End Times Truth

Prophecies of the Second Coming of Christ

  • Home
  • About
  • Contact
  • Search
  • End Times News
    • Israel News
    • Middle East News
    • Terrorism News
    • New World Order and Globalism
    • European Union News
    • Smart Card News
    • Biometrics & Identification Technology
    • RFID & Surveillance Technology
    • Nuclear Weapons and Advanced Military Systems
  • Escape to Safety
  • The Bible
  • Principles of Prophecy
    • The Test of a Prophet
    • The Purpose of a Prophet
    • Visions of the Future
  • Israel
    • The Blessing and Curse
    • The Scattering of Israel
    • The Scattering of Judah and Jerusalem
    • The Final Scattering of Israel
    • The Regathering of Israel
    • Gathered in Unbelief
    • Prophecies of 1948
    • Restored with Fury
    • Trembling and Fear
      • Wars and Battles of Israel
    • Success Teetering On the Brink of Disaster
    • The Palestinian Problem
    • Daniel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks
      • The Start Date for the Seventy Weeks
      • Calculating the Time of Messiah
      • Daniel’s Seventieth Week
  • New World Order
    • Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
    • The Final Empire
    • Daniel’s Four Beasts
    • The Dreadful and Terrible Beast
    • The Beast with Seven Heads and Ten Horns
    • The Empire-Beast Arises
    • The Empire-Beast Today
    • Rise of the European Community
    • A New World Order Arises
    • The Group of Seven
    • Globalist Movements
  • The Antichrist
    • The Persona of Pride
    • The Antichrist is Revealed
    • The Second Beast of Revelation
    • Power, Signs, and Wonders
  • Mark of the Beast
    • Branded for Death
    • The Cashless Society
    • Plastic Money
    • Electronic Funds Transfer
    • A Wired Society
    • ATM and POS
    • Rise of the Internet
    • The Identification Problem
    • Smart Cards
    • Biometrics
    • RFID
    • The Final Mark
    • Surveillance and Control
  • 666
    • The Number of the Beast
    • The Imagery of 666
    • Barcode Technology and 666
    • Security Permissions Setting 666
  • World War III
    • The Abomination of Desolation
    • The Time of the End
    • The Attack of Russia
    • The Battle Begins
    • The Attack of China
    • Nuclear War and the Great Tribulation
    • The Effects of Nuclear Weapons
      • The Mushroom Cloud
      • The Fireball and Thermal Pulse
      • Firestorms and Conflagrations
      • The Blast Wave
      • Radioactive Fallout and Clouds of Dust
      • Ozone Depletion
  • Return of Christ
    • The Seventh Trumpet
    • Christ’s Predictions
    • The Sign of the Son of Man
    • The Testimony of the Disciples
    • In the Twinkling of an Eye
    • The Trumpet Sounds
    • Delivered from God’s Wrath
    • The Witness of the Old Testament
    • The Importance of Knowing When
  • Kingdom Age
    • The People of the Kingdom
    • The Redemption of Israel
    • Israel in the Kingdom
  • End Times Chronology
    • The Sign Posts of History
    • Israel in the Last Days
You are here: Home / Israel / Daniel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks
post

Daniel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks

The Archangel Gabriel, by Titian - WikipediaTo fully comprehend what will happen to Israel at the end of the age, it is critically important to read and interpret an amazing prophecy from the book of Daniel. Without this one prophecy, God’s dealings with Israel as explained in the Bible could not be completely understood. In fact, if this prophecy was overlooked or ignored, many of the other prophecies dealing with the end times would become obscure or impossible to interpret. Although it is brief and pertinent, Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks contains a tremendous amount of important information that actually helps make many other prophecies fit together to create a coherent picture of the last days. In just a few short verses found within the ninth chapter of Daniel’s book, the Lord gives us what is possibly the most significant prediction concerning Israel within the entire Bible. Not only does this prophecy give us an understanding of where Israel is headed in our day, but it also provides a framework into which the whole of end times prophecy can be placed.

In the opening verses of Daniel chapter 9, the prophet is portrayed as having read from the writings of his earlier but still contemporaneous prophet, Jeremiah (see Daniel 9:2 and Jeremiah 25:8-11). Daniel clearly knew of the importance of being aware of the other writings of the prophets. He also wanted to understand God’s plan for Israel, but he realized that he couldn’t possibly know everything on his own. For instance, even though Daniel lived through Israel’s destruction and scattering as the result of the Babylonian attacks, he didn’t realize until after he had read Jeremiah’s words that the Lord had promised that a remnant of believers would be allowed to return to Israel at the end of 70 years.

So fascinated was Daniel at discovering this information that he sought the Lord with great prayer and supplication in hope that God would reveal additional details of this prophecy. After Daniel had prayed and confessed his own sin and the sin of his people, the angel Gabriel came to him with a message directly from the Lord. This is what Gabriel said:

“Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

“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.

“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 of it 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 desolator.”

Daniel 9:24-27

This is an incredible prophecy with wide-ranging implications for the future of Israel and the world. It turns out that Gabriel revealed to Daniel much more than what he had ever dreamed of asking from God. Ironically, the angel didn’t tell him any more details about the 70 year period governing the scattering and captivity of Israel by Babylon, but he did reveal an exciting new prophecy involving the number 70. Gabriel talked to Daniel in this prophecy about a broader period of “Seventy Weeks”, which God has set aside for all his remaining dealings with the Jews.

The proper interpretation of Gabriel’s entire message hinges on an understanding of what that one distinctive phrase in this prophecy really means: Seventy Weeks. The most crucial fact to understand is that the word translated as “week” in the English translations of the Bible is in reality the Hebrew word for “seven”. In other words, Gabriel was not just describing a period of 70 weeks as some translations from the Hebrew would lead us to believe, but something much different. Daniel literally was told that 70 sevens would be the length of time given for all of Israel’s future destiny to be fulfilled.

The Prophet Daniel, by Michelangelo - WikipediaIn reality then, this prophecy involves a time period totaling not just 70 weeks, which would translate into only about 1.3 years of linear time, but a period representing seventy sets of seven. The important question now becomes, What does the number seven refer to? Most people believe—and rightly so—that this term indicates a period of seven years, which is a length of time often used in the Bible to divide important periods in Israel’s life or an individual’s life within Judaism. For instance, the Sabbath years or Shemitah years that occur every 7 years and the Year of Jubilee that occurs every 49 years, which is equal to 7 x 7 Shemitah years, marked Israel’s long-term calendar. Using this representation, the prophecy would deal with a total time period of seventy times seven years, which is certainly far different than the Seventy Weeks indicated in most English Bible translations.

If this interpretation is used to analyze the entire prophecy, then the angel’s words actually describe Israel’s future over the course of a 490 year period (70 × 7 years = 490 years). Thus, to paraphrase the words of Gabriel in this prophecy, Israel has been given precisely 490 years to bring an end to their transgressions, stop the cycle of sinning, make reconciliation for their transgressions, inaugurate righteousness in the land, fulfill all the prophecies dealing with the Jewish people, and anoint the Most Holy.

Note: It is also important to realize that the reason given in the Bible for the Babylonian captivity lasting 70 years is that Israel failed to observe the Shemitah Sabbaths for the previous 70 times they were supposed to have occurred (2 Chron. 36:21; Jeremiah 25:11). The Shemitah was commanded by God to be observed every 7 years, and it consisted of one full year in which the land would be allowed to rest from planting crops. It was a Sabbath for the land. Thus, prior to the Babylonian captivity there was a period of time equal to 70 x 7 years, for a total of 490 years, that Israel refused to perform the Shemitah as required by the Law of Moses (Lev. 25:4). To make up for this deficiency, God said that their exile from the land would last 70 years to allow the land to rest for the 70 times that the Jews did not follow this law. Thus amazingly, there was a 490 year period prior to the captivity that was calculated by 70 x 7 Shemitah years; which was followed by a 70 year rest of the land during the Babylonian captivity; and then there is predicted in Daniel’s prophecy to be a final 70 x 7 = 490 year period as revealed by the angel Gabriel that would occur after the captivity. This is such amazing time symmetry within an incredible God-inspired book!

The fact that there is a time limit at all placed upon Israel’s chances to be reconciled brings to mind how God had said through Moses that his Spirit would not always strive with man (Gen. 6:3). According to the prophecy of the Seventy Weeks, there is a definite time period set aside by the Lord to end this current period of sinfulness and to bring everything to an end. This time limit and final day of reckoning will first and foremost apply to the nation of Israel, but as we will see, it will also correspond to the final judgment of the world. Thus, Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks says that not only are the Jews under a mandate to repent and turn back to God—a mandate that will not last forever—but they are actually given a specific number of years in order to accomplish it. At the same time, the world is given the same number of years to turn from sin and be saved before the last day arrives.

It is also interesting to note that in order to come back to God, the final act that Israel must fulfill before this period ends is to “anoint the Most Holy”. When Jesus came the first time, Israel rejected their Savior and condemned Him to death. During the last week of Christ’s life, He walked out of the temple buildings in Jerusalem and warned all of Israel:

“Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.”

Matt. 23:39

To get right with God, the Jews must first receive the Messiah that they rejected almost 2,000 years ago. Everything that is happening to the State of Israel and the Jewish people today is meant to lead them to this day of destiny and redemption. The Bible predicts that Israel will in fact receive their Savior in the last days. According to the Book of Revelation, they will finally turn to Christ in faith just before the darkest days of The Great Tribulation (also known as The Time of Jacob’s Trouble), and they will be rescued from the attacking evil armies of Armageddon by their Conquering King, Jesus, at the moment of the Second Coming.

However, this brings up an important question with regard to Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks: It has been almost 2,000 years since Jesus was crucified and over 2,500 years since Daniel first wrote down this prophecy, so how does a time period of only 490 years fit into this equation? Let’s find out by looking at the prophecy in more detail.

Next: The Start Date for the Seventy Weeks

 

Recent News and Posts on End Times Prophecy

Destruction in Raqqa from the Syrian conflict

Russia, Iran, and Israel Battle for Military Advantage in Syria

The very nations that are predicted in the Bible to fight within the Middle East at the Time of the End now battle for military advantage in Syria.  Throughout 2018, Iranian forces have been setting up bases in Syria, and several times they have prompted Israel to respond militarily. On May 10th, during the early […]

The Flag of Israel

Israel’s 70th Anniversary

Israel’s 70th anniversary has occurred, which memorialized and celebrated their sudden rebirth as a nation on May 14, 1948.  Israel’s rebirth was the most momentous prophetic fulfillment in recent history as they became an independent nation again in their former homeland against all odds. After being scattered throughout the world since their rejection of Christ […]

The Destruction in Aleppo, Syria

The War in Syria and the End Times

The war in Syria that began in 2011 as a civil war between government forces and various factions seeking to overthrow the Assad regime, has now become a battleground for many opposing forces. The Israeli Ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, previously revealed to the UN Security Council that Iran had amassed a surrogate […]

President Trump, statement on Jerusalem, 12-7-2017, Wikipedia image

Chaos in Wake of Trump’s Recognition of Jerusalem

A massive, Hezbollah-inspired protest involving tens of thousands of Lebanese and Palestinians occurred in Beirut shortly after Trump announced he would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem. The protesters could be heard chanting that America was “the Great Satan” and Israel “the little Satan”. The Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah gave a speech at the rally […]

Trump to Recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s Capital

President Trump said this week that the U.S. for the first time now fully recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, and he also said that he will order the State Department to move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem from Tel Aviv.  Trump had promised since the presidential campaign in 2016 that he would move […]

Will there be a Russian-Turkish-Iranian alliance?

The rise of a radical-Islamic Iran combined with a growing authoritarian regime in Turkey that is now leaning away from NATO and toward Russia, and the renewed presence of Russia throughout the Middle East are all forces that are leading to an unlikely alliance between these three nations.  The prospect of a Russian-Turkish-Iranian alliance is […]

Can North Korea Bring the World to the Brink of Nuclear War?

The North Korean News Agency released dozens of photos and videos this week of their latest ICBM launch, including pictures of Kim Jong Un laughing and celebrating at the success.  The North Korean missile launch was far larger and more powerful than previous ones they have launched in the past.  Experts believe that this missile […]

Israel Vows to Destroy Iranian Positions within 40 km of Syrian Border

Syrian President Bashar Assad reportedly offered Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu a comprehensive deal that would include a Syrian demilitarized zone stretching 40 kilometers into Syria from its border with Israel.  This unprecedented move presumably resulted from Israel threatening to destroy all Iranian and Iranian-backed military forces and facilities within 40 km (25 miles) from […]

World War III Scenario: Israel ‘fires warning shot’ at Syria for ‘violating ceasefire agreement’

Israel’s armored forces fired a warning shot at the Syrian military operating near the Golan Heights for violating the 1974 ceasefire agreement, a source from the country’s defense forces has claimed. During the current crisis in Syria, the Russian-backed Syrian military forces have repeatedly attempted to encroach upon Israeli territory. As tensions rise throughout the […]

Hezbollah the Focus of Lebanon’s current crisis

The Lebanese militant group Hezbollah is at the center of the recent crisis that has gripped Lebanon and rattled a region already rife with conflict.  The old rivalry between the Shiites and the Sunnis has resulted in a brewing battle between Iran and Saudi Arabia.  The conflict between the Iranian-backed Shiite Hezbollah militant group and […]

Recent In-Depth Articles on End Times Prophecy

Painting of the Temple, by the Temple Institute

Israel in the Kingdom

One of the first events predicted to occur in the early years of the Kingdom Age is the fulfillment of the final ingathering of all the scattered Jews back to the land of … [more]

resurrection, end times, last days, Israel, redemption of Israel, raising the dead

The Redemption of Israel

Two of the most important events for the Jewish people that are predicted to occur near the start of the Kingdom Age include the redemption of Israel and the restoration of … [more]

Largest ozone hole over Antarctica, NASA and NOAA image, Wikipedia

Ozone Depletion

In the previous sections, we have seen that everything the Bible describes as being a characteristic of the Great Tribulation also correlates precisely to what is now expected … [more]

Chagan Nuclear test, Russia

Radioactive Fallout and Clouds of Dust

Scorpions of Death As we have seen in previous sections, one of the main consequences of a nuclear explosion happening at or near ground level is that millions of tons of … [more]

Firestorms and Conflagrations

The Trumpet Judgments In the book of Revelation, the Apostle John records terrible visions of nuclear weapons causing vast destruction at the end of the age through the … [more]

The Tsar Bomba nuclear fireball

The Fireball and Thermal Pulse

Although the formation of a mushroom cloud has become the most recognizable feature of a nuclear explosion (see previous section), it is actually not the generation of smoke … [more]

Truckee Nuclear Explosion

The Mushroom Cloud

The effects of nuclear weapons have been studied extensively since the initial use of atomic bombs upon Japan in 1945. As the pillars of smoke rose above the decimated cities … [more]

Licorne Nuclear Explosion, French Polynesia test site

Nuclear War and the Great Tribulation

Fire, Smoke, and Brimstone The Battle of Armageddon is predicted to be the last and greatest conflict of mankind. Even the non-believing world has adopted this Biblical term … [more]

End Times Truth Site Map

  • 666
    • The Number of the Beast
    • The Imagery of 666
    • Barcode Technology and 666
    • Security Permissions Setting 666
  • Contact
  • End Times News
    • Israel News
    • Middle East News
    • New World Order and Globalism
    • European Union News
    • Smart Card News
    • Biometrics & Identification Technology
    • RFID & Surveillance Technology
    • Nuclear Weapons and Advanced Military Systems
    • Terrorism News
  • End Times Truth Home
  • Search
  • The Bible
  • About
  • Kingdom Age
    • The People of the Kingdom
    • The Redemption of Israel
    • Israel in the Kingdom
  • Principles of Prophecy
    • The Test of a Prophet
    • The Purpose of a Prophet
    • Visions of the Future
  • Israel
    • The Blessing and Curse
    • The Scattering of Israel
    • The Scattering of Judah and Jerusalem
    • The Final Scattering of Israel
    • The Regathering of Israel
    • Gathered in Unbelief
    • Prophecies of 1948
    • Restored with Fury
    • Wars and Battles of Israel
    • Trembling and Fear
    • Success Teetering On the Brink of Disaster
    • The Palestinian Problem
    • Daniel’s Prophecy of the Seventy Weeks
    • The Start Date for the Seventy Weeks
    • Calculating the Time of Messiah
    • Daniel’s Seventieth Week
  • New World Order
    • Nebuchadnezzar’s Dream
    • The Final Empire
    • Daniel’s Four Beasts
    • The Dreadful and Terrible Beast
    • The Beast with Seven Heads and Ten Horns
    • The Empire-Beast Arises
    • The Empire-Beast Today
    • Rise of the European Community
    • A New World Order Arises
    • The Group of Seven
    • Globalist Movements
  • The Antichrist
    • The Persona of Pride
    • The Antichrist is Revealed
    • The Second Beast of Revelation
    • Power, Signs, and Wonders
  • Mark of the Beast
    • Branded for Death
    • The Cashless Society
    • Plastic Money
    • Electronic Funds Transfer
    • A Wired Society
    • ATM and POS
    • Rise of the Internet
    • The Identification Problem
    • Smart Cards
    • Biometrics
    • RFID
    • The Final Mark
    • Surveillance and Control
  • World War III
    • The Abomination of Desolation
    • The Time of the End
    • The Attack of Russia
    • The Battle Begins
    • The Attack of China
    • Nuclear War and the Great Tribulation
    • The Mushroom Cloud
    • The Fireball and Thermal Pulse
    • Firestorms and Conflagrations
    • The Blast Wave
    • Radioactive Fallout and Clouds of Dust
    • Ozone Depletion
  • Return of Christ
    • The Seventh Trumpet
    • Christ’s Predictions
    • The Sign of the Son of Man
    • The Testimony of the Disciples
    • In the Twinkling of an Eye
    • The Trumpet Sounds
    • Delivered from God’s Wrath
    • The Witness of the Old Testament
    • The Importance of Knowing When
  • End Times Chronology
    • The Sign Posts of History
    • Israel in the Last Days
  • Escape to Safety

Escape to Safety in the End Times

The Bible provides the only solution to the evil of this world. While the world is heading for a judgment day as a result of sin and rejecting God's love through Christ, an individual can escape that fate through a simple act of faith. In fact, you can be as certain of making it through the end times and of being saved from judgment as the Lord's predictions are assured of coming true. For those that can see the truth in God's Word through prophecy, know also that the Bible provides a simple and guaranteed alternative to judgment, which is vital for every person to understand. Read more...

Bible verse of the day

Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began.
2 Timothy 1:9
DailyVerses.net
   

Michelangelo, Christ at the final judgment

Bible Copyright Notices

Biblical quotations used throughout this web site may come from one of several authoritative translations:

1. THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.™ Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.

2. The New Scofield Reference Bible, Authorized King James Version, Copyright 1967 by Oxford University Press, Inc. Bible text in public domain.

3. The King James Version of the Bible, in the public domain.

4. NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE®, Copyright © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by The Lockman Foundation. Used by permission.

 

Back to top Arrow, white

 

Copyright © 2019 End Times Truth