By Nab B.
June 23, 2022
(updated Oct 2, 2025)
Daniel inquired of God about the return of his people to Jerusalem. He got much more than what he bargained for! Not only was he told the fate of his people, but also of the whole world!
Six hundred years before Jesus’ birth, it was revealed to Daniel the "exact" year of the Messiah's appearance, death, killers, and the consequences of his death to all humans.
The seventy weeks form an unbroken timeline, in three phases, appearing one after the other with no "time gap."
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The Three Phases
PHASE 1
From Ezra's decree until rebuilding Jerusalem
( 7 x 7 ) = 49 years
PHASE 2
From rebuilding Jerusalem till the Messiah
( 62 x 7 ) = 434 years
PHASE 3
Messiah's arrival, death, covenant for many
( 7 x 1 ) = 7 years
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(Figure 1)The 70-week prophecy begins in Daniel 9:24:
“Seventy weeks are determined for thy people, and for thy holy city, to shut up the transgression, and to seal up sins, and to cover iniquity, and to bring in righteousness age-during, and to seal up vision and prophet, and to anoint the holy of holies.” (YLT)
“Seventy weeks are determined,” translates to (70 x 7 ) or 490 years—a period determined for the Messiah to appear.
The prophetic "seventy weeks" (literally "seventy-sevened" in Hebrew) are weeks of years, not weeks of weeks! So, 490 prophetic days, in reality, are 490 years, due to the rule of "a day for a year" (see Ezekiel 4:6).
"Why Seven?" you ask. Biblically, "seven" and its derivatives (49, 70, 490) represent [higher] perfect completion. Thus, the "seventy-weeks" fittingly pointed to God's perfect and complete salvation through the Messiah for all humans.
The "seventy weeks" prophecy predicted the single most pivotal event in the history of the world—the death of Jesus Christ. Daniel 9:24 tells us the "ripple effect" of His death:
To "shut up the transgression"
To "seal up sins"
To "cover iniquity"
To "bring in the age of righteousness"
To "seal up vision and prophet"
To "anoint the Holy of Holies"
“From the issuing of a decree to restore and rebuild Jerusalem, until Messiah the Prince, there will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks; It will be built again, with streets and moat, even in times of distress.”
(Dan 9:25 NASB)
The "seventy-weeks" began with Ezra's decree to rebuild the walls of Jerusalem in the year 457 BC. From there, add 69 weeks of years (or 483 years) and you will get to the start of the 70th week. (See Figure 2 below)
In that 70th week (7 years), the climactic events ensued: Christ's appearance, his death, and his "new covenant." Now, I will show the calculation with approximate dates.
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Calculating The 69 Weeks
(From Ezra's decree in 457 BC to Christ)
7 x 7 = (49 years rebuilding Jerusalem)
+ 62 x 7 = (434 years awaiting the Messiah)
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69 weeks ❯ (483 years)
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483 years – 457 BC = Year 26 AD
26 + 1 (added for year zero) = ~ AD 27 (Jesus' baptism)
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“Then after the sixty-two weeks, the Messiah will be cut off and will have nothing. Then the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end will come like a flood, and until the end, there will be war; desolations have been decreed.”
“And he will confirm a covenant with many for one week, but in the middle of the week, he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on the wing of the temple will come the abomination that causes desolation, until the decreed destruction is poured out upon him.” (Daniel 9:26-27 BLB )
Christ appeared about 27 AD at his baptism by John. It was the start of the "one week"—the 70th week. This leaves no possibility of a time gap! Wonder why? It is because "Jesus' death" and his "new covenant" are the prophecy's CLIMAX—and nothing else to look for!
All other calculating gimmickry is nothing but hot air!
In the "Middle of the week," or after 3½ years from his baptism, Jesus was killed. After his resurrection, and for the next 3½ years (until ~33 AD), Christ "Confirmed a [new] covenant with many for [in, within] one week." (see Figure 3)
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27 AD (Christ’s Appeared)
+ 3½ years (Middle of the seven years)
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~ 30 AD
(Approx. Christ's year of death)
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Before the seven years end, a "New Covenant" will be confirmed [established] with all peoples of the earth—Jews, Samaritans and all Gentiles, to join a "New Ecclesia," "Spirit-born" people of God. How was it done? By introducing three opportunities (or keys).
Jesus chose Peter to introduce three keys to three groups that make up all of humanity to confirm the "new covenant" to all people, "That thou art Peter...And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven," (Matt 16:18-19). Such a feat will have to be accomplished in three and one-half years (before the last week ends). The book of Acts fills in all the details.
I will list all three keys Jesus used to open wide the door to all through Peter:
First key: Peter's speech on the day of Pentecost incited 3,000 Jews to receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 2:37-41)
Second key: Peter (with John) opened Samaria to receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:14-18)
Third key: Peter was sent to the first Gentile, Cornelius and his household, to receive the Holy Spirit. (Acts 10:1-48)
Those last 3½ years of the "last week" confirmed the "new covenant" to Jews, Samaritans, and Gentiles to enter the new church under Jesus Christ, the Shepherd "Prince". (Compare John 10:16) By the end of that week (7 years), the door to the kingdom of God (Spirit-born believers) was wide open to all peoples, and still is to this day!
“The people of the prince who is to come will destroy the sanctuary [temple] and the city [Jerusalem].”
Many believe "the prince" to be the Roman General Titus, and the "people of the prince" is his army. I beg to differ! To me, "the prince" is Jesus Christ, and "the people of the prince" are the Jewish ecclesiastical powers and their supporters.
Here's the scriptural proof of my conclusion without me trying to force the text.
Jesus being the "Prince," and Israel being "the people" is clearly seen in Daniel 12:1 (ESV), "At that time shall arise Michael (no reference here to an angel; it uses Michael for its meaning, one who is like God, referring to Jesus), the great prince who has charge of your people." Jesus was and is "the Prince," whether it was Israel then or spiritual Israel now.
“The people of the prince...will destroy the sanctuary" points to the Jewish system and the people who destroyed or "killed" (not the stone temple), but the "Body of Jesus", which was the "temple of God." You will ask me, "How do I know this?" I'd say, "Because he said so,"
“Jesus answered them, 'Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up' . . . But he was speaking about the temple of his body." (John 2:19,21 ESV)
“The people of the prince...will destroy the city" points to Israel and its religious system's abominable act that destroyed their place with God and lost their city of worship, Jerusalem. For further details, read my article: What is the Abomination of Desolation?
Christ's final denunciation of Israel's religious system and its supporters is a testimony of this. (compare Matthew 23:13-37, also Luke 23:28-31).
Later, in 70 AD, the Roman armies utterly destroyed Jerusalem, its temple and all manner of worship. This wasn't part of the seventy-week prophecy, but a consequence of breaking God's covenant by rejecting His Son.
Israel's spiritual and physical losses were truly great. The parable of the "Murdered Son" in Mark 12:1-12 highlights how Israel's old system was irrevocably left desolate and abandoned by God and His Messiah.
Jerusalem ceased to be the city of God, but a "New heavenly Jerusalem" was born on the day of Pentecost, with Jesus Christ as its Lord and King. The people of God, or "Israel of God," henceforth, are any Jew or Gentile who truly believes in the Son of God.
"But in every nation he that feareth him, and worketh righteousness, is accepted with him." (Acts 10:35)
Erroneously, many churches insert a long gap in Daniel’s prophecy after the 69th week and before the last week:
69 weeks (483 years) till the Messiah appears.
A gap of thousands of years!!
1 week (7 years) of "tribulation" to come! (See chart below)
I would hope for you to see their false claim! First, the prophecy should have no time gaps! It is one continuous timeline from beginning to end. Second, Christ's appearance, death, and his new covenant are the prophecy's CLIMAX, and not some silly stuff as a 7-year "Tribulation," and a church "Rapture!"
Perhaps you can see better the unreasonableness of it in the chart below. Note how it falsely breaks up and stretches the seventy-week prophecy beyond Christ's death, to our day and beyond.
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I have created a chart (below) of the 70-week prophecy with a continuous timeline and no time gap. No one needs to complicate the prophecy beyond its intended meaning!
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The seventy weeks (490 years) pointed primarily to Christ’s death and its blessed effects.
I urge you to rethink the erroneous teaching of:
(a) The long time gap was forced between the 69th and the 70th week.
(b) The seven-year tribulation—see my article "What is the great tribulation?"
(c)The church Rapture—see my article "What is the Rapture?"
“It is not for you to know times or seasons which the Father has put in His own authority," Jesus declared (Acts 1:7 NKJV). Those who obsess and falsely teach end-time prophecies defy God's "authority". This age will end only when God says so; no one will ever know how or when.
Better not pay attention to convoluted teachings. None of what they say is scriptural, and none will come to pass. A lot of it is cherry-picking, made-up doctrines.
Christ's final coming" will not be to rule the earth with his church for 1,000 years. This is also unscriptural! Rather, it will be to end the age, resurrect the dead, judge the world, and usher in a "new creation," according to God's will and plan.
Christ has been coming "in the Spirit" to each true believer for the last 2,000 years. It is far better to use the time to be with Christ and the Father "in the Spirit" for He promised, "If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him." (John 14:23)
The wait can be long for what will never come!
