is also the object of the preposition ʿǎl, which is a marker of advantage indicating that it was “for the benefit of” the Jewish people that this decree was issued by the Father in eternity past.
It was for their benefit because within these 490 prophetic years, God would fulfill six objectives which ultimately benefit the nation of Israel.
“Your holy city” is composed of the preposition ʿǎl (עַל) (al), which is not translated and its object is the noun ʿîr (עִיר) (eer), “city” which is modified by the noun qō·ḏěš (קֹדֶשׁ) (ko´-desh), “holy” which is followed by the second person masculine singular pronominal suffix ʾǎt∙tā(h) (אַתָּה) (at-taw), “your.”
The noun ʿîr means “city” referring to a population center enclosed by a wall. Here it refer to the city of Jerusalem.
The noun qō·ḏěš means “holy” describing the city of Jerusalem as being set apart exclusively for the worship of the God of Israel.
The noun ʿîr is the object of the preposition ʿǎl, which once again is functioning as a marker of advantage indicating that it was “for the benefit of” the city of Jerusalem that this decree was issued by the Father in eternity past.
It was for this city’s benefit because within these 490 prophetic years, God would fulfill six objectives which ultimately benefit the city.
Daniel 9:24a “Seventy units of seven years have been decreed for the benefit of your people as well as your holy city.” (My translation)
So 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.
He 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.
This fulfills the principle taught by Paul in Ephesians 3:20 that God is able to do far more abundantly beyond all that we ask or think.
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.
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 someone 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.
Everlasting righteousness would be experienced in Israel.
All that God predicted with regards to the nation of Israel would come to pass.
Gabriel begins by telling Daniel that seventy weeks have been decreed for his people as well as his holy city.
The first challenge we have is the meaning of the seventy weeks.
Is it referring to weeks of days or years?
There are several factors which support the interpretation that the seventy weeks are years and not days.
First of all, Daniel was reading Jeremiah’s prophecy regarding Israel’s Babylonian exile, which was to last 70 years (Jeremiah 25:11-12; 29:10-14).
Furthermore, 2 Chronicles 36:21 speaks of Jeremiah’s prophecy concerning the Babylonian exile and it indicates quite clearly that the exile would last 70 years.
Thus we can see that these 70 weeks in Daniel 9:24 cannot possibly be 70 weeks in the ordinary, literal sense or 490 days for the number has an obvious relation to the 70 years of Jeremiah’s prophecy in Jeremiah 25:11 and 2 Chronicles 36:21.
The context clearly indicates that Daniel is referring to years and not days since Daniel 9:2 indicates that Jeremiah’s prophecy of Israel’s Babylonian captivity would be 70 years.
The 70 years of captivity were the specific penalty for violating 70 sabbatic years, which would be 70 sevens, a total of 70 years.
Seven days are in one week and every seventh year was a Sabbath rest and seventy sevens brought them to the year of Jubilee which is noted in Leviticus 25:8-12.
The provisions for the land’s Sabbath rest are recorded in detail in Leviticus 25:2-4, 26:32-35, 43 but in those 490 years, Israel had violated exactly 70 sabbatic years so they would go into captivity for 70 years to make amends.
The 490 could not designate days (about 1 1/3 years) for that would not be enough time for the events prophesied by Daniel 9:24-27 to occur and the same is true of 490 weeks of seven days each (i.e. 3,430 days, about 9 ½ years).
Also if days were intended one would expect Daniel to have added the phrase “of days” after “70 sevens” for in Daniel 10:2-3 he wrote literally, “three sevens of days”.
It is also important to understand that the length of a prophetic year was “not” 365 days but rather 360 days since the solar year, which we live by, of 365.25 days was unknown to the nations in the Old Testament but the Jewish year of biblical times was lunar-solar and had only 360 days.
This is borne out in Revelation in John’s vision of the Great Tribulation period since it describes the last 3 ½ years as precisely 1260 days (Rev. 12:6) “a time, times and half a time” where “time” in Hebrew stands for a year of 360 days (verse 14) and “forty-two months” of 30 days each (13:5).
Therefore, the “seventy weeks of Daniel” refer 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 people is an obvious reference to the nation of Israel, and not the church since the church was unknown to Daniel and other Old Testament prophets since it was mystery revealed only through the Lord Jesus Christ and His apostles.
Daniel’s holy city is a reference to Jerusalem of course.
Therefore, this prophecy has no relation to the church whatsoever.
To say it does or that it encompasses the church age is to put words into God’s mouth.
The text does not make any reference to the church but only to Israel and her capital city.
This means that the church is absolutely not the new Israel and that God has planned a magnificent future for Israel as head of the nations under her Messiah, Jesus Christ.
The prophecy of the seventy weeks is therefore, not concerned with world history or even church history but deals exclusively with the history of the nation of Israel as well as its capital city Jerusalem.
The Times of the Gentiles will come to an end upon the completion of these 490 prophetic years.
The times of the Gentiles refers to an extended period of time when the Gentiles are the dominant world powers and Israel is subject to those powers.
It extends from the Babylonian capture of Jerusalem under Nebuchadnezzar in 605 B.C. and continues through the Tribulation (Revelation 11:2) and ends with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.
This period of history includes the destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70 and the church age and the Tribulation period.
This phrase does not rule out temporary Jewish control of Jerusalem as has occurred in the past during the Maccabean era (164-63 B.C), the first Jewish revolt against Rome (A.D. 66-70), the second Jewish revolt (A.D. 132-135) and now since 1967 and the Six-Day War.
However, this control is only temporary because Revelation 11:1-2 predicts at least another three-and-one-half years of Gentile domination during the last half of Daniel’s Seventieth Week, also known as the Tribulation.
Therefore, any Jewish takeover of the city of David before the Second Advent of Christ must be therefore viewed as a temporary one and does not mean that “the times of the Gentiles” has ended since it can only end with the Second Advent of Jesus Christ, which will forever stop Gentile powers waging war against Israel.
In Luke 21:24, the Lord Jesus Christ makes mention of “the times of the Gentiles” in relation to the Tribulation period in His Olivet Discourse.
There are two great prophecies that appear in Daniel chapter two and chapter seven, which present to us the prophetic outline of the Gentiles during the Times of the Gentiles.
The prophecy that appears in Daniel chapter two, views the Times of the Gentiles from the perspective of man whereas the prophecy in Daniel chapter seven, views it from God’s perspective.
These two prophecies also reveal that there will be a revived form of the Roman Empire during the Tribulation period under Antichrist, which will be destroyed by the Second Advent of Jesus Christ.