Part 11

Chronologically Dating Daniel’s “Seventy Weeks” Prophecy

 

Below we have the timeline of Daniel’s “Seventy Weeks” prophecy. It dates the coming of the Messiah and several significant items to be noted in order to properly understand “the last days.”

·         “21Yes, while I (Daniel) was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel (the Lord’s messenger)… said, O Daniel, 22I am now come forth to give you skill and wisdom and understanding. 23 At the beginning of your prayers, the word [giving an answer] went forth, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore consider the matter and understand the vision.

·         “24SEVENTY WEEKS (70 weeks of 7yrs = 490 yrs of Israel under Gentile rule) are determined upon thy people (Israel) and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem), to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation (justice) for iniquity (by the cross), and to bring in everlasting righteousness (in the Kingdom), and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

·         25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to (re)build Jerusalem unto (the presentation of) the Messiah the Prince shall be SEVEN WEEKS, THREESCORE AND TWO WEEKS AND (plus then) the street ( Jerusalem ) shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

(7 weeks of 7yrs = 49 yrs PLUS 62 weeks of 7yrs = 434 yrs … for the Grand Total of 483 YRS)

·         26 after (the) threescore and two weeks shall MESSIAH BE CUT OFF (killed), but not for himself (not for His own sin but “for the sin of the world”)…and (in 70 AD) the people of the prince (Rome under the Antichrist spirit) that shall come, shall DESTROY THE CITY and THE SANCTUARY; and the end thereof shall be with a flood (overwhelming deluge of judgment), and unto the end of the war desolations (devastations) are determined.

The preceding events have already happened. Now the prophecy moves to things yet to come.

·         27 And he (the Antichrist) shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (7 years): and IN THE MIDST OF THE WEEK (at 3-1/2 yrs) he (Antichrist) shall cause the (Temple) sacrifice and the oblation (offerings) to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate (waste), even until the consummation (the end of the age), and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” (Daniel 9:24-27)

·         “from the time that the DAILY ( Temple ) SACRIFICE SHALL BE TAKEN AWAY (by Antichrist), and THE ABOMINATION that MAKETH DESOLATE set up (a speaking image of Antichrist in the Temple , cf. Rev 13:15), there shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days 13 “until the end…” (Daniel 12:11, 13)

Daniel 9:24-27 and 12:11-13 record prophecies of events to be understood by in their chronological order.

1.      First, Gabriel tells Daniel of “the vision” referring to a total of “70 Weeks” of years (490 years), which begins with the edict to rebuild Jerusalem and ends with the events of the awful last 7 years that we call – The Tribulation period.

2.      The 490 years is interrupted at year 483 with the presentation and death of Jesus of Nazareth on Palm Sunday as the Prince to be “cut-off” (v 26). In Hebrew the word is “karath,” literally meaning “executed.”

3.      A Biblical prophetic “week” is a “week of years.” In Hebrew a shabua or shabu’im is 7 years.            

4.      Dan. 9:27 mentions a coming period of severe Jewish persecution that begins in the “midst” of the final Seventieth Week of seven years and continues to the “end” of the Week. This period is obviously the three and one-half years of the Great Tribulation.

5.      As we will establish herein, a Biblical prophetic year is 360-days. The Biblical calendar uses a 360-day lunar years and then adds a “Leap Month” on specific years so as to coincide with the Solar cycle we use on the ‘Gregorian’ calendar we use today.

6.      The easiest way to unravel this Bible prophecy is to first convert the prophecy years into DAYS.

7.      We must let the Bible interpret itself in terms of the length of a Biblical prophetic year. A Biblical prophetic Year can be defined by noting that Dan 7:24-25 speaks of a “king,” the same is the Roman Prince of 9:26, Antichrist. It says he will persecute Israel for “a time (1) and times (2) and the dividing of time (1/2)” - in the Aramaic this is “three and a half times,” or as we will see, 3-1/2 years. Then Rev. 13:4-7 speaks of the very same great political Ruler and his persecution of the Jewish “saints” lasting “forty and two months” (v5). Rev. 12:13-14 refers to the same persecution, stating the duration in the exact terms of Dan. 7:25 as being “a time and times and half a time.” This period is further defined in Rev. 12:6 as “a thousand two hundred and three score (1260) days.” Thus we have the same period of time variously stated as 3 ½ times (years), 42 MONTHS, OR 1260 DAYS.  It is clear then that the length of a Biblical prophetic month is 30 days and Biblical prophetic month year is set as 360 days.

Knowing this, we can now better compute the years involved to arrive at the dates of these prophesies; 1) Jesus’ presentation to the world as the Israel ’s Messiah/King’s at His entry into Jerusalem , riding on “a donkey,” and 2) the time of His death, and 3) the time of the 2nd destruction of Jerusalem ’s Temple .

1. We first can add the 7 weeks and 62 weeks of Daniel 9:24 = 69 weeks of years.

2. Multiply the 69 weeks x 7 days and we get 483 days. Each of the 483 days is for a year, as we see by Numbers 14:34. Thus we get of the prophecy

3. Knowing 1260 days (Rev 12:6) is the same as 42 months (Rev 13:5), we then know each month is 30 days and each year is 360 days.

4. By multiplying 483 years by 360 days, then “Daniel’s 70 weeks” vision covers 173,880 DAYS.

So, the prophet Daniel, who lived 500 years before Jesus, wrote that from the day King Artaxerxes gave the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls, unto the coming Messiah would be 173,880 days!

We can convert the 173,880 days of the Daniel’s prophetic vision into Gregorian calendar years by dividing 173,880 days by the 365.25 days of a Gregorian year (the .25 adjusts for leap years). This results in 476 Gregorian calendar years…which EQUALS 483 Biblical Prophetic Years.

Here is a brief detailed summary of the items we are concerned with in Daniel 9:24-26. It says “Messiah the Prince” (9:25) will be revealed after 7 weeks + 62 weeks, or 69 “weeks of 7 years,” or 483 Biblical prophetic years, when King Artaxerxes would give the “commandment to restore and to (re)build Jerusalem ,” with its “walls.” Then 173,880 days later the Messiah will “be CUT-OFF (executed!),” but “NOT for Himself,” that is not for His sins (9:26). Being sinless, Jesus died as the sacrificial perfect “Lamb of God” for “the sin of the world.”

This is a detailed prophecy whose timing may be interpreted by simply calculating the years. The prophet Daniel wrote that it would be 476 Gregorian years, or 483 Biblical Prophetic years, from the time of Artaxerxes’ commandment to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls unto the time the Prince/Messiah would first be revealed to Israel by His entry into Jerusalem , “riding on a donkey”

From: March 14, 445 B.C., King Artaxerxes’ “commandment” to rebuild Jerusalem and its walls.

To: April 6, 32 AD (Palm Sunday), the 10th of Nisan, is when the Messiah would be welcomed as King is 477 years Gregorian calendar years.     

Now we must deduct 1 year from the 477 years because we can’t count “0” as a year, we can only count complete years. This result in 476 years on the Gregorian calendar we use today. As we’ve already proven, 476 365.25 day Gregorian calendar years equals 483 360-day Biblical Prophetic years.

·         King Artaxerxes Commandment (Edict): This prophecy of the coming Messiah is both remarkable and extremely precise. There were other orders to rebuild the Temple , but, there was only one commandment to restore both Jerusalem and its wall.  On March 14th, 445 BC, as confirmed by modern archaeology, King Artaxerxes I of Persia issued the edict to rebuild Jerusalem and specifically included its walls (Neh. 2:2-9). The book of Nehemiah records an account of rebuilding the city and its wall, at length.

·         The Prophecy fulfilled: Now take the 483 Biblical Prophetic years (476 Gregorian calendar years) in this prophecy and simply count from March 14, 445 B.C. when the “commandment to rebuild the city Jerusalem and its wall” was given. This brings you to the exact year and the very day that Jesus rode “triumphantly” into Jerusalem “riding on a donkey.” Jesus was praised as King by thousands upon thousands of Israel ’s faithful people who had gathered from all over for the Passover. This was exactly as the prophet Zechariah said Messiah would. “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion ( Israel )! Behold, your King (and Messiah) is coming to you; He is just and having salvation, yet HE IS LOWLY and RIDING ON A DONKEY.” (Zechariah 9:9.)

On the 10th day of Nisan, which is April 6, 32 AD, 476 Gregorian years (483 Biblical prophetic years) after the commandment was given to rebuild the city and its wall, Jesus made this “triumphal entry” into Jerusalem , “riding on a donkey.” The people of Israel cried out and sang what is spoken of in David’s Psalm 118; “Hosanna to the Son of (King) David (this is a Psalm of the coming Messiah), blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD!” (cf. Mark 11:8-10). This took place just a few days before Jesus of Nazareth was “cut-off” or “executed,” exactly as Daniel’s prophecy said He would. It was what we call “Palm Sunday,” April 6, 32 AD, when Jesus was presented and welcomed as Israel ’s King and Messiah. This was the only time that Jesus of Nazareth ever allowed Himself to be honored as the Messiah/King. Who but Jesus of Nazareth has fulfilled all these prophecies in 32 A.D?  Know this; God always keeps His prophetic word. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, came to earth in His 1st coming about 2,000 years ago exactly as promised, literally fulfilling hundreds of prophecies.

Peter wrote to “the circumcision (Israel)” to whom he was sent (cf. Gal 2:7, Mat 10:5-6) concerning “THE LAST DAYS” saying, “… there shall come in THE LAST DAYS scoffers, walking after their own lusts (desires), 4 And saying, WHERE IS THE PROMISE OF HIS COMING...? Peter then writes of these willingly ignorant “scoffers”…“perishing” in the coming judgments (2Pet 3:3-6). This is similar to the scoffers who mocked Noah before the flood, who being warned did not heed the words of warning of coming flood of judgment.

We must realize that more than 75% of the Bible is devoted to and concerns God’s calling and eternal plan for the Nation Israel and their part in the eternal Kingdom of God to come on earth. Jesus’ disciples inquired and He taught them repeatedly about the long prophesied coming “ Kingdom of God ” during His ministry on earth. In fact, after His resurrection, Jesus spoke almost exclusively of “the Kingdom of God ” for 40 days, just before His ascension to heaven. “he (Jesus) shewed himself alive after his passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them FORTY DAYS and speaking of the things pertaining to THE KINGDOM OF GOD ” (Act 1:3).

The angel Gabriel came to Joseph confirming Isaiah’s prophetic words (Isa 7:14) of the Messiah’s birth. “…a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, GOD WITH US. (Matt 1:23) Jesus was Israel ’s long awaited Messiah, the “King of the Jews.” As prophesied in Daniel 9:25, the Messiah/King actually first came to make sacrifice of Himself, giving His “life for the sin of the world.” Jesus entered Jerusalem and offered Himself in the year and on the exact day that Daniel had foretold. Calculating from the Luke’s Gospel Jesus entered Jerusalem the 10th of Nisan, which is the Gregorian date of April 6, 32 AD. (See chart: Daniel’s 70 Weeks (490 Years) of Israel Under Gentile Rule)

Note that Israel was warned in Daniel 9:26 that the rebuilt Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple (the “Sanctuary”) would be destroyed again AFTER the Prince/Messiah was “cut-off” (executed). The rebuilt city and its temple were in fact rebuilt as seen in Nehemiah, and in fact they were destroyed again in 70 AD by the Roman General Titus, under the Roman Emperor Vespasian.

In the verses of Daniel’s 70 weeks prophecy concerning judgments to come upon the people of Israel , the city of Jerusalem (Dan 9:24) will be under Gentile rule. Israel shall be under Gentile rule for the duration of 490 years, but not all in succession. This does not count the years of Israel scattered.

Daniel’s prophecy covers six things with regard to Israel and Jerusalem.

  1. Solomon’s Temple and the Jerusalem with its walls had been totally destroyed 142 years before Nehemiah began to rebuild Jerusalem , its walls and sanctuary.
  2. The 490 years commenced with the rebuilding of the Temple in 445 BCE (v25) as authorized by King Artaxerxes Longinus of Persia .
  3. On Palm Sunday April 6, 32AD Jesus of Nazareth’s made an open presentation (v25) as “Messiah the Prince,” the King of the Israel ; this was 483 Jewish years from the Edict to rebuild.
  4. After the first 483 years, Messiah would be “cut off (killed)” (v26).
  5. After the first 483 years, in AD70, Jerusalem and the Temple were destroyed again (v26).
  6. The Seventieth Week of Seven Years does NOT immediately follow the first sixty-nine weeks of years. An interruption came by Israel ’s rejection of Christ... and God’s interjection of Paul’s Christ-given ministry of “the dispensation of the grace of God… for the Gentiles” (Eph 3:1-2).
  7. After the Rapture of the Gentile “body of Christ” the false “prince,” the “Antichrist” will come.
  8. The Tribulation begins with Antichrist covenanting with Israel to defend them, thus begins the 3-1/2 year, or 42 month, or 1260 day, “Great Tribulation,” but at mid-week (at 3-1/2 years) he’ll break that covenant (Daniel 9:27).

To date sixty-nine “sevens” of years (483 years) of Daniel’s prophesied 490 years have been completely fulfilled. Having completed 483 years, only one week of years (7 years) remain. We call this “Daniel’s 70th Week.” This will complete the 490 years that the Angel Gabriel spoke of to Daniel (Dan 9:21, 24). The 70 weeks of years was interrupted by Israel ’s fall and scattering, and the establishment of “the dispensation of the grace of God” (Eph 3:2) for the Gentile “body of Christ.” The remaining “70th week” of Israel under Gentile rule, includes the final 3-1/2 years, the “Great Tribulation,” leading to Christ’s 2nd coming.

Before Jesus of Nazareth ascended into heaven from “the Mount of Olivet,” He told His disciples He was going away to “prepare a place” (John 14:1) wherein “the twelve” will sit “twelve thrones” when the literal Kingdom comes down from heaven to earth. (Rev. 3:12, 21:2).

Relating to His return with the Kingdom, Jesus gave the parable of Luke 19:12 wherein “A certain noblemen” left His servants to “receive… a Kingdom” and then “return.” Christ is that “noblemen” who supplied his “citizens ( Israel )” all they needed and then He went to a far country (heaven). Christ will “return” a 2nd time with the “kingdom” for His faithful servants.

“(Jesus) said therefore, A CERTAIN NOBLEMAN (JESUS) went into a far country (Heaven) to RECEIVE FOR HIMSELF A KINGDOM, and TO RETURN. 13 And he called his ten servants (“ten” represents the fullness of Israel ), and delivered them ten pounds (“all” they needed), and said unto them, OCCUPY (in righteousness) TILL I COME. 14 BUT HIS CITIZENS ( Israel ) HATED HIM, and sent a message after him, saying, WE WILL NOT HAVE THIS MAN TO REIGN OVER US.

15 And it came to pass, that when he was returned, HAVING RECEIVED THE KINGDOM, then he commanded these servants to be called unto him, to whom he had given the money (the valuable gospel of the Kingdom), that he might know how much every man had gained by trading (investing the kingdom). (Luke 19:12-15)

By this parable the Lord was metaphorically indicating that He wouldn’t be setting up His Kingdom immediately during His 1st coming, not in the way the people expected, but that He would be leaving soon to be made King and then return with the Kingdom. When He returns a 2nd time He’ll reward His followers, punish His enemies, and then He will establish His Theocratic Millennial Kingdom on earth. 

As the “noblemen” noted in the parable of Luke 19:12-15, Jesus did instruct Israel ’s Messianic believers to preach the “gospel of the kingdom” until the end of the age, when He would return (Matt 24:14). They were to make “kingdom” disciples (Matt 24:4), baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything that He had commanded, until His return (Matt 28:20). But what did they do to Jesus? They crucified the King, rejecting Him and the word of His Kingdom. “The Twelve” were faithful to proclaim and offer “the kingdom” for a brief time in the early Acts period, but of course the leaders of the Nation Israel continued to rebel, stoning Stephen to death while he yet spoke as the witness of the Holy Spirit (Act 7:51-59). These “citizens ( Israel )” were in effect saying “We will not have this man (Jesus) to reign over us.” (Luke 2:14).

Though Israel failed by rejecting Jesus and His offer of the Kingdom through the Apostles the 1st time, preaching the “gospel of the kingdom” will be fulfilled by believing men of Israel in the Tribulation, then to receive Him in His 2nd coming to start the Millennial Kingdom. Israel then will, as “priests of God” fulfill God’s words that Abraham’s seed shall rule and “bless all nations (Gentiles)…all the families of the earth.”

With the stoning of Stephen (Acts 7:58-59) we have the last straw in Israel ’s rebellion. Though being the Lord’s chosen elevated people (Exo 19:5), Israel long rejected the Lord, killing His prophets. Then they crucified Jesus of Nazareth, and stoned Stephen to death; these acts are the equivalent of “three strikes and you are OUT.” Thus Paul writes of Israel as “fallen” (Rom 11:11-12). God then interrupted Israel ’s prophetic program when Israel was thereby “blinded” (Rom 11:25a). The promise of the coming Kingdom on earth was set aside for a time. “… BLINDNESS IN PART IS HAPPENED TO ISRAEL , UNTIL the FULNESS OF THE GENTILES BE COME IN” (Rom 11:25).

After Stephen’s stoning, the Lord Jesus appeared to and saved Saul of Tarsus, later to be called by His Greek name, Paul. Paul was called by the ascended Lord and to be the Lord’s “Moses to the Gentiles.” Paul was sent as “THE Apostle to the Gentiles (Rom 11:13)” with a new pure grace gospel that he called “the mystery (“secret,” see below)” and “the gospel of the grace of God” (Acts 20:24). “Now to him that is of power to stablish you according to MY (Paul’s) GOSPEL, and the preaching of Jesus Christ, according to the revelation of THE MYSTERY (secret plan of God), which WAS KEPT SECRET SINCE THE WORLD BEGAN” (Rom 16:25).

Thus Israel ’s prophetic program has been interrupted with the heretofore “secret,” therefore unprophesied, Gentile age of grace to last for an unknown duration. Paul’s “my gospel,” is his “gospel of the uncircumcision” (Gal 2:7) that had been “kept secret since the world began,” until Jesus revealed it first to Paul (Gal 1:12).

It is according to Paul’s gospel that we of the church today look for and have the “hope” (confident expectation) of the Rapture of “the body of Christ.” After the Rapture of “the church, which is body of Christ” (Eph 1:22b-23a), the Lord will pick up where He left off with Israel ’s prophetic program. This restart will begin with the judgments and wrath of the Tribulation, to be followed by the Millennial Theocratic Reign of Christ on earth.

Jesus of Nazareth prophesied that “signs” and circumstances would characterize His return at “the end of the age.” Since Jesus’ crucifixion, at least two Biblical prophecies have been fulfilled; 1.) Jerusalem and Herod’s Temple was destroyed in 70AD (cf. Dan 9:26, Matt 24:2, Mk 13:2, Luk 19:44, 21:6); and 2.) Israel was restored as a nation on May 18, 1948, as prophesied in Ezekiel 39:27 and Micah 5:3.

But there are still several Bible prophecies remaining to be fulfilled before the world comes to Daniel’s 70th Week. These prophesied events must occur before Daniel’s 70th Week of Tribulation.

1. Before the Rapture of “the church which is body of Christ” and 7-Year Tribulation Judgments, the Bible says there will be the War of Gog & Magog. This war will be an attack on the nation of Israel by an alliance of Russia , Turkey , Iran , and several other Arab nations who will be drawn into battle, only to be then thwarted by divine intervention on Israel ’s behalf.  We see this war beginning to take shape at this very moment on the nightly news. Ezekiel chapters 38 and 39 give us a very clear and detailed description of this imminent war known as The War of Gog & Magog. (http://www.arewelivinginthelastdays.com/article/gogmagog/gogmagog.htm)

2. The Rapture of the mainly Gentile “church which is His body” will conclude the Gentile age of “the grace of God” (Act 20:24). This simultaneously marks the turning of God back to His plan for Israel , which during this time is yet set-aside. In the Book of Revelation we see God’s restart of Israel ’s program, with judgment, and then blessing upon those who believe (trust in Christ).

3. The rise of a world religious superpower in league with Antichrist: It is known as “Mystery Babylon the Great, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS” is prophesied (Rev 19:7–8). Israel is Christ’s virgin bride, while the “harlot” represents a false church pointing the world to Antichrist, not being faithful to Christ. This wealthy superpower religion will exercise authority and influence over the whole world to worship the Antichrist and take his “mark”… until it is destroyed by a conspiracy headed by the Antichrist.

4. The rise to power of Antichrist’s Kingdom (Dan 7:23-25, cf. Rev 17:9-16): “(Antichrist’s) coming is after THE WORKING OF SATAN with all power and signs and lying wonders, 10 with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because THEY RECEIVED NOT THE LOVE OF THE TRUTH, THAT THEY MIGHT BE SAVED. 11 for this cause God shall send them strong delusion. Antichrist’s kingdom will dominate the whole world by force after the religious system called “Mystery Babylon the Great, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS” is destroyed. Antichrist will be a powerfully successful and at his peak he will be worshiped by most of the people of the world. His signing a covenant with Israel begins the 70th Week.