The prophecy known as “the Seventy Weeks of Years” is a prophecy concerning the coming of the Anointed One or Messiah, Jesus Christ. (See Daniel 9:24-27) The prophecy also contains predictions concerning the Jewish people, the city of Jerusalem, the most holy temple, and the anti-Christ.
The prophecy opens by stating:
“24 Seventy years are decreed concerning your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place. 25 Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of the Anointed One (the Messiah), a Prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty two weeks it shall be built again with square and moat, but in a troubled time.”
The fulfillment of this prophecy would lead one to the Anointed One, the Christ. Only Christ could fulfill this prophecy: by finishing transgression, putting an end to sin, atoning for iniquity, bringing in everlasting righteousness, sealing both vision and prophet, and anointing a most holy place.
According to Daniel’s prophecy, from the going forth to rebuild Jerusalem to the coming of the Anointed One (the Messiah or Prince), there would be seven weeks and then an additional sixty two weeks, where the city would be rebuilt with square and moat, but in a troubled time. The entire time frame necessary for rebuilding the city of Jerusalem and leading up to the coming of the Anointed One (the Messiah or Prince) would then be a total of sixty nine weeks. Sixty nine weeks would be the equivalent of 483 days.
A Day For A Year
A common formulation used in interpreting Bible prophecy is a day for a year; one day being equivalent to one year (one day=one year).
In order to understand this prophecy, one must recognize the day for a year principle. Critical to this understanding are these two scriptural texts:
“After the number of the days in which ye searched the land, [even] forty days, each day for a year, shall ye bear your iniquities, [even] forty years” Numbers 14:34
“I have appointed thee each day for a year.” Ezekiel 4:6.
Prophetically speaking, when using the above formulation, the sixty nine weeks or 483 days would be the equivalent of 483 years. Both Ezra and Nehemiah render an account of the city of Jerusalem being rebuilt in 49 years (seven weeks of years) and in troubled times. If we add to this the additional 434 years (sixty two weeks of years) that were prophesied, leading up to the coming of the Anointed One or Messiah, we arrive at 483 years (sixty nine weeks of years).
Three Distinct Edicts
Historically, the going forth of the word to rebuild Jerusalem involved three distinct edicts, each commencing on a different date.
1. The decree of King Cyrus in 538 B.C. to rebuild the temple. (Ezra 1:1-4).
2. The order of Artaxerxes to Ezra in 457-458 B.C., which also involved the authority to erect the walls of Jerusalem. (Ezra 7:6-7 & 9:9) Historians give two dates (457-458 B.C.) as to when this edict took place.
3. The order to Nehemiah in 445 B.C. to carry through with the rebuilding of the walls, which Ezra had been unable to accomplish.
Of the aforementioned three dates, only one accurately pinpoints the appearance and anointing of the Messiah.
2. The order of Artaxerxes to Ezra in 457-458 B.C. to erect the walls of Jerusalem.
This second decree was the most comprehensive and authorized the rebuilding of the city of Jerusalem. This decree also authorized the appointment of magistrates, judges, and the reestablishment of Jewish laws as the base of government, giving the Jewish nation more sovereignty. Using the prophetic formulation of, “a day for a year,” we arrive at a total of 483 years, the total equivalent of the 483 days or sixty nine weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. If we go forward in time by adding 483 years, and subtract 458 or 457 B.C. going backward in time, we arrive at the year 25- 26 C.E. Taking into account that there was no “0” year (1 B.C. to 1 C.E.), we then add an additional year to 25-26 C.E. and arrive at 26-27 C.E.
The Anointing of Christ, the Messiah
Most historians now concur that it was in the year 26-27 C. E. that Jesus was baptized in the Jordan river. Upon being baptized and anointed in both water and Holy Spirit, Jesus commenced His ministry as the Christ, the Messiah or Anointed One.
7 days in a week x’s 69 weeks = 483 days. Applying the prophetic formula of a day for each year = 483 years. 483 years minus – 458-457 B.C. = + 25-26 C.E. Add a year, there being no 0 year (1 B.C. to 1 C.E.) = 26-27 C.E.
According to Holy Scripture, Jesus’ baptism and anointing as the Messiah occurred in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar; a date that historians approximate as being 26-27 C.E.
Luke 3:1-21 states: “1 In the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar. . . the word of God came to John, the son of Zechariah in the wilderness; 3 and he went into all the region about the Jordan, preaching a baptism of repentance for forgiveness of sins. . . 21 Now when the people were baptized, and when Jesus also was baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, 23 and the Holy Spirit descended upon Him in bodily form.”
The date for Jesus being anointed as the Messiah (26-27 C.E.) would also align with the most recent dating of Jesus’ birth by most historians (4-5 B.C.).
According to scripture, Jesus was about 30 years old when He was baptized in water and Holy Spirit in the Jordan river. This is when He began His ministry as the Christ or Anointed One.
Luke 3:23 states: “Jesus, when when He began His ministry, was about thirty years of age. . .”
Add 5 B.C. to 26 C. E. or 4 B. C. to 27 C.E. and you arrive at 31 years. Subtract the year that was previously added going forward in time (there being no 0 year) and you arrive at 30 years, Jesus’ age when He was baptized.
This summarizes the fulfillment of the first 69 weeks or 483 years of Daniel’s prophecy. The following contents will reveal the fulfillment of the 70th week, the final 7 years of Daniel’s prophecy.
The Messiah Cut Off / Destruction of the City & Sanctuary
Daniel’s prophecy, at Daniel 9:25-26, goes on to state: “25 Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of the Anointed One (the Messiah), a Prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty two weeks it shall be built again with square and moat, but in a troubled time. 26 And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one (the Messiah) shall be cut off (killed), and shall have nothing; and the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the the sanctuary (temple). Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war; desolations are decreed.”
After the sixty-nine weeks or 483 years were fulfilled in 26-27 CE, the Messiah or Anointed One would be cut off or put to death and have nothing. This was fulfilled when Jesus was crucified at Calvary, having nothing but the robe on His back that the Roman soldiers gambled over. The people of a prince who was to come would then destroy the city and its sanctuary. This prophecy saw fulfillment when the Roman armies under General Titus destroyed the city of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 CE. The Roman armies leveled the city of Jerusalem and its temple to the ground. Like a flood, the Romans left not a stone standing upon a stone, just as Jesus had prophesied. (See Matthew 24:1-2 & Luke 19:41-44) War was to continue throughout the land of Judea, until Judea was finally conquered and subjugated. This would culminate with the fall of the Jewish fortress of Masada, in 73 CE.
A Covenant With Many For One Week / Sacrifices & Guilt Offerings To Cease
Daniel’s prophecy goes on to state:
“And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week; and for half of the week he shall cause sacrifice and offering to cease; . . . Daniel 9:27
The one who would make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week cause sacrifices and guilt offerings to cease, was the Anointed One or Christ, the Messiah. Christ’s ministry was three & a half years in length. At the end of half a week (His 3 & 1/2 year ministry), Jesus was crucified and gave His soul as a ransom for many.
Matthew 20:28 states: “Even as the Son of Man came not to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give His life (His soul) as a ransom for many. ”
By leading a sinless life, Jesus’ perfect body and blood would atone for the sins of all humanity and bring to an end the ritual animal sacrifices and guilt offerings that the Law of Moses required. By sacrificing himself as the spotless, unblemished, Lamb of God, He caused sacrifice and guilt offerings to cease, rendering the Law of Moses obsolete.*
Christ is the unblemished, spotless, Lamb of God.
John 1:29 states: “The next day he (John the Baptist) saw Jesus coming toward him and said, ‘Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!'”
1 Peter 1:19 states: “But it was with precious blood, like that of an unblemished and spotless lamb, even Christ’s.”
Salvation Preached / First to the Jews
Christ’s 3 & 1/2 year ministry was primarily focused on saving the lost sheep of Israel, the Jewish people.
Matthew 10:5-6 states: “These twelve Jesus sent out charging them, ‘Go nowhere among the Gentiles, and enter no town of the Samaritans, 6 but go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. And preach as you go, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand.'”
Romans 15:8 states: “For I say that Christ has become a servant to the circumcision (the Jews) on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the (Jewish) fathers.”
In preaching to the Jewish people, Jesus stated at Luke 12:32: “Do not be afraid, little flock, for your Father has chosen gladly to give you the kingdom.”
The Apostle Paul preached to the Jews at Acts 13:26: “My brothers, you descendants of Abraham’s family, and others who fear God to us, the message of this salvation has been sent.”
Salvation Preached / To the Samaritans & Gentiles
Jesus said to the Samaritan woman that salvation originated with the Jews, who worshiped in Jerusalem. The hour had finally come, when true worshipers everywhere would worship the Father in Spirit and truth. This signified that the door of salvation was also opening to the Samaritans and Gentiles.
At John 4:2o-24 the Samaritan woman said: “20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain; and you say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. (Jesus said) 21 Woman believe me the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation originates with the Jews. 23 But the hour is coming, and it is now, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth.'”
Jesus, in referring to the Gentiles and Samaritans, stated at John 10:16: “And I have other sheep, which are not of this fold; I must bring them also; and they will hear my voice; and they will become one flock with one shepherd.”
The night before He died, Jesus established a new covenant (or testament) with His followers. This covenant was to include, not only Jews, but people from all racial and ethnic backgrounds.
Luke 22:19-20 “19 And He took bread, and when He had given thanks He broke it and gave it to them, saying, ‘This is my body which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me.’ 20 And likewise the cup after supper, saying, ‘This cup which is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.‘”
By partaking of His blood and body, the disciples entered a new covenant with Christ for a kingdom. In the future, they would inherit this kingdom and sit on thrones and judge the twelve tribes of Israel.
Luke 22:7, 15, 28 & 30 states: “7 Then came the day of Unleavened Bread, on which the Passover Lamb had to be sacrificed. 15 And He said to them, ‘I have earnestly offered to eat this Passover with you before I suffer; 16 for I tell you I shall not eat it until it is fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 28 You are those who have continued with me in my trials; 29 and I assign to you, as my Father has assigned to me, a kingdom, 30 that you may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel.'” (See also Matthew 19:28)
After His death at Calvary and over the next 3 & 1/2 years, the new covenant would also come to include both the Samaritans and the Gentiles. With His shed blood, Christ purchased people from every tribe, tongue, people, and nation.
Referring to the Christ, Revelation 5:9-10 states: “9 Worthy are you to take the book and to break its seals; for you were slain, and purchased for God with your blood men from every tribe and tongue and people and nation. 10 You made them to be a kingdom and priests to our God; and they will reign upon the earth.”
Daniel’s prophecy had stated that the Christ would make a strong covenant with many for one week. This included not only Christ’s initial 3 & 1/2 year ministry to the Jews (the nation of Israel), but also over the next 3 & 1/2 years, both the Samaritans and Gentiles (the people of the nations), would enter into the new covenant and be grafted into the church or body of Christ.
The Apostle Paul wrote at Romans Chapter 11, that the Gentiles had been grafted into the olive tree for their faith, where as many of the Jews had been lopped off for their unbelief.
Romans 11:17-20 states: “17 But if some of the branches were broken off, and you, being a wild olive tree, were grafted in among them and became partaker with them in the rich root of the olive tree, 18 do not be arrogant toward the branches; but if you are arrogant, remember it is not you who supports the root, but the root supports you. 19 You will say then, ‘Branches were broken off so that I might be grafted in.’ 20 Quite right, they were broken off for their unbelief, but you stand by your faith.”
The New Testament confirms that the blessings of Abraham had also been extended to the Gentile believers, peoples of all races and cultures, who received the promise and were justified by their faith. Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, by becoming a curse for us.
Galatians 3:8, 13-14 states: “8 The Scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, preached the gospel beforehand in Abraham saying, ‘All the nations will be blessed in you.’ 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law, having become a curse for us. For it is written, ‘Cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree.’ 14 In order that in Christ Jesus the blessing of Abraham might come to the Gentiles, so that we would receive the promise of the Spirit through faith.”
Following His crucifixion, Jesus commissioned His followers to preach the gospel and make disciples of all nations.
Mathew 28:19 states: “19 Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.” (See also Mark 16:15)
The Book of Hebrews & Daniel’s Prophecy
The Book of Hebrews gives us the key to the fulfillment of the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy, using identical terminology. (Rd. Hebrews Ch. 8, 9, & 10). With His ransom sacrifice and shed blood, Christ established a new covenant with many peoples; first the Jews, then the Samaritans, and finally the Gentiles. By offering Himself, once for all time, Christ did away with the animal sacrifices and guilt offerings, causing them to cease. By entering into a new covenant with many, Christ abolished the old covenant (the Law of Moses), which was rendered obsolete.
Hebrews 9:15 states: ” Therefore He (Christ) is the mediator of a new covenant, so that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance, since a death has occurred which redeems them from the transgressions under the first covenant (the Law of Moses).”
Hebrews 9:22 states: ” Indeed, under the law almost everything is purified with blood, and without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness of sins.”
Hebrews 9:24-26 states: “24 For Christ has entered, not into a sanctuary made with hands, a copy of the true one, but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God on our behalf. 25 Nor was it to offer Himself repeatedly, as the high priest enters the holy place yearly with blood not his own; 26 for then He (Christ) would have had to suffer repeatedly since the foundation of the world. But as it is He (Christ) appeared once for all at the end of the age to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself.”
Hebrews 10:1, 4, 5, 6, 7, & 9 states: “1 For since the law has but a shadow of the good things to come instead of the true form of these realities, it can never, by the same sacrifices which are continually offered year after year, make perfect those who draw near. 4 For it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. 5 Consequently, when Christ came into the world, he said, ‘Sacrifices and offerings thou hast not desired, but a body hast thou prepared for me; 6 in burnt offerings and sin offerings thou hast taken no pleasure. 7 Then I (Christ) said, ‘Lo, I have come to do thy will, O God, as it is written of me in the roll of the book.’ 9. . . He abolishes the first (the old covenant) in order to establish the second (the new covenant). 10 And by that will we have been sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all.”
Hebrews 10:11-18 states: “11 And every priest stands daily at his service, offering repeatedly the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins. 12 But when Christ had offered for all time a single sacrifice for sins, He sat down at the right hand of God, 13 then to wait until His enemies should be made a stool for His feet. 14 For by a single offering He (God) has perfected for all time those who are sanctified. 15 And the Holy Spirit also bears witness to us; for after saying, ’16 This is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, says the LORD (Yahweh): I will put my law in their hearts and write them on their minds,’ 12 then He adds, ‘I will remember their sins and their deeds no more.’ 18 Where there is forgiveness for these there is no longer any offering for sin.“
Hebrews 8:6-7 & 13 states: “6 But now He (Christ) has obtained a more excellent ministry, by as much as He is also Mediator of a better covenant, which has been enacted on better promises. 7 For if the old covenant had been faultless, there would have been no occasion sought for a second. 13 When He said, ‘A new covenant,’ He has made the first obsolete. But whatever is becoming obsolete and old is ready to disappear.”
Historic Fulfillment Of the Seventy Weeks of Years Prophecy
The scriptural history of the early church confirms what is stated above. The gospel was preached first to the Jews, afterwards to the Samaritans, and eventually to the Gentiles. This is documented in the Book of Acts. (Rd. Acts Ch. 2, the gospel preached to the Jews/ Rd. Acts 8:4-25, the gospel preached to the Samaritans/ Rd. Acts Ch. 10, the gospel preached to the Gentiles) Daniel’s 70th week prophecy, that He (Christ) would make a covenant with many for one week, saw its culmination and final fulfillment with the conversion of the first Gentile (the Roman Centurion, Cornelius) in the year 34 CE. This event occurred at the same time as the stoning of Stephan (the first Christian martyr) and the conversion of Saul of Tarsus (who became the Apostle Paul) in the year 34 CE.. (See Acts 7:54-60 & Acts 9:10-19)
Christ fulfilled the Seventy Weeks of Years prophecy of Daniel Ch. 9:24-27, by becoming the ultimate sacrifice, once for all time. Christ’s baptism & anointing as the Messiah (26-27 CE) marked the culmination of 69 weeks of years or 483 years (457-458 B. C. to 26-27 C. E.). Christ was cut off or put to death half way through the week, 3 & 1/2 years after His baptism and anointing (27 C. E. to 30-31 C. E.). This date also marked the culmination of His earthly ministry to the nation of Israel. By sacrificing Himself, Christ abolished the old law covenant and caused sacrifice and guilt offerings to cease. By instituting the Lord’s evening meal and having His followers partake of His blood and body on the night before He died, Christ inaugurated a new covenant with His disciples. Over the next three & a half years (30-31 C. E. to 34 C.E.), the gospel was preached to people of all nations, tribes, and tongues. The new covenant was made available to all people. This covenant included the Samaritans and Gentiles, who were granted entry and grafted into the church.
In this way Christ made a covenant with many peoples over a time frame of one week, seven days or seven years:
His baptism and anointing as the Messiah (27 C. E.). His 3 & 1/2 year ministry to the nation of Israel, culminating in His death by crucifixion (27 C. E. to 30-31 C. E.). 3 & 1/2 years later, the gospel having been preached to the Samaritans and Gentiles (30-31 C. E. to 34 C.E). A total of one week or seven years (27 C. E. to 34 C. E).
This marked the fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy: a grand total of 70 weeks of years or 490 years, from 458 B.C. to 34 C.E.
The Abomination of Desolation
The final words of Daniel’s prophecy go on to state:
Daniel 7:27: “And upon the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate; until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator.”
This final part of Daniel’s prophecy is concerning, “the abomination of one who causes desolation.” Jesus referenced and identified this abomination of desolation in His prophecies concerning the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. As was previously established, the Roman armies under General Titus came and destroyed the city of Jerusalem and its temple in 70 C. E..
Daniel 9:26 had predicted that, “the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the the sanctuary. Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war, desolations are decreed.”
Jesus prophesied concerning a great tribulation involving the generation of His day. The city of Jerusalem would be desolated, its inhabitants led into captivity, and the temple destroyed. Jerusalem would then be trodden on by the Gentile nations, until the times of the Gentiles were fulfilled.
There were actually two invasions by the Romans into the promised land (Judea), during the first century. The first or earliest invasion was in the year 66 C. E, under the command of the Roman general, Cestius Gallus. According to Jesus’ prophecy, the abomination of desolation (the Roman armies) would surround Jerusalem and actually be seen standing in a holy place, the temple in Jerusalem. This first took place in 66 C. E. when the Romans breached the city walls and entered into the temple, where fierce fighting ensued. For some unknown reason, which is a mystery of history, the Roman commander (Gallus) withdrew his forces and retreated, suffering heavy losses at the hands of the victorious Jews. This was the exact sign that the faithful disciples of Jesus had been looking for. The Roman armies that had surrounded the city of Jerusalem and were seen standing in the temple (a holy place) had withdrawn. Just as Jesus had prophesied, this was a perfect opportunity for His disciples to flee the city and save their souls. After the Christians had fled the city, the Romans returned four years later in 70 C. E.. Like a flood, the Romans leveled Jerusalem and its temple to the ground and left not a stone standing upon a stone. War was to continue until the year 73 C. E., when the Romans had suppressed all Jewish opposition, taking complete control of Judea. It is estimated that 1,100,000 Jews perished during the siege. The surviving Jews, an estimated 97,000, were taken into captivity and dispersed into all of the Gentile nations. This dispersion was known as “the diaspora.” It was just as Jesus had prophesied.
Matthew 24:15 states: “Therefore, when you see the ABOMINATION OF DESOLATION (the Roman armies) which was spoken of through Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place (the temple) (let the reader understand), 16 then those who are in Judea must flee to the mountains.” (See also Matthew 24:17-22 & Luke 21:20-24)
Luke 21:20 & 23-24 states: “But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. . .23 . . . For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people; 24 they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled.”
Matthew 24:1-2 states: “1 Jesus came out from the temple and was going away when His disciples came up to point out the temple buildings to Him. 2 And He said to them, ‘Do you not see all these things? Truly I say to you, not one stone here will be left upon another, which will not be torn down.'”
Luke 19:41-44 states: “41 And when He (Jesus) drew near and saw the city (Jerusalem) He wept over it, 42 saying, ‘Would that even today you knew the things that make for peace! But now they are hid from your eyes. 43 For the days shall come upon you, when your enemies will cast up a bank (ramparts, palisade, siege works, fortification of stakes) about you and surround (encircle) you, and hem (besiege, press) you in on every side, 44 and dash (raise) you to the ground, you and your children within you, and they will not leave one stone upon another in you; because you did not know the time of your visitation (when you were divinely visited).'”
Matthew 23:36-39 states: “36 Truly I say to you all of this will come upon this generation. 37 O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, killing the prophets and those who are sent to you! . . .38 Behold, your house is forsaken and desolate. 39 For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord.'”
Daniel’s Prophecy, Fulfilled in Christ
Thus, Daniel’s prophecy of the Seventy Weeks of Years saw fulfillment, during the first century C. E.. All of Daniel’s prophecy, concerning the Anointed One or Messiah (Jesus Christ), was fulfilled at that time.
Daniel 9:24 states, concerning the Messiah: “24 Seventy years are decreed concerning your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place.”
“To finish the transgression, to put an end to sin.” Christ is the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world. (See John 1:29) Christ’s ransom sacrifice atoned for the sins of all humanity, rendering the old covenant (the Law of Moses) obsolete. (See Matthew 20:28)
“To atone for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness.“ By His shed blood and sacrifice of His body, Christ atoned for iniquity and brought in everlasting righteousness and a new covenant for those who believe. (See 2 Peter 1:10-11)
“To seal both vision and prophet.” Christ fulfilled over 360 prophecies from the Old Testament during His lifetime, sealing both vision and prophet. (See 1 Peter 1:10-12)
“To anoint a most holy place.” Christ, as high priest, entered heaven itself and anointed the most holy sanctuary with His own blood. (See Hebrew 9:15-28)
*Additions in brackets with red print are intended for clarification or represent variations in renderings from other translations or the original languages.
*Most present day preachers and clergymen teach that the tribulation is seven years in length, with the first three and one half years being a time of relative peace and tranquility. During this time period, the anti-Christ (the beast) will have made a peace treaty or covenant with the nation of Israel. The Jewish people will have completed the rebuilding of the temple in Jerusalem and are now offering sacrifices to God. After three and one half years, the covenant is broken by the anti-Christ, who then desecrates the temple, causing guilt offerings and sacrifices to cease. By interpreting Daniel’s seventy weeks of years prophecy in this manner, they are substituting a prophecy concerning the initial coming of the the Christ, and that saw its fulfillment during the first century; and applying its prophetic fulfillment to the coming of the anti-Christ (or beast), and his appearance during the great tribulation. In order to make this interpretation feasible, they advance the fulfillment of the final week (or seven years) of Daniel’s seventy weeks of years prophecy, ahead to over 2000 years in the future and our present time.
There are some serious problems with this understanding or interpretation of scripture:
- There is no temple in Jerusalem and we are deep into the time of the end. If the Jews were to attempt the rebuilding of the temple on its original and most appropriate site, Mount Moriah in Jerusalem, the site of the Dome of the Rock, it would ignite the entire Moslem world in an all out attack on Israel. The rebuilding of the temple could take many years. This act, in itself, could initiate the great tribulation, but the project would never be completed, prior to Christ’s second coming.
- The book of Ezekiel (Rd. Ch. 40-48) describes in great detail the rebuilt temple as being a post-tribulation or millennial temple, not a pre-tribulation structure. Ezekiel envisioned a millennial temple, with a resurrected King David and high priest Zadok serving there, and God’s pledge that He would never again allow His sanctuary or temple to be defiled! This scriptural prophecy certainly refutes the present day interpretation, that God will allow the anti-Christ to desecrate His temple in Jerusalem following the first 3 & 1/2 years of the 7 year tribulation, causing guilt offerings and sacrifices to cease. (See Ezekiel Ch. 37-43/ See also Bible topic: A New Heavens and a New Earth)
- It is clear, from Holy Scripture, that the great tribulation and the rule of the beast is only three and one half years in length, 42 months, 1260 days, not seven years! (See topic: The Mark of the Beast)
- It is commonly taught that the first three and one half years of the seven year tribulation, will be a period of relative peace and tranquility; with the anti-Christ or beast making a covenant with Israel. This does not fit Jesus’ description of the great tribulation, which will be an unprecedented time of distress, the worst to ever come upon the inhabited earth. According to Jesus, it will eclipse any historical tribulation of the past, and nothing like it will ever occur again. Unless the days were cut short, no flesh would be saved! (Rd. Matthew 24: 21-22) Jesus’ description of the great tribulation, does not describe or allude to an initial three and a half year period of relative peace and security. To the contrary, it describes a three and a half year tribulation period of unprecedented chaos, violence, instability, terror, and death that will come upon the human race, just prior to the revelation of our Lord Jesus Christ. (See Topic: The Rapture & the Great Tribulation)
- If such a temple construction in Jerusalem was ever to be achieved, prior to the great tribulation, it would be difficult to imagine that the present day population of the state of Israel would revert back to animal sacrifices and guilt offerings for their sins. This could only occur during the millennial reign of Christ, when a post tribulation temple will be rebuilt, never to be desecrated again and priests will offer sacrifices on behalf of the nations. During this time, the saints will rule with Christ and judge the twelve tribes of Israel. Israel will be comprised of the remaining Jews, who survive the great tribulation here on earth. (See Bible topic: A New Heavens & New Earth)
*The first decree given by Cyrus focused primarily on the rebuilding of the temple. The third decree authorized Nehemiah to finish the rebuilding of the walls; something apparently that Nehemiah had not completed.