The Bible Book of Daniel, Daniel's Seventy Weeks Prophecy

In the bible book of Daniel, the Lord of Hosts uses Daniel’s seventy weeks prophecy to prepare both Jew and Christian believers for what lies ahead. The first 69 weeks are already in the history books. It’s the seventieth week, which is still to come. This last week of Daniel's vision looks at the Great Tribulation period, also known as Jacob’s trouble.

By the time this prophecy comes to pass, the spirit of antichrist is preaching to the masses that there are many ways to heaven. Christ’s church is taken out of this world for it has accomplished what God called it to do. The world has fallen into economic chaos, a new world order has been established and a world dictator rises out of the sea of politics to take control. The whole earth puts their trust in him for he promises peace, harmony and economic growth. But he is a master of deception.

In Daniel’s time line of the future he refers to the passage of time in terms of weeks. Each week symbolized as the passing of seven years. Daniel 9:24-27

Many students of prophecy have failed to accurately calculate the span of time indicated in Daniel’s seventy weeks. Mainly because of an overlooked factor, in biblical times the Jewish year was based on twelve months of 30 days each. Thus, a year equaled 360 days, not the 365.25 days we know today.

The time line began according to the Word of God when the decree is made to rebuild Jerusalem after the 70 years of exile. When the Jewish people were allowed to return from Babylon. The decree was signed and sealed by King Artaxerxes the first, in the month Nisan, 445 B.C., the twentieth year of Artaxerxes’s reign. According to the Jewish Talmud, also recorded in Nehemiah 2.

The Royal Observatory in Greenwich, UK calculated the date of this decree to have occurred on March 14, 445 B.C. Simple math will tell us that 69 weeks equals 483 years (7 x 69). This prophetic period of 483 biblical years contains exactly 173,880 days (483 x 360). The time when the Messiah shall be cut off, this reveals the date when Israel rejected the Messiah. This equates to the tenth day of the Jewish month Nisan, or April 6, 32 A.D. (Palm Sunday).

Note: In calculating the years between B.C. and A.C. one year must be omitted because there is no year zero. The reason being that the time elapsed between Passover in 1 B.C. and Passover the following year 1 A.C. is only one year, not two years.

It’s also important to note that Daniel’s prophecies pertain to God’s chosen people (Israel), not the gentile nations. “Daniel’s sorrow over Israel’s rebellion motivated him to confess to God the sins of his nation (Daniel 9:4). While Daniel was interceding on behalf of the people and for the city of Jerusalem, God sent his angle Gabriel to give Daniel skill and understanding.”

It’s plain to see the accuracy of Daniel’s prophetic visions by the prophecies in which already have been fulfilled. We should take heed and look for signs of his prophecies in which are yet to be fulfilled.

The end of the 69th week ushered in a new age, an age of grace in which the church or Christianity has been allowed to spread throughout the world. Perhaps that is why a gap of over 2,000 years exists between the 69th and 70th week of Daniel. God’s prophetic clock paused.

The seventieth week of Daniel still lies in the future, perhaps the near future. This is when the Lord will again focus on Israel. This time will be of Israel’s redemption but not before suffering intense persecution from the hand of the antichrist. There have been many antichrists through out history but this one will succeed in over taking the world with full backing from Satan himself.

Christ assured us that his gospel of the kingdom would be preached through out the earth for a witness unto all nations then the end will come (Matthew 24:14). The two witnesses who are prophesied in Revelation 11:3 tells us of the unique ministry of a returning Elijah and Moses. There are a few reasons that suggest the two witnesses are Elijah and Moses.

• The miracles they work are similar to the judgments inflicted in the Old Testament by Moses and Elijah. Elijah called down fire from heaven and pronounced a 3 1/2 year drought on the land, the same lenght of drought brought on by the two witnesses in Revelation 11:6. Moses turned the waters of the Nile into blood and brought on the other plagues over Egypt recorded in Exodus.
• Jewish tradition expects Moses and Elijah to return in the future. Malachi 4:5 predicts the return of Elijah.
• Both Moses and Elijah appered with Jesus during the transfiguration, the preview of the swcond coming (Matthew 17:3).
• Both left the earth in unusual ways, Elijah did not die but was taken to heaven on a fiery chariot. Although Hebrews 9:27 states that "it is appointed for men to die once and then comes judgment", this does not rule out Moses, because there are other rare exceptions to that statement such as Lazarus in John 11:38.

The Lord’s prophetic clock will start again when a world dictator (Antichrist) signs a seven - year treaty with Israel. The countdown begins to the inevitable battle of Armageddon. Those who have studied Daniel’s prophecies will know the Tribulation period has begun. By this time or perhaps at that moment Christ’s church (Christians) will be removed from the earth to heaven (The Rapture).

The treaty is broken by Antichrist three and one half years into the treaty. Jewish Temple worship will be violently interrupted, including the daily sacrifice. In scripture this is known as the “abomination of desolation” (Matthew 24:15). Shortly after this the Antichrist is assassinated but is resurrected satanically (possessed by Satan himself). This begins the second half of the Tribulation where the Antichrist demands to be worshiped as a God by all who inhabit the earth.

Note: In order for this to take place, the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem must be rebuilt. There can be no daily worship without the Temple. Also, when Christ returns to establish his kingdom he'll go through the Eastern Gate of the Temple and be anointed as King. He was not anointed 2,000 years ago.

Does Israel plan to rebuild the Temple? You bet they do. When you see this happen will it make a believer out of you?

While unbelievers will never understand the bible book of Daniel, genuine believers in God's Word will understand the prophecies about Chist's unstoppable return as the final week of Daniel's seventy weeks prophecy approaches.