Daniel's Seventy Weeks

By Randall Price, Th.M., Ph.D.
World of the Bible Ministries, San Marcos, Texas

Daniel’s prophecy of the seventy weeks, Daniel 9.24-27, is in the portion of his book which reveals God’s divine program for the kingdoms of this world, chapters 7 -12. Finding Jeremiah had prophesied Israel’s exile would last for 70 years, Jeremiah 25.11,12 and 29.10, Daniel interceded for Israel in order to realize the fulfillment of the prophecy with the restoration of Jerusalem and the temple, Daniel 9.3-19. The archangel Gabriel was sent to explain to Daniel the “seventy weeks” of years, a total of 490 years, the time necessary to compensate for Israel’s violation of her sabbatical law, 2 Chronicles 36.21.

According to verses 25-27, this period is divided into three periods consisting of seven weeks, 46 years; 62 weeks, 434 years and one week or seven years. The time would not be completed until six restoration goals were realized, Daniel 9.24; including a time of tribulation for Israel, Daniel 12.1; see also Matthew 24.21; and the end of the Gentile world domination, Daniel 12.1; see especially 9.27, Matthew 24.31 and Luke 21.24,28.

Dispensationalists interpret the first 483 years, the first two periods, as being fulfilled before the death of the Messiah, Daniel 9.26. The remaining week of seven years, the seventieth week will end with the restoration of Israel. However, since this is to take place through Jesus the Messiah and since Israel as a nation rejected her Messiah at His first advent, this time has been postponed.

When the covenant is made between Israel and a coming Gentile ruler, the antiChrist, the temple will be rebuilt and the sacrificial system re-established. In the middle of this period, a profaning of the temple will force the cessation of the sacrificial system, Daniel 8.13.

Such a time is also identified with the unparalleled birth pangs of the End Times, known as the “time of Jacob’s trouble,” Jeremiah 30.7 and a “time of Trouble,” Daniel 12.1 in which the evil Gentile ruler, antiChrist, will blaspheme God and invade Jerusalem, Daniel 11.36-45. However, the antiChrist who has brought such desolation will be destroyed, 2 Thessalonians 1.6-10, 2.4-9; Revelation 19.19-21.

Jesus, Paul and John also saw the time of the seventieth week as an end-time judgment, closing with the regathering of Israel, the destruction of the antiChrist and the second advent of Christ, Matthew 24.15,21,29-31; 2 Thessalonians 2.4,8; Revelation 11.1-2, 12.6,13,14 and 19.19-21. The New Testament confirms the postponement of the seventieth week to the time of the Tribulation period by the patterning of the sequence of events of the Olivet Discourse and the judgment section of the book of Revelation, chapters 4 – 19, upon the seventy weeks prophecy.

There are those who deny a gap exists between the 69th and 70th weeks. They wrongly assert such a long prophetic postponement would be inconsistent with other passages of predictive Scripture. However, prophetic delays are really not uncommon at all. For instance, in some passages, both advents of Christ are mentioned practically in the same breath, yet we know an indeterminate period of time exists between them; for example, Genesis 49.10-12; 2 Samuel 7.13-16; Psalm 2.7,8 (see also Acts 13.33; Hebrews 1.5, 5.5); Psalm 22.1-31, 34.14,16; Isaiah 9.1-7, 11.1-2,11, 52.13 – 59.21, 61.1-11 (see also Luke 4.16-19 and 7.22); Joel 2.26 (see Acts 2.17); Micah 5.2-15; Zephaniah 2.13 – 3.20; Zechariah 9.9-10 and Malachi 3.1-3 and 4.5,6.

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Overview of Daniel's 70 Weeks - PDF
Daniel 70th Week