“Time is the most undefinable yet paradoxical of all things. The past is gone, the future has not yet come, the present becomes the past even while we attempt to use it. And like a flash of lightning the time we thought we had expires.” Charles Caleb Colton. Time is the vehicle of prophecy and prophecy is the passenger of time. it relies on time to unfold. The 70-week prophecy is one of the single most powerful prophecies confirming the divinity of Jesus. Timing is everything, if not so then we would not have prophecy. As a matter of fact, the very nature of prophecy is to keep us in sync with heaven’s agenda.
When misused, time can become our greatest enemy. One of the reasons why the children of Israel were serving time is because they did not value the time given to them by God to serve Him as He Had intended. Instead, they used that time to serve themselves. Now God gave them up for 70 years into captivity in Babylon and there was nothing they could do to turn back the hands of time (Jer 25:11). Daniel had read about this prophecy by Jeremiah and he understood why they were in captivity (Dan 9:2). Daniel resolves to fast and pray, confessing before God his sins and the sins of his people (Dan 9:4-19). In the middle of his prayer, God sends a divine interruption (Dan 9:20-23) the angel Gabriel with important information for Daniel.
God established a probationary prophecy for the children of Israel (Dan 9:24). Let’s notice some key things in this verse: “Seventy weeks are determined For your people and for your holy city,
a. To finish the transgression.
b. To make an end of sins.
c. To make reconciliation for iniquity.
d. To bring in everlasting righteousness..
e. To seal up vision and prophecy.
f. To anoint the Most Holy.
This prophecy had to span more than 70 literal weeks because the arrival of the Messiah was more than 500 years still in the future. This prophecy was to span for a period of 490 years and the evidence for its length is cited in (Dan 9:24). Notice the phrase “Seventy weeks are determined”. The word determined in Hebrew is ‘Khaw-thak’ meaning to cut off. To be cut off from what? There was a larger time period introduced in chapter 8 which dealt with the rebuilding of the Jerusalem to the time when the final judgement just before the coming of the Jesus was to begin (Dan 8:14).
Before we delve deeper, let’s first arm ourselves with basic knowledge on how to calculate prophetic time. In prophecy, there is a year-day principle where a day equals to a year; see Ezekiel 4:4 & Numbers 14:34.
God established a date when the 70-week prophecy would begin (Dan 9:25). There are two other dates which people refer to though valid scripturally, they cannot bring the entire 70-week prophecy to its fulfilment.
1. A decree by Cyrus.
Cyrus gave a decree in 539 BC. This decree was given for the rebuilding of the temple and not for the complete restoration of the Jews. If we begin in 439 BC and go 490 years later we only get to 49 BC. We don’t even get to A.D hence nothing about the prophecy gets fulfilled.
2. A decree by Darius.
This decree was for the building of the temple in Jerusalem that began in 520 BC. 490 years later takes us to 30 BC. Not enough time for Messiah to come.
When we cross from BC to AD we add a year because of the zero year principle. We don’t have year zero.
There were key things that pointed to the fulfillment of this prophecy as highlighted in (Dan 9:25-27).
a. from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, There shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.
What happened after 7 weeks (49years)? From the decree in 457 BC, Jerusalem was rebuilt in 408 BC. 49 years later just as prophesied.
What about the 62 weeks (434 years)? From 408 BC, 434 years later takes us to 27 AD. Messiah was anointed in this year for His ministerial assignment (Acts 10:38). This is how we get to 27 AD, in (Luke 3:1,21-22), we are told that in the 15th year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar Jesus was baptized and anointed by the Holy Spirit. Tiberius Caesar began to reign in 12 A.D. so when we add 12 to 15 we get 27 AD.
b. The street shall be built again, and the wall, Even in troublesome times.
We read about this in the book of Nehemiah (Nehemiah 1:1-7:3). Indeed the walls were rebuilt in troublesome times. with opposition from Sanballat, Tobiah, Geshem just to point out a few. The wall was rebuilt with one hand holding a weapon and the other building.
c. And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off, but not for Himself.
To get the exact time for the fulfillment of this bit of the prophecy, we will consider (Dan 9:27). We have a one week period mentioned in this verse. This week completes our 34 AD. Something happens in this week “But in the middle of the week, He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.” The week is divided into two. When we take the first half, it takes us to 31 AD when Jesus was cut off but not for Himself (Rom 5:6).
d. Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week;
How does He confirm the covenant? Consider (Hebrews 2:3) “ how shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed to us by those who heard Him,” It was confirmed by those who heard Him. His disciples, the apostles.
Have in mind that this 70-week prophecy was about the probationary time for the Jews. That’s why Jesus instructed His disciples to rather go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel (Matt 10:6). What happens with the remaining half week? Acts 7 & 8 unfold a series of key events culminating with the unconverted Paul under the name Saul giving consent to the stoning of Stephen. That very year (34 AD) marked the closing of probation for the Jews and the gospel went to the gentiles (Acts 13:46).
e. But in the middle of the week, He shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.
Another significant event was to take place near the closing of the 70-week prophecy. In (Mark 15:37-38), Jesus breathed His last and the veil in the temple tore into two. This symbolized no more earthly priest intercession for the sins of God’s people, no more animal sacrifices to be offered for the covering of sins because the lamb who taketh away the sins of the world was already slain.
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