Daniel 9.24-27-The Seventy Weeks of Daniel
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Sunday June 3, 2007
The Day of the Lord: Daniel 9:24-27-The Seventy Weeks of Daniel
Lesson # 2
Please turn in your Bibles to Daniel 9:20.
This morning we will temporarily suspend our studies in the book of Romans by continuing our series dealing with the prophetic subject called “the Day of the Lord,” which I will conduct each time we celebrate the Lord’s Supper.
One of the major lines of prophecy running throughout the Old Testament and continuing through the New Testament is the prophetic truth related to the Day of the Lord (Isa. 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezek. 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18 (twice), 20; Obadiah 15; Zeph. 1:7, 14 (twice); Zech. 14:1; Mal. 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1 Thess. 5:2; 2 Thess. 2:2; 2 Pet. 3:10).
The phrases “that day” or “the day” or “the great day” also refer to the day of the Lord and appear more than 75 times in the Old Testament.
“The Day of the Lord” is “not” a literal twenty-four period but rather is an extended period of time beginning with God’s dealing with Israel after the rapture at the beginning of the tribulation period and extending through the 2nd Advent and the millennial age unto the creation of the new heavens and the new earth.
Last month, we studied the “Rapture,” which triggers the beginning of this period called the “Day of the Lord.”
The “Rapture” refers to the resurrection of the church, which is imminent, invisible to the world, and terminates the church age and will take place in the earth’s atmosphere when the Lord Jesus Christ will suddenly and forcefully remove the church from planet earth in order to deliver her from the Tribulation period.
This morning we will continue with our study of the “Day of the Lord” by beginning a study of the Tribulation period, which follows the Rapture of the church.
The Tribulation is also called by students of prophecy as “Daniel’s 70th Week” and so therefore, this morning we will study the great prophecy that appears in Daniel 9:24-27 that is called by theologians, “The Seventy Weeks of Daniel.”
Daniel’s 70th week refers to a 7-year period that extends from the rapture of the church to the 2nd Advent of Christ and is concerned with the nation of Israel exclusively and will be the worst period in all of Israel’s and the world’s history when Antichrist will rule the world.
This 7-year period is divided into two three and a half year periods with the first three and a half years characterized as a cold war (Mt. 24:6) whereas the last three and a half years are characterized as a hot war (Mt. 24:21-22).
A “week” in the prophecy of Daniel 9:24-27 refers to 7 prophetic years of 360 days; therefore, the prophecy of the 70 weeks of Daniel refers to 490 prophetic years of Israel’s history.
This prophecy of Daniel’s took place in the first year of the reign of Darius the Mede, in 538 B.C., when Daniel was between 85 and 90 years of age, 66 years after he had been exiled to Babylon under Nebuchadnezzar in 606 B.C.
As a result of his prophetic abilities, Daniel was elevated from the position of a captive slave to ultimately becoming the prime minister of the Babylonian empire, which at that time, ruled the world.
However, the Babylonian empire was overthrown by Medo-Persian Empire, which paved the way for the liberation of the Jewish captives who had been in exile since Nebuchadnezzar’s first invasion of Jerusalem in 606 B.C.
Medo-Persian Empire under Darius honored Daniel who served Darius’ successor Cyrus, which takes us to the days that Daniel received the prophecy regarding the 70 prophetic weeks regarding the future of the nation of Israel and Her Messiah.
Daniel has now seen a new great world power emerge and is wondering about the future and especially the future of his own people who are in exile in Babylon.
In Daniel 9:1-2, we see Daniel turning to study the Word of God and in particular he reads the prophecy of one of his contemporaries, Jeremiah.
The prophecy that Daniel read is found in Jeremiah 25:11-12 and so therefore, in 538 B.C. Daniel was reading this prophecy and knew that the 70 years of the Babylonian Captivity would end within 2 years in 536 B.C.
In Daniel 9:3-20, Daniel prayed to God asking Him for revelation regarding the future of the Jewish people and in Daniel 9:20-27, he gets an immediate answer since God sends the angel Gabriel.
Daniel 9:20-21, “Now while I was speaking and praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the LORD my God in behalf of the holy mountain of my God, while I was still speaking in prayer, then the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision previously, came to me in {my} extreme weariness about the time of the evening offering.”
Daniel 9:22, “He gave {me} instruction and talked with me and said, ‘O Daniel, I have now come forth to give you insight with understanding.’”
Daniel 9:23, “At the beginning of your supplications the command was issued, and I have come to tell {you} for you are highly esteemed; so give heed to the message and gain understanding of the vision.”
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.”
In the Hebrew text, the phrase “seventy weeks” literally reads, “seventy sevens,” which refers to years and “not” days as clearly indicated through a comparison of Scripture with Scripture.
First of all, as we noted earlier, Daniel was reading Jeremiah’s prophecy regarding the Israel’s Babylonian exile, which was to last 70 years.
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.
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.
Finally, 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 7th 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”.
Also, it is 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” refers to 490 biblical years of 360 days.
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.”
The phrase “your people” indicates that the prophecy deals specifically with the history of the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem and not with world history or church history.
“To finish the transgression” refers to the nation of Israel’s apostasy and sin and wandering over the face of the earth will be brought to its consummation within the seventy-sevens or 490 prophetic years at the 2nd Advent of Christ, on the Day of Atonement.
“To bring an end of sin” refers to bringing sin into judgment at the cross, and extending forgiveness for sins already committed through faith in the coming Redeemer, the Messiah.
“To make an atonement for iniquity” refers to the Cross of Christ as it affects the restoration of the nation of Israel at the Second Advent of Christ (See Zechariah 12:10).
In the Hebrew text, the phrase “to bring in everlasting righteousness” literally means “to cause to bring in everlasting righteousness” and refers to the millennial reign which will be characterized by righteousness.
The phrase “to seal up vision and prophecy” refers to the fact that all that God promised to Israel throughout her history by means of the prophets will be fulfilled during Christ’s millennial reign.
The sixth divine objective “to anoint the Most Holy Place” refers to the dedication of the most holy place in the millennial temple which is described in detail in Ezekiel 41-46.
Daniel 9:25, “So you are to know and discern that from the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; it will be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of distress.”
“The issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem” was the fourth of four decrees made by Persian rulers in reference to the Jews: (1) Cyrus’ decree in 538 B.C. (2 Chronicles 36:22-23; Ezra 1:1-4; 5:13). (2) Darius’ I decree in 520 B.C. (Ezra 6:1; 6-12). (3) Artaxerxes Longimanus’ decree in 458 B.C. (Ezra 7:11-26). (4) Artaxerxes Longimanus’ decree in 444 B.C. (Nehemiah 2:1-8).
The first three decrees say nothing about the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem itself since the first two decrees pertain to the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem and the third relates to finances for animal sacrifices at the temple but the fourth decree granted the Jews permission to rebuild Jerusalem’s city walls.
The first period of 49 years refers to the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Neh. 2:12-15) and the 62 “sevens” or 434 years extend up to the introduction of Jesus as the Messiah to the nation of Israel (“until the Messiah, the Prince”), which was concluded on the day of our Lord’s Triumphal entry into Jerusalem just before He was crucified (“cut off).”
Daniel 9:26, “Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”
The statement “after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off” refers to the crucifixion of Christ and the phrase “the prince who shall come” refers to the Roman general Titus who destroyed the city of Jerusalem in 70 A.D.
So we can see that the first seven weeks and the sixty-two weeks that followed it ran consecutively with no time between them and totaled 483 years and extended from March 5, 444 B.C to March 30, 33 A.D.
In order to understand how 444 B.C. to A.D. 33 can equal 483 years, we must understand that the Jewish calendar had 360 days per year, thus 483 years times 360 days equals 173,880 days.
The Gregorian Calendar contains 365 days a year and under this 444 B.C. to A.D. 33 would be 476 years since only one year expired between 1 B.C. and A.D. 1.
A total of 476 years divided by four (a leap year every four years) gives 119 additional days but three days must be subtracted from 119 because centennial years are not leap years, though every 400th years is a leap year.
Thus, 476 years times 365 days equals 173,740 days and if we add 116 days in leap years and 24 days (March 5-30), we have 173,880 days.
The church age takes place between Daniel 9:26 and 27 and was a “mystery” (Eph. 3:9) meaning it was not known to Old Testament prophets such as Daniel.
God has temporarily set aside Israel because of her rejection of Jesus Christ as Messiah (Rom. 9-11) in order to form the church and so therefore, the last seven years of Daniel’s prophecy have yet to be fulfilled but will be fulfilled after the rapture of the church (1 Thess. 4:13-18).
Daniel 9:27, “And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate.”
The statement “he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week” refers to antichrist making a covenant with Israel during the Daniel’s 70th week (See 2 Thessalonians 2:1-4).
“But in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate,” refers to the antichrist stopping the Levitical sacrifices that will be reestablished in the rebuilt temple in Jerusalem in the middle of Daniel’s 70th week.
Matthew 24:15-16, “Therefore when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.”
2 Thessalonians 2:3-4, “Let no one in any way deceive you, for it will not come unless the apostasy comes first, and the man of lawlessness is revealed, the son of destruction, who opposes and exalts himself above every so-called god or object of worship, so that he takes his seat in the temple of God, displaying himself as being God.”
The phrase “even until a complete destruction, one (Antichrist) that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate” refers to the destruction of antichrist at the 2nd Advent of Christ when he will be thrown into the lake of fire (See Revelation 19:20; Daniel 7:11, 26).
Therefore, we can see that the seventy weeks of Daniel of 490 prophetic years are divided into three segments: (1) 7 “sevens” (49 years): The decree of Artaxerxes in 444 B.C. (Neh. 2:1-8) to the completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem (Dan. 9:25). (2) 62 “sevens” (434 years): The completion of the rebuilding of Jerusalem to Christ’s Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem and crucifixion in 33 A.D. (Dan. 9:25-26) (3) 1 “seven” (7 years): Tribulation period (Dan. 9:27).
Early in the 1st half of the Tribulation a ten-nation federation will be arrayed in the west with headquarters at Rome and is designated in Scripture “ten horns” in Daniel 7:7-8, 23-24, Revelation 13:1-10, and 17:8-10, and is sometimes called the Revived Roman Empire.
The ruler of this federation is the Antichrist, the King of the West, who is referred to in Scripture as “the beast” (Rev. 13:1-2), the “little horn” (Dan. 7:8), the “prince that will come” (Dan. 9:26-27), the “man of lawlessness” (2 Th. 2:3-10), and the “scarlet beast” (Rev. 17:3).
The agreement between Israel and Antichrist stipulates that he will rush to the aid of Israel in the event of an enemy attack (Dan. 9:27; cf., 11:38-39).
Michael and the elect angels will cast Satan out of heaven to the earth during the midway point of Daniel’s 70th week (Rev. 12:1-3) and will instigate Russia to attack Israel but God will destroy Russia (Joel 2:20; Ezek. 38-39; Dan. 11:40).
Following the destruction of the Russian armies, the cold war comes to an end because halfway through the Tribulation, while the treaty is still in force, the Antichrist will issue a new decree stating that all sacrifices in the Temple shall cease!
In their place, a statue of the Antichrist called the “abomination of desolation,” (Dan. 12:11) will be set up in the Most High Place for mandatory worship (Dan. 9:27; 12:11; cf., Rev. 13:15).
This will mark the worst persecution in the history of Israel and will begin the last 3 ½ years of the Tribulation, which coincides with the war of Armageddon.
Jewish believers in the Tribulation who are knowledgeable of the Word of God will obey the Lord’s warning and flee (Mt. 24:15-20; cf., Dan. 11:41; Rev. 12:6) and wait for the Lord Jesus Christ to deliver them at His 2nd Advent.
The 2nd Advent of Christ terminates Daniel’s 70th week, aka, the Tribulation and at that time, the Lord will bodily land in Jerusalem on the Mount of Olives (See Zechariah 14:4).
At His 2nd Advent, the Lord Jesus Christ will destroy the Tribulational armies, have Antichrist and the False Prophet thrown into the Lake of Fire (Rev. 19:11-19), will imprison Satan for a thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3) and will establish His millennial reign on planet earth (Rev. 20:4-6).
This leads us to the communion service and so therefore, could we have our ushers pass out the communion elements and let us take a few minutes to meditate upon the Lord and prepare ourselves for the Lord’s Supper.
The Lord’s Supper is a commandment given by the Lord Jesus Christ to every church age believer to bring into remembrance His Unique Person and Finished Work on the Cross, both of which serve as the basis for fellowship with God and each other as members of the Body of Christ.
In the communion service, the bread portrays the sinless humanity of Christ, which was sacrificed for us and the wine portrays His spiritual death as our Substitute, both of which serve as the basis for fellowship with God and each other.
The communion service is also a reminder that we have fellowship not only with God but also with each other as members of the body of Christ.
1 Corinthians 10:16, “Is not the cup of blessing which we bless a sharing in the blood of Christ? Is not the bread which we break a sharing in the body of Christ?”
1 Corinthians 10:17, “Since there is one bread, we who are many are one body; for we all partake of the one bread.”
1 Corinthians 11:23, “For I received from the Lord that which I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus in the night in which He was betrayed took bread.”
1 Corinthians 11:24, “and when He had given thanks, He broke it and said, ‘This is My body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:25, “In the same way {He took} the cup also after supper, saying, ‘This cup is the new covenant in My blood; do this, as often as you drink {it} in remembrance of Me.’”
1 Corinthians 11:26, “For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until He comes.”