BIBLE
DIGEST - Number 80 February
1998
DANIEL’S PROPHECY OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS
By Allon Maxwell
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Daniel 9:22-27 KJV 22 And he
informed me, and talked with me, and said, O Daniel, I am now come forth to
give thee skill and understanding. 23 At the beginning of thy supplications
the commandment came forth, and I am come to shew thee; for thou art greatly
beloved: therefore understand the matter and consider the vision. 24 Seventy weeks
are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the
transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the
vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know
therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven
weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the
wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after
threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people
of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and
the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war
desolations are determined. 27 And he shall
confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he
shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the
overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the
consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.” INTRODUCTION Daniel's famous
“Prophecy of the 70 Weeks” is a quite amazing proof of the authenticity of
the claims of Jesus to be the Jewish Messiah. However it is also the source
of many differing opinions as to exactly what it means, and how the
prophesied time spans fit into history. The confusion that results from those
many different interpretations, tends to reduce the effectiveness of what
should really be a beautiful and (relatively) uncomplicated tool for witness
to the Gospel. THE
ALTERNATIVES Most
commentators seem to agree that the prophecy leads us to the time of the
crucifixion. However there is great diversity about how it all fits. There is
also much confusion about the question of whether or not the 70th week
follows immediately after the 69th. The “Futurists” insist that it is
separated by an unspecified gap, now approaching 2000 years! For many of us,
that particular speculation stretches credibility beyond
belief. Today, it seems
that Daniel's prophecy is being “hi-jacked” by the “Futurists”. If you do a
literature survey of books currently in print, that view is just about the
only option to be found in the bookshops of the 1990s. However it was
not always so! We do still have available to us,
another older “already completed” alternative, which does not require that
improbable 2000 year “gap theory”. With all due
respect for my “Futurist” friends, my own prayerful research leads me to
conclude that when God says, “70 weeks of years”, He means that the 70th week
follows immediately after the 69th! With some
trepidation, this paper will seek to present a useful and reliable
verification of that “historicist” understanding of Daniel. Whether you agree
or disagree, must lie prayerfully between you and God. WHAT DID THE
ANGEL SAY TO DANIEL? This requires
some careful analysis of the information. After comparing the several
translations which I have available, I suggest the following as a most likely
harmony of the various elements: The Focus of the
Prophecy
Note 1: This
tells us that the main focus of the prophecy is the subject of Daniel's
prayer, earlier in the chapter. It is about Daniel's people and the Holy city
(Israel and Jerusalem Daniel 9:16)
and the sanctuary (temple) that had lain “desolate” (Daniel 9:17) for nearly 70 years. (Daniel 9:2) The Time Span
For The Prophecy
Note 2:
“Cut off, but not for himself” means “put to death” as a criminal, but not
for any sin or guilt of His own. (Daniel
9:26) It was for our sins that Messiah died.
Note 3: This
conclusion requires that the Messiah of the first part of Daniel 9:26, is not the same as “the prince
who is to come” in the second half of the verse. The second prince is the
Roman Emperor. (See item 10 below) Note 4: This
does not refer to an immediate literal cessation of animal sacrifices. Those
actually continued for nearly 40 years. But with the death and resurrection
of Jesus, the “shadow” was replaced by the “reality”. Jesus had caused the
animal sacrifices to cease from being acceptable to God. The law under
which they were offered was abolished. (Hebrews
10:1-10) After The End
Of The Seventy Weeks
Note 5:The
animal sacrifices that continued in the temple for nearly 40 years, were
actually a rejection of Jesus, and an act of rebellion against
God! After much long suffering and patience, God eventually stepped in to
destroy the temple and leave it “desolate”.
Note 6: In
AD70 the Romans made war on Jerusalem, and captured the city, the Roman
soldiers set up their standards on the site and offered sacrifices. Thus the
predicted “abomination that made the temple desolate” was set up. The temple
was first desecrated, then burnt and demolished, “leaving not one
stone upon another”, exactly as Jesus
prophesied. (Matthew 24:1-2)
This was only the beginning of centuries of desolation reaching down
to our own time. The current “desolating abomination” is the Dome of the
Rock, which has been in place since AD691. Note 7:
For a similar use of language confirming this identification of the
“abomination of desolation” see 1 Maccabees 4:54. In BC168, Antiochus
Epiphanes set up an image of Zeus in the Temple and offered swine's flesh on
the altar. The Jews understood this earlier event to be a different
“abomination of desolation” fulfilling Daniel's prophecy of the 2300 “evening
mornings”. THE GOALS TO BE
ACHIEVED DURING THE TIME SPAN OF THE PROPHECY
At first glance
it might be easy to write this off as something to do with the atonement.
However I think there may be something else here, that requires a closer
look. It seems more likely that it has something to do with the completion of
the Jewish “catalogue of rebellion against God”. Verses which
have a similar meaning are: *
Genesis 15:16.
“The
iniquity of the Amorites is not yet complete”. The iniquity of
the Amorites was already great, but it wasn't over yet. God was not going to
take away their land, until they had become completely wicked. *
Matthew 23:32.
“Fill
up then the measure of your fathers”. Jesus was
reminding the Pharisees of their long history of rejection of the prophets
sent by God. They were going to complete this rejection by one final action
of rebellion. Their rejection of Jesus would finish the “filling
up of the measuring pot”. See also the parable in Matthew 21:33-43.
For this final act of rebellion in the 70th week, the kingdom would be taken
from them and given to others. (just it was for the Amorites)
*
Acts 3:26
“God
having raised up His servant, sent him to you first, to bless you in turning
every one of you from your iniquities.” This is a vital
part of the Abrahamic covenant which Jesus confirmed during the 70th week,
firstly by His preaching and then by His death. Their sins would come to an
end when they believed Jesus, repented and began to live in accordance with
His teachings about the way of life that pleases God.
This time the
prophecy does speak directly about the atonement. The Hebrew
word translated here as “reconciliation”, is “kaphar”
. This more often translated either as “atonement” or “covering”. By the
sacrificial offering of Jesus, in the 70th week, we are offered an
opportunity to repent, be set free from the penalty of our sins, and be
reconciled to God.
a. The animal
sacrifices offered under the Law of Moses had to be repeated year after year.
The sacrifice of Jesus, made once and for all time, can never be repeated. It
is everlasting in its effectiveness. b. But there is
more. For those who respond to the Gospel of the Kingdom of God, and who are
trained by the grace of God to live “sober upright and godly lives (Titus 2:11-14) Jesus has “abolished death
and brought life and immortality to light.”
(2 Timothy 1:10) At the
resurrection, righteous lives will become everlasting righteous
lives.
When the 70
weeks were completed, the fulfilment of the prophecy would put God's seal on
its authenticity.
This is a
reference to the consecration of the New Temple, comprised of “living
stones”. It is a temple built up with “living stones” -- people. And Jesus is
the “chief cornerstone”. THE MEANING OF
“SEVENTY WEEKS” (When a “week” is more than seven days!) The actual
phrase used in the RSV translation Daniel 9:24,
is “seventy weeks of years”, Other translations (KJV, NASB,
NEB) say “seventy weeks”. However, some
commentators tell us that a literal rendition would be “seventy sevens”.
The NIV translation uses this latter term. In Hebrew, it
seems that this term can mean either a week of days,
or a week of years, depending on the context. The Jews did use
language this way. Exodus 16:29,
specifically refers to a week of seven literal days. On the other hand, Leviticus 25:2, refers to a “sabbath week” of
seven years; and Leviticus 25:8
to a Jubilee of seven Sabbaths of years. Daniel does not
clearly specify whether he means literal weeks of days, or weeks of years.
However the translators of some modern versions (RSV for instance) and most
commentators, are agreed that in this place, the context clearly requires years. Daniel's
“seventy weeks” is actually seventy sabbatical year periods
totalling 490 years. For those who
like to use the “year for a day method” (and for those who don't!) it adds up
to the same thing. FINDING THE
STARTING POINT Different
history sources sometimes vary in the dates quoted for some events. However
they seldom differ by more than a year. For this case, that doesn't shift the
“ball park”. In the history recorded in Ezra and Nehemiah, there are actually
FOUR “decrees” about the rebuilding of the TEMPLE and/or the city of
Jerusalem.
This was a
decree to rebuild the Temple ..... not specifically the city of Jerusalem.
However it is probably reasonable to assume that the two things
are co-commitments. This decree was
revoked within a short time, by “Artaxerxes”, king of Persia. (Ezra 4:17-22) (There is some
doubt about the identity of this “Artaxerxes”. He is most likely Cambyses,
who succeeded Cyrus and reigned from BC528-21)
Darius reinstated
the decree of Cyrus to rebuild the temple (and we assume that
the city is included).
This decree did
FOUR things.
By officially
restoring administration of civil law to Jewish control, this one completes
what was lacking from either of the first two. And, as we shall see below,
the time span does fit in a remarkable way.
Strictly
speaking, this one is not a decree. Nehemiah requested
permission to build the city. (Nehemiah 2:5)
He requested letters authorising the work. He says that the
king granted what he asked. (Nehemiah 2:8) However, unlike
the first three cases above, no decree is mentioned. What
actually happened was that the King gave Nehemiah the requested letters
which authorised repair of the gates of the fortress wall of the
temple, and the wall of Jerusalem. (These had either not been properly
rebuilt under any earlier decree or had fallen into disrepair.) For our purpose
here, I suspect there is a distinct difference in meaning between the making
of a royal decree, which becomes law, and merely writing a letter,
which grants royal support for a limited project which took only 52 days to
complete. (Nehemiah 6:15) THE ARITHMETIC
OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS (using the third decree as our start date) If either of
the first two decrees stand alone, they do not fit with any reasonable
calculation arriving at the time of Jesus. They finish much too soon. We will also
ignore the fourth, for now. It also does not fit. It finishes much too late.
(but see Appendix 1) This third
decree completes things which were left undone by either of the first two. It
is the final legislation in what was effectually a decree made in three
stages, beginning in BC520, and completed in BC457. We need to
calculate from the date in which the last of the three stages
was added to the first two. And as we shall
see, when we do that, the arithmetic fits in a marvellous way! Stay alert to
see if you can follow the calculation outlined below. Artaxerxes
commenced to reign BC465 (Encyclopedia Britannica) or BC464 (Collier's
Encyclopedia) For this calculation we will use the later date. Using this
date, his 7th year begins in BC458. Now we need
another necessary assumption as to how Ezra is describing time.
If, as seems likely, Ezra is using Jewish time, then this
seventh year begins about October/November BC458, our time. Ezra arrived in
Jerusalem in the 5th month of that same seventh year, which means early
BC457. This would be the time when the king's orders were delivered to the
lieutenants and governors of the province. (Ezra
8:36) It also qualifies as the time for the official “going
forth of the decree”, on which we will base our calculations. (Logically, it
hadn't “gone forth” until it was received and read. Complicated isn't it?) Now add 483
years (69 weeks of years) 457 years from early in BC457 to the same time AD 1 26 years from
early in AD1 to the same time AD27 This would mean
that the 70th week started sometime early in AD 27, immediately after the
69th week concluded in the same year. Now, for
another remarkable correlation, we need to turn our attention to: THE 15TH YEAR
OF TIBERIUS CAESAR Luke tells us
that John the Baptist began his ministry in the fifteenth year of Tiberius
Caesar. (Luke 3:1) Tiberius began
to reign as sole Emperor in August/September AD14. However Encyclopedia
Brittanica says that he was made joint ruler with Augustus in
AD13. If we choose
the earlier date, the 15th year is AD27. If we choose the other it is AD28.
For our purpose, there is no need to resolve a choice between the two dates.
Either satisfactorily places the appearance of John the Baptist in the 15th
year of Tiberius, after the end of the 69th week, and in the early part of
the 70th week. The stage is set for “Messiah the prince” to appear. At His baptism
by John, still early in the 70th week, God anointed Jesus with
the Holy Spirit and declared Him as Son of God.(Luke 3:22 & Acts 10:38) With that declaration from
God, Messiah the Prince had arrived precisely on time. IN THE MIDST OF
THE WEEK We now need to
look at what it means to be cut off “in the midst of the week”. This Jewish
phrase can mean the exact middle of the week. However it does not always have
to be interpreted quite so precisely. In Hebrew it might ALSO validly be
translated as “sometime during the week. (Just as our English phrase
“midweek” also means “somewhere closer to the middle than the start or finish
of the week!) It is
noteworthy that using the phrase that way puts AD30 “midweek”. Of course no
one can prove beyond all doubt that this is the Crucifixion year, but AD30
just happens to be one of the popular speculations for the date of the
Crucifixion. WHAT ABOUT THE
REST OF THE WEEK? Of course, if
Jesus was “cut off” (put to death) part way through the 70th week, we are
left to decide what to do with the remainder of the week. In the interest of
“tidiness”, some have felt a need to assign some specific activity to the
time. One suggestion
is that the last part of the week concluded with the Baptism of the Gentile
Cornelius. However there is absolutely no way to prove that. Without some
authentic confirmation, it is pure speculation. The real
answer is much simpler. We don't need to do anything with it! The last few
days of the week have no purpose. Once Jesus was crucified and risen,
the work to be accomplished during the 70 weeks was concluded. WERE THE GOALS
OF THE PROPHECY ACHIEVED? Yes! It all
fits! 1.
As a result of the combined three
decrees, the temple and the city were rebuilt, and Jewish civil administration
was restored. 2.
In the 70th week, Jesus (Messiah
the Prince) appeared, confirmed the covenant, and was “cut off”. 3.
For the remainder of the week,
(and for all time after) any further Mosaic sacrifices and offerings, ceased
to be effective. 4.
Nearly 40 years later, the people
of the prince of Rome came like a flood. There was “war to the end”, until
Jerusalem was captured, and the temple was destroyed in AD70.5. It was
centuries later before it finally came to pass, but with the fall of the
Roman Empire, the Desolator did come to his predicted end. CONCLUSION One of God's
many claims is that He alone has the ability to foretell the future. Daniel has
other exciting prophecies which also demand attention. Some are
already fulfilled. Others speak to us of wonderful and fearful times still
future. One of those contains a clear statement of the great Christian hope
of the Resurrection. Those
prophecies of Daniel, which have already been fulfilled in amazing detail,
underline the security of our hope of life beyond our time of sleep in the
grave. "At that time your people shall be
delivered, every one whose name shall be found written in the book. And many
of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting
life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt. And those who are wise
shall shine like the brightness of the firmament; and those who turn many to
righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever.”
(Daniel 12:1-2) APPENDIX
1 - THE ARITHMETIC OF THE SEVENTY WEEKS (Using
Nehemiah as the starting point) There are many
who prefer to use Nehemiah's 20th year of Artaxerxes, as their starting
point. Futurists especially love to use this one as, by some methods of
calculation, it offers more scope to separate the 70th week from the first 69
and relegate it to the convenient future. Actually,
unlike the first three, this “fourth decree” is not named as a decree at all.
And although Nehemiah did request permission to build the
city, he merely tells us that he was given “letters” authorising the
governors of the provinces along the way, to let him pass through to Judah.
There was also a letter authorising Asaph, the keeper of the king's forest.
to give him timber to build gates for the fortress of the temple, the walls
of the city, and the house which he would occupy. And we learn incidentally
that Nehemiah was appointed Governor for 12 years (Nehemiah 5:14) and that the work he came to do
was completed in 52 days. (Nehemiah 6:15) But none of
this appears to qualify as a formal royal “decree to rebuild Jerusalem”. There are some
who manage to calculate the arithmetic to make the prophecy “fit”. However
the methods and the results, sit far less “comfortably” than the third decree
already discussed in the main paper. It requires the use of the “day for a year
method”, together with either a 360 day prophetic year, or a lunar year 354
days. For interest,
the arithmetic is repeated here without endorsing its validity. ALTERNATIVE 1 -
Using Jewish Calendar years 483 calendar
years from BC445 are completed in AD38. This is much too late. It doesn't fit
at all. ALTERNATIVE 2 -
Using 360 day years It works out
this way :- 483 x360 =
173,880 days. Divide 173,880
by 365 1/4 (to obtain the solar year equivalent) = 476 years and 21 days
approx. Starting from
AD445, this would complete the 69th week in AD32 This seems much
too late. It would require a crucifixion midweek in the 70th week, to be
about AD 35. But you can see why the futurists like it! Since the 70th week
would occur after the most commonly accepted date for a crucifixion in AD30,
it allows them to make that preposterous postponement of the 70th week to the
undetermined future. ALTERNATIVE 3 -
Using lunar years Lunar years?
Somehow, I just can't quite buy that! So please don't ask me to justify it!
It is just that some people like to do it this way to make it (almost) fit. A lunar year is
354.367 solar days. 483x 354.367 =
171,159.26 days divide
171,159.26 by 365 1/4 = 468 years 219 days (219 days is a bit over 7 months) In this case
starting in AD445, the 69th week would finish in AD24 (or AD25, if the extra
7 months carry over into another year). It doesn't
quite make it, to fit well with Lukes date in the 15th year of Tiberius
Caesar. Nor does it seem to fit with a reasonable date for the crucifixion. And we still
have to accept that improbable use of lunar years! Compared with using weeks
of “standard” Jewish sabbatical years, it requires a very big speculative
jump, which doesn't seem to have any scriptural basis at all. My own
conclusion is that the reference in Nehemiah is a side track, and that we
should concentrate on the third decree in Ezra
chapter 7, as the safest starting point. APPENDIX
2 Table
1
Notes 1. Some of the dates quoted
are based on a “best guess” after reviewing several authorities, who
sometimes differ. 2. Cyrus reigned over
Persia from 550-529. However Ezra reckons the “first year of Cyrus” (Ezra 1:1) from the time when
Cyrus conquered Babylon and began to reign over Israel. This was BC538. 3. Cambyses is probably the Artaxerxes referred
to in Ezra 4:7, who cancelled the
decree of Cyrus. 4. The one year
discrepancy between end of the reign of Cambyses and the beginning of Darius
results from an attempt to usurp the throne. Darius defeated the usurper and
was chosen king in the year following his father's death. 5. Encyclopedia
Britannica gives a commencement date of BC465. Collier's Encyclopedia says it
was BC464. I have used Collier's date. |