Copyright © 2024 Michael A. Brown
Part C: The first half of Daniel’s seventieth week
Reading:
Revelation 11:1-14
This is the third distinct part of
the second woe.
What
is Daniel’s seventieth week?
Reading:
Daniel ch.9
When the prophet Daniel was interceding
before God for the return of the Jews to Judea at the end of the Babylonian
captivity, the angel Gabriel came to give him a prophetic revelation (Dan.
9:20f). It is important to note that
this revelation concerns specifically the Jewish people and the city of
Jerusalem:
‘Seventy “sevens” are decreed for
your people and your holy city…’ (Dan. 9:24)
So
this prophecy does not concern the Gentiles at all, neither the Church nor the
redemption of the Gentiles, but specifically the Jewish people and the city of
Jerusalem. The angel Gabriel was clear
about this, and he also encouraged Daniel that the prophecy was not beyond his
understanding (Dan. 9:23,25).
Commentators
agree that in this revelation the word ‘seven’ is used in a prophetic sense to
mean ‘a week of years,’ i.e. seven years.
Therefore, the prophecy as a whole concerns a period of seventy weeks of
years, i.e. a total of 490 years. Hence
it is often called the prophecy of the seventy weeks, or the prophecy of
Daniel’s seventy weeks.
The
Hebrew word rendered as ‘determined’ or ‘decreed’ in v.25 means to ‘cut off,’
much as a carpenter would measure out and cut off a piece of wood. So a period of 490 years has been marked off
by God as a specific and definite span of time, during and by the end of which
certain things will have been fulfilled for the Jewish people and the city of
Jerusalem (see below).
In
Scripture, the number 490 represents full and complete forgiveness. Jesus taught that, to reflect his grace, we
ought to forgive our brother seventy times seven times, i.e. 490 times (Matt.
18:21-22 AV).
The
number 490 is also the same as 49 x 10.
In Scripture, 49 years was a jubilee period or cycle, at the end of
which debts would be forgiven and land restored to its original owner (Lev.
25:8-55). Also, the number 10 represents
completeness. So the Jewish people call
490 years, i.e. ten jubilee cycles, a Great Jubilee Cycle or a Great
Forgiveness Cycle.
Therefore these 490 years are a
specific period of time marked out by God by the end of which the Jewish people
will have experienced his complete forgiveness, and the whole of their land
will have been restored to them (including therefore the city of Jerusalem).
The
six elements of this prophecy
This revelation outlines six
prophetic elements which are to be accomplished within the span of these
seventy weeks or 490 years, in the context of the Jewish people and the
city of Jerusalem. These six
elements are: to finish transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for
wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and
prophecy, and to anoint the most holy (Dan. 9:24).
The
decree to restore and re-build Jerusalem was proclaimed on Nisan 1 548 BC (or
3rd April 548 BC using our Gregorian calendar).
Again using our Gregorian calendar and going forward 490 years from this
date takes us exactly to 3rd April 33 AD (because there is no year ‘0’). It is a matter of historical fact that this
was the precise day on which Jesus was resurrected, Easter Sunday 33 AD as we
know it, having been crucified on Good Friday, 1st April.[1]
So
we can immediately see that the first three elements of this prophecy were
indeed accomplished and fulfilled for the Jewish people by the end of these 490
years, at the time of and through Christ’s cross-resurrection event. These three elements are: to finish
transgression, to put an end to sin, and to atone for wickedness. This is indeed a wonderful prophecy,
fulfilled to the very day in history!
However,
in the specific context of the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem, it is
also clear that the other three elements were not fulfilled at that time, even
though they are part of the messianic hope.
Furthermore, although commentators agree that the events of the first
sixty-nine weeks were all fulfilled by 33 AD, yet the events described in the
final week of seven years in this prophecy clearly remained unfulfilled through
the time of Christ’s earthly ministry (see Dan. 9:27).
This therefore implies that the last week of this prophecy, the final seven-year period, has a dual prophetic fulfilment. It was fulfilled in history as the last of the seventy weeks, i.e. as the seven years leading up to 33 AD during the time of the ministries of John the Baptist and Jesus himself, but many commentators agree that these seven years will also be fulfilled eschatologically in the end-times immediately prior to Christ’s Second Advent, and in this way bring about the complete fulfilment of all the elements of this prophecy. This is illustrated in Figure 20.1 below:
Figure
20.1 The dual prophetic fulfilment of the seventieth week
The phrase ‘everlasting
righteousness’ in v.24 really means ‘age of righteousness.’ So it is not referring to the imputed
righteousness that we have in Christ as believers. Rather it is referring to the future
millennial reign of Christ consequent to his Second Advent, which will be the
age of righteousness in this world when Jesus reigns in and from Jerusalem.
Also,
the phrase ‘to anoint the most holy’ in v.24 refers to a place, rather than to
a person. So it is referring in
particular to the Jewish temple in Jerusalem which will be built and used
during Christ’s millennial reign (Ezek. 40:1 – 44:31). Daniel’s prayer was also for the temple in
Jerusalem, and reference to the temple is made in the angel Gabriel’s message
(Dan. 9:17,27).
Everlasting
righteousness will only be brought in for the Jewish people when they have
embraced Jesus as their Messiah and he sets up his millennial kingdom on
earth. Many Jews will accept Jesus as
their Messiah during the seven years prior to the Second Advent (see further
below in this chapter). The visions and
prophecies of the word of God regarding the Jewish people and Jerusalem will
only therefore be sealed up and fulfilled as Jesus returns and sets up his
millennial kingdom at the end of those seven years. Many prophecies regarding the Jewish people
and Jerusalem are fulfilled during the seven years before Christ returns, as
both this and the following chapter make clear.
Similarly, the most holy place will be anointed when the temple referred
to by Ezekiel the prophet will be built in Jerusalem and consecrated for use
when Jesus sets up his millennial kingdom and begins to reign from Jerusalem
after his Second Advent (see chapter 24).
The underlying cause and reason for
all this was the rejection by the Jews of Jesus as their Messiah. Although God’s desire was to bring his
kingdom to the Jewish people at the time of Christ’s First Advent, yet, in his
sovereign purpose to bring the Gentiles into faith, because the Jews rejected
and crucified their Messiah, he ‘postponed,’ if you will, the time of the
coming of his earthly kingdom to Israel and the Jewish people until the end of
the Church Age when the fulness of the Gentiles has come in (Rom. 11:25-32, cf.
Acts 1:6-7). So the final seven
years before this kingdom is established at the Second Advent, will be an
eschatological fulfilment of the seventieth week: a period of seven
years by the end of which, and going on into the beginning of the millennial
kingdom soon afterwards, the words of Daniel 9:27 and all the elements of this
prophecy will have been fulfilled.
The fulfilment of these six prophetic
elements is summed up in Table 20.3 below:
Fulfilment of the
elements of the prophecy |
|
Through
the cross-resurrection event |
By the
end of the eschatological seventieth week and the setting up of the millennial
kingdom |
to
finish transgression to put
an end to sin to
atone for wickedness |
to
bring in everlasting righteousness to
seal up vision and prophecy to
anoint the most holy |
Table
20.3 The fulfilment of the six elements of the prophecy
So
what are the main end-time purposes of Daniel’s seventieth week?
The seven-year period immediately
preceding the Second Advent is therefore often called Daniel’s seventieth week.[2] It is described in Daniel 9:27 below:
‘He will confirm a covenant with
many for one “seven.” In the middle of
the “seven” he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And on a wing of the temple he will set up an
abomination that causes desolation, until the end that is decreed is poured out
on him.’ (Dan. 9:27)
In
the rest of this chapter, I use the phrases ‘Daniel’s seventieth week,’ ‘the
seventieth week,’ ‘the seven years,’ and ‘the seven-year period’
interchangeably to refer to this seven-year period of time which immediately
precedes the Second Advent of Christ.
The fact that this seventieth week
is fulfilled eschatologically in the end-times is affirmed and strongly implied
by Jesus’ reference in Matthew 24:15-16 below to the ‘abomination that causes
desolation’ which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet. Jesus was clearly referring to Daniel 9:27
which describes the seventieth week, and Matthew says that he expects his
readers to understand this:
‘In the middle of the “seven” he
will put an end to sacrifice and offering.
And at the temple he will set up an abomination that causes desolation…’
(Dan. 9:27)
‘So when you see standing in the
holy place “the abomination that causes desolation”, spoken of through Daniel
the prophet – let the reader understand – then let those who are in Judea flee
to the mountains…’ (Matt. 24:15-16)
So this seventieth week must
therefore have a specific end-times purpose.
As I stated above, the focus of this purpose is found in the angel
Gabriel’s words to Daniel, in that it has to do specifically with the Jewish
people and the city of Jerusalem. And
the outworking of this purpose is to accomplish and fulfil the three elements
listed in the right-hand column of Table 20.3 above, i.e. to bring in
everlasting righteousness, to seal up and fulfil vision and prophecy, and to
anoint the most holy place, and to do these in the specific context of
the Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem.
This end-time purpose therefore has
a specific redemptive purpose for the Jewish people. As we shall see, the period of the seventieth
week is a time when many Jewish people will come to faith in and embrace Jesus
as their Messiah, especially in the first half of these seven years. They will come to faith as never before,
bringing in everlasting righteousness to the Jewish people. This redemptive focus also pertains to the
city of Jerusalem, the place where Yahweh has placed his name. It has to be completely freed from the
oppression of Gentile powers, in order for it to become the place from which
the Lord Jesus will reign in the millennium.
It is interesting that even in the time of the First Advent of Christ, many
devout Jewish believers understood this prophetic purpose of God for the city
of Jerusalem. For example, Luke tells us
that Anna the prophetess spoke about the newborn child to everyone who was
looking for the redemption of Jerusalem (Luke 2:38). Many prophetic words concerning the Jewish people
and the city of Jerusalem which still remain to be fulfilled, will be fulfilled
during this seventieth week leading up to the Second Advent of Christ and his
millennial reign.
So
by the end of this seventieth week, together with the Second Advent which
immediately follows it and then the setting up of Christ’s millennial reign,
the remaining three elements of the prophecy of the seventy weeks will have
been fulfilled.
In the light of this, is it any
wonder then that, not only is God’s own redemptive focus very much on the
Jewish people in this seventieth week, the focus of Antichrist is also on the
Jewish people and the city of Jerusalem, as both this and the following chapter
show. But in Antichrist’s case, as we
shall see, his intentions are to usurp the city and the temple for his own
reign and self-worship, and to destroy as many of the Jewish people as he can. So we will see clearly in what follows how
Antichrist’s own evil and diabolical intentions towards the Jewish people and
Jerusalem develop as the seventieth week progresses. He wants to occupy and claim Jerusalem for
himself, and to be the king who is enthroned and worshipped there, and, because
of his antipathy and hatred towards the Jewish people, he wants to annihilate
them, if possible, and then Jesus will no longer have a people of his own to
come back to.
So
it is very interesting that we can see a definite spiritual parallel between
the eschatological fulfilment of the seventieth week, and the historical events
around Jesus’ earthly ministry to the Jewish people. Firstly, John the Baptist’s prophetic
ministry brought many Jewish people to repentance and prepared them for
Christ’s ministry which followed. As I
said above, although God’s desire was to bring his kingdom to the Jewish people
at that time, yet, in his sovereign purpose to bring the Gentiles into faith,
because the Jews rejected and crucified their Messiah, he ‘postponed’ the time
of the coming of his earthly kingdom to Israel and the Jewish people until the
end of the Church Age when the fulness of the Gentiles has come in (Rom.
11:25-32, cf. Acts 1:6-7). In order to
bring the Jewish people into faith in Jesus as their Messiah, they will
experience an end-times parallel of John the Baptist’s and Christ’s
ministries. During the seventieth week,
God will send them powerful prophetic ministry for 3½ years through which many
of them will come to faith, but then, because the Jewish people rejected Christ
when he first came to them, they will experience what it is to be under the
heel of Antichrist for the next 3½ years.
This will be God’s last and final call to the Jewish people to
repentance and faith. The faith
of believing Jews will be tested, refined, and purified under Antichrist’s
brief reign in the Great Tribulation (Dan. 12:3, Zech. 13:8-9). This is all shown in more detail below and in
the following chapter.
The
seventieth week has two halves which each last for 3½ years
There are two distinct parts or
halves to Daniel’s seventieth week, and these two halves are of equal length,
each lasting for 3½ years. The events
associated with them are presented to us separately and chronologically in the
descriptions of the sixth and then the seventh trumpet (see below and in the
following chapter). So the seventieth
week straddles the end of the sixth trumpet and the whole of the seventh
trumpet.
The
historical marker which separates these two halves of the seven years is the
betrayal of the covenant by Antichrist, his putting an end to sacrifices and
offerings in the temple in Jerusalem, and his setting up of the abomination of
desolation. These are described in more
detail in the sections which follow.
‘He will confirm a covenant with
many for one “seven.” In the middle of
the “seven” he will put an end to sacrifice and offering. And at the temple he will set up an
abomination that causes desolation…’ (Dan. 9:27 and
cf. Matt. 24:15)
This is illustrated in Figure 20.2 below:
Figure
20.2 The two halves of the seventieth week
So the first half of Daniel’s seventieth week plays out in history as the third part (Part C) of the sixth trumpet, and the events associated with it are described in Revelation 11:1-14. This is illustrated in Figure 20.3 below:
N.B. Part C consists of the first
half of the seventieth week plus a short period of three and a half days at the
end (see below)
Figure
20.3 The sixth trumpet and the first half of Daniel’s seventieth week
a.
Days, months, years and
times
We are told that the first half of
Daniel’s seventieth week lasts for 1,260 days.
This is clear from Revelation 11:3 below:
‘And I will give power to my two
witnesses, and they will prophesy for 1,260 days, clothed in sackcloth.’
(Rev. 11:3)
And
in the previous verse we are told that the second half of Daniel’s seventieth
week, the Great Tribulation, lasts for 42 months:
‘[The Gentiles] will trample on the
holy city for 42 months.’ (Rev. 11:2)
That
this period of 42 months is the equivalent of 1,260 days is clear from
Revelation 12:6 and 13:5, both of which refer to the second half of the
seventieth week:
‘The beast was given a mouth to
utter proud words and blasphemies and to exercise his authority for forty-two
months.’ (Rev. 13:5)
‘The woman fled into the desert to
a place prepared for her by God, where she might be taken care of for 1,260
days.’ (Rev. 12:6)
So if 1,260 days is the same as 42
months, then this means that each month is measured as 30 days. Furthermore, 42 months is 3½ years, so this
makes 1,260 days the equivalent of 3½ years, with each year being made up of
360 days. Evidently, this is neither the
solar (365 days) nor the lunar (354 days) calendar, but it is the way in
which God will measure time when he brings judgement onto the world in the
end-times.[3] Some commentators refer to God’s use of a
360-day year in this way as ‘a prophetic year.’
Another relevant point here is that
when God brought judgement personally on Nebuchadnezzar, he told him that his
period of judgement would last for ‘seven times’:
‘Seven times will pass by for you…’
(Dan. 4:16,23,25,32)
All
commentators agree that this means ‘seven years.’ Therefore, when the angel told Daniel that
the end-times Great Tribulation would last for ‘a time, times, and half a
time,’ he meant that it would last for 3½ years:
‘It will be for a time, times, and
half a time.’ (Dan. 7:25, 12:7)
So,
the time-lengths of 1,260 days, 42 months, 3½ years, and ‘a time, times, and
half a time’ are interchangeable. The
two halves of Daniel’s seventieth week will each last for the same length of
time, and, in total therefore, the seventieth week will last for seven such
years.
How
does the rapture relate to Daniel’s seventieth week?
The interpretation that I am
presenting in this book clearly implies that the rapture happens well before
the beginning of the seven-year period of Daniel’s seventieth week. However, a traditional presentation that many
pre-tribulation Bible teachers have given for many years, has the seven-year
period starting immediately after the rapture happens. They believe that the rapture is the event
which initiates the seven years, and they therefore identify the sunteleia,
the tribulation, and Daniel’s seventieth week as the same period of time,
lasting for seven years. This is
illustrated in Figure 20.4 below:
Figure 20.4 A traditional view of
the relation of the rapture to the seventieth week
However, the sunteleia, the
tribulation and Daniel’s seventieth week are not the same period of time. In actual fact, they refer to different
things. As we have seen in previous
chapters, the rapture triggers the sunteleia, the end-times consummation
or wrapping-up of this age, and it then leads soon afterwards into the rise of
Antichrist. However, it is clear from
Daniel 9:27 below that the trigger for the start of the seven years of
Daniel’s seventieth week is the confirmation by Antichrist of a covenant with
Israel:
‘And he will confirm a covenant
with many for one “seven.”’ (Dan. 9:27)
So the seven-year period begins well after the rapture event, and it is the last part of the sunteleia. Put another way and very simply, the rapture does not happen at the beginning of the seven years, but prior to them. This is summed up in Figure 20.5 below:
Figure 20.5 The relation of the
rapture to the beginning of the seven-year period
Copyright
Notice
THE HOLY BIBLE, NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION®, NIV® Copyright © 1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
[1] See Derek
Walker’s excellent treatment of this subject in his book Daniel’s Seventy
Weeks, available from Oxford Bible Church, UK.
[2] Readers may wish
to watch my more detailed exposition of this prophecy recorded in three
sessions which are available on our YouTube channel at www.youtube.com/user/mikesuelabrown. Alternatively, readers who wish to study this
prophecy in great depth would do well to consult Derek Walker’s book Daniel’s
Seventy Weeks referenced in a previous footnote.
[3] It is based on
the ancient Babylonian administrative calendar which had 12 months of 30 days
each in a year, so a year consisted of 360 days.
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