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Prophecy 4 – The Seventy Weeks
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The Seventy Weeks – Daniel 9:20-27

Beginning Point in Time: 457 B.C.
Ending Point in Time: Second Coming of Jesus

Summary:
The essence of this prophecy can be summarized in a few sentences. While they were exiles in Babylon, God offered the trustees of His covenant (the nation of Israel) a second chance. He granted them 490 years (seventy weeks) to overcome their rebellion and fulfill the terms and conditions of His covenant. If Israel cooperated, the prophecies given in the book of Daniel (Plan B) would be sealed up forever (remain unknown) and the promises and prophecies given to Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and other Old Testament prophets (Plan A) would be fulfilled. On the other hand, if Israel failed, Israel would be destroyed

Introduction:
Many scholars and pastors have separated this prophecy from the previous three prophecies in Daniel and the result is a huge disaster. Millions of people anticipate several events that will not occur. For example, it is commonly taught that the sixty-nine weeks in Daniel 9 are in the distant past, but the seventieth week is in the future! This is impossible! Time is an unbroken continuum. When one second ends, a new second begins. There is no room for additional time between two seconds, minutes, hours, months, days, years, or weeks of years! The seventieth week began when the sixty-ninth week ended. There cannot be a gap of indefinite time between the sixty-ninth and the seventieth week. If additional time can be inserted into a prophetic time period, no one can know the length of that prophetic time period. If a yardstick does not have definite length, it cannot be used for measurement. If the seventieth week did not follow the sixty-ninth week, we cannot assign a number to the week in history that immediately followed the sixty-ninth week.

Thus far in this book, we have observed that (a) apocalyptic prophecy is additive in nature; each prophecy builds upon another, and (b) God uses a technique called “repetition and enlargement” to create a matrix that expands our understanding of His Word and plans. We will discover in this study that Prophecy 4 builds upon Prophecies 1 through 3 because these four prophecies depend upon each other to tell the whole story. Look at Figure 4.1 (not drawn to scale) and notice four elements. First, at the top, notice that the chart indicates that Jesus died in A.D. 30,[1] which is the middle year of the seventieth week. Second, notice that 457 B.C. as the starting date for the seventy weeks (seven plus sixty-two plus one week). Third, notice the line from 457 B.C. ending at 1844. Last, notice that 1844 (the end of the 2,300 years) and 1798 (the end of the little horn’s persecution for 1,260 years) have close proximity to each other even though these dates are derived from totally different prophecies.

God's Weekly Cycle
Since Jesus created the world, the first day of each week has aligned with the first day of Creation and the seventh day of each week has aligned with God’s Sabbath rest. (
Genesis 2:1-3) Even though human beings may define a week as any period of seven days, God defines a week as a period of seven days that aligns with Creation’s week. (Exodus 20:8-11) God’s weekly cycle is important because the middle day of every week is Wednesday. Look again at Figure 4.1. You will see that the middle year of the seventieth week is a Wednesday year. Since Jesus died in the middle of the week, and since Jesus died in A.D. 30,[2] we must align A.D. 30 with a Wednesday year. This alignment forces the first year of the seventieth week (A.D. 27) to be a Sunday year and the Sabbath year of the seventieth week becomes A.D. 33. This information about the seventy weeks is important for two reasons:

First, the seventy weeks in Daniel 9 can be precisely identified because of God’s weekly cycle of years. I understand that God created a new calendar for Israel at the time of the Exodus. (Exodus 12:2) This calendar is often called the Jubilee Calendar and it is based on God’s weekly cycle. God established a cycle of seven years so that each day of the week represented a year. To ensure the integrity of this cycle, God declared every seventh year dating from the Exodus was to be a Sabbath year of rest for the land. Of course, Israel did not observe Sabbath years in the desert. However, Israel entered Canaan in a Friday year (the 41st year since the Exodus) and their first full year in the Promised Land was a Sabbath year; much like Adam and Eve’s first full day of life was a Sabbath day. The Jubilee Calendar measures time in units of forty-nine year cycles (seven weeks of years). When a forty-nine year cycle expired, the following year was declared a year of Jubilee. The year of Jubilee was a special year because debts were cancelled, slaves were set free, and all of the land was returned to the original owners for free. The year of Jubilee always fell on a Sunday year. It was counted as the fiftieth year of the outgoing Jubilee cycle and simultaneously, it was counted as the first year of the new incoming Jubilee cycle.

These facts about the Jubilee Calendar are important because the seventy weeks in Daniel 9 did not suddenly appear with a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Actually, the seventy weeks mentioned in Daniel 9 align with ongoing weekly cycles of years that began at the time of the Exodus. God did not grant 490 random years to Israel, but instead, God defined the 490 years as seventy weeks so that He could draw Israel’s attention back to the weekly cycles of years that Israel had long ignored. When Gabriel said to Daniel, “Seventy sevens are decreed for your people” his language was designed to redirect Israel’s attention to the Jubilee Calendar which included the release of slaves, Sabbath years of rest for the land every seventh year, and the restoration of the land to its original owners at no charge!

Consider the way that Gabriel broke down the seventy weeks in Daniel 9:25:

  7 weeks + 62 weeks + 1 week = 70 weeks
49 years + 434 years + 7 years = 490 years

Gabriel expressed the seventy weeks as three segments of time because the first segment of seven sevens is a Jubilee cycle. This was a huge clue for the nation of Israel. The all important decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem would occur during a year of Jubilee! God wanted His people to anticipate that the land would be returned to the Jews at no charge and the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem would occur during a year of Jubilee. This alignment with the Jubilee Calendar was not a casual coincidence.[3] God had exiled Israel to Babylon for seventy years because it had refused to observe the Jubilee Calendar![4]

Gabriel also told Daniel that Messiah would appear and begin His ministry exactly seven weeks plus sixty-two weeks (483 years) after the decree was issued. Then, in the middle of the following week of seven years (the seventieth week), Messiah would be “cut off” (disinherited), but not for Himself (Jesus would be cut off for sinners). When this information is properly assembled, perfect harmony springs from the sum of all of the parts! History says the all-important decree was issued in a year of Jubilee (457 B.C.) and exactly sixty-nine weeks later (A.D. 27), Jesus showed up on the banks of the Jordan River and John baptized Him. Jesus began his ministry in the fall of A.D. 27 (a Sunday year) and was crucified in the spring of A.D. 30, (a Wednesday year, in the middle of the seventieth week.)

Four decrees were issued to rebuild and restore Jerusalem and 457 B.C. is the only one that occurred in a year of Jubilee.[5]Working backwards from the seventieth week and the year of Christ’s death, we find that Spring, 457 B.C. ties in with the decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem. Do not forget, this decree was issued during the time of the ram (see Prophecy 3). King Artaxerxes, a Persian king, issued the all-important decree on or about Nisan 1 and Ezra departed for Jerusalem with decree in hand on the 12th day of Nisan.[6] Because 457 B.C. is an unimpeachable date, the Thursday year of 1844 becomes unimpeachable as well (see prophecy 3). In this study, we will discover that the seventy weeks prophecy and the 2,300 days prophecy share the same starting date.

There is a second reason for properly positioning the seventy weeks. We learned in Prophecy 2 that the Ancient of Days took His seat in 1798. We also learned that in 1798, the Father issued a restraining order in Heaven and the result on Earth was the termination of 1,260 years of papal power over Europe. The pope was taken prisoner during the French Revolution (February 1798), and he died in exile.
As we review the important dates of 1798 and 1844, consider 
Daniel 7:10: “. . . .the court was seated and the books were opened.” In Prophecy 3 we learned about 1844. We discovered that Jesus opened the books of record and began to cleanse Heaven’s temple of sin’s guilt when the 2,300 years ended. We also learned in Prophecy 3 that near the end of Christ’s judgment of mankind,[7] a horn from the north (Lucifer, the stern-faced king) will appear out of nowhere and this horn will eventually bring Jesus’ intercession in Heaven’s temple to a close. There is perfect harmony coming from the sum of all of these prophetic parts!


The Setting:


Daniel 9:1-3

In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the seed of the Medes, which was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans; In the first year of his reign I Daniel understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the LORD came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem.And I set my face unto the Lord God, to seek by prayer and supplications, with fasting, and sackcloth, and ashes:{1} During the first year of King Darius (the Mede), who became ruler over the province of Babylon after it fell to the Medes and Persians,
{2} I understood from Jeremiah the prophet, that the desolation of Jerusalem would last seventy years because my people had violated seventy Sabbatical years.
[8]Knowing the seventy years would soon end,
{3} I turned to my God and with fasting, prayer, sackcloth, and ashes, pleaded with Him to keep His promise and set my people free.


The Sequence:


Daniel 9:20-23

And whiles 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 for the holy mountain of my God; Yea, whiles I was speaking in prayer, even the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, touched me about the time of the evening oblation. And he informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to give thee skill and understanding. At the beginning of thy supplications the commandment came forth, and I am come to show thee; for thou art greatly beloved: therefore understand the matter, and consider the vision.{20} While I was praying, confessing my sins and the sins of my people, Israel, and making my request to the Lord, my God, for the restoration of my people to Mt. Zion, His holy mountain
{21} while still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision concerning the 2,300 days, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice.
{22} He said, “Daniel, I have come to give you insight and understanding about the previous vision containing the 2,300 days.
{23} As soon as you began to pray, your prayer was heard, and I have been sent to help you, for you are highly esteemed in Heaven. Therefore, consider my words and understand how your people and the 2,300 days in Prophecy 3 are intimately connected.

Bible history indicates that Abraham’s descendants did not make good trustees. Israel was a rebellious and obstinate nation in spite of God’s many efforts to reform His people. Finally, God did what He had promised to do in the covenant.[9] He punished His trustees for their rebellion. He removed Israel from His land and sent them to Babylon as captives of Nebuchadnezzar. During Israel’s captivity, God spoke to three prophets: Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. God gave Jeremiah and Ezekiel wonderful insight into His future plans for Israel. (Plan A) God wanted Israel to listen to His prophets and understand what wonderful plans He had for His people if they would cooperate with Him. At the same time, God also spoke to Daniel, but He gave Daniel a very different prophetic schematic which is called “Plan B.” Plan B is a prophetic schematic built on the premise that if Israel failed to fulfill their covenant with God, God would abandon Israel as His trustees and Jerusalem would be totally destroyed. God gave conflicting views of the future to these three prophets for a reason; the future of the world would be determined by Israel’s behavior during the seventy weeks. If Israel cooperated with God during the seventy weeks by meeting the terms and conditions set before them, Plan B would not occur. Daniel’s visions and prophecies would be forever sealed up (remain meaningless). On the other hand, if Israel continued to rebel against His covenant during the seventy weeks, God would abandon them. He would start over by redefining the offspring of Abraham[10] as believers in Christ and Plan B would proceed unconditionally.[11]

As we study this prophecy, please keep three matters in mind: First, Plan A (the seventy weeks) and Plan B (the 2,300 days) start with the same date to rebuild and restore Jerusalem. This was necessary because only one plan would be implemented. Gabriel told Daniel, “Seventy weeks are determined or decreed for your people . . .” The Hebrew word for determined or decreed is chathak and it means to cut off; as in cutting off a piece of ribbon or cloth from a larger piece. In other words, the seventy weeks, which equals 490 years, are cut off of a larger time period – the 2,300 days. We know that Gabriel is talking about the 2,300 days because Gabriel said to Daniel in verse 23, “As soon as you began to pray, an answer was given, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the message and understand the vision.” Gabriel is talking about the vision previously given to Daniel recorded in Daniel 8.

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