You may think that this is a strange place to put this chapter, but there is a very good reason for it, as you will understand later.
Whole books have been written just on Daniel’s 70 weeks, so I cannot include it all the analysis here, but will focus on the most crucial points. There seem to be as many interpretations of this passage as there are books and websites on it, with many differing views even among those who follow pre-tribulation dispensationalism.
(1) Daniel 9:24-26
The correct interpretation of Daniel 9 proves that the Antichrist does not come to power by bringing world peace, or signing a 7-year peace agreement; that is a misinterpretation. This passage also reveals important information about when the Jews will convert to Christianity.
The angel Gabriel gave Daniel a timeframe of God’s unfolding plan for the Jews, but it includes some surprising information about the New Covenant. Within this time frame are three separate periods that add up to 490 years:
24 “Seventy weeks have been determined for your people and upon your holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make atonement for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy [Place].
25 “Know therefore and understand that from the going forth of the command to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the Prince Messiah shall be seven weeks, and sixty-two weeks. It shall be built again, with plaza and moat, even in times of trouble. (Dan. 9:24-25)
This refers to weeks of years. So one week of years is 7 years; (70 weeks x 7 years)= 490 years. When those years are completed, the Jews must and will, have completed the prophesied events.
Verse 24 says, to “make an end of sin,” the KJV says, “to finish transgression.” Barnes Notes says rather than “finish,” because of the original language, it should say “seal up.”
Luther also has it, “to seal.” Coverdale, “that sin may have an end.” The true rendering is, doubtless, “to seal sin;” and the idea is that of removing it from sight; to remove it from view. “The expression is taken,” says Lengerke, “from the custom of sealing up those things which one lays aside and conceals.” Thus in Job_9:7, “And sealeth up the stars;” that is, he so shuts them up in the heavens as to prevent their shining – so as to hide them from the view. They are concealed, hidden, made close – as the contents of a letter or package are sealed, indicating that no one is to examine them.
This does not refer to the death of Jesus on the cross, it refers to removing their sins when they convert to Christianity, which they have not yet done. This is a significant reason to believe that all of the 70 weeks are not yet completed.
It does not refer to the Holy Place in the Temple; some translations say “Holy Place” but they are adding the word “Place.” It refers to the Messiah, not a literal Temple. After the Jews convert, they will “anoint the Most Holy” (KJV, NKJV). This will likely be a ceremony in which they officially accept Jesus as Messiah. I watched Chuck Missler’s complete teaching on Daniel’s 70 weeks in the Spring of 2024, and was shocked to hear him say this:
There is a prerequisite condition to the second coming . . . One of which is for Israel to petition him to come back; to acknowledge him in a corporate sense. (Chuck Missler – Daniel’s 70 Weeks (pt.2) The 69 Weeks, YouTube, My Special Place, March 2023)
The Keil & Delitzsch Commentary on this verse says:
Much older, more general, and also nearer the truth, is the explanation which refers these words to the anointing of the Messiah, an explanation which is established by various arguments. The translation of the lxx, καὶ εὐφράναι ἅγιον ἁγίων, and of Theodoret, τοῦ χρῖσαι ἅγιον ἁγίων, the meaning of which is controverted, is generally understood by the church Fathers as referring to the Messiah. Theodoret sets it forth as undoubtedly correct, and as accepted even by the Jews; and the old Syriac translator has introduced into the text the words, “till the Messiah, the Most Holy.”
Other events must also happen in order for all prophecies to be sealed up, or fulfilled. Notice it says, “seal up the vision and prophecy.” This means all of the prophecies in the Bible concerning the Jews must be completed before the 70 weeks can come to an end. How could all prophecies about the Jews be fulfilled before the end of the first century? Nor had the final Antichrist come, which is mentioned in Daniel 7. Since those prophecies have not been fulfilled, the final week has not been completed.
These seventy 7-year periods are divided into three segments. One period of 7 weeks of years (7 x 7 = 49), and 62 weeks of years (62 x 7 = 434), for a total of 483 years; plus a final 7 for a total of 70 weeks.
Notice that it says, “the command to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until the Prince Messiah.” This refers to the start of the ministry of Jesus, not its end. So, the first 69 weeks, or 483 years, take us to the coming of Christ.
There were four decrees given, one each by Cyrus (538/537 BC) that takes us to 55/54 BC for the start of Christ’s ministry; Darius (520 BC) that takes us to 37 BC; and two by Artaxerxes (457 BC) that goes to 27 AD; the second in 445 BC goes to 29 AD. I believe the most likely one is 457, which is the first official degree of Artaxerxes.
Most, if not all, dispensationalists believe that the years should be 360 days long referred to as Biblical years. I once believed this because many commentaries make this claim, however, we will soon learn that it is false.
That said, it does not appear that anyone has it totally figured out yet. Dr. Harold Hoehner of Dallas Theological Seminary shifted the date and claims the Artaxerxes decree of 445 BC, should be 444, and calculates to 33 AD. David Reagan disagrees, and believes the 70 weeks began in 457 BC and goes to 27 AD, with a crucifixion on Wednesday, April 25, 31 AD. But he believes the days will change to 360 for the 70th week. David Jeremiah has it going from 445 BC to the death of Christ in 32 AD. The problem is, that 445 BC plus 483 years, bring us to 39 AD, with no year zero. This is why they use 360 days, so they can get it down to 31 AD.
Sir Robert Anderson, in The Coming Prince, has the 69 weeks beginning in 445 BC, and Christ crucified in 32. He used 360 days in a biblical year (360×483 = 173,880 days).
Dr. Hoehner also said the 69 weeks ended on the day of Christ’s Triumphal Entry, but this event happened at virtually the end of his ministry. This cannot be Christ’s arrival. Dr. Thomas Ice said:
Dr. Hoehner has put together an airtight case for his understanding of the beginning and ending of the first sixty-nine weeks of Daniel’s prophecy. (The Seventy Weeks of Daniel, Thomas D. Ice, Liberty University, www.pre-trib.org.)
The late Michael Heiser investigated many books on Daniel 9, and commented:
When you pick up a typical book on prophecy . . . it is beautifully coherent, every question addressed, . . . all of the views are subject to this, it’s contrived in places. It works because it needs to work. Everybody cheats, and this is one of the play grounds for cheating. . . . it never works in any view, really tightly. You have to make certain little jumps of faith to make it work. . . . (70 Weeks of Daniel – Michael S Heiser, Scriptures & Science, Youtube, Jan, 2015)
Clarence Larkin, in his 1929 book, The Book of Daniel, accepts the 445 decree and makes it go to 30 AD, at the Triumphal Entry. Amir Tsarfati also believes in using the 360 days in a year calendar, starting from 445 BC.
Likewise, Chuck Missler agreed with Anderson, and believed in counting only 360 days in a year, but that is wrong. In the very same video, Missler pointed out that at some point in history, Earth likely had a year of 360 days, because ALL of the people who recorded the year had the same length: the Etruscans, Teutons, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Egyptians, Persians, Greeks, Phoenicians, Chinese, Mayans, Hindus, etc. Yet he ignores this and uses the 360 days per year calculation; 360×483=173,880. Even if the year had 360 days, this is wrong because the prophecy is not telling us how many days it will be, but how many years. In order to arrive at the correct end date, we must use the correct number of years. It does not matter if the year is 100 days long or 1,000 days long, we are told how many years, not days.
Therefore, the correct calculation is: -445+483=38, but since there is no year zero, that pushes it to 39 AD. This means, the correct decree was the one given in 457 BC: -457+483=26 AD, plus one more with no year zero give us 27 AD.
When did the year increase? I will only give a brief incomplete history. The Babylonian calendar only had 354 days until the Decree of Canopus by Ptolemy III in 238 BC, when they adopted the Egyptian calendar, often called the Alexandrian calendar, of 365 days with another added every 4 years. Rome also adopted this calendar in 46 BC. The Egyptians may have been the first to move from 360 days to an almost exact calendar.
Not surprisingly, the Jewish calendar does not have 360 days, but “consists of 353 to 355 days [354 average], while a leap year varies between 383 and 385 days” (www.myjewishlearning.com).
This is proof that you cannot get to the correct year by counting up the days, but only the number of years. This information destroys 99% of the dispensational views of Daniel’s 70 weeks, which is the foundation of the pre-trib doctrine.
Rick Lanser, MDiv., at BibleArchaeology.org, has several articles on Daniel 9. He presents evidence that the 483 years began Sept.-Oct. 457 BC. This means that we can expect the ministry of Jesus to have begun in Sept.-Oct. 27 AD. This then marks the end of the 69 weeks.
There are websites that can give us the exact dates and days of the week on the Hebrew calendar, and other sites that give the exact days and years from this date to another date. So, 3.5 years from October 27 bring us to April 31 AD. The Passover that year was April 25, a Wednesday. Unfortunately, Lanser ignores this and tries to make the crucifixion in 30, because he insists on a Friday crucifixion; which is impossible if Sept.-Oct., 27 was when Jesus began his ministry. In his mountain of evidence, he never attempts to add 27+3.5. In math, it comes to 30.5, but in years it means it is months into the next year, which is 31.
I once believed in a Friday crucifixion, but since we can now know exactly what day of the week was any day in history, the important thing is to know the year he was crucified, which will tell us the day of Passover.
I do not believe there is yet absolute proof of all related dates, even though everyone believes their theory is indisputable. The very best decree was the first one given by Artaxerxes (see Rick Lanser’s article, The Going Forth of Artaxerxes’ Decree Part 1), whatever year that was, because it brings us the closest to the beginning of Christ’s ministry. It says after 483 years, “until the Prince Messiah” will come. This points to the start of Christ’s ministry, not the end. The KJV says “unto.” This is when he arrives, not when he leaves. Since he began his ministry at this point, his 3.5-year ministry is the first half of the 70th week. Daniel 9 continues:
26 After the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off and shall have nothing. . . . (Dan. 9:26)
It does not say Messiah will be cut-off at the end of the 69th week, but after the end of the 69th week. He was cut off 3.5 years after the end of the 69th week, or in the middle of the 70th week.
27 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. . . .
More than one great Bible expositor believed that Jesus confirmed the covenant through his miracles and preaching, such as Albert Barnes, author of Barnes’ Notes on The Bible. He said:
. . . the last one week is again subdivided in such a way, that, while it is said that the whole work of the Messiah in confirming the covenant would occupy the entire week, yet that he would be cut off in the middle of the week . . .
The idea is that of giving strength, or stability; of making firm and sure. The Hebrew word here evidently refers to the “covenant” which God is said to establish with his people . . . to denote the laws and institutions of the true religion – the laws which God has made for his church; . . . The more correct interpretation, therefore, is to refer it to the Messiah, who is the principal subject of the prophecy . . .
The ministry of the Saviour himself was wholly among the Jews, and his work was what would, in their common language, be spoken of as “confirming the covenant;” . . .
Barnes also believed that this passage speaks about the end of the Old Covenant sacrifice and offering, which is why the Jews have not been able to rebuild their Temple. Jesus confirmed the covenant for 3.5 years, then he was crucified, “But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease” (v. 27). Jesus did this by his death on the cross. The New Covenant is now in effect, which is an everlasting covenant with many people.
But the text says he will confirm the covenant for seven years; some commentators, like Barnes, believed the 70th week was continuous. But if the Apostles continued confirming the covenant for the last half of the 70th week, then everything mentioned in Daniel 9 would be fulfilled, but it has not been.
Even fewer commentators believe that the 70th week stopped with the crucifixion and will continue at the end of the age. Halley’s Bible Handbook relates this point of view:
The date from which the 70 weeks was to be counted was the decree to re-build Jerusalem, v.25. There were three decrees issued by Persian kings for this purpose, (536 B.C., 457 B.C., 444 B.C., see under Ezra). The principal one of these was 457 B.C.
. . . This 483 years is the period between the decree to re-build Jerusalem and the coming of the “Anointed One” (v25). The decree to re-build Jerusalem, as noted above, was 457 B C. Adding 483 years to 457 BC. brings us to AD 26, the very year that Jesus was baptized and began his public ministry. A most remarkable fulfillment of Daniel’s prophecy, even to the year.
Further, within 3 1/2 years Jesus was crucified, that is, “in the midst of the one week” “the Anointed One” was “cut off,” “purged away sin and brought in everlasting righteousness,” (v24, 26, 27). . . .
Some think that God’s chronology was suspended at the death of Christ, to remain so while Israel is scattered, and that the last half of the “one week” belongs to the time of the End. (4th Ed., 1995)
Both Barnes and Halley likely consulted the Geneva Study Bible (GSB) of 1560, because it presents a similar view: that Christ came at the conclusion of the 69th week and confirmed the covenant for the first half of the 70th week. Concerning the statement, “shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease,” the GSB says, “Christ accomplished this by his death and resurrection.”
Whoever decided to abandon this sound hermeneutic and make the passage refer to the Antichrist went way off the mark. But they had to abandon this early view; otherwise, they could not preach their pre-tribulation Rapture theory.
Nowhere in the book of Revelation does it say anything about a seven-year period, but only 1260 days, which is almost 3.5 years, and is explained shortly. However, the 1,260 days in Revelation are not the same as the last half of the 70th week, because the 70 weeks are only for the Jews. The 1,260 days in Revelation refer to the final 1,260 before the start of the Great Tribulation of Matthew 24.
I have only discussed the first half of verse 26, so it now continues:
And the troops of the prince who shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. The end of it shall come with a flood. And until the end of the war desolations are determined. (Daniel 9:26)
The “prince who will come” is not Jesus, although the wording might lead one to that assumption. Most translations say, “the people” of the prince, but the MEV understands that they are soldiers and calls them troops. This must refer to the Romans who destroyed Jerusalem and the Temple in 70 AD, which means the prince is Titus. The desolations that were decreed included the scattering of the Jews into other nations because of their rebellion against Rome and God. This scattering is called the Diaspora, or dispersion.
Titus was the son of the emperor, Vespasian 69-79, which made him an actual prince. Titus then followed his father as emperor 79-81.
(2) Daniel 9:27
The above verse 26 makes reference to two different people. The first sentence refers to Jesus, the Anointed One; the second and third sentences refer to the “ruler” of the Romans and his troops. Likewise, verse 27 also refers first to the Messiah, and then to the Antichrist. Here is the first part:
27 And he shall make a firm covenant with many for one week. But in the middle of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. . . .
We have already seen that this refers to the New Covenant. Notice that the covenant will be with “many,” but there are only a few million Jews in Israel. According to the Zondervan NIV Bible Commentary, the original text “indicates ‘the many’ rather than ‘many’” (V.1, p.1389). The NAS translation says “the many.” If it refers to the Jews, why didn’t it just say so? But “the many” refers to a particular group that did not exist when Daniel was written.
Isaiah 53 describes Jesus with such well-known passages as, “But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities” (53:5). It goes on to say, “My righteous servant shall justify the many, for he shall bear their iniquities. . . . he bore the sin of many” (53:11-12). Jesus said he came “to give His life as a ransom for many” (Matt. 20:28); and “this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.” (Mat. 26:28). The book of Hebrews says, “Christ was offered once to bear the sins of many” (9:28). And Paul said:
For just as through one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so by the obedience of One the many will be made righteous. (Rom. 5:19)
. . . not seeking my own profit, but the profit of many, that they may be saved. (1 Corinthians 10:33)
Therefore, “the many” can only refer to those who will be included in the New Covenant. Notice that Daniel’s 70 weeks include “bring[ing] in everlasting righteousness” (Dan. 9:24).
About this “firm covenant;” some Bible commentators want us to believe that the Antichrist will make a 7-year agreement with modern Israel, and then break it in the middle. But that is not a firm covenant. The New Covenant is very firm, because it is “ever-lasting.”
(3) God’s Prophetic Time Clock
Most Bible commentaries say that the Jews will convert at the return of Christ, but there is Scriptural evidence that a fair number of them will be converted before the start of the last half of the final week. Sir Robert Anderson, in his book, The Coming Prince, first published in 1889, discovered that God’s time-clock stopped anytime the Jews were not in a proper relationship with God.
In 1 Kings 6:1, it says Solomon began to build the temple in the 480th year after the children of Israel came out of Egypt, which does not appear to be accurate. Anderson added up the times when the Israelites were enslaved to foreign powers: 8 years to the king of Mesopotamia, 18 years to Moab, 20 years to Canaan, 7 years to the Midianites, and 40 years to the Philistines; which equals 93. When you add 93 to 480, it comes to the correct number of 573 years.
It is obvious, therefore, that the 480 years of the book of Kings from the Exodus to the temple is a mystic era formed by eliminating every period during which the people were cast off by God. (Chapter 7)
Mr. Anderson believed it means God’s time-clock stopped when Christ was crucified and will begin again when the Jews become a nation again. But the times when Israel was enslaved to a foreign power did not require removal to another land, and did not always include removal. Only the Kings of Assyria and Babylon removed the Israelites.
When we apply the information that God’s prophetic time-clock stops when the Jews are not in a proper relationship with God, then this explains the gap in Daniel’s 70 weeks. God’s prophetic time-clock stopped when the Jews rejected Messiah. Therefore, it means God’s prophetic time-clock and the final 1/2 of the 70th week cannot begin again until a good number of the Jews accept Messiah.
All of the Jews did not reject Messiah, only a certain number. Therefore, when a certain number accepts Messiah, then the last half of the week can begin. There are many Jews around the world who are now accepting their Messiah, with hundreds of Messianic Jewish congregations in the U.S. and in Israel. There are already an estimated 1 million Messianic Jews in the world, with 200,000 in the U.S. and 20,000 in Israel. But there will remain a large number who will not accept Messiah until near the end, when they will all convert.
It should be noted that Jesus actually said he will not return until they convert; “you shall not see Me again until you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’” (Matt. 23:39). This means they will not see Christ until they convert. The common teaching among evangelical churches today is that the Jews will not convert until they see Christ; this is the exact opposite of what Jesus literally said. This is also seen in a prophecy by Hosea:
I will again return to My place until they acknowledge their offense and seek My face. In their affliction they will earnestly seek Me. (Hosea 5:15)
This means Christ will remain in heaven until the Jews repent. They will finally accept Christ during “their affliction;” while they are being persecuted by the Antichrist.
There is yet another passage that supports this view. When Peter preached to the Jews in the book of Acts, he said that they will need to convert before Christ will return:
Therefore repent and be converted, that your sins may be wiped away . . . 20 and that He may send the One who previously was preached to you, Jesus Christ, 21 whom the heavens must receive until the time of restoring what God spoke through all His holy prophets since the world began. (Acts 3:19-21)
The NET says, “that he may send the Messiah appointed for you.” Similarly, Paul said that when the Jews convert, it will result in the resurrection of the dead, “For if their rejection means the reconciliation of the world, what will their acceptance mean but life from the dead?” (Romans 11:15). Therefore, they must convert before Christ returns. This is further evidence against the pre-trib theory.
In addition, Paul said that Israel will be blind to the truth “until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in” (Rom. 11:25). This means that when the full number of Gentiles accept Christ, then all Israel will be saved. But the pre-trib theory says the Rapture will take place 7 years before Israel is saved.
Also, Daniel 9 tells us that they must accept Messiah during the 70 weeks. There is no possible way that they can do that after the 70 weeks. All things mentioned in the text must take place before the end of the 70 weeks. Therefore, the Jews in Israel must convert before the end of the final half of the 70th week, which makes it before Messiah returns.
A footnote in Mr. Anderson’s book says, “The servitude of Judges 10:7, 9 affected only the tribes beyond Jordan, and did not suspend Israel’s national position.” Concerning the number of Jews who need to convert, it only refers to a large number living in the land of Israel; not outside of Israel.
This passage of Daniel totally destroys the pre-trib Rapture theory, including the teaching that there will be a tribulation Temple. The Jews will never rebuild the Temple before Christ returns, and they will not accept the Antichrist as Messiah! The Abomination of Desolation is explained in another chapter, along with more evidence against a tribulation Temple.
John Wesley, the founder of the Methodist church, wrote about Daniel 9:27 before the modern theories about it were developed:
Christ confirmed the new covenant by the testimony of angels, of John the Baptist, of the wise men, of the saints then living, of Moses and Elias. By his preaching, by signs and wonders, by his holy life, by his resurrection and ascension. By his death and blood shedding. Shall cause the sacrifice to cease— All the Jewish rites, and Levitical worship. By his death he abrogated, and put an end to this laborious service forever. (John Wesley’s Notes on the Bible)
All the above is powerful evidence that the crucifixion of Christ ended the sacrifice and offering in the middle of the final week, and that Jesus established the covenant with preaching and miracles. Since Jesus is said to confirm the covenant for 7 years, but his ministry only lasted 3.5 years; it means that the final 3.5 years will be confirmed by one or more persons on earth today who will receive the mantel of the Lord for 3.5 years. He, or they, will be able to perform the same miracles that Jesus performed, as if Jesus were here in person.
(4) Daniel 12: Time of the End
All of Daniel 12 speaks of the final 3.5 years:
“And there shall be a time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation even to that time. And at that time your people shall be delivered, everyone who shall be found written in the book. 2 Many of those who sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, but others to shame and everlasting contempt.” (12:1-2)
“At that time” tells us when people will be delivered, and the dead will come back to life; which is during the Great Tribulation, but more specifically, the very end.
Daniel 12 continues:
“Those who are wise shall shine as the brightness of the expanse of heaven, and those who turn the many to righteousness as the stars forever and ever.” (Dan. 12:3)
The context of this is very important, because it refers to the large harvest of people who will be converted to Christianity during the TOT and Great Tribulation. Daniel 12 continues:
Then I, Daniel, looked, and there before me stood two others, the one on this side of the bank of the river, and the other on that side of the bank of the river. 6 One said to the man clothed in linen, who was above the water of the river, “How long shall it be to the end of these wonders?”
7 And I heard the man clothed in linen, who was over the water of the river, when he held up his right hand and his left hand to heaven, and swore by Him who lives forever that it would be for a time, times, and half a time. And when they finish shattering the power of the holy people, all these things shall be finished. (12:5-7)
In previous prophecy books, I believed that the holy people’s power will be broken when the Two Witnesses are killed; but my view of this has changed over the years. Some commentators believe it refers to ending the dispersion of the Jews, any interpretation is speculation, so here is mine: The Jews in Israel are a very proud people, they are also very smart, with many Nobel Prizes in science and medicine; they also have a strong military with advanced weapons and even nuclear weapons, but all of this will be crushed by the Antichrist.
Daniel 12 continues:
And he said, “Go your way, Daniel. For these words are closed up and sealed until the time of the end. 10 Many shall be purified and made white and tried. But the wicked shall do wickedly, and none of the wicked shall understand, but the wise shall understand.” (Dan. 12:9-10)
This tells us that the understanding of Daniel and other apocalyptic writings, will not be known until we near the final years, which is the time we are in now. Before the Day of Judgment arrives, God will use the time of testing, to get his people ready for That Day.
Whenever gold ore is refined, the ore is heated until it becomes a boiling liquid, which allows the impurities in the ore to rise to the surface where they can be scooped off. The refining of Christians is necessary, because Christians today are so much like non-Christians that it is difficult to tell one from the other. It is not only our appearance, but especially how we behave, which reflects what is in our hearts. So, you should not be quick to question God about the hardships you are suffering. The wicked prosper, but will end up in hell; true Christians suffer because they are being refined, but will go in the Rapture. Even after the Rapture, this refining will continue for those who remain.
