This is an enhanced version of the explanation I gave of Daniel 9:24-27 in section 5 of The Truth About 666, the section on the beast that rises up from the sea, the AntiChrist.
People get caught in the erroneous teachings on the Seventy Weeks of Daniel which creates compound errors in understanding prophecy. The correct understanding of this prophecy will open many scriptures to you.
Everyone I have ever listened to teach on this tries to explain the Seventy Weeks (weeks of years, or 490 years) with a bad premise. The Seventy Weeks, 490 years, are not years of punishment on Israel as they teach. The Seventy Weeks are 490 years of restoring and building Jerusalem. During that time many things must take place as outlined by the scriptures.
(Dan 9:24 [KJV])
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.
(Dan 9:25 [KJV])
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.
(Dan 9:26 [KJV])
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.
(Dan 9:27 [KJV])
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.
There is a lot to unpack here, but it is not as complicated as it appears at first glance.
The seventy weeks are seventy weeks of years. That is 70years x 7days in a week = 490 years.
First this verse: 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 quick explanation is that from the time Artaxerxes I Longimanus gives the decree to Ezra in 457 BCE to rebuild Jerusalem, to the arrival of Messiah the Prince (Jesus), is 69 weeks of years or 483 years which puts it at 26 CE. If Jesus was born in 4 BCE as is commonly assumed that would put Him at about 30 years of age when He began His ministry, just as the Bible says.
Luk 3:21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened,
Luk 3:22 And the Holy Ghost descended in a bodily shape like a dove upon him, and a voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art my beloved Son; in thee I am well pleased.
Luk 3:23 And Jesus himself began to be about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, which was the son of Heli,
The baptism of Jesus signals the beginning of His ministry.
Once the Messiah has arrived we have a pause in the Seventy Weeks.
69 weeks until His arrival and the beginning of His ministry. Then the Seventy Weeks countdown pauses. I’ll tell you why in a minute.
Next this verse: And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself:
This is the length of Jesus’ ministry. Threescore and two weeks from His baptism by John the Baptist until His crucifixion. (this is the correct length, not the 3½ years many people erroneously teach). These are real weeks, 62 weeks, or 1 year and 10 weeks.
Once the Messiah was cut off, from that point in time onward we have,,,
…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.
Then this verse happens… And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: …and the Seventy Weeks clock starts ticking again… 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.
Now here is the proper way to understand the SEVENTY WEEKS OF DANIEL prophecy.
The seventy weeks begin from the time Artaxerxes I Longimanus gives the order to restore and build Jerusalem. Artaxerxes I Longimanus was the fifth King of the Kings of the Achaemenid Empire. Israel was still under the rule of a foreign empire. This is the first condition that must be met in order for the Seventy Week countdown to be in effect. The second condition was that Israel was granted permission to restore and build Jerusalem, by a foreign power that is ruling over them.
So when a foreign government, that has taken away Israel’s sovereignty, makes a written agreement granting Israel permission to restore and build Jerusalem the clock starts ticking. The Jews are allowed to return from exile to their land and to restore their city and their temple. But they are not given sovereignty.
When Jesus begins His ministry, the clock stops, because the rightful King of Israel is in the land of Israel. One of the two conditions for the clock to be ticking has been violated. The clock has stopped at 69 weeks. Even though everyone may think they are still under the control of the Roman Empire in reality they are not, Jesus is. This is evident when Jesus pronounces judgment on Jerusalem.
Once Jesus ascends into heaven after His death and resurrection He is no longer in the land, however, the restoration and building of Jerusalem order of Artaxerxes I Longimanus has been terminated by Jesus himself. So the clock cannot begin again.
(Luke 19:41-44 [KJV])
And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it, Saying, If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, And shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee, and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon another; because thou knewest not the time of thy visitation.
The destruction of Jerusalem—not the restoration—was pronounced upon Jerusalem by Jesus Himself.
The clock cannot start again until two conditions are met.
- A foreign government must take away Israel’s sovereignty.
- An agreement must be given to Israel, by whoever is ruling over them, to resume restoring their city and temple.
In 70 CE the Roman Empire destroyed Jerusalem in the very manner that Jesus declared it would be.
In 1948 Israel was given back their statehood, but sovereignly, so the clock cannot begin.
Israel must lose their sovereignty before the clock can start again.
In order to understand this part of the prophecy we need to understand not only Beast #1 but also Beast #2, the beast who comes up from the earth, aka, the False Prophet.
The SEVENTIETH WEEK of Daniel is the covenant Beast #2, the False Prophet, confirms with Israel.
Dan 9:27 [KJV])
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: (the clock is ticking again) 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.
This refers to the restore and build Jerusalem covenant. In order for this to be the seventieth week, the covenant he CONFIRMS must refer back to Israel’s permission from an oppressor to continue restoring and building in Jerusalem.
As the apostle Paul clearly refers to this covenant in 1 Thessalonians 5:3.
1Th 5:3 For when they shall say, Peace and safety; then sudden destruction cometh upon them, as travail upon a woman with child; and they shall not escape.
If this does not make perfect sense to you please read The Truth About 666. There are six sections to that series, however, section 5 on the Beast and section 6 on the False Prophet contain a complete explanation of the seven heads and ten horns. The seven heads are the seven kingdoms that rule over Israel. The seventh is the kingdom of the AntiChrist and the False Prophet. This is the kingdom that will take away Israel’s sovereignty once again. Then when the False Prophet confirms a seven-year covenant that allows Israel to live in peace alongside the Muslim Caliphate and gives them permission to practice Judaism the SEVENTY WEEKS clock starts ticking again. The two conditions have been met.
Now that you understand the key points of this prophecy in Daniel, I will explain the finer points of these verses to give you a more comprehensive understanding of what is being prophesied.
Let’s look at these four scriptures again, one at a time.
Daniel 9:24 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.
Seventy weeks or 490 years ARE DETERMINED – God is answering Daniel’s prayer. Daniel realized after reading in Jeremiah that after 70 years Israel would be allowed to return to their land. It has been 70 years, so Daniel is praying and asking God to let His people return. God responds by giving Daniel a deeper understanding of what God will do. He will let Israel return as it says in Jeremiah, but not let them regain their sovereignty. For that both the people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem must endure another 490 years of subjugation. During those 70 weeks or 490 years, God gives Daniel a list of things that must occur.
- To finish the transgression
- To make an end of sins
- To make a reconciliation for iniquity
- To bring in everlasting righteousness
- To seal up the vision and the prophecy
- To anoint the most holy
1. To finish the transgression. Israel has transgressed against God. They rejected God’s rule over them and demanded an earthly king like the other nations of the Earth. They rejected God and turned to idolatry, like the other nations of the Earth. They have not repented of those things so the transgression will continue until they do. By the time the prophetic 490 years are over, they will repent and the transgress will be finished.
2. To make an end of sins. Under the New Covenant established by the death of Jesus on the cross all who belong to Him are dead to sin. Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? For he that is dead is freed from sin. Now if we be dead with Christ, we believe that we shall also live with him:
3. To make a reconciliation for iniquity. Jesus also made reconciliation for iniquity, Hebrews 2:17 Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people.
4. To bring in everlasting righteousness. The New Covenant also brings in everlasting righteousness. The work of Christ was finished upon the cross bringing access to the everlasting righteousness of God as it is written by Paul: But now the righteousness of God without the law is manifested, being witnessed by the law and the prophets; Even the righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto all and upon all them that believe: For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him. And as it says in the Psalms, THY righteousness is an everlasting righteousness, and thy law is the truth.
5. To seal up the vision and the prophecy. This is the visions and prophecies in Daniel, spoken of as a single vision and prophecy because they all point to the same event, the Day of the Lord, which is also the judgment of the Gentiles, which ushers in the Kingdom of God’s rule upon the Earth. This is not the end of the world as many teach, it is the end of the rule of the Satan’s kingdom upon the Earth and the beginning of the rule of God’s kingdom upon the Earth.
6. To anoint the most holy. In Hebrew the word holy is qodesh. It means to set apart for a special purpose. It can be a person, place, or thing. When it is said to be ‘most holy’ it is qodesh qodesh. That is, it is set apart from that which was set apart. Everything I have written in this website, all three categories, is to help you understand the spiritual meaning of this event. When the most holy is anointed you will see “And, behold, the glory of the God of Israel came from the way of the east: and his voice was like a noise of many waters: and the earth shined with his glory.” The entire event is told in Ezekiel chapter 43 verses one through twelve. This will happen when the final remnant of Israel receives Jesus, aka Yahusah Ha Mashiach, as their Messiah and they return to Jerusalem from the desert in the power and glory of the Holy Spirit. Read all the articles or watch all the videos and I hope you will understand.
OK, the next verse.
Daniel 9:25 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.
The first part we have already explained. 69 weeks of years, or 483 years from the time Artaxerxes I Longimanus gives the decree to Ezra in 457 BCE to rebuild Jerusalem, to the arrival of Messiah the Prince (Jesus) in 26 CE. The street and wall being rebuilt is the streets and walls of Jerusalem being restored during those 483 years.
OK, the next verse.
Daniel 9:26 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.
The threescore and two weeks we have already covered. The prince that shall come to destroy the city and the sanctuary is a two part prophecy. Jerusalem was leveled in 70 CE. The Roman Emperor when Jerusalem was leveled was Vespasian, but the actual destruction of Jerusalem in 70 CE was carried out by his son, Titus, who was a general at the time.
Then the verse says, “and the end thereof shall be with a flood,”. This has not happened yet. This is a reference to when the False Prophet will begin his assault on the middle east. This is described in Daniel 11 verses 40 through 43. “And at the time of the end shall the king of the south push at him: and the king of the north shall come against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into the countries, and shall overflow and pass over. He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown: but these shall escape out of his hand, evenEdom, and Moab, and the chief of the children of Ammon. He shall stretch forth his hand also upon the countries: and the land of Egypt shall not escape. But he shall have power over the treasures of gold and of silver, and over all the precious things of Egypt: and the Libyans and the Ethiopians shall be at his steps.” These events will eventually lead to World War 3 which is what the last phrase in this verse refers to, “and unto the end of the war desolations are determined.”
OK, the last verse.
Daniel 9:27 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.
Once the False Prophet comes to power by usurping the territories 3 of the AntiChrist’s ten kings, he will make a covenant of tolerance with nations throughout the Middle East. This is quite different than the Muslim Caliph who is the AntiChrist. Remember, the Bible says this False Prophet is the Assyrian. Historically, The Assyrians were religiously tolerant, making it easier for them to rule over diversely religious societies. It is part of the subtilty of this man as he is described in the scriptures. Through his policy or covenant, he finally brings ‘peace and safety’ to the Middle East. He makes this seven-year agreement so he can continue to subdue and peaceably conquer territory after territory. But when the other nations of the world come against his expansion and things quit going his way, he becomes angry and begins to take what he wants forcibly. This happens at the 3½ year mark, “in the midst of the week”. Now he turns his back on the covenant he made and brings the image of the Beast, the AntiChrist, into the land of Israel and demands they worship him or be killed. This is what is means when it says “ and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease,”. The sacrifice and oblation are part of Judeaism. That is now outlawed and worship of the Beast and the image of the Beast is mandated.
The image of the Beast is an idol. Idols are always called abominations in the scriptures. Idolatry always results in the desolation of a society. Hence the reference to abominations and desolation in this verse, “and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate,”.
And the final phrase in this verse, “even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate”. The consummation is the final fulfillment of the prophecies in Daniel. That fulfillment is when God has finished pouring out his indignation on the idolatry of Israel and of the rest of the world. “and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate”. What is DETERMINED is everything written in the scriptures about that time. Being poured upon the DESOLATE means those who worship anyone or anything other than the one true God and Father of our Lord, Jesus the Christ, the Messiah of the Israel of God.
I hope when you read these verses now you will have a clear understanding of them!
