THE 70 WEEKS OF DANIEL

The 70 weeks of Daniel—what are they? Are they literal weeks? Is Daniel chapter 9 talking about the Antichrist and 7-year tribulation? How long is the 70-weeks period? The doctrines of a pre-tribulation rapture, mid-tribulation rapture, and 7-year tribulation period are largely drawn from the wrong interpretation of Daniel 9. Therefore, understanding this chapter is key to clearing the errors that have trailed this chapter for centuries.

In this exhaustive study, we are going to answer all these questions, and much more. We are going to show the 70 weeks of Daniel and how it applies to the chosen people (Israel), and how it applies to Jesus and His second coming.

Let us begin from Daniel 9:1-14:

Daniel was reading the book of Jeremiah and he understood the desolation of Jerusalem and the 70-year time frame—the time that the children of Israel will be in captivity. He wanted to understand what desolation is all about and what the future holds for Israel and the city of God—Jerusalem. Daniel understood clearly that the calamity that came upon Israel was as a result of departing from the law of Moses and the prophets; he also understood that Israel has been scattered throughout the nations of the earth.

In the time past, Israel had always rebelled against the Lord by disobeying His laws, statutes, and commandments. Sadly, today, the children of Israel are still scattered all over the world and experiencing the curses outlined in the writings of Moses. The captivity of Israel was a result of disobedience to the laws of God delivered by His servant Moses. Daniel knew clearly that the Lord is righteous in all His ways by delivering His children into captivity, and repentance was required to turn things around. In Daniel’s prayer, he acknowledged the sins of his people and humbly pleaded to God for forgiveness and mercy.

Verses 1-20 document the prayer of Daniel and the latter part (verses 21-27) document the prophecy; let us move further to Daniel 9:21-27 to see the prophesies.

Bear in mind, Daniel prayed and was determined to understand things concerning the desolation of Jerusalem and what the future holds for the city as we have read earlier (Verses 1-20); God sent angel Gabriel to deliver the prophecy. In the passage that we just read (Daniel 9:21-27), there are strong points stated, and to enhance our understanding and learning let us break them into bullets:

Seventy weeks (Seventy weeks of years) are determined upon thy people and thy holy city, to:

Finish the transgression: Bring an end to transgression through Christ.
Make an end of sins: Bring an end to sins through Christ’s death.
Make reconciliation for iniquity: Reconcile Israel (and all who are willing to obey) back to God through Christ.
And to bring in everlasting righteousness: Bring in everlasting righteousness through the sacrifice of Christ.
Seal off the vision and prophecy.
Anoint the Most Holy: Anoint Jesus Christ as the Messiah.
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: 69 weeks of years in total.
The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times: The temple and the city of Jerusalem will be rebuilt but under difficult conditions (Nehemiah 4:18).
At a set time, the Messiah shall be cut off but not for Himself but for reconciliation: Jesus will die but not for himself; die for the sins of many.
And the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary: At a later time, people are going to come and destroy Jerusalem and take over.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week (one week of years): Jesus’ ministry was intended to last for one week of years. Jesus will confirm the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob for one week (one week of years—7 years).
And in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease: In the middle of a literal week Christ will die; also, in the middle of one week of years, Christ ministry will stop—Jesus’ ministry lasted 3 ½ years.

With the above broken into bullets, the question that should come to your mind is, what do 70 weeks mean and represent? What is the definition of a week in this context? Let the Bible interpret itself:

GENESIS 29:26-27:

“26 And Laban said, It must not be so done in our country, to give the younger before the firstborn. 27 Fulfil her week, and we will give thee this also for the service which thou shalt serve with me yet seven other years.”

From the above passage, how many years is a week? 7 years! When Jacob fulfilled her week (Rachel’s week), he served for 7 years; he also served one week (seven years) for Leah. So, when the Bible says in the middle of the week, it is referring to 3 ½ years. So now we understand that 70 weeks are determined upon thy people and Jerusalem—it means seventy weeks of years are determined upon thy people and Jerusalem.

To understand properly how the 70-weeks prophecy was going to be fulfilled, let us look at the events that led to the 70 weeks—the children of Israel disobeying the commandments of God time and again. Let us see Leviticus 26:35, 36-46.

In the above references, God warned Israel that if they will not hearken unto His voice and commandments, He was going to bring great evil upon them and Jerusalem because of disobedience. God listed all the punishments / evil things He will bring upon Israel if they hearken not unto His voice.

Also, God has indicated that He will remember the land of Israel and His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob if they demonstrate genuine repentance and shun their evil ways. God instructed them through His servant Moses not to go contrary to His commandments, statutes, and decrees, but sadly, they did.

Before God brings punishment or executes judgment, He always sends His servants to warn people. This time was no different; the Children of Israel sinned greatly and God sent Jeremiah the prophet to warn them. Let us see Jeremiah 25:1-11.

God sent Jeremiah the prophet to warn the people but they did not hearken. They repented not and continued in their wickedness. Because they hearken not to the commandments of the Lord, the Lord sent/used Nebuchadnezzar to bring punishment against Israel. And the nation of Israel shall serve the Kingdom of Babylon for 70 years. This was going to be a set time but it is not the prophetic years.

It should be realised that God passed His covenant from Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; let us see: Psalm 105:6-11.

Don’t be mistaken, although Israel has rebelled against God, they are still His people. His covenant with them is everlasting. The idea that the gentile nations have now replaced Israel is not true.

We will be going back and forth in the 9^th chapter of Daniel. Let us see Daniel 9:16-19.

Daniel was interceding and pleading to God for the sake of his people and Jerusalem; he asked God to remember his people because they were called by His name and the city of Jerusalem.

Ezekiel 21:1-4, 25-27

God sent Ezekiel to prophesy against the city because of its wickedness; God removed their diadem (kings) because of their wickedness.

Notice verse 27:

“27 I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it him.”

The lord will overturn their kings three times and after that, they will have no king until whose right it is—i.e. until Jesus comes to reign as King of Israel. Zedekiah was the last king of Israel and after that, there was going to be no king until Jesus comes to reign as king. Did these come to pass? Did the Lord overturn their kings? Yes, He did; let us see:

2 Chronicles 36:4-21:

From the above reference, God did exactly as he stated. Notice verse 6:

“6 Against him came up Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon, and bound him in fetters, to carry him to Babylon.”

This was the first desolation; all lined up as the Lord has spoken. Notice verse 10:

“10 And when the year was expired, king Nebuchadnezzar sent, and brought him to Babylon, with the goodly vessels of the house of the Lord, and made Zedekiah his brother king over Judah and Jerusalem. 11 Zedekiah was one and twenty years old when he began to reign, and reigned eleven years in Jerusalem.”

This was the third desolation and yet His children continued in their wickedness and hearken not unto the Lord and His prophets.

2 CHRONICLES 36:16-21:

“16 But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against his people, till there was no remedy. 17 Therefore he brought upon them the king of the Chaldees, who slew their young men with the sword in the house of their sanctuary, and had no compassion upon young man or maiden, old man, or him that stooped for age: he gave them all into his hand. 18 And all the vessels of the house of God, great and small, and the treasures of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king, and of his princes; all these he brought to Babylon. 19 And they burnt the house of God, and brake down the wall of Jerusalem, and burnt all the palaces thereof with fire, and destroyed all the goodly vessels thereof. 20 And them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: 21 To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.”

The Lord overturned three times and the last one was a total desolation; the Lord brought desolation upon the city of Jerusalem and the land of Israel just as He prophesied by the mouth of Jeremiah the prophet. There is something very striking and central to this subject (the 70 weeks of Daniel) in verse 21, what is it?

21 To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years.

Threescore and 10 years, how many years? 70 Years! This is how long Israel was going to be in Babylonian captivity. This is not the 70 weeks; a precursor to it. This history is reported in many encyclopedias. Don’t lose track of what we are trying to do; we are looking at the 70 Weeks of Daniel, but the desolation of the people of Israel and the city of Jerusalem before the start of the 70 weeks is important in understanding the 70 Weeks; we will see and understand more in the latter stage of this article.

Let us see Jeremiah 29:1, 4-10.

Jeremiah sent a letter to the children of Israel that were taken captives; notice verse 10-11:

“10 For thus saith the Lord, That after seventy years be accomplished at Babylon I will visit you, and perform my good word toward you, in causing you to return to this place. 11 For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end.”

After 70 years, the Lord will visit Israel and perform good things towards them; after 70 years, they will be brought back from captivity.

Let us go back to Daniel 9:24-25:

DANIEL 9:24-25:

“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. 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.”

Take note, it has got to be 69 weeks (69 weeks of years) from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince. Jerusalem has to be rebuilt and all set in place before the first coming of Christ to be anointed as the Messiah.

Who are the people involved in carrying the command to rebuild Jerusalem? Let us see:

EZRA 6:14-15:

“14 And the elders of the Jews builded, and they prospered through the prophesying of Haggai the prophet and Zechariah the son of Iddo. And they builded, and finished it, according to the commandment of the God of Israel, and according to the commandment of Cyrus, and Darius, and Artaxerxes king of Persia. 15 And this house was finished on the third day of the month Adar, which was in the sixth year of the reign of Darius the king.”

These three kings were involved in rebuilding Jerusalem: Cyrus, Darius, and Artaxerxes. Artaxerxes was one of the kings that sanctioned the return of the Jews to Palestine (the land of Israel was renamed to Palestine by the Romans). During the rulership of this king (King Artaxerxes), he did something seven years later—It is at this point that we will begin the calculation of the 70 Weeks. 70 Weeks period: when did it start? When is it going to end? Let us start the calculation:

465 BC (reported in Grolier Encyclopedia: Artaxerxes), in the 7^th year of the reign of King Artaxerxes, he commissioned Ezra to go up and rebuild Jerusalem. Please note: when dealing with BC (Before Christ, or Before Caesar), one has to subtract.

465 BC — 7 Years = 458 BC (Ezra 7:1-4, 21-23)

Bear in mind, when it comes to week of years, 1 week is 7 years as we have already established. With that said, let us continue with the calculation:

7 Years X 70 = 490 Years

Notice something: 69 weeks (69 weeks of years) from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince. From the time that God, through the Persian kings, issued a decree requesting the Jews to go back and rebuild the temple and Jerusalem to the time that Jesus will be anointed as the Messiah, it will be 69 weeks of years. How long is this?

7 Years X 69 = 483 Years BC (Daniel 9:1-25)

483 Years BC — 458 Years BC = 25

The death of Herod was in 4 BC + 2 Years—Time when he enquired about the birth of Christ = 6 BC.

25 Years + 5 Years = 30 Years (Jesus obeyed protocol and waited till He was 30 before starting His ministry).

5 Years (BC) + 25 Years (AD) = 30 Years. At 30, Jesus was anointed and it was then He started His ministry.

To further strengthen understanding of the calculation, let us see Matthew 2:13-15;

Egypt at that time was Mizraim (black people), how can a white person hide among black people? This is a topic for another article concerning the true colour of the true biblical Israelites.

As we have read earlier, from going forth of the command to rebuild Jerusalem to the anointing of the Messiah, it will be 69 weeks of years (Daniel 9:1-25).

LUKE 3:21-23:

“21 Now when all the people were baptized, it came to pass, that Jesus also being baptized, and praying, the heaven was opened, 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. 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 above passage lined up with what was prophesied. Jesus was 30 years when He was anointed and began His ministry: 69 weeks (69 weeks of years) from the going forth of the commandment to restore and rebuild Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince. Jesus did not break protocol; to start His mission/ministry, he had to be 30 years old.

Who anointed Jesus Christ? Let us find out: Psalm 45:6-7

“6 Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the sceptre of thy kingdom is a right sceptre. 7 Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows.”

It was His Father that anointed Him; Let us see John 1:32-41.

Notice something very striking in the above passage, what is it? See verses 40-41

“40 One of the two which heard John speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. 41 He first findeth his own brother Simon, and saith unto him, We have found the Messias, which is, being interpreted, the Christ.”

How did he know that Jesus was the Messiah? Because He (Jesus) was anointed. Jesus was anointed by His father.

When was Jesus crucified? He was crucified in AD30; all lining up with the timeline and calculations we have established earlier.

Let us read Daniel 9:25 again:

“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.”

When Jesus came, there had to be a temple and that’s why the temple was rebuilt. It says: it will be built in difficult times; can we prove this? Absolutely! Let us see:

EZRA 4:1-7, 18-24

“4 Now when the adversaries of Judah and Benjamin heard that the children of the captivity builded the temple unto the Lord God of Israel; 2 Then they came to Zerubbabel, and to the chief of the fathers, and said unto them, Let us build with you: for we seek your God, as ye do; and we do sacrifice unto him since the days of Esarhaddon king of Assur, which brought us up hither. 3 But Zerubbabel, and Jeshua, and the rest of the chief of the fathers of Israel, said unto them, Ye have nothing to do with us to build an house unto our God; but we ourselves together will build unto the Lord God of Israel, as king Cyrus the king of Persia hath commanded us. 4 Then the people of the land weakened the hands of the people of Judah, and troubled them in building, 5 And hired counsellors against them, to frustrate their purpose, all the days of Cyrus king of Persia, even until the reign of Darius king of Persia. 6 And in the reign of Ahasuerus, in the beginning of his reign, wrote they unto him an accusation against the inhabitants of Judah and Jerusalem. 7 And in the days of Artaxerxes wrote Bishlam, Mithredath, Tabeel, and the rest of their companions, unto Artaxerxes king of Persia; and the writing of the letter was written in the Syrian tongue, and interpreted in the Syrian tongue.”

We can see that the temple and Jerusalem were built in troublous times as prophesied in (Daniel 9:25); for a certain period, Jerusalem was not being built because of fierce opposition. From the time that the commandment to build Jerusalem was issued to the time when Jesus will be anointed as the Messiah, it has to be 69 weeks of years (Daniel 9:25). Did the situation change? Let us read further:

Ezra 6.1-3, 8-13;

Darius the King made a decree that these men not be hindered in carrying out the decree to rebuild Jerusalem. Because God was behind this prophecy coming to pass, king Darius issued a strong decree that the work not be hindered.

Let us see how they rebuilt Jerusalem and the temple; Nehemiah 4:17-23.

They built it in troublous times with sword by their side as prophesied in

NEHEMIAH 4:17-23.

“17 They which builded on the wall, and they that bare burdens, with those that laded, every one with one of his hands wrought in the work, and with the other hand held a weapon. 18 For the builders, every one had his sword girded by his side, and so builded. And he that sounded the trumpet was by me. 19 And I said unto the nobles, and to the rulers, and to the rest of the people, The work is great and large, and we are separated upon the wall, one far from another. 20 In what place therefore ye hear the sound of the trumpet, resort ye thither unto us: our God shall fight for us. 21 So we laboured in the work: and half of them held the spears from the rising of the morning till the stars appeared. 22 Likewise at the same time said I unto the people, Let every one with his servant lodge within Jerusalem, that in the night they may be a guard to us, and labour on the day. 23 So neither I, nor my brethren, nor my servants, nor the men of the guard which followed me, none of us put off our clothes, saving that every one put them off for washing.”

This aligns with the prophecy in Daniel that Jerusalem will be rebuilt in troublous times. The building was guarded. Jerusalem and the temple had to be built before the Messiah can come and be anointed. It had to be within the timeframe of the 69 weeks of years.

Daniel 9:24,26:

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 (69 weeks).
The street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times.

All the things that we have seen happening in the times of Nehemiah and Ezra were all geared up to the coming of the Messiah; all had to be fulfilled as it was prophesied.

It had to be 69 weeks of years to the anointing of the Messiah. He then had around 3 ½ years for ministry before being cut off (die for the sins of many). Even after Jesus was raised and sat at the right hand of God, Jerusalem was still going to be destroyed.

Notice something in verse 26:

He will confirm the covenant with many for one week of years (one week of years—7 years); Christ’s ministry lasted for 3 ½ years; only 3 ½ years of Christ’s ministry that was intended for 7 years was completed.

He will be cut off in the middle of the week (Daniel 9:26-27).

The above passage, contrary to the popular belief that it is referring to the antichrist, is referring to the Messiah (Jesus Christ)—Vs 26. Jesus will confirm a covenant (the covenant God made with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) with many and bring an end to animal sacrifice in the middle of the week. The one week referred to in the above passage has dual prophecy meaning:

One week means one week of years (7 years) but it also means literal week:

Christ’s ministry was intended to last for seven years but in the middle of His ministry (3 and half years), He shall be offered as a sacrifice for the sins of many.
Also, in the middle of the week is talking about when Jesus will die; He will die in the middle of a literal week—Wednesday.

So according to Daniel, Christ will die in the middle of the week; what Daniel wrote agrees with other parts of the Bible.

Verse 26 clearly states “Messiah” and the Messiah referred to in Vs 26 is Jesus Christ and not the Antichrist. We can see that the Bible overwhelmingly states the period of the tribulation will be 3 ½ years. The idea of a seven-year tribulation shows the wrong understanding of Daniel 9. How did Jesus fulfill the things written in Daniel chapter 9? Let us see:

Isaiah 53:1-8:

This passage is talking about Jesus; it is Jesus that was bruised for our iniquity. Jesus is the sacrificial lamb for the sins of many (cut off but not for Himself Daniels 9:26). Jesus was killed for our transgression. And that’s why Daniel 9:24 says “to bring an end to sin and iniquity”.

Let us see further confirmation of this in the New Testament. Bear in mind, the New Testament is a testimony of what was prophesied to happen in the Old Testament (the law and the testimony).

Romans 15:8:

“Now I say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God, to confirm the promises made unto the fathers:”

Jesus confirmed all that was spoken to the forefathers of Israel. Let us see more examples:

2 CORINTHIANS 5:18-21

“18 And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation; 19 To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation. 20 Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God. 21 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.”

What Apostle Paul is saying in the above verse is the same thing that Daniel the prophet wrote about in Daniel 9:24—to make reconciliation for iniquity; Jesus will reconcile us back to God the Father. As wrongly understood by many, the apostles are not against the law and the prophets—they are all in harmony.

So, according to 2 Corinthians 5:18-21:

Christ put an end to iniquity (as prophesied in Daniel 9:24).
And reconciled us back to the Father (as prophesied in Daniel 9:24).

Daniel said that the Messiah will cause the sacrifice of the oblation to cease, did that happen? Let us see: Matthew 27:50-51.

When the veil of the temple was rented into two, it marks the end of animal sacrifice; this was the end of the sacrificial law. This is the law that Christ nailed to the Cross—the law of animal sacrifice; all other laws are still in place.

What is the current state of Israel and Jerusalem today? Where are the true children of Israel? Let us find out:

Let us see Luke 19:41-44.

Jesus wept over Jerusalem, seeing the things that were to come upon Jerusalem—the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple.

Luke 21:20-24

Jesus foretold the destruction of Jerusalem and the temple;

“24 And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled.”

Jerusalem will be trodden down of the Gentiles until the time of the Gentiles be fulfilled. Currently, Jerusalem is being trodden by the gentiles and it will continue to be trodden until Jesus comes. The true children of Israel are scattered all over the globe and will be gathered at Christ’s second coming. How do we know this? Let us see:

Isaiah 11:10-12;

Was the 1948 creation of Israel a fulfilment of any Bible prophecy? The answer is no. Israel will be recovered when the Lord comes the second time. Let us see another proof:

Ezekiel 20:33-38;

The Lord will gather His people at His coming. He will bring His children into the wilderness and plead with Israel face to face. Jerusalem is still desolate and her children are not living in her; let us see further:

Ezekiel 37:21-28;

Has this happened yet? This is yet to happen; it will happen at Christ’s second coming.

WHY DANIEL 9:21-27 IS NOT TALKING ABOUT 7 YEAR TRIBULATION OR THE ANTICHRIST

The rapture theorists have largely used Daniel 9 to refer to the 7-year tribulation and the Antichrist. However, this chapter is talking about Jesus and not the antichrist; how can illustrate this? Let us see:

Finish the transgression: The Antichrist cannot finish the transgression; only Jesus Christ can.
Make an end of sins: The Antichrist cannot make an end of sins; only Jesus Christ can.
Make reconciliation for iniquity: The Antichrist cannot make reconciliation for iniquity; only Jesus Christ can.
And to bring in everlasting righteousness: The Antichrist cannot bring everlasting righteousness; only Jesus Christ can.
Seal off the vision and prophecy: The Antichrist cannot seal the vision and the prophecy; only Jesus Christ can.
Anoint the Most Holy: Jesus is the Most Holy One and not the Antichrist.
At a set time, the Messiah shall be cut off but not for Himself but for reconciliation: Jesus will die but not for himself—for the sins of many; the Antichrist never died for the sins of anyone.
And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: The antichrist cannot confirm the covenant that was given to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; only Jesus can confirm the covenant, and he did!
And in the midst of the week, he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease: In the middle of a literal week Christ will die and cause the sacrifice of oblation to cease; also, in the middle of one week of years, Christ ministry will end—Jesus’ ministry lasted for 3 ½ years. The Antichrist fulfilled none of these.

**Table 1:** Table summarising the calculations of the **70 weeks of Daniel**. According to the rapture theory, the 3 ½ years of Jesus’ ministry is not part of the 70 weeks of Daniel. Also, according to the rapture theory, the events prophesied in Daniel 9:24 are yet to happen. The rapture theory only creates endless stream confusions!

SUMMARY OF THE 70 WEEKS OF DANIEL

The 70 weeks of Daniel are neither referring to the antichrist nor 7-year tribulation—none of these. The 70 weeks of Daniel is simply about:

The children of Israel disobeyed the Lord time and again, and God delivered them into captivity and Jerusalem became desolate; Daniel prayed to God concerning his people Israel and the city of Jerusalem for mercy.
God answered the prayed of Daniel by sending Angel Gabriel to tell him what will happen to Israel and the city of Jerusalem, and the timeframe involved.
70 Weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city (Jerusalem). This is the timeframe that God gave.
the key events that will happen during the 70 weeks (Daniel 9:24).
The 70 weeks will start when the commandment to rebuild Jerusalem and the temple goes forth (Daniel 9: 25).
69 weeks out of the seventy weeks will be from when the decree to restore Jerusalem and the temple goes forth to when Jesus will be anointed as the Messiah.
Jesus will confirm the covenant (the covenant God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob) for one week—in the 70^th week.
Jesus will be cut off in the middle of the week (die after 3 ½ years of ministry, and also in the middle of a literal week).

WHY CHRIST’S 3½ YEARS OF MINISTRY IS AN INTEGRAL PART OF THE 70 WEEKS OF DANIEL

The rapture theorists are quick to conclude that Daniel 9:27 is referring to the Antichrist and a 7-year tribulation; they also agree to the fact that the 69 weeks of the 70 weeks have been completed, but one week is still outstanding. It is the Antichrist, as wrongly taught and believed, that would confirm the remaining one week.

Is Daniel 9:27 referring to the Antichrist and 7-year tribulation? What is the truth? The rapture theory is a victim of its success, how? The rapture proponents, by claiming that Daniel 9:27 is referring to the Antichrist and 7-year tribulation, kill the rapture theory fast without realising it. Christ’s 3½ years of ministry is an integral and inseparable part of the 70 weeks of Daniel. The 3½ years come after the 69 weeks, can we prove this? Absolutely!

Daniel prayed a prayer of repentance on behalf of his people and was determined to understand what the future holds for his people Israel and the city of Jerusalem (Daniel 9:1-21). God answered his prayer by sending angel Gabriel to deliver prophecies concerning the plan of God for his people Israel and the city of Jerusalem, and what timeframe is involved. Let us see:

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.”

Verse 24 states the key plans of God that will be accomplished within 70 weeks. All the things listed in Daniel 9:24 must happen within the 70 weeks. 70 weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city. The question that one should ask is: 70 weeks, to do what? Let us break verse 24 into bullets to get a proper understanding.

Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city:

Now that we have all the key things that will happen within the 70 weeks broken into bullets, let us break the 70 weeks.

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: 69 weeks. From when the decree to rebuild and restore Jerusalem is issued, to the time when Jesus is anointed as the Messiah (to anoint the Most Holy—verse 24) is 69 weeks.
Where can we fit it? Let us see:

All the things listed in Daniel 9:24 are part of God’s plan for the salvation of His people Israel. Who fulfilled the things listed in Daniel 9:24? It was Jesus Christ who fulfilled Daniel 9:24—God’s plan of salvation for Israel. All the points listed in Daniel 9:24 are part of the 70 weeks and were fulfilled by Christ after the 69 weeks were completed. Christ was anointed at 69 weeks and it was after his anointing that he fulfilled Daniel 9:24:

We have illustrated sufficiently that Christ’s 3½ years of ministry are an integral part of the 70 weeks; Christ fulfilled Daniel 9:24 but after He was anointed at 69 weeks. Therefore, Daniel 9:27 cannot be referring to the Antichrist nor the false idea of 7-year tribulation.

THE IMPLICATIONS OF BELIEVING THAT DANIEL 9:24-27 REFER TO THE ANTICHRIST / 7-YEAR TRIBULATION

How can a seasoned and right-thinking Bible scholar take Jesus out of Daniel 9? This is exactly what the proponents of the rapture theory have done—they have taken Jesus out of Daniel 9. Christ’s 3 ½ years of ministry is a part of the 70 weeks (see Figure 1). It is very easy to do “on the back of envelope” Bible study and reach a conclusion quickly. Daniel 9 is one of the go-to-texts for the rapture theorists to support the false idea of 7-year tribulation and the Antichrist confirming a covenant for a week (7 years). The theorists never answered all the questions. There are huge implications of believing that Daniel 9:24-27 refers to the Antichrist and 7-year tribulation. What are the implications? Let us see:

If you take Jesus out of Daniel 9:24-27; question: have the events prophesied in Daniel 9:24 been fulfilled? If one goes by the rapture theory, the events in Daniel 9:24 (even if they have been fulfilled) cannot fit into the 70 weeks timeframe—why? Because from the time that the commandment to rebuild and restore Jerusalem goes forth, to the time that the Messiah (Jesus Christ) will be anointed, it will be 69 weeks (69 weeks of years). The 69 weeks have been completed. According to the rapture theory, one week of years (7 years) is still outstanding, and it is the antichrist that will confirm the remaining one week of years. One cannot take Jesus and His 3 ½ years of ministry out of Daniel 9, and His 3 ½ years of ministry comes after the completion of the 69 weeks.
If the events in Daniel 9:24 have been fulfilled, who fulfilled it and where can one fit these events in the 70 weeks timeframe? According to the rapture theory, the 3 ½ years of Christ’s ministry cannot fit into the 70 weeks timeframe. Why? Because the 69 weeks starts from the time that the command to rebuild Jerusalem goes forth, to the time that Jesus will be anointed—69 weeks of the 70 weeks. The rapture theorists claim that it is the antichrist that will confirm one week of years out of the 70 weeks. Can you see that rapture theory is stating that the 3 ½ years of Christ’s ministry is not part of the 70 weeks timeframe? Things not adding up with the rapture theory! When Jesus was anointed at 30 years, He fulfilled Daniel 9:24 in his 3 ½ years of ministry. The 3 ½ years of Christ’s ministry are an integral part of the 70 weeks of Daniel.
By stating that Daniel 9:27 is referring to the antichrist and 7-year tribulation, what correlation does the antichrist has with Daniel 9:24-26? There is no correlation, whatsoever.
What is the context of the entire chapter of Daniel 9?
The great tribulation cannot be 7 years, why? Because Daniel 12:2 states the tribulation and the duration is given in Daniel 12:6-7.

We can see that the rapture theorists have massively misinterpreted Daniel 9:27 to make their theory fit into the Bible. The 3 ½ years of Christ’s ministry has a place in the 70 weeks of Daniel, and these 3 ½ years come after the 69 weeks. Almost all the events prophesied in Daniel 9:24 have been fulfilled (fulfilled by Christ), and these happened after the 69 weeks. With the rapture theory, things don’t add up—no matter how you turn them.