Daniel's Seventy Weeks and the Coming of the Messiah
Did you know that God gave an explicit timeline for the Jews and Jerusalem? Did you know that in that timeline God gives the exact date for the arrival of the MESSIAH/SAVIOR approximately 530 years earlier?
God does not want us to be ignorant of or mystified by His Word. He does not give cryptic prophecies and vague illustrations, as man-made gods do. God is very explicit with all aspects of His Word. And if a prophecy is bewildering, He always explains it to those whom it concerns.
Daniel’s Vision of Seventy Weeks:
24 “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.
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.
26 “And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
27 Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
But in the middle of the week
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.” – Daniel 9:24-27
Now allow me to break this down:
The word “Week” in Hebrew is שְׁבוּעַ, (shabua) meaning: a period of seven (days, years), heptad, week.
Daniel is speaking of 70 7-year periods, also remember the Jewish year is a based on the lunar calendar (~360 days per year), which adds to 490 lunar-years total.
Verse 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 (483 lunar years);
The street shall be built again, and the wall,
Even in troublesome times.
We know from Nehemiah 2, that the decree to rebuild Jerusalem was given in the month of Nisan in 20th year of Artaxerxes around 445 BC. Note: Previous decrees were given by the other kings but they were for the Temple only.
From the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the Messiah is 483 lunar-years. But since we run off of solar years and BC and AD are based on solar years, we must convert it:
Math ahead! Skip down to dotted line, if you wish.
There is an average of 29.5 days per Lunar-month; round to 30 days per 12 months = 360 days per Lunar-year.
483 (L-years) X 360 (Days in a L-year) = 173,880 Days
173,880 (Days) / 365 (Days in a S-year) = 476.3 Solar years
Thus the Messiah will come 476 Solar-years after the decree.
………………………………………………
From the decree to rebuild Jerusalem to the Messiah is 483 lunar-years or 476 solar-years.
Doing further math (Don’t skip this one): Nisan, First month of the Jewish Calendar, of 445 BC + 476 solar years = Nisan of 31 AD.
Daniel was given a vision showing that the Messiah would come in the year 31 AD and be killed not for His own sake.
Verse 26 → “And after the sixty-two weeks (476 S-years)
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
These are provable facts: In the year 31 AD of the month of Nisan, during Passover, Jesus Christ entered Jerusalem, then was cut off (executed, crucified), but not for Himself (His sins, but ours).
Do you know of any other Messiah that came in 31 AD?
Of Daniel’s timetable for Jerusalem and her people, he divides it into two parts, 69 (7 + 62) weeks and 1 week. What is in-between those years is the Church Age, AKA the Mystery in Romans 11:25. Note: I do not believe in Replacement Theology, I am not replacing the Jews or Israel.
This last week of 7 years is the Great Tribulation, spoken of in the latter chapters of Daniel, and Matthew 24 & 25, and Revelation.
Verses 26-27 →“And after the sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself;
And the people of the prince (The Antichrist) who is to come
Shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end of it shall be with a flood,
And till the end of the war desolations are determined.
Then he (Antichrist)shall confirm a covenant with many for one week (7 lunar year);
But in the middle of the week (3 ½ years)
He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate,
Even until the consummation, which is determined,
Is poured out on the desolate.”
Verse 14 → “Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city,… And to anoint the Most Holy…
At the end of Daniel’s 70 weeks, i.e. the End of the Tribulation, (Revelation 19) Jesus returns, conquers the Antichrist, and is anointed King of Kings, and Lord of Lords.
Conclusion:
~530 years BC, the Messiah was prophesied to come in the year 31 AD during Passover.
Jesus Christ came in the year 31 AD during Passover.
Jesus Christ is Son of God, meaning He is all powerful, and He is Son of Man, meaning He is the only one who can pay the price of Adam’s and our sins.
Have you ever accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, and repented of your sins?
I don’t mean ‘believe in Jesus’ even the demons believe in Jesus, you have you reach out and take God’s offer of salvation!
If you have accepted Jesus, the Bible says you have ETERNAL LIFE ahead of you, immeasurable gifts from God, a position to reign under Christ, and peace of mind and heart.
But! If you do not accept Him the bible says, you will be cast into Hell, into ETERNAL FIRE and separation from God. Completely alone, listening to your own cries of pain and your own conscience that is screaming at you all the things you did wrong in this life. Hopeless to escape. Eternity of suffering.
One person put it something like this: If you take every horrible thing committed on earth and every ounce of suffering, pain, and illness and heaped it on one man, that would be a paradise compared to Hell.
I don’t say this, God does. And before you think of God is a mean, angry God remember this:
HE’S TELLING YOU SO YOU DON’T HAVE TO GO THERE!
He’s a righteous judge telling you to accept His amnesty before you are strapped into the electric chair and fried for eternity.
Think about it. It's no gamble, you will go to either Heaven or Hell, base on your decision in this current life.
