DANIEL'S PROPHECY OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS A Term Paper Presented to Dr. T.M. Strouse In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for Completion of BI 416 Prophecy by Curtis LaRue Cantrell April 1989 As one looks into the prophecy of Daniel's seventy weeks, he finds that the above statement is in fact a conclusive observation. This particular prophecy is probably more crucial in the field of Biblical apologetics than any other single prophecy. As mentioned by Alva J. McClain, "The prophecy of the Seventy Weeks has an immense evidential 1. value as a witness to the truth of Scripture." Denial of the inspiration of the Bible has become widespread. This is greatly due to a lack of teaching the prophecies of Scripture. Prophecy gives the clearest and most conclusive evidence that the Bible is the inspired and infallible Word of God. As it will be seen, the first 69 weeks of the prophecy has already been accurately fulfilled. It is in fact nothing more than a simple mathematical equation. The prophecy itself is found in Daniel 9:24-27. However, before attempting to interpret it, the circum- stances surrounding the prophecy must be taken into consideration as background in order to make sure the inter- pretation is in proper context. First, the prophecy was given at a time of great pre- plexity in the mine of the prophet Daniel. Daniel was a great student of the Word of God, and in verse 2 of chapter 9 it is read the Daniel "understood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet, that he would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." From this Daniel knew that the 2. Babylonian captivity was almost over. It began in 606 B.C. when Daniel was a young man, and now 68 years of the 70 years had past. However, on the other hand Daniel under- stood the vision of the four wild beast and the vision of the ram and the he-goat. Through these visions he had learned that there would be a long period of dispersion for the people of Israel. How was Daniel to reconcile in his mind that there was only two years remaining until the climax of the captivity, and yet before the people of Israel could be restored to their land, according to the visions, there would have to come and go four world empires. At the time the prophecy of the 70 weeks was given only Babylon had risen and fallen. The thing Daniel was going to have to learn was that the seventy years of captivity was only a type of a longer dispersion that was going to last seven times as long. Next, there are several very obvious things that must be observed from the prophecy itself. The points to keep in mind are as follows: 1. The whole prophecy is about Daniel's people and Daniel's city. That is to say, the nation of Israel and the city of Jerusalem. This is found in verse 24. No where is there found any thing in reference to the gentile people. This prophecy is to and about the Jewish nation. 2. There are two different princes mentioned in the prophecy. One is called "Messiah the Prince." This is found in verse 25. The other is described as the "Prince 3. that shall come," and this prince is mentioned in verse 26. These two Princes are two different people and should not be confused one with the other. 3. The sum of the time-period detailed is enumerated as Seventy Weeks. This is pointed out in verse 24. It is further seen that these seventy weeks are subdivided in three minor periods. The first is a period of seven weeks. The second is a period of three-score and two weeks, and the last is a period of one week. 4. The beginning of the entire seventy weeks starts at the "going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem". If the time that this took place can be obtained then the beginning date of the prophecy can be known. 5. The event that will mark of the end of the seven weeks and threescore and two weeks will be the appearance of Messiah the Prince of Israel. This is in verse 25. 6. At some time after the threescore and two weeks Messiah the Prince will be cut off and Jerusalem will be destroyed by the people of the other prince, the prince who is to come. The destruction of the city and the temple is found in verse 26. 7. The last week will commence after these two eminent events, and at the establishment of a covenant between the prince to come and many of the Jewish nation. The confir- mation of this covenant is described in verse 27. 8. Then in the middle of the last week he will cause the 4. Jewish sacrifices to cease, breaking his covenant with the people. Then he will pour out upon the people a season of wrath and indignation that will last until the consummation or end of the week. 9. Lastly, it must be kept in mind why this prophecy is given to the nation of Israel. From verse 24 it is seen that the reason is sixfold, as follows: 1. To finish the transgression, 2. To make an end of sin, 3. To make reconciliation for iniquity, 4. To bring everlasting righteousness, 5. To seal up the vision and prophecy, and 6. To anoint the most Holy. The 70 weeks are determined upon the nation in order that these 6 distinct things be accomplished. After considering these preliminary details, one must ask several important questions about the prophecy. The first question is, what is the measure of time designated by the "weeks" of the prophecy? To the English reader, week means only one thing, 7 days. Yet, the Hebrew words translated "seventy weeks" in the authorized King James version should be more precisely understood as "seventy sevens." The following is noted by one commentator. The word "week" is used because we have no word in the English language that is the exact equivalent of the Hebrew word which signifies seven, and the translators of our King James version used "week" instead of "sevens." 2. Thus, after understanding that the Hebrew word shabua means seven, it is seen that the precise reading of the 24th verse simply declares that "seventy sevens are deter- mined." Now the meaning of these sevens must be determined 5. from context and from other Scriptures. In determining what is meant by the seven, it must first be noted that the Jews had a seven of years as well as a seven of days and that the week of years was just as prominent to the Jews as the week of days. Secondly, the prophet Daniel had been thinking in terms of years and more specifically in a definite multiple of sevens, as seen in Daniel 9:1-2. Next, it can be observed that if the sevens were speaking of days that the entire prophecy would only last for 490 days or a little over a year. That would mean that the city would have to be rebuilt and then destroyed in that small time, which historically has not happened. Lastly, outside of this prophecy the Hebrew word shabua is only found in one other place in the book, Daniel 10:2-3, "In those days I Daniel was mourning three full weeks." "Now, here it is perfectly obvious that the context demands `weeks' of days, for Daniel would hardly have fasted twenty-one years! And signifi- cantly, the Hebrew here reads literally `three sevens of days.' Now, if in the ninth chapter, the writer intended us to understand that the `Seventy Sevens' are composed of days, why did he not use the same form of expression adopted in chapter ten? The quite obvious answer is that Daniel used the Hebrew shabua alone when ref- erring to the well known `week' of years, a cust- omary usage which every Jew would understand." 3. Thus, through every rational and sound rule of interpre- tation, the seventy sevens must be understood as seventy sevens of years, or 490 years. The second question that needs to be answered is, what are the length of the years? There are many different calendars from nation to nation, and each one has years of 6. different lengths. If the exact calculation of the prophecy is to be known, then the length of the years must also be known. If this information was not furnished by the inspired Word of God then it would be impossible to come up with a correct answer. However, there is verification to show that the prophetic years are composed of 360 days. First, it can be argued historically. In Genesis 7:11 it is recorded that the flood began, on the seventeenth day of the second month, and according to Genesis 8:4, it came to an end on the seventeenth day of the seventh month. This is a time interval of exactly five months. Now look in Genesis 7:24 and 8:3. The length of the same interval is given in terms of days, 150 days. Here in this example is the length of the earliest known Biblical year. Twelve of these months would give a 360 day year. Secondly, it can be argued prophetically. In Daniel 9:27 the Bible mentions a time of persecution that begins in the "midst" of the 70th week and last until the "end". This period last for three and one half years. Daniel 7:24-25 also speaks of the same Roman prince and the persecution. However, there the time is referred to as "a time and times and the dividing of time." If the time is understood as one and times is understood as two then the dividing of time would be understood as one half. Thus, here again is the three and a half years. In Revelation 13:4-7 the great political ruler and the persecution of the Jews is again found. In this reference the time is referred to as "forty 7. and two months." In Revelation 12:6 the time period is referred to as "a thousand two hundred and three score days", or 1260 days. Here in the Scripture is the same time period expressed in three different ways, 3 1/2 years, 42 months, and 1260 days. It is apparent that the length of the prophetic year is 360 days. The next question to be asked is, when did the time period of the seventy weeks begin? The 25th verse of chapter 9 tells that it started at "the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem." The ques- tion is then, when was such a commandment given? There are several times after the Babylonian captivity that commandments were given to return to Jerusalem for the rebuilding of the temple, yet there is only one commandment that satisfies the prophecy. That is the commandment of Artaxerxes Longimanus to Nehemiah. In Nehemiah 1:1-4 and 2:1-8 it should be noted that the concern is for the city. Now this date, as sighted by Sir Robert Anderson in his great work, "can be definitely ascertained- not from elabo- rate disquisitions by biblical commentators and prophetic writers, but by the united voice of secular historians and 4. chronologers." The Encyclopaedia Britannica even dates the accession of Artaxerxes as 465 B.C. The book of Nehemiah states that in the twentieth year of his reign the commandment was given. That would be 445 B.C. Again, Sir Robert Anderson asserts, "The Persian edit which restored the autonomy of Judah was issued in the Jewish month of Nisan, 8. but no other day being named, the prophetic period must be reckoned, according to a practice common with the Jews, from the Jewish New Year's Day. The seventy weeks are therefore to be computed from the 1st of Nisan 445 B.C.... And accordingly the 1st Nisan may be assigned to the 14th of March." 5. Thus, it is clear that the beginning date of the prophecy was 14 March, 445 B.C. This now leads to the issue, when did the first 69 weeks end? The Scripture tells that the first 69 weeks of the prophecy will last "unto Messiah the Prince." In order to find the date, an event in history that would satisfy these words will have to be determined. The Gospel narra- tives gives only one event that would qualify as fulfilling the condition "unto Messiah the Prince." That event was the day of the triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem. Throughout the ministry of Christ, he had shunned all public recognition as the Messiah. In fact, at times, He even told his disciples not to make him known, yet at this time the Lord accepted the praise of the crowd. It was the day that Messiah the Prince would come into the city as prophesied by Zechariah. Again here is the chronological calculations of Sir Robert Anderson. "In accordance with the Jewish custom, the Lord went up to Jerusalem upon the 8th Nisan, `six days before the Passover.' But as the 14th, on which the Paschal Supper was eaten, fell that year upon a Thursday, the 8th was the preceding friday. He must have spent the Sabbath, therefore, at Bethany; and on the evening of the 9th, after the Sabbath had ended, the supper took place in Martha's house. Upon the following day, the 10th Nisan, He entered Jerusalem as recorded in the Gospels. The Julian date of that 10th Nisan was Sunday 9. the 6th April, A.D. 32." 6. Now in order to see whether the two events afore men- tioned are in fact the beginning and ending events of the first 69 weeks, a mathematical equation must be worked out. There are 69 weeks of 7 years each. These contain 360 days. Therefore, the equation would be 69 x 7 x 360 = 173,880 days. Now, to match this number of days against the time between March 14, 445 B.C. and April 6, A.D. 32, there are a couple of factors that must be concedered. First, from 1 B.C. to A.D. 1 is not two years, but one. 1 B.C. should be referred to as 0 B.C. The next detail concerns the number of leap years between the two dates in question. A.C. Gaebelein has meticulously reckoned in his book the time elements involved. "As the Julian year is 11 m. 10.46 s., or about 129th part of a day, longer than the mean solar year, the Julian calendar has three leap years too many in every four centuries. This error is corrected by the Gregorian reform, which reckons three secular years out of four as common years. For instance, 1700, 1800, and 1900 were common years, and 2000 will be a leap year." 7. There are four centuries involved, so three of the leap years become common years. With all this in mind, the lay- out of the Julian computation is as follows: 445 B.C. to 32 A.D. = 476 years 476 years x 365 days = 173,740 days Add for the leap years = 119 days (- 3 in 4 centuries) March 14 to April 6 = 24 days _____________________ Total 173,880 Therefore, it is seen that the first sixty-nine weeks of the prophecy ran their course to the very day! 10. The 70th week starts after the culmination of the first 69. There are two schools of thought as to the exact chron- ological relation of the 69th and 70th week. One is that the seventieth week follows the sixty-ninth without any break in time. The other is that there is a break between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week forming a great paren- thesis between the two. Those who maintain the first view afore mentioned "believe that christ died in the middle of the Seventieth Week and therefore this last week must have ended three and 8. one-half years after the cross." Charles Boutflower is one such author who adheres to this view. In his book, he interprets Daniel's passage in this way. "26-33 A.D. is the last or seventieth `week' end- ing with the death of Stephen, during which the Messiah will `make firm a covenant with the many.' 30 A.D. is the middle of this last `week' when Messiah by offering Himself on the cross will `cause sacrifice and oblation to cease'." 9. This view springs from the fact that the future of the Jewish people is not considered. When in history has the tremendous events of verse 24 been fulfilled? They have not. If the 70 weeks were continuous, they came to an end some time in the early part of the book of Acts. This writer adheres to the principal that prophecies are sometimes fulfilled in stages. "Few laws are more important to observe in the interpretation of prophetic Scriptures than the law of double reference. Two events, widely separated as to the time of their fulfillment, may be 10. brought together into the scope of one prophecy." Christ 11. himself demonstrated this principle. Luke 4:17-21 tells the account of Christ reading an Old Testament prophecy from Isaiah 61:1-2. Notice after reading the first half of the prophecy, He closed the book. However, in verse 21 it is read that He stated "this day this Scripture is fulfilled in your ears." Why was not the latter part of the prophecy read? Because there is a time gap within the prophecy. The time between the sixty-ninth and seventieth week has thus far span 1900 years, and it is a "period concerning which 11. we have absolutely no chronology in the Word of God." After this indefinite period of unreckoned time the last prophetic week will start up and run its course. After the ending of the 69th week, two events, which were also prophesied, took place. The first was the cutting off of the Messiah. This took place immediately upon the close of the sixty-ninth week. The second was the destruc- tion of the city. History tells that this took place 38 years after the death of Christ. The city was destroyed by the Romans under the rule of Titus Vespasianus in the year A.D. 70. Thus far, it has been seen that the first 69 weeks of the prophecy have been fulfilled to the smallest detail and that the course of the 70 weeks have been interrupted by an unreckonable length of time. Now the question arises, what about the 70th week of the prophecy? The last week of the prophecy will commence with the coming prince making a covenant with many of the nation of Israel. Now, this 12. prince, as already seen, will rise from the core of the Roman people, those who destroyed the city. In the beginning of this last prophetic week, it will be the desire of the Jewish nation to again have the temple and the sacrificial ceremonies. This coming prince will establish a covenant with "many", and under this covenant the nation will be permitted to again build the temple in Jerusalem. "When the last seven years, so pregnant with Jewish events, begin, the first thing will be that the Jews look for protection to the great Man, who as a mighty prince controls the affairs of the Roman empire brought together 12. under him as head." Notice that the covenant will only be with "many" of the nation. There will be some who will not have anything to do with this coming prince. All throughout the prophetic Word, there has been the clearest evidences of a remnant of Jews who will see through this man. After the 3 1/2 year mark of this last prophetic week, he will break the covenant with the Jews. He will become possessed by the power of Satan, and will introduce idolatry and the most awful blasphemies. "He shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the Saints of the most High, and think to change times and laws, and they shall be given into his hands until a time and times and the 13. the great tribulation dividing of time." At this time will be in force and the faithful remnant will pass through the deepest waters of suffering. 13. How far away from now is this 70th week of the proph- ecy? Only God knows. We are only commanded to watch, work, and wait. One can only rest assured that if the first 69 weeks came to pass just as foretold in the Scriptures, so will the last week. "It is the purpose of God to give the near and far view so that the fulfillment of the one should 14. be the assurance of the fulfillment of the other." Notes 1 Alva J. McClain, Daniel's Prophecy of the 70 Weeks (Zondervan Publishing House, 1940), 9. 2 Oliver B. Green, Daniel Verse by Verse Study (The Gospel Hour, Inc., 1964), 351. 3 McClain, 20. 4 Sir Robert Anderson, The Coming Prince (Kregel Publications), 121. 5 Anderson, 122. 6 Anderson, 127. 7 A.C. Gaebelein, The Prophet Daniel (Pickering and Inglis, Printers and Publishers), 141. 8 McClain, 32. 9 Charles Boutflower, M.A., In and Around the Book of Daniel (The Macmillan Co., 1923), 185. 10 J. Dwight Pentecost, Things To Come (Academie Books, Zondervan Publishing House, 1958), 46. 11 H.A. Ironside, D.D., L.H.D., The Great Parenthesis (Zondervan Publishing House, 1943), 10. 12 Gaebelain, 146. 13 Authorized King James Version Bible (Cambridge at the University Press), Daniel 9:25. 14 Pentecost, 47. Bibliography Anderson, Sir Robert, The Coming Prince. Kregel Publications. Authorized King James Version Bible. Cambridge at the University Press. Boutflower, Charles, In and Around the Book of Daniel. The Macmillan Co., 1923. Gaebelein, A.C., The Prophet Daniel. Pickering and Inglis Printers and Publishers. Green, Oliver B., Daniel verse by verse study. The Gospel Hour, Inc., 1964. Ironside, H.A., D.D., L.H.D., The Great Parenthesis. Zondervan Publishing House, 1943. McClain, Alva J., Daniel's Prophecy of the 70 Weeks. Zondervan Publishing House, 1940. Zondervan Pictorial Bible Dictionary. Regency Reference Library, Zondervan Publishing House, 1963. Pictorial Bible Dictionary. Regency Reference Library, Zondervan Publishing Ho