Daniel's Seventieth Week: Is it in Our Past or in Our Future?

Daniel's Seventieth Week

^"24 Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy.
²⁵ "Know therefore and discern that from the going out of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem to the Anointed One, the prince, will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks. It will be built again, with street and moat, even in troubled times. ²⁶ After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One will be cut off, and will have nothing. The people of the prince who come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. Its end will be with a flood, and war will be even to the end. Desolations are determined. ²⁷ He will make a firm covenant with many for one week. In the middle of the week he will cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease. On the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate; and even to the full end, and that determined, wrath will be poured out on the desolate" (Daniel 9:24-27).

Some believe that the seventieth week of 9:27 was fulfilled near the time of Christ. Others believe that it has not been fulfilled to this day. On consideration of both points of view, I could not eliminate either opinion, until I came to understand Luke 21:20-22).

The Law and the Prophets have been fulfilled

• Jesus said, "Don't think that I came to destroy the law or the prophets. I didn't come to destroy, but to fulfill" (Matthew 5:17).

• Jesus said, "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the middle of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein. ²² For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled" (Luke 21:20-22).

Jesus spoke these words in roughly 33 AD, shortly before He was crucified. His phrase "all things which are written" refers to the scriptures that had been written at that time, the Old Testament. None of the books of the New Testament were written at that time. History tells us that Jerusalem was "surrounded by armies" in 70 AD and destroyed. So, this passage is saying that the Old Testament was fulfilled on or before the "desolation" of Jerusalem in 70 AD. The Old Testament contained the Law and the Old Testament prophetic books like Daniel, Ezekiel and Isaiah. So, the Law and the Old Testament Prophecies were fulfilled at that time. Luke 21:20-22 does not say that prophecies written in the New Testament have been fulfilled, since no New Testament prophecies were written at the time Jesus spoke those words in 33 AD. But, it does appear to mean that Daniel 9 was fulfilled before 70 AD. For more on the fulfillment of all Old Testament prophecy with the destruction of Jerusalem, click here. To see how scripture defines the fulfillment of God's promises from the book of Joshua, click here.

Some say that Luke 21:20-22 only means that all things prophesied about Jerusalem were fulfilled by 70 AD... but they also believe that Daniel's seventy weeks have not yet been fulfilled. But, the seventy weeks were decreed for the "holy city", which was Jerusalem (Daniel 9:24-25). See both passages below:

• Jesus said, "But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation is at hand. ²¹ Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains. Let those who are in the middle of her depart. Let those who are in the country not enter therein. ²² For these are days of vengeance, that all things which are written may be fulfilled" (Luke 21:20-22)
• "Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city" (Daniel 9:24).  

The seventy weeks decreed for Jerusalem in Daniel 9:24 were written before Jesus spoke Luke 21: 20-22. Even if "all things which are written" only applied to Jerusalem, it would apply to Daniel 9:24, because Daniel 9:24 contains prophecy about Jerusalem (holy city).

Furthermore, Daniel's prophecy specifically includes a prophecy of the destruction of Jerusalem and the sanctuary (Daniel 9:26, 24-27). Luke also specifically mentions the destruction of Jerusalem  in the above passage regarding the fulfillment of "all that is written (21:20). And he also mentions the destruction of the temple (21:5, 21:5-22), which occurred when Jerusalem was destroyed in 70 AD. 

So, Luke and Daniel are clearly referring to the same event.  

So, according to Luke 21: 20-22, whatever was written about Jerusalem in Daniel's seventy weeks has been fulfilled. 

It is a contradiction to hold that all things written about Jerusalem were fulfilled by 70 AD, but that the seventy week prophecy written about Jerusalem in Daniel 9 has not been fulfilled.

This is so important that I must repeat it:

It is a contradiction to hold that all things written about Jerusalem were fulfilled by 70 AD, but that the seventy week prophecy written about Jerusalem in Daniel 9 has not been fulfilled.

If the seventy weeks were fulfilled by 70 AD, then the  seventieth week was fulfilled by 70 AD.

By the way, the promise of complete fulfillment at a specified time in Luke 21:20-22 is similar to Joshua 23:14 which states that all of God's promises to Israel had been fulfilled in the days of Joshua, even though all of the land promised in Joshua 1:1-4 was not yet conquered (Joshua 23:1-5, especially 4-5). In other words,  some of God's promises have been fulfilled when, at first glance, they do not appear to have been fulfilled, because many of God's promises are conditional, subject to the condition of obedience. For more on this see the last section in this page.

Is Daniel's Seventieth Week in Our Past?

I appears to be very clear that it is in our past. But, some prophecies are fulfilled more than once or fulfilled in different ways. So, I am open to possible fulfillment in our future. But, that may be said about any prophecy. To my knowledge, any teaching claiming that Daniel's seventieth week must be fulfilled again in our future is entirely without foundation in scripture. Could the teaching of Jesus in Matthew 24:15-22 regarding the abomination of desolation be an example of a partial multiple or similar fulfillment? Was Matthew 24:15-22 fulfilled on or before the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 AD or is it to be fulfilled in our future? I will leave those issues for another day. For proof, from the scriptures, that prophecies may have multiple fulfillments, click here.

How Was the Seventieth Week in Daniel 9 Fulfilled?

A simple calculation of the 490 years of Daniel's figurative 70 weeks from the date of Artaxerxes decree in 457 BC (Ezra 7:11-28) results in a conclusion of the 490 year period in 33 AD. Most scholars seem to place the crucifixion of Jesus in 30 or 33 AD. The 30 AD crucifixion date seems to fulfill the elimination of sacrifices in the middle of the 70th week in Daniel 9:27.  So, a 2000 year gap between the 69th and 70th week, as some suggest, is not necessary. A 2000 year gap is also neither included or inferred in the text of the Daniel 9 prophecy.

Click here to go to another website to see scriptural evidence for 457 BC as the date of the decree to rebuild Jerusalem.

Here is the text of the Daniel 9 prophecy with an interpretation consistent with a pre-70 AD fulfillment in accordance with Luke 21:20-22. The interpretation is interspersed in the text in ALL CAPS and in parenthesis:

^"24 Seventy weeks (490 YEARS) are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience (TO COMPLETE THEIR REJECTION OF GOD BY ORCHESTRATING THE DEATH OF HIS SON), and to make an end of sins (DEFEAT SIN), and to make reconciliation for iniquity (JESUS PAID FOR OUR SINS ON THE CROSS TO MAKE RECONCILIATION), and to bring in everlasting righteousness (THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF CHRIST IMPUTED TO THE BORN AGAIN), and to seal up vision and prophecy (AUTHENTICATE ALL PROPHECY BY FULFILLMENT OF PROPHECY), and to anoint the most holy (TO ANNOINT THE MESSIAH).
²⁵ "Know therefore and discern that from the going out of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem (EZRA 7:11-28, 457 BC) to the Anointed One (FIRST COMING OF CHRIST), the prince, will be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks (483 YEARS). It (JERUSALEM) will be built again, with street and moat, even in troubled times (WITH OPPOSITION). ²⁶ After the sixty-two weeks  (AFTER, BUT NOT IMMEDIATELY AFTER THE END OF THE 62 WEEKS) the Anointed One (CHRIST) will be cut off (CRUCIFIED), and will have nothing (HIS LIFE AND POSSESSIONS TAKEN AWAY). The people of the prince (SATAN) who come will destroy the city and the sanctuary (DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM WHICH OCCURED IN 70 AD). Its end will be with a flood, and war will be even to the end (THERE WERE WARS FROM THE CRUCIFIXION TILL 70 AD). Desolations are determined (FOR JERUSALEM). ²⁷ He (CHRIST) will make a firm covenant with many for one week (IN THE 70TH WEEK, CONTAINING SEVEN YEARS, IN THE 3.5 YEARS BEFORE AND AFTER HIS CRUCIFIXION JESUS REVEALED, BROUGHT TO FRUITION AND MATURED THE NEW COVENANT OF THE SPIRIT TO REPLACE THE OLD COVENANT OF LAW. THE SEVEN YEAR PERIOD OF THE 70TH WEEK MAY SPAN FROM THE BEGINNING OF THE MINISTRY OF JOHN THE BAPTIST TO THE STONING OF STEPHEN.). In the middle of the week he will cause the sacrifice and the offering to cease (JESUS, THE TRUE SACRIFICE FOR SIN, WAS CRUCIFIED IN THE MIDDLE OF THE 7 YEAR PERIOD, POSSIBLY IN 30 AD, SO THAT SACRIFICES OF THE LAW WERE NO LONGER LEGITIMATE BEFORE GOD, HAVING BECOME OBSOLETE SINCE THE TRUE SACRIFICE HAD COME AND SINCE THE LAW WAS NO LONGER IN EFFECT). On the wing of abominations will come one who makes desolate (DESOLATION OF JERUSALEM WHICH TOOK PLACE IN 70 AD) ; and even to the full end, and that determined, wrath will be poured out on the desolate (WRATH OF GOD ON JERUSALEM)" (Daniel 9:24-27).

Because of Luke 21:20-22 we understand that Daniel 9 was fulfilled. There may be better interpretations of this scripture than what I have presented above, interpretations which are also consistent with Luke 21:20-22. We can not just ignore Luke 21:20-22.

The Atonement Was in the 70th Week!

The atonement or "reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness" was prophesied to occur in the 70 weeks according to Daniel 9:24 above:

• ""Seventy weeks are decreed on your people and on your holy city, to finish disobedience, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness"

This atonement was accomplished by the death of Christ on the cross in 30-33 AD. Daniel 9:26 tells us that this occurs AFTER the 62 weeks: 

• "After the sixty-two weeks the Anointed One (Christ) will be cut off (Crucified). 

The 70 weeks occur in the following order: 7 weeks followed by 62 weeks followed by 1 week (Daniel 9:25,27). Since the atonement occurs within the 70 weeks but after the 62 weeks, the atonement and crucifixion could only occur in the 70th week. 

The crucifixion took place in 30-33 AD, SO THE 70TH WEEK HAS ALREADY OCCURED. THERE CAN BE NO 2000 YEAR GAP BETWEEN THE 69TH AND 70TH WEEK!

When is a Prophecy Fulfilled?

In the second to last chapter in the book of Joshua, we are told that God's promises had been fulfilled when, at first glance, they had not been fulfilled. Click here to see, how scripture communicates, that God's promises have been fulfilled when they do not appear to have been fulfilled.

Conditions for Understanding the Word

Understanding of scripture is a gift from God to those who are born again with soft hearts and a willingness to obey, who receive this understanding by zealously seeking it through prayerful meditation on scripture. 

Click here to see how scripture says that we may come to understand scripture.