69/70 WEEKS PROPHECY
Daniel 9:24-27This work is independent of any existing religions denomination, church, organisation or group. A voice from a wilderness,
correcting wrong Bible understandings, removing false religious traditions, smoothing the way. God's Kingdom plan is logical, pragmatic and perfect
BACKGROUND
1.
Two overlapping 70 year periods occurred during the days of Daniel. The first was a God imposed 70 year easy servitude period on many nations, including Israel to the Babylonian world power which ascended to world power in 609BC. This world controlling Babylonian dynasty God decreed would last for exactly 70 years before it was ended by the Persians in 539BC.
2.
"In the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, this word came to Jeremiah from Yhwh: 2 “This is what Yhwh has told me, ‘Make for yourself straps and yoke bars, and put them on your neck. 3 Then send them to the king of Edom, the king of Moab, the king of the Ammonites, the king of Tyre, and the king of Sidon ... 4 “This is what Yhwh of armies, the God of Israel, says; 6 And now I have given all these lands into the hand of my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; even the wild beasts of the field I have given him to serve him. 7 All the nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until his own time comes, when many nations and great kings will make him their slave.’ 8 If any nation or kingdom refuses to serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and refuses to put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation with the sword, with famine, and with pestilence,’ declares Yhwh, ‘until I have finished them off by his hand.’ 11 But the nation that brings its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will allow to remain on its land,’ declares Yhwh, ‘to cultivate it and dwell in it. Jeremiah 27:1-11.
FOR 70 YEARS
"In the fourth year of Jehoiakim son of Josiah, the king of Judah, which was the first year of King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon. This is what Jeremiah the prophet spoke concerning all the people of Judah and all the inhabitants of Jerusalem": Jer25:1-2
“Because you would not obey my words, I am sending ... for King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, my servant, and I will bring them against this land ... And all this land will be reduced to ruins and will become an object of horror, and these nations will have to serve the king of Babylon for 70 years.”’‘But when 70 years have been fulfilled, I will call to account the king of Babylon and that nation for their error,’ declares Yhwh ‘and I will make the land of the Chaldeans a desolate wasteland for all time" Jer 25:9-12.
"I have given all these lands into the hand of my servant King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon; even the wild beasts of the field I have given him to serve him. All the nations will serve him and his son and his grandson until the time for his own land comes, when many nations and great kings will make him their slave. If any nation or kingdom refuses to serve King Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon and refuses to put its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon, I will punish that nation" Jer 27:6-8.
"The nation that brings its neck under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serves him, I will allow to remain on its land,’ declares Yhwh, ‘to cultivate it and dwell in it. Also to King Zedekiah of Judah I spoke in the same way, saying: “Bring your necks under the yoke of the king of Babylon and serve him and his people, and you will keep living. Why should you and your people die by the sword, by famine, and by pestilence, as Yhwh has said about the nation that will not serve the king of Babylon" Jer27:11-13
"This is what Yhwh says, ‘When 70 years at Babylon are fulfilled, I will turn my attention to you, and I will make good my promise by bringing you back to this place." Jer29:10
3.
During the first 20 years of this 70 year servitude, Israel rebelled three times against Yhwh's servant, King Nebuchadnezzar, ignoring Gods's command to serve Babylon for 70 years. The first time by Jehoiakim in 605 when Babylon takes the aristocracy of the Jewish nation, including Daniel into Babylonian exile, (Daniel 1:1-7). After 7 years, Jehoiakim rebels a second time in 598, this time, 7,000 of the best of the nation were taken into exile along with Ezekiel and Jehoiachin (2 Kings 24:7-20). The third time was when Zedekiah rebelled against Babylon in 589. Three rebellions! Enough was enough for Nebuchadnezzar, with Yhwh's approval, after this third rebellion in 587 he totally destroyed the city of Jerusalem (2 Kings 25).
4.
A second 70 year period begins at the time Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Jerusalem, commencing a desolation or wasting of Jerusalem in 587. It was a 70 year punishment period on Israel for failing to keep the previous ten Jubilee Sabbaths during the time the 12 tribes split after Salomon's death, preventing the keeping of the Jubilee Sabbath years. This 70 year desolation came to an end seventy years later, in the first year of Darius's rule, some 22 years after the Babylonian world power had come to its end at the time of the writing on the wall in 539BC. When the desolation period ends, Daniel investigates of God the future situation of Jerusalem.
5.
"In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus a descendant of the Medes who had been made king over the kingdom of the Chaldeans in the first year of his reign I, Daniel, discerned by the books the number of years mentioned in the word of Yhwh to Jeremiah the prophet to fulfil the desolation of Jerusalem, namely, 70 years" Daniel 9:1-2.
6.
After 70 years of world rule, Babylon fell to Cyrus the Persian in 539BC, and the first general 70 year servitude period God imposed on the nations to Babylon ended, Jeremiah 25:11. This 70 years of servitude ran between 609 and 539BC, the later 70 years punishment of Jerusalem by devastation ran between 587 and 517.
TWO 70 YEAR PERIODS
Babylon become Babylon dynasty
world power Ends
609 FIRST 70 SERVITUDE YEARS 539
| |
| All surrounding nations |
|<----- 70 years easy servitude ------->|
___|_______________________________________|587 |
| |
Jerusalem 1st year Darius
destroyed Daniel calculates
desolation starts 70 years ended
587 SECOND 70 YEARS PUNISHMENT 517
| |
| unnecessary wasting of Jerusalem |
|<-------- 70 year desolations -------->|
_____|_______________________________________|___
7.
In the year 517BC, Daniel, having calculated the 70 years of Jerusalem's devastation had been completed, becomes anxious about the future of the ruined temple building in Jerusalem. He takes up the matter with God in prayer, his inquiries are recorded at Daniel 9:3-19. He enumerates the just reasons why God had caused this ruined condition of Jerusalem to come about, then makes a plea to God not to delay in restoring the temple and Jerusalem.
8.
Daniel was probably looking for some communication to come back on the subject. What he got was a whole lot more than that. While he was talking to God, a powerful angel was dispatched and travelled a great distance to reach him to answer his questions. It must have been really important for this high ranking representative of Yhwh to make such a special rushed trip. Angels were usually only dispatched to communicate directly with humans over matters of high priority. Not only that, but Gabriel was one of the highest ranking angels, entrusted with some of the most important assignments in God's plan. This was to be an important meeting! Gabriel said, "At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision:" Daniel 9:23 (New King James Version).
DANIEL'S 70 WEEKS TIME PROPHECY
9.
Gabriel tells him "There are 70 weeks that have been determined upon your people and upon the holy city, in order to terminate the transgression and to finish of sin (Adamic) and to make atonement for error and to bring in righteousness for times indefinite and to imprint a seal upon vision and prophet and to anoint the Holy of Holies. And you should know and have insight that from the going forth of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem until Messiah the leader, there will be seven weeks also sixty-two weeks (69). She will return and be actually rebuilt, with a public square and moat but in the straights of the times".
"After the seven plus sixty-two weeks (after 69) Messiah will be cut off with nothing for himself And the city and the holy place the people of a leader that is coming will bring to their ruin. And the end of it will be by the flood and until the end there will be war: what is decided upon is desolation's. And he must keep the covenant in force for the many for one week and at the half of the week he will cause sacrifice and gift offering to cease"" Daniel 9:24-27.
10.
Daniel was seeking information on the then desolated city of Jerusalem. What he got was far more important; details on the future building of a heavenly Jerusalem referred to later by Paul at Hebrews 12:22-24 when he was talking to adopted 'Sons of God' "you have approached a Mount Zion and a city of the living God, heavenly Jerusalem, and myriads of angels in general assembly, and the congregation of the firstborn who have been enrolled in the heavens, and God the Judge of all, and the spirit lives of righteous ones who have been made perfect, and Jesus the mediator of a new covenant".
11.
The words of Gabriel were a specific time prophecy setting the future dates for Christ's birth, baptism and death, provided some 500 years before the events. It was a time calculation of events connected with the coming Messiah and his starting to build heavenly Jerusalem. The time prophecy started when a specific command was given for "the going forth of the word to restore and to rebuild Jerusalem." The bible recorded this command was given to rebuild Jerusalem in the 20th year of Artaxerxes, the year 455BC (Nehemiah 2:1). Yhwh caused this command to be given exactly on the specific time it was required which occurred some 62 years after Gabriel's visit in 517. Calculating forward from the command in 455 the Christ would appear after 7 plus 62 or 69 weeks of years, 69 x 7 = 483 years "there will be seven weeks also sixty-two."
12.
Adding 483 years to 455 BC, brings us to 29 AD (no year Zero) when Christ first steps onto the world stage in October 29 AD and is baptised by John. The 70th last week of 7 years then commences. Halfway through this last seven year period or after 3 1/2 years, Christ sacrificially died in April 33, when all Jewish sacrifices under the Mosaic law covenant became obsolete, superseded by his better perfect human sacrifice "at the half of the week he will cause sacrifice and gift offering to cease" (animal sacrifices).
Chart 1a.
70 WEEKS OF YEARS
Messiah cut off
Messiah End of Animal Jewish Covenant
Appears Sacrifices Extension ends
29AD Oct' 33AD April 36AD Oct'
69 weeks of | Cut off after | |
Years = 483y | 1/2 week of years | 1/2 week of years |
-------------->|<----3 1/2 years ----->|<------3 1/2 Years ---->|
_______________|_______________________|________________________|___
| | |
455 BC <--------------|<--------- One 7 Year week of years ----------->|
| | |
Jesus appears Jesus sacrifices non-Jews enter
Baptised by John his human body Kingdom covenant
13.
For a further three and a half years after Christ's death (+ half a week of years from April 33 to October 36), an additional period of special favour was extended to the Jews, allowing them exclusively to take advantage of God's promises to Abraham first in line for the new Kingdom covenant. Non-Jews first invited to enter into the New Kingdom covenant three and a half years later in 36AD.
14.
From Jesus' baptism in 29 until 36 covered a full seven years of exclusive special favour to the Jews living at that time, applying the benefits of the maturing Abraham covenant to them from Christ's death. After this last seven year period of exclusive payouts to the Jews ended. Non Jews, the first of whom was Cornelius, and his household were invited to enter the Kingdom contract from October 36 (Acts chapter 10). Heavenly Jerusalem was starting to be constructed with the laying of its foundation corner stone.
15.
The Kingdom covenant is still active and in force today. The 70 weeks prophecy revealed important starting dates in building heavenly Jerusalem, a new heavenly city. It is still in the process of construction with human living stones. New information pinpoints important dates soon to occur in its construction. Further information ref KINGDOM OPPORTUNITIES FOR CHRISTIANS OF ALL DENOMINATIONS