Are the 70 weeks of Daniel literal weeks? No, in bible prophecy
a day equals a year. Note the following two scriptures:
Ezekiel 4:6 ...'And when thou hast accomplished them, lie again on thy right side, and thou shalt bear
the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days: I have appointed thee each day for a year.'
Numbers 14:34 ...'After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day
for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of promise.'
One day in bible prophecy is one literal year. So let's calculate the 70 weeks. 70x7 = 490. So the 70 weeks = 490
prophetic days, but taking into account that a day = a year in bible prophecy, then this 70 weeks is actually 490 years.
Most bible scholars are in agreement that this time period is actually 490 years, not days. But when did this 490 years start?
Daniel 9:25 ...'Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build
Jerusalem.'
The seventy weeks prophecy of Daniel was to begin, as said in Daniel 9:25, at the command to rebuild and restore Jerusalem. When was this? Well,
there are four possible decrees. 1 - The decree of Cyrus in 536 BC (Ezra 1:1-4). 2 - The decree of Darius in 519 BC (Ezra 6:1-12). 3 - The first decree of
Artaxerxes in 457 BC (Ezra 7). 4 - The second commission of Artaxerxes (not really an official decree) to Nehemiah in 444 BC (Nehemiah 2). So which one
is the correct decree? There is a very sure way of knowing the correct decree and date for the starting of the 70 weeks prophecy.
Daniel 9:25 ...'Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem
unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the
wall, even in troublous times.'
As you can see, from the start of the 70 weeks, going forward 69 weeks, we should reach to 'MESSIAH the prince.' Who is that? Obviously none other than
Jesus Christ, the MESSIAH. And when was Jesus 'revealed' as the Messiah? At His baptism, when the Holy Spirit descended upon Christ and God the Father spoke from heaven
saying ... "this is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased" (Matthew 3:17). And Jesus was "ANOINTED ... with the Holy Spirit and with
power" (Acts 10:38).
So we just need to do some easy straightforward calculating to work this out. The seven weeks and
threescore and two weeks in Daniel 9:25 is 69 weeks, which amounts to 483 days. Now as we know a day in bible
prophecy = a year. So this 483 days is actually 483 years. So 483 years after the command to rebuild and restore Jerusalem, Jesus would be revealed as the Messiah.
This is the important bit as to know which command to choose:
If you choose the first command by Cyrus in 536 BC and take away 483 years, we come to 56 BC - many years BEFORE Christ even came.
If you choose the command by Darius in 519 BC and take away the 483 years, we come to 36 BC - again BEFORE Christ came.
If you choose the first command by Artaxerxes in 457 BC and take away the 483 years, we come to 27 AD - The year Christ was baptized and confirmed as the MESSIAH.
If you choose the second commission by Artaxerxes in 444 BC and take away the 483 years, we come to 40 AD - a number of years AFTER Christ had gone back to heaven.
Can you see there is only one decree which can be used that takes us to 'Messiah the Prince'? It is the first decree by
Artaxerxes in 457 BC.
So now you can see why the command by Artaxerxes in Ezra 7 HAS to be used, and even though we don't need any more confirmation that we are
using the right starting point with this command, God's amazing truth gives us even more confirmation. You see,
in Daniel 9:25, the angel Gabriel gives two time periods. One period of '7 weeks' and the other period of 'threescore and
two weeks'. A little bit more calculating to do! Seven weeks = 49 years (don't forget the day to year rule). From 457
BC (the second command), 49 years would take us to 408 BC. Is this date significant? Yes it is!! It is the date that
the restoration of the city finished! Then we have the threescore and two weeks which equates to 434 years. Now if we
take 434 from 408 BC (when rebuilding the city had finished), we come to 27 AD, Jesus' baptism! Friend, that is the
amazing truth of God right there! Praise God!!
Jesus Himself confirms that this time period from Daniels 70 weeks prophecy had been
fulfilled by Himself.
Mark 1:9-15 ...'And it came to pass in those days, that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and
was baptized of John in Jordan. And straightway coming up out of the water, he saw the heavens opened, and the Spirit like a
dove descending upon him: And there came a voice from heaven, saying, Thou art my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased. And
immediately the spirit driveth him into the wilderness. And he was there in the wilderness forty days, tempted of Satan; and
was with the wild beasts; and the angels ministered unto him. Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, THE TIME IS FULFILLED, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye,
and believe the gospel.' ... The time of the 7 weeks and the threescore and two weeks had been fulfilled. The voice from
Heaven was heard and Jesus Christ was revealed as the Messiah - THE SON OF GOD.
Now we still have one week left to account for in this 70 week prophecy. This is where a lot of Christians now cut off the
last week of this prophecy and place it future to us at the very end times. But as we confirmed earlier, this prophecy is
a continuous one. There is no scripture support to say we need to cut off the last week and place it somewhere in the future.
What many don't realize is that by cutting off the last "week" of the 70 and placing it in the future,
they are attributing the work of Christ on the cross to ANTICHRIST! What abomination, thanks to the Roman Catholic Church and her Jesuits who invented the
false futurist interpretation of this prophecy!
Daniel 9:26-27 ...'And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and
the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a
flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week:
and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of
abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the
desolate.'
Did you note the word 'after'? This is important to understand and we will discuss it further down, so make a mental note of it.
The confusion lies in the wording of the above verses. It starts with Christ being 'cut off' through His death on the cross. Then we see mention of the 'people of the prince to come'
who would 'destroy the city and sanctuary.' This is a clear reference to the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem in AD70. Then it says .. 'he shall confirm the covenant for one week.'
Now read carefully the above verses 26-27 again. You can see it starts with Christ. Then we get an 'interlude' with mention of the Roman army who would destroy the city, and then it
goes back to Christ. HE is the one mentioned as 'confirming the covenant', not a 'future antichrist.' The 'people of the prince' is just an interlude. The verses do NOT carry
on speaking of this 'prince', it goes back to Christ. This is the correct way to read the verses.
And notice is doesn't say 'he shall confirm A covenant.' It says 'he shall confirm THE covenant.' It is Christ who confirmed THE covenant.
Remember the word 'after'? Many wrongly believe that Jesus was 'cut off' on the cross at the end of the 69th week and then attribute the 70th week to antichrist. But if you read verse 26 you will see
that it says Jesus was cut off AFTER the 69th week. This means the cutting off of Christ did not happen anytime during the 69th week, but AFTER it. Which means
the cutting off of Christ happened DURING the 70th week, which is what verse 27 is talking about. Jesus is the one who confirmed the covenant and then in the 'middle' of the 70th week
('AFTER' the 69th) He was sacrificed for our sins and 'caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease.' This is all about Christ, NOT antichrist!
So after the baptism of Jesus (after the threescore and two weeks, which ended in 27 AD), it says that Messiah shall be
'cut off'. Now those words, cut off means to be killed. This can only point to the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross.
Notice in the verse it also says that it was NOT FOR HIMSELF that he was cut off (killed). As we know, Jesus died for
us to bare our sins. Now if you take this last week of this 70 week prophecy and put it in the future, then you are
denying that it is pointing to the cross of our Saviour, which it clearly is. So this last week of the 70 weeks prophecy
starts at the baptism of Jesus, and in the middle of the week, He would cause the sacrifice and oblation to cease. At the
cross, Jesus put an end to the priestly service, which included the sacrifice and offerings of animals for sins. The
middle of 7 years is 3.5 years. If you add 3.5 years to 27 AD, you come to 31 AD. This is the exact year of Jesus
sacrifice on the cross of Calvary. The great veil of the temple ripped in two, which symbolized the end of the sacrifice
and oblation (offerings).
But Jesus only 'confirmed the covenant' for 3.5 years. There is 3.5 years left of this 70 weeks of Daniel. After they killed Jesus on the cross, the Jews were given another
3.5 years to end their sin and accept Jesus as their Saviour. What an awesome God we have, who is full of grace! Christ confirmed the covenant for the first 3.5 years, and after His death and resurrection,
it was now the job of the apostles to continue preaching the gospel message to the Jews for the last 3.5 years.
Luke 24:46-47 ...'And said unto them, Thus it is written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to
rise from the dead the third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all
nations, beginning at Jerusalem.'
Romans 1:16 ...'For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek.'
Why to the Jews first? Why begin in Jerusalem? Because the Jews still had 3.5 years left to accept the truth of the gospel, which the apostles were now preaching.
Beginning at Jerusalem, the apostles were to continue the work of Christ and confirm the new covenant. So when did the Jews finally reject the gospel
message of Christ and when did this 3.5 years come to an end? Let us go back to Stephen's speech to the Sanhedrin:
Acts 7:54-57 ...'When they heard these things, they were cut to the heart, and they gnashed on him with their teeth. But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus STANDING on the right hand of God,
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man STANDING on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him
with one accord.'
Stephen had just given a speech about the gospel from the Old Testament scriptures to the Jewish leaders, and notice what happened. The Jewish leaders 'gnashed on him with their teeth.'
The truth that Stephen shared to them 'cut to their hearts' and they shut their ears to the truth and were angry with Stephen for the truth he shared. What happened next?
Stephen sees a vision of Christ STANDING at the right hand of God. Do you know what Jesus STANDING meant? Well, the Bible tells us that Jesus went back to heaven
to 'SIT at the right hand of God.' (Psalm 110:1, Matthew 22:44, Mark 16:19) so why did Stephen see Christ STANDING? If you read Daniel 12:1, we see that 'standing' is a
signal of the close of probation. So Christ, by standing in His vision to Stephen, was signalling the close of probation upon the Jewish nation. Not as individuals, but as a nation.
The Jewish leaders were no longer the representatives of God.
The Jews as a nation finally rejected the new covenant message and thus rejected Jesus and this fulfilled
the 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel. Paul himself, after becoming a follower of Christ, confirmed this ... Acts 13:46 ...'Then Paul and
Barnabas waxed bold, and said, It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye
put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles.'
The Jewish nation was no longer to be God's special light to the world. The gospel now goes to the Gentiles. The unfaithful Jews were cut off from the 'olive tree' and the Gentile believers were now 'grafted in.'
But isn't it interesting that Jesus told Peter to forgive 'seventy times seven.' Matthew 18:21-22 ...'Then came Peter to him, and said, Lord, how oft shall my brother sin against me, and I
forgive him? till seven times? Jesus saith unto him, I say not unto thee, Until seven times: but, Until seventy times
seven.' ... How amazing is the Word of God! Jesus confirmed the 70 weeks prophecy. Yes, individual Jews can still turn to Christ for salvation.
But as a nation, the 70 weeks prophecy confirms they are no longer God's special chosen people. ALL who are in Christ are now God's special
people.
Romans 2:28-29 ...'For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is
outward in the flesh: But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and
not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.'
Galatians 3:28-29 ...'There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither
male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs
according to the promise.'
The 70 weeks prophecy of Daniel confirms Christ as the Messiah and confirms the close of probation upon the Jewish nation. This means that all modern movements to 'restore' Israel
as a nation and as God's people is NOT of God. We MUST also learn the truth that probation is soon to close for ALL of humanity. Meaning we MUST SEEK THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND.
PROBATION IS SOON TO CLOSE - Please see our page SEEK THE LORD WHILE HE MAY BE FOUND
Also see our pages WHO IS TRUE ISRAEL TODAY? for more on Israel and our
2300 DAY PROPHECY OF DANIEL study in connection with the 70 weeks.
Acts 7:55-57 ...'But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up stedfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus STANDING on the right hand of God,
And said, Behold, I see the heavens opened, and the Son of man STANDING on the right hand of God. Then they cried out with a loud voice, and stopped their ears, and ran upon him
with one accord.'