“Daniel’s Prophecy of Seventy Weeks”
Daniel 9:20-27
Wayne J. Edwards, Pastor
Fulfilled prophecy is one of the seven irrefutable evidences of the divine inspiration of the Bible. Christians don’t believe in prophecy because it is contained in the Bible, but rather we believe in the Bible because it contains prophecy.
- Twenty-six hundred years ago, the Prophet Daniel was given the most comprehensive and detailed vision for the future of the Jews as well as the Gentiles.
- Daniel 9:20-27 is considered the “Spine” of all prophecies, because God gave Daniel the linear timetable of the who, what, where, and when of Biblical Prophecy.
- According to world history, Daniel’s prophecy regarding the “seventy weeks” is being fulfilled according to schedule and exactly as he prophesied.
- Therefore, the Bible in general, and the Book of Daniel, in particular is the only place we can turn today to find the absolute truth about the future.
Why the Bible is the only source of truth about the future:
- The Failure of Philosophy – apart from God, mankind cannot find the answers to the problems of the past and present, much less the future.
- The Trouble with Theology – while God has revealed Himself naturally and supernaturally, apart from knowing Him personally, we cannot know the truth about the future.
- The Sufficiency of Scripture – the Bible is not only God’s revelation of Himself to man but it is also the revelation of God’s plan and purpose for man, including the absolute truth regarding the future of man.
“There is only one place to look for a glimpse into our tomorrows,
and that is the Word of God who foretells the future with inerrant accuracy.
He knows the end from the beginning.”
David Jeremiah
The Seven irrefutable evidences of the divine inspiration of the Bible:
- The Bible’s Claim to Divine Authorship – no one has been able to refute that “holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
- The Unity of the Bible – even though it was written by 40 different authors over 1500 years, and in three languages, it tells one story from Genesis to Revelation.
- God’s Character – if only one inaccuracy can be found in the Bible, the very concept of God comes into question.
- Scientific Accuracy – while the Bible is not a science book, if it can be proven incorrect when it speaks of scientific issues, the rest of the Bible becomes untrustworthy.
- Archaeological Discoveries – no archaeological discovery has been made to disprove the Bible.
- Life-Changing Power – millions of people’s lives have been changed just by the consistent reading of the Bible.
- Fulfilled Prophecy – if only one prophecy can be proven inaccurate, the rest of the Bible becomes questionable.
In Daniel 9:24-27, the prophet recorded the revelation God gave only to him through the angel, Gabriel, regarding the future of the Gentiles, as well as the Jews.
Notice the three “specifics:”
- A specific period of time is decreed – seventy weeks – in Hebrew this means seven periods of seven years each or seventy weeks of years. Seventy times seven is 490 years: the amount of time in human history that God allotted for the Jews to accomplish their mission.
- A specific people are decreed – the Jews; the Hebrews, and the Israelites.
- A specific place is decreed – Israel – Jerusalem
Notice the six “assignments:”
- “To finish the transgression” – the day God’s people will no longer rebel against Him.
- “To put an end to sin” – the day God’s people will no longer desire to sin.
- “To atone for iniquity” – the day the sins of every man will be forgiven – their sin debt paid in full.
- “To bring in everlasting righteousness” – the day the Kingdom of God is upon the earth as it is now in heaven.
- “To seal up the vision and prophecy” – the day all of the biblical prophecies will be fulfilled.
- “To anoint the Most Holy” – the temple is rebuilt, the Aaronic priesthood is restored, and the “Most Holy” place is anointed, as it was in the Tabernacle and Temple.
Gabriel divided the 490 years into three periods:
- Verse 25 – “seven weeks” – 49 years – from the edict to rebuild Jerusalem until it was finished with squares, walls, and moat.
- Verse 25 – “sixty-two weeks – 434 years from the rebuilding of Jerusalem to the coming of the Messiah.
- 7 weeks, plus 62 weeks = 69 weeks, 483 solar years, or 476 calendar years.
- Counting forward 476 years from Nisan 445 BC, the month and year the edict was given, we arrive at 32 A.D, the very week Jesus entered into Jerusalem on a donkey.
- Verse 26 – the Messiah was cut off – Jesus was crucified, 40 years later the city and the temple were destroyed, and Jerusalem was filled with war and desolations.
- Verse 27 – “one week” – 7 years – the time of Tribulation is divided into two periods:
- The antichrist will allow the Jews to rebuild their temple and return to their sacrificial system of worship.
- “But in the middle of the week.” – the Antichrist will desecrate the temple and demand to be worshipped as God.
- All the nations of the world will come against Jerusalem, leading to the final phase of the “Gog-Magog War!”
- The Antichrist, and all of the enemies of Israel, will be destroyed by the return of Jesus Christ as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords, and we will reign with Him on this earth for 1,000 years, and in eternity forever.
