THE SEVENTY WEEKS PROPHECY, Part 1

UNDERSTANDING BIBLE PROPHECY

Session 5: THE SEVENTY WEEKS PROPHECY, Part 1

Divine Purpose and Historical Chronology

(Daniel 9:1-25)

The prophecies of Jeremiah foretold the of the in Babylon. It would last years.

The prophecies of Isaiah foretold the means of . God’s instrument for rebuilding Jerusalem would be .

How do we know certain parts of Isaiah weren’t written later, explaining away specific mentions of Cyrus, etc.?

Who was Darius? (two possibilities):

1. Darius and Cyrus =
2. Darius is a ruling under Cyrus.

Daniel knows a must precede the end of captivity. (Dan. 9:3)

In seeking to understand the times and be prepared for the future, Daniel is doing two things:

1. He is the .
2. He is , , and God.

It’s clear Daniel relies on a interpretation of prophecy.

There are three persons/perspectives in this passage:

1. circumstances.
2. coming.
3. communication.

This is a classic prophecy and one that everyone should seek to understand, because:

1. It defends a understanding of prophecy.
2. It presents the of the of .

Verse 24 gives the overall perspective of this prophecy…

What is decreed?

Who decreed it?

What is the decree regarding?

SIX-FOLD Purpose pf the Seventy Weeks Prophecy (v.24)

1.  “…to finish the transgression…”

2.  “…to put an end to sin…”

3.  “…to atone for iniquity…”

4. “…to bring in everlasting righteousness…”

5. “…to seal up both vision and prophet…”

6. “…to anoint a most holy place…”

The key (v.24): The seventy “weeks” are not weeks of days, but weeks of .

Seventy seven-year periods (Heb.- shavua; literally “sevens”)

Reasons we interpret “weeks” in this way:

• Daniel’s of .
• The of the in Jewish thought.
• Daniel’s of the .
• of the Year.

How many Sabbaths had the children of Israel violated?

How long would it take to violate that many Sabbath years?

This prophecy is based on a Jewish calendar.

For all biblical references about the duration of the Great Tribulation to match, they must be based on 30-day months.

From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible depends on the same kind of .

Daniel 9:25- Gabriel lays it out for Daniel in sections: weeks and weeks, totaling weeks.

The period of sixty-nine weeks begins with:

The period of sixty-nine weeks ends with:

What event could be classified as the presentation of the Messiah?

Historically, the specific decree prophesied in v.25 must be:

Why the division of the sixty-nine weeks into “seven weeks” and “sixty-two weeks”? Two things happen at the end of the first seven weeks (396 BC):

1. The rebuilding of the was completed.
2. The Old Testament was completed.

The prophecy concerning the “sixty-two weeks” that follows speaks to the of God’s Word. (Isaiah 46:10)