The Seventy “Sevens” (or weeks) is one of the most significant prophecies in scripture, not only foretelling what would happen, but when the Bible’s main event would happen – about half a millennium before it happened!
When asked about the most significant prophecies about Jesus, it’s hard to argue against Isaiah 53, or Psalm 22. These are jam-packed with details about Jesus’ nature and death. But here I cover an amazing prophecy that predicts when that Jesus’ death would occur, along with other events, over 500 years in advance — down to the very year. There is simply no prophecy like it. In four short verses, the plan is laid out with numbers – not much figurative language here. It’s so plain, that non-believing scholars really struggle with this one. Scientists like numbers, and here they are!
Does this sound familiar?
24So the Jews gathered around Him and demanded, “How long will You keep us in suspense? If You are the Christ, tell us plainly.”
25“I already told you,” Jesus replied, “but you did not believe. [John 10:24-25]
The plain truth has been told so many times in so many ways. The Seventy Sevens unequivocally reveals God’s plan, proving His Word.
Fortunately for unbelieving scholars, the interpretations of many well-meaning theologians have varied, thus muddying the waters. While most agree that this prophecy specifically identifies when the Christ would come (which alone qualifies as amazing!), most interpretations deviate in the final week as they often apply time-stretching to encompass the fall of Jerusalem, or even the end of the World that is still yet to come. Here I present a very straightforward interpretation. But first, we should read the text…
The Seventy “Sevens”
20While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill—21while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding. 23As soon as you began to pray, a word went out, which I have come to tell you, for you are highly esteemed. Therefore, consider the word and understand the vision:
24“Seventy ‘sevens’ c are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish d transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place. e
25“Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One, f the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench, but in times of trouble. 26After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing. g The people of the ruler who will come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood: War will continue until the end, and desolations have been decreed. 27He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’ h In the middle of the ‘seven’ i he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple j he will set up an abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out on him. k ” l [Daniel 9:20-27, NIV]
A Day for a Year
It is not uncommon in prophecy for a day to represent a year. Almost everyone would agree that this rule applies to the prophecy of the Seventy Sevens as well, although not explicitly stated. To be sure, here are two prophecies where the comparison is clear:
34For forty years—one year for each of the forty days you explored the land—you will suffer for your sins and know what it is like to have me against you.’ [Numbers 14:34, NIV]
6“After you have finished this, lie down again, this time on your right side, and bear the sin of the people of Judah. I have assigned you 40 days, a day for each year. [Ezekiel 4:6, NIV]
The Executive Summary (Daniel 9:24)
As stated earlier, many other interpretations get muddy, particularly at the end. To keep from falling into that trap, let’s be careful to lay out what it does say, and what it doesn’t. Verse 24 is an introduction of the whole seventy weeks (70 times 7 = 490 years). The implication is that everything in this list is to occur within the 490 years.
Several things are listed, but does that necessarily imply that they are listed in order? No. For example, the last thing listed is the anointing of the Most Holy Place. Now read Haggai 2:1-9. The second temple, built after the Babylonians destroyed the first, was to have greater glory. What greater glory did it receive than to have the Son of God come in the flesh? This anointing came before the atoning sacrifice—Jesus’ death on the cross.
The first four things in the list (“finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness”) pertain to the effect of Jesus’ atoning sacrifice on the cross. What about “to seal up vision and prophecy?” What does that mean? Some interpretations of this prophecy suggest that it means the fulfillment of prophecy; but to “seal,” as a king would put a seal on a document, is to conclude the writing with nothing more to be added — consider a will having been written and sealed, but not executed. In this case, the old testament prophecies are complete and written, but some of the prophecies (the most important ones) were yet to be fulfilled. That is, all the old testament prophecies that accumulated through the generations continued to add specific detail to the most succinct and greatest prophecy of all (through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed [Gen 26:4]) would finally be amassed in the Old Testament scriptures and be sealed. This end of prophecy was about the time of Malachi (400-450 BC). Be careful! That’s not to say that there is no more prophecy after that. Referring to John the Baptist, Jesus said, “For all the Prophets and the Law prophesied until John.” [Matthew 11:13] There are numerous prophecies throughout the New Testament, but there was a very noticeable silence between the two testament periods as evidenced by people’s comments when asked who John the Baptist was: “And still others claimed, ‘He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago.’” [Mark 6:15]
The Detail (Daniel 9:25-27)
Now we get to the meat of the Seventy Sevens prophecy. As mentioned earlier, the great thing about this prophecy is that it accurately tells when the Messiah would come, and there is great unity among theologians in that aspect. Even secular minds have a hard time coming to grips with how remarkable that is. Unfortunately, the unity doesn’t extend to the whole prophecy. Make no mistake about it – this is difficult stuff – until now. I’m going to lay this out in a very simple, straightforward way. So simple that you’ll wonder why this interpretation is so rare. So, let’s get started.
The text specifies 4 distinct timeframes. They are somehow conveniently laid out in each of the 4 verses (24 through 27). Verse 25 mentions a fifth timeframe (the first 49 years) but doesn’t specify what its distinction is. (I’ll suggest a possibility later.) To help understand what’s going on here, it really helps to draw it. This first graphic shows only what the text says without interpretation (some text is paraphrased for simplicity). The boxes are aligned vertically to help show how the times of the prophecy line up.
The four time periods are:
- The full 490 years as a summary.
- 483 years – the first 49-year period starting with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, followed by 434 more years that ends with the coming of the Anointed One, Jesus Christ.
- A period after the 434 years without stating when that period ends.
- The last 7 years to make up the full 490 years.
Now let’s discuss the time periods.
The first time period – 490 years
The full 490 years is summarized by some main events (discussed earlier), particularly the glory the second temple received with the presence of God’s one and only Son, and the Sin-Sacrifice for all ages, Jesus Christ.
The second time period – 483 years
This is the first 483 of the 490-year prophecy – all but the last week of years. But when does it begin? There were four decrees involving the rebuilding of Jerusalem and the temple:
- Ezra 1, first year of Cyrus. (539-536 BC) ordered that the temple be rebuilt. This was in fulfilment of the prophecy of Jeremiah 25. Isaiah prophesied more than 70 years before that Cyrus would be the one to do it (Isa 44:28, Isa 45:1,13) – even before Persia conquered the Babylonians! The rebuilding of the temple started under the leadership of Zurubbabel.
- Ezra 6:1-12, second year of Darius (520-519 BC), to rebuild the temple. Work was done under the leadership of Haggai.
- Ezra 7:1-27, seventh year of Artaxerxes (457 BC), under the leadership of Ezra. Second band of Israelites return to Jerusalem – this time to build the city.
- 2:1-8, twentieth year of Artaxerxes (444 BC), to rebuild the wall under the leadership of Nehemiah.
Many have been confused about which decree to use for the beginning of the Seventy Sevens. Going back to the text of Daniel, “From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem,” (Dan 9:25) refers to the city itself, not the temple which had already been rebuilt. Therefore, 457 BC marks the beginning of the Seventy Sevens.
It’s worth mentioning that the 483 years was broken up into 49 years, then 434 years. I could have made that two time periods, but no event was identified to happen within, or at the end of the first 49 years. 49 years from 457 BC would be 408 BC. That may have been the time when the last prophecies of Malachi were written, and the final seal of verse 24 referring to an end of the Old Testament and its prophecy.
Finally, at the end of 483 years – 27 AD the Anointed One, the ruler comes! Hallelujah! This isn’t His birth, but a much more significant event – His baptism, God’s confirmation declaring Him to be His Son, and the beginning of Jesus’ ministry. The wait is over. He is here!
The third time period – After the 434 years
For some reason, there has been confusion about this time segment. It doesn’t say what portion of the Seventy Sevens that it represents, only “after” the first 49+434 years. Starting from 457 BC, that means that what is to come would be after 27 AD (there is no year zero). Why is that confusing? After 27 AD:
- The messiah would be put to death – Jesus died in 30-33 AD.
- Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD.
- Wars and desolations continue. The end.
I believe the end refers to the fall of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation and not the end of the world. Every time prophecy talks about the end, it’s not the end of the world! For example, Ezekiel 7 is a dirge about the coming destruction of Jerusalem and the Jewish nation – not the one in 70 AD, but the destruction by the Babylonians in about 586 BC. About that destruction he prophecies
1The word of the Lord came to me: 2“Son of man, this is what the Sovereign Lord says to the land of Israel:
“ ‘The end! The end has come
upon the four corners of the land!
3The end is now upon you,
and I will unleash my anger against you. [Ezekiel 7:1-3]
Again, I’m saying that verse 26 refers to a time period within the Seventy Sevens (Jesus’ crucifixion) as well as events beyond (after) the Seventy Sevens (the fall of Jerusalem). Why was it important for Gabriel to throw in the fall of Jerusalem even though it wasn’t part of the Seventy Sevens? Isn’t the confirming of the New Testament the end of the story? Let there be no doubt that Jesus is the one. There is no other. Recall that the second temple was to have greater glory than the first (Haggai 2:1-9). That glory was the coming of our Savior, Jesus. Now that temple is gone, ending the long chain of false messiahs claiming to be the one (of course that doesn’t stop them). Not only that, despite what many Jews and Christians believe, it won’t be rebuilt. Look what’s been put on the very spot! The magnificent Dome of the Rock. I predict that it’s staying there, and if there are any attempts to the contrary, the only result will be rebuilding of that structure — not a third temple. (I’m not claiming to have divine knowledge about this prediction, only common sense.)
The Dome of the Rock sits on the temple mount very close, if not over, the exact spot where the original and the second temple were.
I must add one more thing because there is so much confusion about what prophecy refers to the second fall of Jerusalem and what doesn’t. Clearly the Seventy Sevens does predict the second fall of Jerusalem (almost no one refutes that). But as I’ve said, many are confused thinking it is part of the seventy-sevens timeframe because it is discussed as part of that prophecy. I’ve already shown that it’s not, but consider this also. Jesus said,
32“But about that day or hour no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father. 33Be on guard! Be alert e ! You do not know when that time will come. [Mark 13:32-33]
I wanted to bring this up for two reasons. First, it reinforces the fact that the fall of Jerusalem is not part of the Seventy Sevens (time wise). If it were, then it wouldn’t agree with Jesus’ prophecy which says that the time isn’t known. Second, it’s a prelude to a future article. There are a great many books written and sold with fantastic stories about the future end of the world that claim to be based on Jesus’ prophecy in Matthew 24, Mark 13, and Luke 21. This is another lengthy subject, but the next time you read those scriptures, consider that just as with Daniel’s Seventy Sevens has been distorted to pertain to the end of the World, perhaps these prophecies are too. To help with that study, consider that there is no language in Jesus’ prophecy to suggest thousands of years elapsing between two separate events, but quite the contrary (Luke 21:32).
The fourth time period – the last 7 years
Finally the last 7 years! Gods delivery of the Gospel boils down to one short period of time – 7 years. The new covenant is completely confirmed in this time period with nothing to add. It starts with Jesus’ short ministry of just a few years. His death – the last sacrifice of blood acceptable to God and the only sacrifice that can forgive sins (Hebrews 10:8-18) – is in the middle of the “seven.” This most-important part of the prophecy is clear, but the rest gets discombobulated! Let’s make it all clear…
Verse 27 starts with “He will confirm a covenant with many for one ‘seven.’” We just covered the first half which almost everyone agrees. It’s the last half that almost no one gets right. Read it again. The covenant is confirmed in the last 7 years. Most are probably thinking that the final confirmation is Jesus’ death on the cross. That seems reasonable, but that’s not what it says. So, what else was essential to the confirmation of the covenant? Remember that after Jesus’ death, something big happened – Pentecost. Jesus told them to wait for it.
4And while they were gathered together,a He commanded them: “Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift the Father promised, which you have heard Me discuss. 5For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized withb the Holy Spirit.” [Acts 1:4-5]
Is that not part of the confirmation of the covenant? Of course it is! But wait! There’s more! Remember that this was a Jewish event. There may have been people from other nations and other languages there, but these were Jews or converts to Judaism. Also, this being only 50 days after Jesus’ death, it doesn’t account for the last 3-4 years. Another similar event was yet to come. Now the lightbulbs are burning bright! It’s clear that the covenant was finally confirmed with many (all nations) when Peter decided to follow God’s will and walk in an unclean person’s home for the first time in his life. God was ready for the event – the “second Pentecost” which confirmed the covenant with the Gentiles with the pouring out of His Holy Spirit on them just as he did with the Jews (Acts 10). Although the date of this event wasn’t recorded, it’s not a stretch to suggest that it happened 3-4 years after the Cross. Be sure to read the Prophecy of the Keys for more insight to this most essential event. I can’t overstate how important it is to those of us who are Gentiles!
After that grand climax, I feel that I still must address the last part which also gets confused. The “setting up of an abomination… until the end” doesn’t say that the temple is destroyed at that time, but rather the decision is issued and confirmed that the temple is no longer accepted by God. The actual destruction was to happen about 49 years later, at a time not to be foretold. Meanwhile, that decision was revealed at the cross when the curtain was torn, exposing the Holy of Holies (Matthew 27:51, Mark 15:38, Luke 23:45).
If you would like to read more on this and Daniel’s other prophecies, go here. Here is the graphic with the dates and interpretation added:
With a prophecy like this, how can anyone, including scientists, conclude anything but that God’s word is proven?
