The Seventy Weeks of Daniel - When is the Last Week

The 70 Weeks of Daniel - When is the Last Week?

Taking a look at Daniel's 70 week prophecy,

at the end of chapter 9,

you will not find a 2000 year "gap" mentioned,

nor any division of "ages" or "dispensations".

*

In Daniel chapter NINE verses 24 - 27,

we read,

24 Seventy weeks are decreed
about your people and your holy city—
to bring the rebellion to an end,
to put a stop to sin,
to wipe away iniquity,
to bring in everlasting righteousness,
to seal up vision and prophecy,
and to anoint the most holy place.
25 Know and understand this:
From the issuing of the decree
to restore and rebuild Jerusalem
until Messiah the Prince
will be seven weeks and 62 weeks.
It will be rebuilt with a plaza and a moat,
but in difficult times.
26 After those 62 weeks
the Messiah will be cut off
and will have nothing.
The people of the coming prince
will destroy the city and the sanctuary.
The end will come with a flood,
and until the end there will be war;
desolations are decreed.
27 He will make a firm covenant
with many for one week,
but in the middle of the week
he will put a stop to sacrifice and offering.
And the abomination of desolation
will be on a wing of the temple
until the decreed destruction
is poured out on the desolator."

( HCSB )

You will likely find some of this hard to understand.

As do all bible scholars 

when it comes to the exact meaning of each Hebrew word in this passage.

Most bible scholars would agree the 7 x 70 weeks refers to 490 years.

Referencing how long it would be until the Messiah would come.

Namely after the 7 weeks + 62 weeks which works out to 483 years.

And that is He "cut off" sometime after the 62nd week.

Possibly in the middle of the last week ( the last 7 year period ).

The total period of time is 70 weeks ( 70 x 7 ) or 490 years.

 

I would add the fact 

that the passage does not justify

the common "theory"

that a whole age,

meaning the "Church Age"

or the "Dispensation of Grace"

must be INSERTED between the 69th and 70th week.

But that is what you'll hear many people teaching.

Usually because that is what they were taught.

It's not because the scriptures teach it, 

as can be seen when plainly reading the passage

without any preconceived notions.

One of the biggest "debates" in this passage,

is the question of WHO is the one making ( or confirming ) a covenant,

whether it is Christ 

or the antichrist.

I believe it is Christ.

He put an end to the need for sacrifice and offering 

because He was the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.

And the veil in the temple to the holy of holies was torn in two when he died on the cross.

You can see this mentioned in Matthew 27:51

Many believe His ministry lasted 3 1/2 years.

That would put His crucifiction in the middle of the last week

Which is the last 7 years of the 490 year prophecy.

And it is proposed that the early church grew in Jerusalem

for 3 1/2 years after Christ's death and resurrection,

until the stoning of Stephen.

see Acts chapter 7.

And in Acts chapter 8 verse 1 we read,

On that day a severe persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, 

and all except the apostles 

were scattered throughout the land of Judea and Samaria. 

It was after this dispersion of the early church 

that you will see the sharing of the Gospel with the non-Jewish peoples of the world.

That is when some believe the 490 years ended, 

and in less than 40 years later, 

in 70 A.D, 

the temple would be completely destroyed.

And this destruction is foretold in Daniel 9:26.

The exact date of the Decree

which is the starting point for counting the 490 years,

The exact years of Jesus ministry, 

( When it began and how long it lasted )

And the exact year of the stoning of Stephen 

are all facts you will find to be 

highly debated by bible historians.

I've spent a lot of time researching these topics, 

and I believe Satan has done a good job at confusing this issue.

The best research I've come across so far concerning these dates

can be found in the book 

by Dr. Floyd Nolen Jones,

"The Chronology of the Old Testament"

see: pages 236 - 240 in the 2004 copyrighted text.

He references many of the great bible historians,

and provides lots of reasons for his 

"best guess" dates.

The following is my current "best guess" 

for the possible dates 

as they relate to Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy,

That the "word" or "decree" was issued in

454 B.C. by Artaxerxes, 

see Nehemiah Chapter 2 verses 1 - 8.

And 483 years later,

At the end of the 7 + 62 weeks of years,

we see the baptism of Jesus,

in what could be the Fall of 29 A.D. 

Signifying when Jesus was identified as the Lamb of God 

who takes away the sins of the world.

Luke 3:22 we read:

and the Holy Spirit descended on Him 

in a physical appearance like a dove.
And a voice came from heaven:
You are My beloved Son.
I take delight in You!

3 1/2 years later the Messiah is Cut off

When Jesus is cruxified in the Spring of 33 A.D.

and it's possible the end of the 490 years expired

in the Fall  of 37 A.D. 

with the Stoning of Stephen

Again, if you do some research on these dates, 

you will find others proposing slight different Years.

I've seen the years 30 A.D, 

32 A.D,

33 A.D. and 34 A.D. 

all asserted as being the year of Christ's Cruxification.

Again, Satan seems to have gone to great lengths to "muddy the waters"

on this issue. 

And God has allowed the exact dates to be less than clear.

Possibly because He knows how man loves to Speculate and Predict 

what God has planned.

For now...

Don't get too hung up on these historical dates,

What really matters for us 

at this point and time,

is the future return of Christ.

Whether it be in our life time, 

or some future generation.

AND there are plenty of clear scriptures that will help us 

KNOW when the End Times are TRULY upon us.

Therefore, I'd like to close 

with 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, 

verses 5 - 11

5 For you are all children of light, children of the day. 

We are not of the night 

or of the darkness. 

6 So then let us not sleep, 

as others do, 

but let us keep awake and be sober. 

7 For those who sleep, 

sleep at night, 

and those who get drunk, 

are drunk at night. 

8 But since we belong to the day, 

let us be sober, 

having put on the breastplate of faith and love, 

and for a helmet the hope of salvation. 

9 For God has not destined us for wrath, 

but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, 

10 who died for us 

so that whether we are awake 

or asleep we might live with him. 

11 Therefore encourage one another 

and build one another up, 

just as you are doing.

( ESV)

So, until next time -

Keep studying your Bible,

and ask the Father to teach you through His Holy Spirit.

AMEN

Youtube video version = https://youtu.be/NDY9ZpYwqrc

--

Saved by Grace,

Andrew Cross

"Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for He who promised is faithful. 

And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 

not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, 

but exhorting one another, 

and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

Hebrews 10:23-25

YouTube channel = We belong to the Day