The seventy weeks of Daniel from Daniel chapter 9 is one of the most important prophetic passages of the Bible. It is probably the most important with regards to prophecies about the coming Jewish Messiah. This is especially about the time and some of the circumstances connected with His first coming that was fulfilled exactly by Jesus of Nazareth. There is also a prophecy in this passage about the Messiah's second coming and the end times prince that causes abomination and makes a covenant or treaty with many including the Jews for one week (of seven years). This seventieth year is thought by most born again Christians and people who take the Bible literally to be the tribulation period of the last days before Messiah returns. I and other Christian believe also the Messiah in the person of Jesus of Nazereth who we believe was God who came in the flesh through the virgin birth about 2000 years ago. In this prophecy the entire Church Age or Dispensation over most of the last 2000 years would fit between the end of the 69th and the beginning of the 70th week of Daniel. All these weeks lasted 7 years each.
In Daniel 9:24, the first verse of this prophecy the passage says there are 70 weeks involved in this prophecy. These 70 weeks are each 7 years in length which was the time of the sabbath year and the agricultural cycle. In this 7 year agricultural cycle the Jews were to work their land for their crops every six years but leave it alone or fallow every 7th year or sabbath year so the land could replenish itself of nutrients etc. The reason 70 weeks are in this prophecy is because the Jewish people neglected to keep this part of the Law of Moses for 490 years or 70 cycles of 7 years. As punishment for this and also for the land to replenish itself God decreed that the Jewish people then would be 70 years in Babylon. This began when Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon rose up against the southern kingdom of Judah, Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem and destroyed them and carried off Jews captive to Jerusalem. Nebuchadnezzar then established a puppet state under Babylonian control in the southern part of Israel, Judah, and Jerusalem. This lasted until Cyrus the king of Persia defeated the Babylonians and made a decree permitting the Jews to return to rebuild their temple in Jerusalem about 70 years later. The Bible records some of the Jews did then return then to rebuild their temple. There was another short gap in time and a later Persian king Artaxerxes made a decree allowing other Jews to return to Jerusalem and these Jews and Jews already in Jerusalem or Judah to start rebuilding Jerusalem and its walls. This happened in 445 BC and is recorded in Nehemiah chapter 2 and is the starting point of the counting of the 70 weeks of Daniel at least the first 69 weeks or 483 (Jewish) years which were 360 days long. Since this prophecy was given to Daniel who was Jewish, thy people means the Jewish people and thy city means Jerusalem. The first three purposes of the 70 weeks, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity were accomplished at the first coming of Messiah just after the 69 weeks or 483 Jewish years ended. This was when Jesus or Nazareth or the Lord Jesus Christ (Messiah) died on the cross for the sins of all people Jewish and Gentile (of the nations) probably in 32 AD. The second group of three purposes of the 70 weeks - to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and the prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy (place) will be fulfilled when the Messiah (we believe in Jesus' second coming in power and great glory from Heaven) comes to set up God's righteous kingdom on Earth ruling from the Messianic Age Temple in Jerusalem (the most Holy place) (see Ezekiel 41:1-4). The fulfillment of this second group of objectives at Messiah's coming to set up His and God's Kingdom on Earth will finish fulfilling the objectives of the 70 weeks and will finish the time period of the 70 weeks of years. The scripture reference from Daniel 9 of the characteristics and objectives of the 70 weeks of years through the Messiah Jesus and His coming to earth is as follows:
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 the prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy (place). Daniel 9:24
Although I can't prove there is a definite link between these events and areas in the 6th century BC it is a very definite possibility from a biblical viewpoint. This viewpoint that sees the God of the Bible as sovereign over all the nations, all knowing and a God of justice that judges disobedience in his people at that time particularly the people of Israel the Jews. There started to be occupation of Judah and Jerusalem as a puppet state under the Babylonian king Nebuchadnezzar from about 608 BC under Jehoiakim and after the rebellion of one of the Judah puppet kings Zedekiah against Nebuchadnezzar in the name of the God of Israel Nebuchadnezzar finally came as predicted in Jeremiah and implied here in Daniel 9 and destroyed Jerusalem, Judah and the Jewish Temple in 586 BC. The 70 year Babylonian captivity of Judah began when the Babylonians took away captive to Babylon Jehoiakim, some of the Jewish temple treasures and some of the best and brightest of the people of Judah and and occupied Judah itself with Babylonian officials. This lasted until about 538 BC. This period from 608 to 538 BC was one of the darkest in Judah's or Israel as a whole's history especially its spiritual history. Indirectly it was also one of the darkest periods of the history of the whole world since Israel (including Judah) was called of God to be his faithful people and witnesses to a dark and idolatrous and immoral world at that time and there was no other comparable witness for the one true God - the God of the Bible. It would be about 6 more centuries from that time before the Lord Jesus Christ would come into the world and the Christian Church would be established. Sometimes I believe God uses the events of one part of the world to affect the events in other parts of the world especially if the first part is associated with his chosen people either Israel then or in the tribulation or in blessing in the Messianic Age or the Church between Pentecost and the Rapture of the Church or perhaps of Israel in the last part of this present Church age. I believe that is what happened from 608 BC to 538 BC especially from 586 BC to 538 BC.
As is well attested to by secular history it was during this time that the major mystical religions of the Far East were established with the births of their founders. Taoism that is a combination of magic and a worship of many gods began with the birth of its founder Lao tze in 604 or 600 BC. Taoism is one of the 3 major religions of China and some other parts of the Far East. This was at the beginning of the time Israel was in spiritual and political darkness, idolatry, immorality and chaos that would be displeasing to their holy God. God could have allowed Satan to launch a major religion of the occult and evil spirits and false gods at this vulnerable time.
In about 566 or 563 BC Buddha or Gautama Buddha or Sakyamuni was born who was the founder of the religion of Buddhism which itself is partly derived from Hinduism. Buddhism of course later became a major religion of the Far East as well as some parts of the Indian subcontinent. This originated in what is now Nepal while I believe Taoism originated in China. This beginning date of 566 or 563 BC is even more clearly in a time of spiritual darkness of God's chosen earthly people Israel. At that time the Jews of Judah were under God's judgment for their idolatry and hardness of heart to the true God and immorality and pride and deception etc. This judgment by God of the Jews was shown by their then being in exile in idolatrous Babylon or under its occupation in Judah in the holy land with the Jewish Temple destroyed and in ruins and the Temple worship including means of accessing God by animal sacrifices temporarily halted from operations. The priests would not be operating and although there were some of the Jewish prophets then operating such as Daniel and Ezekiel and some of the minor prophets they were reminding Judah of their then present suffering and estrangement from God as a result of their sin but that they had hope for the future after the 70 year captivity and especially after the 70 weeks of 7 years and looking to the all future Messianic Age. However this time of exile of God's chosen earthly people the Jews could still provide the needed spiritual conditions for Satan or Lucifer to start another major idolatrous and mystical religion in Buddhism. Buddha's enlightenment sounds quite similiar and was also under a tree as Eve our first mother sought the fruit of the knowledge of good and evil to make her wise and become as gods. This temptation and fall into sin of Eve was with the help of Lucifer or Satan is called an angel of light and the morning star and having brightness in 2 Corinthians 11, Isaiah 14 and Ezekiel 28. This brightness associated with Lucifer or Satan could also refer to Eve seeking enlightenment as Buddha did much later on for at least somewhat similiar reasons and probably somewhat similiar sources. I found the term Bodhi tree and Bodhisattva means "Illumination" tree or illumination existence with Buddha called the primary Bodhisattva or enlightened ones that are supposed to stay behind to lead others to paradise according to Buddhism.
Finally Confucianism began about 551 BC with the birth of Confucius or Kung foo tzu which was also in the period or Israel and the world's depth of spiritual darkness between 608 and 538 BC especially. Although Confucianism is not as dark spiritually as Taoism or Buddhism and more of a philosophy than a religion, it did lead to ancestor worship which is definitely a false or ungodly religion. Confucianism also led to the false hope or praying for dead ancestors to try to improve their fate even after death which is contrary to the Bible that states that both in the Old and New Testament that our eternal destiny is sealed at the point of death. Even in some exceptions in escaping death such as the translation without death to heaven of Enoch, Elijah and the last generation of the Christian Church of believers with a wholeheared personal faith in the Lord Jesus Christ that he died for our sins and rose from the dead to give us new life our eternal destiny is still sealed when we leave this world. At least how Confucianism was later interpreted to give a rigid social order in China and the Far East or authority and favor of employers over employees, teachers over students, the emperor over subjects, parents over children and males over females was probably not as desirable in God's sight as Biblical values or order of which Chinese society had up to 600 BC. This early order of Chinese religion and philosophy still has some elements from their belief in the one God of the Bible Shang ti or Seung dai "above emperor" that is probably the same as El Shaddai "the Almighty" or "the All Sufficient One" of the Old Testament and the Hebrews.
The Jews later returned to Judah and Israel and obtained a measure of independence again and rebuilt their temple and reestablished their temple worship with their priests and high priest starting in 538 BC. This was under the commission by the Persian king Cyrus as mentioned in 2 Corinthians 36 and Ezra 1. Even after 538 BC and the decrees of Cyrus the Jews were still, to some extent, under the rule of the Gentiles or the nations and will continue to be until the 70 weeks of 7 years are completed and the 1000 year Messianic Age begins as also mentioned in Daniel 9. Also the 2nd Temple Zerubbabel's Temple then in a later phase Herod's Temple did not have the Shekinah glory of God the Father or the LORD (Jehovah, Yahweh or YHVH) or the Ark of the Covenant. The third temple that will be built soon by Israel at the beginning of the tribulation or 70th week of Daniel in a covenant or treaty with the Antichrist or Beast out of the Sea of Revelation 13 and Man of sin of 2 Thessalonians 2 probably still won't have the Shekinah Glory even though it will probably have the Ark of the Covenant then. These three idolatrous or unbiblical major world religions began during or around the time or Judah's, the most faithful part of God's chosen earthly people Israel's, period of spiritual darkness and divine judgment when the world was also in particular spiritual darkness. These three idolatrous religious systems of Taoism, Buddhism and Confucianism began and have continued since the 6th century BC as major world religions to the present time will continue to have a major role in the religious or spiritual systems of mankind until God puts away all the devil, Satan or Lucifer's ungodly including idolatrous world system. This act of God putting away all the world's idolatrous systems will be by the establishment of and at the time of God's true and full rule on earth through his only begotton Son Jesus Christ ruling from the rising of the sun to the setting of the same over all the earth with a rod of iron to establish and implement God's word - the Holy Bible and His values. This will be from the time of the glorious appearing from heaven to defeat all unrepentant, ungodly human and demonic persons by the Lord Jesus Christ with the Father and His holy angels and his saints or believers in God and His Messiah (revealed in the New Testament) as Jesus of Nazareth.
The command to build and restore Jerusalem was given by the Persian king Artaxerxes in 445 BC in the Hebrew month Nisan as recorded in Nehemiah 2. This was in troublous times because Israel or the southern kingdom of Judah then did not have a king and their enemies or surrounding people were oppressing them and then hindering them from rebuilding their city of Jerusalem and its walls. This is recorded in the book of Nehemiah. The seven weeks and threescore and two (sixty two) weeks adds up to sixty nine weeks or 483 Jewish years or about 476 or 477 western years that have a couple more days in our years. After this 69 weeks Messiah was prophecied to appear or be revealed. As the date of the original decree is known exactly, the date when Messiah should have revealed himself can be calculated exactly and could have been calculated exactly once this prophecy was given. This date was the date of April 6, 32 AD. According to history this was the exact date when Jesus came to Jerusalem riding on a donkey. He was widely acclaimed as the King of Jews to the cries of Hosanna and Blessed is He that comes in the name of the Lord on what Christians call Palm Sunday because of the palm branches people put on the ground in his path. Jesus was then moving from Bethany through the Mount of Olives to Jerusalem and the Temple. This is recorded in its fulfillment in the Gospel of Matthew 21.
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. Daniel 9:25
One thing that is important to note is the word after at the beginning of Daniel 9:26. This also means Messiah being cut off but not for himself was after the 69 weeks were fulfilled not at the exact time of the end of the 69 weeks. This was fulfilled when the Lord Jesus Christ (the Messiah) died a week after he offered himself as Messiah in his so-called triumphal entry. The Jewish relgious leaders in that week turned the multitudes of Israel against Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah as their cries of Hosannah turned to cries of Crucify Him at the immediately following Passover. Jesus was cut off, died a violent death and death at a young age, and not for Himself when he was crucified for all our sins (of all people who have ever lived Jewish and Gentile or of the nations) at the age of about 33 in his nature as a man. He was not just a perfect man but God from Heaven in the person of God the Son come in the form of a man to offer a sinless sacrifice for our sins so any willing or believing person can be reconciled to God and brought into a personal relationship with Him through faith in Jesus the Messiah(Christ) as personal Lord and Saviour. This cutting off of Messiah but not for himself also occurred in 32 AD. There are also other things that happened between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel. The people that shall come in this verse are the Romans of the Roman Empire and their prince was the Roman emperor and general Titus. The action of Titus and the Roman armies to destroy Jerusalem and the Jewish Temple there in 70 AD was the fulfillment of the prince of the people that shall come to destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end being with a flood could mean that the result of the invasion by Titus and the Romans would be with a flood. This could refer to Mount Vesuvius that erupted in 70 AD nine years later in August 79 AD and destroyed the Roman city of Pompeii mostly by a flood of superheated mud which buried many people and animals alive and buildings and other materials with little or no chance of escape and this has preserved their everyday living quite well. According to an article about Titus on the online encyclopedia Wikipedia, it was also in 79 AD in June that Titus became not just a Roman general but Roman emperor and he continued a short time until 81 AD and it was perhaps God's way of retribution that this disaster happened in Titus' brief reign as emperor since he had been the one to lead the destruction of Jerusalem and Herod's (the 2nd) Temple. The desolations being determined until the end of the war probably means evil and persecutions are determined against the Jewish people or by nations or natural calamities on Gentile nations including the former Roman Empire and other areas until the 70 weeks of years including the last days 70th week of Daniel are completed. This includes the whole present Church Age of about 2000 years that is almost completed. The scripture in Daniel 9 for the events between the 69th and 70th weeks of Daniel are as follows:
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. Daniel 9:26
Today in April 2009 I was looking for something else in a copy of the Mishnah I have that are some important Jewish writings of their traditions and history when I came across something else I was looking for. This is the reason in writing that I have heard the Jews give that the date of the Ninth of Av has been a day of extreme tragedy or some would say cursing in their history. Av is a Jewish month that is partly in July and partly in August as is what is referred to as the fifth month in the Hebrew (Old Testament) scriptures. According to Jewish tradition the Ninth became a cursed day in their history because on that day God judged them for the majority of the 12 spies that God sent through Moses to spy out the promised land before God sent the Israelites to conquer it sent a faithless report and looked at the outward appearance of their adversaries being giants rather than what the Israelites could do with God's help. This day later became the date, although hundreds of years apart, on which the 1st (Solomon's) Temple was destroyed by the Babyloniansaround 586 BC and the second temple (Herod's) was destroyed around 70 AD by the Romans that are both well attested by history as well as other probable events such as the Ninth of Av being a main date in the Spanish Inquisition against the Jews around 1490 AD. The reference I found in the Mishnah in the book Taanit chapter 4 mentions the Ninth of AV being cursed because of the faithless report of the spies into the promised land and later disasters on that day to the Jews notably the destruction of the 1st and 2nd temples. This reference in Taanit 4 in the Mishnah is as follows:
Five events took place for our fathers on the seventeenth of Tammuz, and five on the ninth of Ab (Av). On the seventeenth of Tammuz 1 the tablets of the Torah were broken, 2 the daily whole offering was cancelled, 3 the city wall was breached, 4 Apostemos burned the Torah, and he set up an idol in the Temple. On the ninth of Ab 1 the decree was made against our forefathers that they should not enter the land, 2 the first Temple and 3 the second Temple were destroyed, 4 Betar was taken, and 5 the city was ploughed up after the war of Hadrian. When Ab comes, rejoicing diminishes.
One thing that is good to note and could be very significant is that the "he" of verse 27 refers back to the prince of the people that shall come. Since the prince of the people that shall come was Titus who was a Roman emperor and general, it is quite possible that Antichrist or Beast out of the Sea or possible black pope will be Roman or Italian and a general and emperor. This could also mean he will be a very militant Roman Catholic pope which would also fit the description of the Antichrist or Beast out of the Sea in Revelation 13 and 17 and elsewhere in the Bible. This leader, the Antichrist, will confirm a covenant (treaty) for one week of seven years with Israel and probably the Palestinians and other Arabs and perhaps the Roman Catholic Church and perhaps even other groups like those in the so-called quartet now in the Middle East "roadmap" peace plan. Although this suggests the antichrist will be Roman or Italian he could simply be of the Roman Catholic background. Although I can't say with any certainty one person that would qualify in this way is the former British Prime Minister Tony Blair who brokered the Anglo-Irish Good Friday accord and is now Middle East Peace Envoy for the quartet and wants to become first president of a more centralized Europe under the Lisbon treaty that is a form of the revised and watered down European constitution in the process of ratification. It is quite possible the European Union as a form of the revived Roman Empire will have a key role with the Antichrist in this treaty with Israel. According to some Bible teachers like Robert Congdon who wrote a book the European Union and the Supra Religion the European Union is waiting until the US led peace process fails and the Israelis and Palestinians and other Arabs and others seek the primary role for mediation of the European Union to replace United States in the Middle East peace process. An example that that is already starting to happen appeared in the Jerusalem Post on February 22 under the heading Israel sees ties with EU as crucial. This will probably become even more true as time elapses as with the Palestinians and other Arabs as well and is consistant that the Antichrist that will negotiate this treaty with Israel and probably its Muslim neighbours will come out of the revived roman empire or the European Union. These four groups are the United Nations, the United States, the European Union and Russia. The word covenant can mean peace treaty or agreement. This covenant will also permit Israel and the Jews to build their Third Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount and resume their animal sacrifices and other temple worship prescribed under the Law of Moses as Orthodox and other Jews have already made much preparation for the temple worship and there is now a groundswell of support among Jews in Israel and some overseas. This is also an indication that the time of this covenant with the Antichrist and the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple and resumption of the temple worship and the tribulation is very near at this time. Also this means the preceding rapture of the Church is very near for all born again Christians who have received the Lord Jesus Christ (Messiah) as our personal Lord and Saviour. One of the present obstacles to this treaty is the fact the Muslim Dome of the Rock still stands on or near the location of the previous 1st and 2nd Jewish Temples and where Jews want to build their 3rd Jewish Temple on the Temple Mount. Probably God will cause an earthquake to bring down the Dome of the Rock so the Jewish people can build their temple there without too much Muslim anger or adverse reaction. The Antichrist might still allow the Muslims to maintain a presence on the Temple Mount in the 70th week of Daniel by sharing it with the Jews and making it a multi-faith or multicultural site as many in this world and of the world's leaders already want to do. This could mean the Muslims will be able to keep and continue to use their Al Aqsa Mosque on the Temple Mount in this covenant or peace treaty. The confirmation refers to the Antichrist will allowing the building of the 3rd Jewish Temple and restoring the Jewish Temple worship under this covenant. In the midst of the week or after 3 1/2 years he will break the covenant and cause the (animal) sacrifice and oblation (probably drink offerings) to cease. The Antichrist can't make something to cease that he didn't start in the first place so this is an indication that the establishment of the covenant with many including Israel allowed the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple and resumption of the Jewish animal sacrifices for the first 3 1/2 year half of the tribulation or 70th week of Daniel. The Antichrist will then make this 3rd Jewish Temple desolate by installing himself as the foremost god in this temple probably the holy place for all people Jewish and Gentile to be worshipped or to worship his image. According to Revelation if people don't do this in the tribulation or at least the 2nd half they will be killed if they are caught or else have to be always on the run or hiding. This will continue until the end of the tribulation and the end of the Great Tribulation or second half of the tribulation and the arrival of the consummation. This consummation is when the Lord Jesus the Messiah(Christ) will come from Heaven with God the Father and all the holy angels and all Church Age, some Old Testament and all Tribulation period martyr believers and catch the Antichrist who makes desolate and cast him with the False Prophet or Beast out of the Land into the Lake of Fire. Then God through His Messiah will have completed the 70 weeks of years and have brought in everlasting righteousness, fulfilled the prophecy and anointed the most Holy place or the Messianic Age Temple. The scripture reference in Daniel 9 of the events and characteristics of the 70th or last week of Daniel that will be the imminent and now very soon tribulation is as follows:
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and 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. Daniel 9:27
The expression the most holy in Daniel 9 actually means in full the most holy place. In Daniel 9:24 the context is to annoint the most holy (place). This refers to God the Father (the LORD in His Shekinah Glory) and Messiah Jesus annointing the Messianic Age Temple when He comes from Heaven at the end of the tribulation or 70th week of Daniel to set up His Kingdom over all the earth centred in the Messianic Age or Ezekiel's Temple in Jerusalem. God will annoint this temple with his holy presence as He did in the first or Solomon's Temple and as Christians believe Jesus also did to some extent with the Second or Herod's Temple when he cleansed this temple at the beginning and end of his three and a half year public ministry. In Ezekiel 41 the most holy place refers not just generally to the Messianic Age temple but to the holy of holies or most holy place of the Messianic Age Temple in particular. This will be the fourth not just the third temple since the third temple will be that which will exist in the tribulation and be defiled by the Beast or Antichrist and that God will either destroy or totally rework to make way for the much larger fourth or Messianic Age Temple on part of the same location. The size of the holy of holies or most holy place in the Fourth or Messianic Age Temple or Ezekiel's Temple will be twenty cubits cubed or about 30 feet or ten metres cubed since a cubit is about 18 inches or 1/2 a metre. The scripture reference in Ezekiel 41 of the most holy place that God the Father (the LORD) in His Shekinah Glory and the Lord Jesus the Messiah (Christ) will enter and dwell in in the Messianic Age or Millennial Kingdom when he comes from Heaven to the Mount of Olives then through the East Gate is as follows:
Afterwards he brought me to the temple, and measured the posts, six cubits broad on one side, and six cubits broad on the other side, which was the breadth of the tabernacle. And the breadth of the door was ten cubits: and the sides of the door were five cubits on the one side, and five cubits on the other side: and he measured the length thereof, forty cubits: and the breadth, twenty cubits. Then went he inward, and measured the post of the door, two cubits; and the door, six cubits; and the breadth of the door, seven cubits. So he measured the length thereof, twenty cubits; and the breadth, twenty cubits, before the temple: and he said unto me, This is the most holy place. Ezekiel 41:1-4
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