70 Weeks of Daniel

[MacGyver]

I wrote this article recently

70 Weeks Chart - This chart has calculations from the Church Fathers and others

This prophesy is found in Daniel 9:21-27. It is a 490 year period that has led many scholars to go the great lengths to figure out exactly when it is. Some have thought that it is connected to the End Times, while others have figured that it has already been completely fulfilled.

The weeks are actually to be understood as a sabbatical measure of time in the Jewish calendar, which means that each week is a 7 year cycle (compare to Genesis 29:26-28 ).


Of all the commentators that I have researched on this passage, Theodoret of Cyrus provides the closest and most satisfactory explanation in my opinion. I have used his interpretation as a model for this critique, but I have some minor modifications that I have grafted in.





70 WEEKS CALCULATION IN BRIEF

The 70 weeks begins at the year of Artaxerxes somewhere around 465BC.

The 62nd week marked the time period around when the high priests were being appointed illegally and the death of John Hyrcanus II around 31BC. The calculation does not start here exactly at the death of Hyrcanus, but in this time period,so an exact calculation would be around 22BC.

The 69th week brings us to the Baptism of Jesus around 27AD.

The 70th week is broken up into two 3 and a half year periods. The first half is the 3 and half year ministry of Jesus until His Passion around 30AD, and the second half being the 3 and half year period of the Apostles establishing the Church starting in Jerusalem until around 33-34AD.

The abomination of desolations does not only pertain to the final week but also to the entire time until the end of the world (Daniel 9:27). Pilate brought images into Jerusalem in this time period, and the same kind of abominations will continue until the end of the world.





DANIEL 9:24-27 WITH COMMENTARY

note: This translation of the Scripture passage comes from the Greek Septuagint.

24 Seventy weeks have been determined upon your people, and upon the holy city, for sin to be ended, and to seal up transgressions, and to blot out the iniquities, and to make atonement for iniquities, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal the vision and the prophet, and to anoint the Most Holy.

70 weeks= 490 years: this began with Artaxerxes to the crucifixion of Christ and 3 and a half years beyond.

In this passage God allows Jerusalem to be rebuilt and a further set of years of living according to the Law. Here Jesus is referred to as Most Holy.




25 And you shall know and understand, that from the going forth of the command for the answer and for the building of Jerusalem until Christ the prince there shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks; and then the time shall return, and the street shall be built, and the wall, and the times shall be exhausted.

The 7 weeks and 62 weeks makes 69 weeks, in turn makes 483 years. This would bring us to the bapism of Jesus by John the Baptist.





26 And after the sixty-two weeks, the anointed one shall be destroyed, and there is no judgment in him: and he shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming: they shall be cut off with a flood, and to the end of the war which is rapidly completed he shall appoint the city to desolations.


"After the 62 weeks" takes us back 7 weeks from verse 25 which marks the end of when the high priests flourished and others were appointed illegally. This would bring us to Hyrcanus II, the last high priest of the Hasmoneans, whom Herod slew (31 BC). From this time period to the Baptism of Jesus is the period between the 62nd and the 69th week. and there is no judgment in him: And since those appointed illegally were called high priests, Daniel was right to say there was no judgment in him. If they are appointed but not anointed according to the Law, they take it upon themselves to act illegally. and he shall destroy the city and the sanctuary with the prince that is coming: The city will suffer and so will the illegal rulers who are to come; by the prince who is coming he is referring to the foreign kingdom and high priest.




27 And one week shall establish the covenant with many: and in the middle of the week my sacrifice and drink-offering shall be taken away: and on the temple shall be the abomination of desolations; and at the end of time an end shall be put to the desolation.

This one week/seven years, is the period of time beginning with the baptism of Jesus to that of the holy Apostles teaching in Jersualem after the Resurrection. The Lord preached for about 3 and a half years, and strengthened His disciples. But after the Resurrection, Ascension into Heaven, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the Apostles spent the rest of the three and half years preaching in Jerusalem, working wonders and guiding many thousands, and they imparted the new covenant and caused them to enjoy the grace of baptism.


The abomination of desolations is to be understood as something that took place and continues to take place even until the end of time. It is not to be understood as a one time event in the past or future. Pilate was responsible for such an offense according to Josephus (Ant. 18.55-59) and Eusbeius (Hist. eccel. 2.6.3-4).


And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: The new covenant will be given to the believers in this week, and He will fill them with all power. and in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease: sacrifice according to the law will come to an end when the true sacrifice of the innocent lamb, who takes away the sin of the world, is offered; when it is finally offered, the other will cease. And for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate: that is, that formerally venerable and fearsome place will be made desolate. A sign of the desolation will be the introduction into it of certain images forbidden by the law; Pilate was guilty of this by introducing into the divine temple by night the imperial images in violation of the law (according to Josephus Ant. 18.55-59 an Philo The embassy to Caligula 299-305). Read Philo and Josephus' quotes HERE


In case the Jews should think the divine temple would recover its former splendor and glory, he consequently added..

even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate: until the end of the age the consumation of the desolation will continue, undergoing no change.

70 Weeks Chart - This chart has calculations from the Church Fathers and others

[vinsight4u8]

You have missed the reason that Gabriel came to Daniel in chapter 9.

due to his supplications

Daniel was not praying to understand about the Messiah - as to when He was coming.

Daniel had been praying as to a he that would desolate Jerusalem - that Jeremiah had written about.
Jer. 25:11

Only a Babylonian king can fufill Daniel 9:27.

[vinsight4u8]

Daniel 9
due to his supplication

over the Jeremiah "he" shall desolate prophecy

70 weeks are determined

then notice how Verse 26 and Verse 27 both get mentioned as determined - yet have different endings

The final week is the determined time of the ac in it.

[Cyberseeker]

Hi MacGyver,

What you have here is good. The general understanding of the Church fathers is the conclusion I came to as well. 'Makes me feel good to know I'm in good company.

An important point you mention is how they connected the weeks to the Jewish sabbatic cycle. This is often overlooked and it is not often realised that the '70 weeks' were actually a continuation of other 490 year eras which had already gone before.

Only problem with your chart, If you don't mind me pointing it out, is that its hard to figure how to scroll it past the end of my screen. Maybe its just me but I couldnt read all of it.

Have a good Christmas.

[MacGyver]

Hi MacGyver,

What you have here is good. The general understanding of the Church fathers is the conclusion I came to as well. 'Makes me feel good to know I'm in good company.

An important point you mention is how they connected the weeks to the Jewish sabbatic cycle. This is often overlooked and it is not often realised that the '70 weeks' were actually a continuation of other 490 year eras which had already gone before.

Only problem with your chart, If you don't mind me pointing it out, is that its hard to figure how to scroll it past the end of my screen. Maybe its just me but I couldnt read all of it.

Have a good Christmas.

Thanks!

I agree about the chart being hard to figure out, your not the first to say that. But the way you scroll around the chart is to put your arrow on the page itself and left click and hold the button down and then move the mouse around and it moves the entire page wherever you want, kinda like putting your finger on the page and moving it except it is your mouse.

By the way you will notice that there are files attached to the church fathers on the chart, you can click onto those files and read what they actually wrote concerning the 70 weeks.

[MacGyver]

Hi MacGyver,

What you have here is good. The general understanding of the Church fathers is the conclusion I came to as well. 'Makes me feel good to know I'm in good company.

I always consult the Church Fathers, I love them!! They never let me down when I am studying Scripture. Glad to see others who see their value too!!

[MacGyver]

MacGyver

What bible translation are you using in your posts?

In your chart and in your thread it seems to have a Preterist overview, also because of the statement of “already been completely fulfilled.”

You said you were Catholic and I was wondering if this is the normal teaching of the Catholic Church?

I used the Greek Septuagint version of Daniel 9. As for the view that I have I am personally an Amillenialist for the most part. But in the first part of the article I mentioned that some have taken different postions on the 70 weeks, and one position is that it has been completely fulfilled. I do hold that position myself, but that does not mean that I am Preterist by any means, because being a Preterist means that you believe that all prophecy has been completely fullfilled, even the 2nd coming, and that is far from my belief. I personally believe that the 70 weeks of Daniel has been fulfilled, while the abomination of desolation is something that will continue to occur until the Antichrist, meaning that the abomination of desolation is not limited just to the 70 weeks nor is it a one time event.

[Cyberseeker]

OK, sussed how it works.

Your pop-up box shows Thedoret saying the final 3.5 years was from Christs death (April AD30) spanning the time the gospel was preached in Jerusalem. I agree.

But can you help with specifics? Is there chronological data anywhere (CF writings?) showing the end of the 'weeks?' For example, did the conversion of Cornelius mark the beginning of the gospel to the gentiles, and if so, was it October AD33?

[MacGyver]

OK, sussed how it works.

Your pop-up box shows Thedoret saying the final 3.5 years was from Christs death (April AD30) spanning the time the gospel was preached in Jerusalem. I agree.

But can you help with specifics? Is there chronological data anywhere (CF writings?) showing the end of the 'weeks?' For example, did the conversion of Cornelius mark the beginning of the gospel to the gentiles, and if so, was it October AD33?

Wow, you are looking for specifics that I am very hesitant to attempt, my calculations were attempts to be estimates due to that is how ancient history is recorded for us. Tertullian calculated very meticulously but he did not come to that conclusion.

[Cyberseeker]

Eusebius mentioned that the destruction of the temple occurred forty years after Christs death. His death was the day after passover, so it can be reliably dated at April AD30. (7th April if we want to be fussy)

So it is only a matter of adding 3.5 years to that - October AD33. Did Tertullian mention anything that might give ol' Cyberseeker his xmas present in 2008?

[DurbanDude]

Macgyver, this is a view I hold to:

I prefer to use a 365 day year , rather than the Jewish 360 day year. The reason is that Daniel himself regulary used the universal calendar system, rather than the Jewish calendar to date various events. 9 times in the book of Daniel, he dates events according to the reign of kings. This dating system was based on the passing of the seasons (solar calendar) , which are 365 day years.

In addition Daniel interprets Jeremiah, showing that the desolation of Jerusalem is for seventy years. The actual desolation of Jerusalem was for seventy years from a seasonal year perspective (solar calendar). If Daniel was using the Jewish calendar here, he should have said 71 years because Jerusalem was desolate for 71 Jewish years and 70 solar years.

Based on this dating system that Daniel himself used, I use the decree of Artaxerxes in 458 BC as the starting point. This decree was written to the administrators and treasurers of the Israel region, but only delivered (issued) to them in the autumn of 458 BC. Exactly 483 years later Jesus started His ministry, in the autumn of 26 AD. Then 3.5 years later, in the spring of 30 AD Jesus was crucified, putting an end to sacrifice and offering.

So from the issuing of the decree in the autumn of 458 BC until the last ever spiritual sacrifice for sin (the crucifixion) that occurred in the passover (spring) of 30 AD, was exactly 486.5 years long, exactly as predicted by Daniel.

Note in all these calculations, there is no year 0. Our calendar jumps from 1 BC to 1 AD.

Autumn of 458 BC to Autumn of 1 AD is 458 years
Autumn of 1 AD to Autumn of 26 AD is 25 years
Autumn of 26 AD to spring of 30 AD is 3.5 years


Knowing that there is a future period of 3.5 years continuously predicted in Daniel and Revelation, that starts with the abomination, I believe the last 3.5 years of Daniel's 70 sevens is still unfulfilled.

Also, more than half the translations separate the identity of the one who confirms the covenant to the one who sets up the abomination. These translations remain unexplained by most commentators on Daniel 9:27.

If there was a hugely significant event in the autumn of 33AD that is significant enough to end the 490 year period for the Jews, then I would agree with preterists, however there is no event that can be dated to the autumn of 33AD to finish this timeline as expected. Then if you understand the final 3.5 year period so often mentioned in Daniel and Revelation, you can see this is a period of special protection for the Jews, when the gentiles get the mark of the beast , yet somehow there are at least 144 000 Jews that have still been UNMARKED and yet do not know Jesus until right at the end of the tribulation when Jesus comes. Why is this, what deal have the Jews made with the beast whereby the Jews are exempt from taking the mark, and therefore have a salvation choice even right until the second coming. The 144 000 are only sealed (sealed means to receive the Holy Spirit) at the end. In Revelation 12 we know that there is this 3.5 year period of special protection over Israel, and yet persecution of the saints.

CONCLUSION:
a) We have 486.5 years of significance for the Jews , then the crucifixion opens the way for salvation for everyone, gentile and Jew. No significant event happens at the 490th year, in the autumn of 33AD, especially not on the scale of those events expected to conclude the 490 year period (Daniel 9:24)

b) Then we have a 3.5 year period of significance for the Jews where there can be no salvation for those marked by the beast, the saints are persecuted, yet Israel is protected from Satan during this period and many Jews become christians at the end of the tribulation. (Rev 12, Joel , Rev: 144 000)

Easy math, 486.5 years until the crucifixion....... then a huge time gap ........ then 3.5 years until the second coming

486.5 + 3.5 = 490 years

[Mark F]

Durban Dude,

Not pickin' on you I question this:

Based on this dating system that Daniel himself used, I use the decree of Artaxerxes in 458 BC as the starting point.

Does this decree include all the qualifying events?

Dan 9:25

“ Know therefore and understand,
That from the going forth of the command
To restore and build Jerusalem
Until Messiah the Prince,
There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks;
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times."

It is my understanding that Neh 2:8 is the only one that mentions both the city and the wall. Where is your reference?

[Mark F]

MacGyver,


In order for your theory to work you are taking the events of the
passage out of order.


9:26
After 62 (69 total, 7 first, then 62) Messiah is killed.

People of prince that shall come destroy the city and Sanctuary.

this is some 35-38 years later.

The end of the war and the awful things that happened to the Jews is
also mentioned. No mistaking that this is 70AD.


9:27
Then the mention of the week, taking away of the sacrifices and the AOD.


Where do you find the reason to insert this "week" between Messiah being
cut off and 70AD?



If Jesus is the one to make the covenant for one week did the Jews destroy the city and Sanctuary?

[Psalms Fan]

I agree that the 70 weeks were consecutive and not broken up by a gap, and that they were fulfilled at and around the time of Christ. Otherwise it is meaningless, and at worst a false prophecy (at best a prophecy that gives absolutely no consolation and gives no reference point for fulfillment).

Mark F, I disagree with you about the order of things.

Notice verses 24 and 25 and what events they cover. They both basically say the same thing, but in different words. Verse 24 tells us about the 70 weeks as a whole. Verse 25 tells us about the time period as well, but leaves out the last week. So verses 24 and 25 are parallel verses; they deal with the same thing.

Verses 26 and 27 are the same way. They both talk about the last week. Verse 26 refers to the last week by saying "after the sixty-two weeks" (which come after the first group of seven weeks). Verse 27 refers to the last week by saying that the covenant will be confirmed "for one week".

Notice also that the second half of both verses (26 and 27) give us some kind of result of that final week (and end, war, desolations, abominations).

So verses 26 and 27 are also parallel with each other. The first half of each touches on the final week, and the second half of each touches on what occurs after the last week.

So from verses 26 and 27 we know that the Messiah will be cut off (killed) during this week. We also know that he will confirm a covenant during this week, and that in the middle of it sacrifices and grain offerings will cease. Christ was put to death halfway through this final week, which, covenantally, put an end to the sacrificial system.

And the in the second half of both of those verses we come to the result of that final week: the destruction of the city and the temple.

Verses 24 and 25 are parallel and give an overview of the whole time period. Verses 26 and 27 are parallel in describing the 70th week and the disastrous results.

[Mark F]

Psalms Fan,

I agree that the 70 weeks were consecutive and not broken up by a gap, and that they were fulfilled at and around the time of Christ.

Then it failed.

“Seventy weeks are determined
For your people and for your holy city,
To finish the transgression,
To make an end of sins,
To make reconciliation for iniquity,
To bring in everlasting righteousness,
To seal up vision and prophecy,
And to anoint the Most Holy."

At the close of the 70 weeks all of these should have been fulfilled,
and I see sin all over the place.

Especially for the Jews seeing as the first sentence states this prophesy concerns them and Jerusalem.

Verses 24 & 25 say the same thing?

If this prophesy is fulfilled, when is the abomination of desolation that Jesus and Paul both literally referred to?