The 70 Weeks of Daniel

"The 70 Weeks of Daniel"
Contiguous / Unbroken

“THOUGH THIS PRESENTATION DOES NOT REFLECT MY OWN VIEW, THAT THE REMAINING HALF OF THE SEVENTIETH WEEK IS A FUTURE EVENT: THIS ARTICLE CERTAINLY REPRESENTS A FAITHFUL INTERPRETATION OF DANIEL 9:26-27 AS FAR AS THAT POINT DESCRIBED AS----“THE MIDST OF THE WEEK”. AS I HAVE SAID-------I BELIEVE THAT THE REMAINING 3 ½ YEARS. [the GREAT TRIBULATION] IS A FUTURE EVENT !” I DO NOT KNOW THE AUTHOR. Danny McDowell

Determining the Starting Point for the Seventy Weeks Prophecy

10a. There are four historic events to choose from;
Upon the conquering of Babylon by Cyrus, King of Persia and the Medes/Persian Empire, He made a decree that God had revealed to Him that Israel should be set free of their captivity, and Cyrus decreed that whosoever would, should go up to Jerusalem and rebuild the temple to the one God YHVH.

This God inspired act set off a series of four events in History by several Kings of the Medes/Persian Empire. Here are four candidate, Start-Up dates to choose from for the beginning of the "Seventy Weeks" prophecy.

Candidates for Start-Up in Chronological Order

539BC
King Cyruss' degree for Israel to go up to Jerusalem and build. This event is prophesied by Isaiah 44:28, fulfilled in Ezra chapter 1.

516BC
King Darius the 1st of Persia's decree for the elders of Israel to build God's Temple at Jerusalem. Recorded in Ezra chapter 6.

458/457BC
Based on King Artaxerxes decree to Ezra to return to Jerusalem and re-establish the Law and to rebuild the Temple and the practice of the Law in the Temple. This event is recorded in Ezra chapter 7 (also see Ezra 9:9).

445/444BC
Based on Nehemiah's Petition to King Artaxerxes to return to Jerusalem. This event is recorded in Nehemiah chapter 2.

10b. Selection 548/547BC; The Distinguishing
Character of the Restoration of the Law
Of these candidates, one is outstanding in its character in that it involves the restoration of the Law of God. Friends, all of these historic events and decrees listed above involved physical building of Jerusalem, it's walls, etc. But remember our God who has said;

Psalms 127:1 (NIV)
1 A Song of degrees for Solomon. Except the LORD build the house, they labour in vain that build it: except the LORD keep the city, the watchman waketh but in vain.

10c. The Spiritual vs the Purely Physical
One can lay bricks, build walls, and create a city, but unless the God of the Bible, His name is YHVH or Jehovah in English, is the center of its purpose then all will be in vain. And remembering that this is a prophecy where God answered Daniel's prayer for a physical deliverance from bondage,with a spiritual deliverance from sin and transgression through this Messiah who would come, then noting the fact that the 548/547BC event of Ezra's journey to reestablish the Law and to build is a wise choice.

Ezra's task and mission and the decree of King Artaxerxes is found in Ezra chapter 7, and it is important also to consider Ezra 9:9.

Ezra 9:9
9 For we were bondmen; yet our God hath not forsaken us in our bondage, but hath extended mercy unto us in the sight of the kings of Persia, to give us a reviving, to set up the house of our God, and to repair the desolations thereof, and to give us a wall in Judah and in Jerusalem.

11. The Calculations Relative to 458/457BC

11a. Absence of the Year Zero on the Julian Calendar
The Jullian Calendar passes from 1BC to 1AD with no year "zero". Whenever determining time passages between years we must add one year to our calculations because of this missing year zero. The opposite is true when calculating which year we will arrive at when the time passage is known, in which case we must subtract one year. Here is an example chart to illustrate:

11b. Determining Time Passage When Dates Are Given
Though we would normally expect to count 10 years of time passage between the year 5BC and 5AD, there is actually only nine years because of the missing year zero. Therefore we must SUBTRACT one year in such calculations. A working formula for known Dates dermining time would be;

Determining Time Passage with Given Dates:

YearBC + YearAD - 1 = Total Time Passage in Years
5BC + 5AD - 1 = 9 years

Determining Date with Time Passage Given:

YearBC + TimePassage + 1 = YearAD
5BC + 9years + 1 = 5AD

or from AD to BC
YearAD - TimePassage + 1 = YearBC
5AD - 9years + (-1) = -5BC

11c. Determining A Date with a Given Time Passage:
Though we would normally expect to count 10 years of time passage between the year 5BC and 5AD, there is actually only nine years because of the missing year zero. Therefore we must ADD one year in such calculations. A working formula for known time passage dermining a date would be shown above.

11d. The Seventy Weeks Translated

Daniel 9:24-27
24 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 prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy.

Verse 24 - Seventy "Weeks" is 490 Years:
70 X 7 = 490

25 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.

Verse 25 part(a) - Seven "Weeks" is 49 Years:
7 X 7 = 49

Verse 25 part(b) - Three Score and Two "Weeks" is 434 Years:
62 X 7 = 434

Added together:
49 + 434 = 483

27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the 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.

Verse 27 - One "Week" Remains:
1 X 7 = 7

Added together:
(Verse 25) 483 + 7 (Verse 27)= 490

11e. The 458/457BC Calculation
Having now completed the preliminary calculations we process the information given by the Angel Gabriel into the start-up date of 458BC.

The Formula: YearBC + TimePassage + 1 = YearAD
458/457BC + 483 + 1 = 26/27AD

This will place the Baptism of Yeshua of Nazareth at this 26 or 27AD placing His Crucifixion at approximately 30AD. Also...
458 + 490 + 1 = 33AD

... approximately 3 years after a 30AD crucifixion.

11f. The Baptism of Yeshua Approximately 27AD
The Baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ is linked with the 15th Year of Tiberius Caesar by Luke 3:1, because this is the year that John the Baptist announced Yeshua as the Lamb of God and baptised Him.

Luke 3:1
Luk 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judaea, and Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother Philip tetrarch of Ituraea and of the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene,

The fifteenth year of Tiberius Caesar is often stated as beginning in 14AD, but that is a surface level assessment, only. That statement does not consider the co-regency reign of Tiberius Caesar which began 2 years earlier as is cited by early Christian writer Tertullian who documented this coregent rule.

This places the baptism of the Lord Jesus Christ exactly at 27AD, perfectly fulfilling the prophecy at the end of the 69th week, exactly as does Daniel 9:25, as 7 weeks and 62 weeks = 69 weeks (483 years). Verse 25 clearly states this to be the timing of the arrival of Messiah.

Daniel 9:25
25 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.

From: http://bibletools.org/index.cfm/fuseaction/Def.show/RTD/ISBE/ID/8768
Tiberius is mentioned by name only once in the New Testament (Luke 3:1): "the 15th year of the reign (hegemonia) of Tiberius." The question is, From what date is this to be reckoned--the date of Tiberius's co-regency, 13 (or 11) AD, or from his accession, 14 AD?

From: http://www.doig.net/NTC12.htm
Tiberius became Caesar on August 19, 14, and in that year Dios 1 fell on October 15. Thus, his first regnal year according to the Syro-Macedonian calendar would be from Dios 1, or October 25, 13 until October 14, 14.

Luke would have measured the fifteen years from that year one by non-accession, or inclusive, reckoning. Thus, the "fifteenth year" fell from October 20, 27 to October 9, 28. According to Luke's Syro-Macedonian reckoning John the Baptist began his ministry between these two dates. This falls in line with the arrival of Pontius Pilate by the autumn of 27. The earliest first Passover of Jesus' ministry would have been in 28.

11g. The Crucifixion of Yeshua in 30AD as opposed to 33AD
The date of the year 30AD is considered be the correct date of the crucifixion of Yeshua of Nazareth for two reasons. One is the above determination of the date of His water baptism. Two is the fact that some do not accept the Friday crucifixion and prior to Sunday morning before the Sun arose resurrection timing. That is because the believe these words spoken by Jesus, without adulteration.

Matthew 12:40
40 For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth.

The idea of a 33AD Friday afternoon to before Sunday morning idea does not fulfill these words of Christ and should be discounted. The year 30AD would provide for a Wednesday crucifixion following this time table.


11h. Completion of the Prophecy... The Last Week
With the 69 weeks of the Prophecy calculated, we have only one week remaining. So far we have place the ascent of Messiah exactly where verse 25 places Him, exactly 69 weeks (483 years) after our start up date of 458 BC. With Biblical support that will be stated in the next segment, we see Messiah Yeshua "cut off" after the 69th week as verse 26 clearly reads;

Daniel 9:26
26 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.

Not only do our calculations perfectly align with the conclusion of week 69 but it places the 30AD crucifixion of Yeshua of Nazareth exactly in the middle of the 70th week where verse 27 states that His sacrifice caused the oblation (sacrifices in the Temple) to end. We do well remember the veil of the Temple being torn in two, upon our Saviour's death. This was an indication that the atonement for sins had been completed and no longer would an animal sacrifice be sufficient to atone for sins. Only the blood of the Messiah, the LAMB of God can now do that.

Daniel 9:27
27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the 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.