What are the seventy weeks of Daniel?

WHAT DOES THE BIBLE SAY?

The seventy weeks of Daniel, found in Daniel 9, refers to a prophecy that divides 490 years into "weeks" of years, predicting significant events leading to the end times. The first 483 years of this prophecy were fulfilled with the rebuilding of Jerusalem, the coming of the Messiah, and His death, leading up to the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70. The final "week" (seven years) is yet to occur. It is associated with a future seven-year tribulation, the rise of the Antichrist, and the abomination of desolation. Jesus referenced this prophecy, highlighting the importance of understanding God's timing and the fulfillment of His plan. As we await the final events, we are called to live with anticipation, humility, and readiness and to recognize that God's promises are certain and His timing is perfect.

FROM THE OLD TESTAMENT

• Daniel chapter 9 contains one of the most detailed accounts of the end times in the Bible. This prophecy divides the events coming after the Babylonian captivity into "weeks." The Hebrew word for weeks has a broader meaning than it does in English, simply denoting a period of "seven," whether that means days or years. Scholars believe the seventy weeks means seventy weeks of years, a period totaling 490 years.
• The prophecy begins with a summary purpose: "Seventy weeks are decreed about 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, to seal both vision and prophet, and to anoint a most holy place" (Daniel 9:24).
• The first seventy weeks (49 years) begin with the decree to rebuild Jerusalem, which at the time was destroyed by the Babylonians: "Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks" (Daniel 9:25).
• A few different places in the Bible present a decree to restore the temple at Jerusalem (Ezra 1:1-4; 5:13-17, 6:6-12; 7:11-26), but only one place presents the decree to rebuild the city and its walls: Nehemiah 2:1-8. This occurred in 445 BC. The rebuilding of Jerusalem accounts for the first seven weeks, or forty-nine years. After that, would be a period of sixty-two weeks. This totals 483 years until the Anointed One, the Messiah, would come.
• The Messiah appears at the end of the second period of weeks: "Know therefore and understand that from the going out of the word to restore and build Jerusalem to the coming of an anointed one, a prince, there shall be seven weeks. Then for sixty-two weeks it shall be built again with squares and moat, but in a troubled time" (Daniel 9:25). Some scholars believe that the 483 years were completed at the birth of Jesus, others say it was completed at His baptism, and still others believe it was completed at His crucifixion. One of the most meticulously calculated arguments is for the completion of the 483 years at Jesus' triumphal entry. Sir Robert Anderson in his book The Coming Prince calculated that, based on the Jewish 360-day year at the time of Daniel, the 483 years totaled 173,880 days. When counted out from the prophecy to rebuild Jerusalem in Nehemiah 2, the coming of the Messiah landed on April 6, 32 AD.
• Daniel 9 then predicts Jesus' death and the next period of weeks: "And after the sixty-two weeks, an anointed one shall be cut off and shall have nothing" (Daniel 9:26). We then see the prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem: "And the people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary" (Daniel 9:26). This was fulfilled in AD 70 when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem. The verse goes on to say, "Its end shall come with a flood, and to the end there shall be war. Desolations are decreed." This part of the verse seems to speak both to the events of AD 70 and to future events.
• Daniel 9:27 says, "And he shall make a strong covenant with many for one week, and for half of the week he shall put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of abominations shall come one who makes desolate, until the decreed end is poured out on the desolator." According to a premillennial, dispensational perspective, this transitions to the end-times, seven-year tribulation. The "prince to come," mentioned in Daniel 9:25, who makes a covenant is the Antichrist. The Antichrist makes a covenant with the people, and in the middle of the last seven years he puts an end to the sacrifices and offerings.
• Daniel 9:27 also talks about what is often called the "abomination of desolation." While Antiochus IV Epiphanes did sacrifice a pig on the temple altar around 167 BC, it was just a foreshadowing of what is yet to come. Jesus spoke of the "abomination of desolation spoken of by the prophet Daniel" in Matthew 24:15, well after Antiochus' actions.

FROM THE NEW TESTAMENT

• Jesus Himself seemed to expect the Jews to know the day He would be coming. On the day of His triumphal entry, after He entered the city riding on a donkey, He wept over the city and said to the people, "Would that you, even you, had known on this day the things that make for peace! But now they are hidden from your eyes. For the days will come upon you, when your enemies will set up a barricade around you and surround you and hem you in on every side and tear you down 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" (Luke 19:42-44).
• The last week of the seventy weeks of Daniel prophecy is yet to be accomplished. We know this because the purpose of the seventy weeks mentioned at the beginning of the prophecy has not been fulfilled (see Daniel 9:24). There has not yet been an end of sin and transgression, nor is there everlasting righteousness. Jesus has "atone[d] for iniquity" on the cross. But we still await His millennial reign and then a new heavens and new earth (Revelation 20—22). Knowing that much of Daniel's prophecy has already been fulfilled assures us that God will be faithful to fulfill the remainder. For now, we are in a period of pause "until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in" (Romans 11:25).

IMPLICATIONS FOR TODAY

Since the last week of Daniel's prophecy has not yet been completed, we are called to live with both anticipation and humility. The remaining seven-year period, often associated with the end times, reminds us that God’s timing is perfect and His promises will come to fruition. As we await the fulfillment of God's plan, we are called to live with patience, recognizing that we are in a period of grace where God is allowing the fullness of the Gentiles to come in (Romans 11:25). This reminds us to stay faithful, continually growing in our relationship with God, while sharing His love with those who have not yet come to faith. Knowing that nothing else needs to be fulfilled before the end times unfold should humble us and help us realize the urgency of being ready at all times. God’s ultimate plan is to bring about everlasting righteousness, and while we await His return, we must live out our faith in obedience and hope, trusting that He will complete what He has started.

UNDERSTAND

• The seventy weeks of Daniel prophecy spans 490 years.
• 483 years of the seventy weeks of Daneil were fulfilled by the Messiah's coming and death.
• The final seven years, the tribulation, are yet to occur, involving the Antichrist and the abomination of desolation.

REFLECT

• How does the fulfillment of the first 483 years of the prophecy strengthen your trust in God's perfect timing?
• How can we live with anticipation and humility as we await the completion of God's plan, knowing that the final seven years of the prophecy are yet to unfold?
• How does the prophecy of the seventy weeks challenge you to stay faithful and ready for Jesus' return?

ENGAGE

• How might the prophecy of the seventy weeks shape our understanding of God's sovereignty in the unfolding of history?
• What implications does the yet-to-come seven-year tribulation have for how we approach prophecy and our purpose on earth today?
• How can we encourage one another to live in a posture of readiness, reflecting on the promise of everlasting righteousness and God's faithful completion of His plan?