The Prophecy - Daniel 9:24-27 - Daniel's 70 Weeks |
Old Testament Prophecy |
24) Seventy weeks have been decreed for your people and your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, to make atonement for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy place. 25) So you are to know and discern that 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 plaza and moat, even in times of distress. 26) Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing, and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined. 27 ) And he will make a firm covenant with the many for one week, but in the middle of the week he will put a stop to sacrifice and grain offering; and on the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate, even until a complete destruction, one that is decreed, is poured out on the one who makes desolate. |
The 490 years in this prophecy was a section of time cut out or decreed by God (Daniel 9:24). This Decree, since it was issued by God through the Angel Gabriel, is an independent prophetic time clock that points forward to Israel's destiny.
This decree was given in part to provide a timetable of the coming of the Messiah (He needed to come before the Temple would be destroyed in 70 A.D.) and to offer Israel hope. That is why the Talmud teaches that all deadlines for the coming of Moshiach (Messiah) have come and gone- the thing depends solely on our returning to G-d. (Sanhedrin 97b)
Other passages support the understanding that Messiah would come while the temple was still standing. For example, the rabbis recognized that Psalm 118 would be sung to the Messiah when He arrived.
O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity. Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD Psalm 118:25-26.
Israel's Captivity: Israel had influence on how long they would be held captive in Babylon. Their 70 years of captivity was in direct correlation with the 490 years of Sabbath Land Rests that were violated (Leviticus 26:34).
The amount of time here (490 prophetic years) is not connected to Israel's disobedience for not allowing the land to rest. That issue was being addressed with the 70 years of Israel's captivity which was about to come to an end when Daniel received this prophecy (Leviticus 26:34).
The connection is that Israel's captivity was a direct result of a past 490 year violation and that this prophecy would use the same amount of time (490 years) but would look forward to Israel's future destiny instead of looking back at her past.
This decree was given in part to provide a timetable of the coming of the Messiah (He needed to come before the Temple would be destroyed in 70 A.D.) and to offer Israel hope. That is why the Talmud teaches that all deadlines for the coming of Moshiach (Messiah) have come and gone- the thing depends solely on our returning to G-d. (Sanhedrin 97b)
There was more than one decree so it is important to have the right starting date in order to have the right ending date. This Decree is studied in more detail in Daniel 9:25.
More on the connection between Psalm 118 and the 70 weeks decree.
In Matthew 23:39, Jesus looking forward to His second coming, brought understanding to Psalm 118. It was understood that Israel would cry out when the Messiah came with the words "Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD" a quote from Psalm 118. Although some of Israel did this at the end of this 69th week of the 70 week decree, while throwing down Psalm branches during the last week of our Messiah's life when He entered Jerusalem riding a donkey, this prophecy also has a still to come future prophetic role, a type of duel fulfillment prophecy which contains both a near term and future term event.
This may be because Zechariah knew that someday Israel would see their Messiah - Jesus - for who He really was. At that time Israel would cry out. I will pour out on the house of David and on the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace and of supplication, so that they will look on Me whom they have pierced; and they will mourn for Him, as one mourns for an only son, and they will weep bitterly over Him like the bitter weeping over a firstborn.(Zechariah 12:10)
It would be after Zechariah 12:10 when God gives Israel the grace of knowing who their Messiah is, (the partial blindness is removed from Israels eyes at this time - see Romans 11:25) that because they know and weep and cry out that they also praise Jesus name by declaring Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD.
Along with this event occurs the literal second coming of Jesus meaning that He returns to earth a second time which brings the time of Jacob's Trouble (the Tribulation Period) to a conclusion.
For I say to you, from now on you will not see Me until you say, BLESSED IS HE WHO COMES IN THE NAME OF THE LORD! (Matthew 23:39)
Some versions say determined instead of decreed. Either way it is God who set the time table.
Sometimes read as "the length of time God has set."
Here are links that have been created to help move around inside of the Daniel 9:24-27 prophecy.
Other links of interest include:
