Daniel’s Seal Broken: Seventy Weeks Prophecy
By Phil Mayo
In Daniel 9:24-27
Gabriel gave him the
prophecy of seventy
weeks:
“Seventy
weeks are decreed
on your people and
on your holy city,
to finish the
transgression,
and to make an end
of sins,
and to make
reconciliation for
iniquity.
To bring in
everlasting
righteousness, and
seal up the vision
and prophecy.
And to anoint the
most Holy.
Know therefore and
understand,
that
from the giving of
the command
to restore and build
Jerusalem
until Messiah the
Prince, shall
be
seven weeks, and
sixty-two weeks;
the street shall be
rebuilt, and the
wall, even in
troublesome times.
And after the
sixty-two weeks
Messiah shall be cut
off, but not for
himself. And the
people of the prince
who shall come
will destroy the
city and the
sanctuary.
The end thereof will
be with a flood.
And until the end of
the war desolations
are decreed. And
he will confirm a
covenant with many
for one week;
and in the middle of
the week
he shall cause the
sacrifice and
offering to be
stopped.
And on the wing of
abominations shall
come one who makes
desolate. Until the
destruction that is
decreed is poured
out on the one that
caused the
desolation.”
Those are not
weeks, as meaning
seven days. They are
weeks of years. (70
x 7 = 490 years)
The Hebrew word
for week (Shabuwa)
literally means
seven. It is the
context that
determines whether
it is referring to
seven weeks, or
seven years. In this
context it is used
to denote groups of
seven years, similar
to the English use
of the word decade
to denote a group of
ten years.
Gabriel indicated
to Daniel by the way
he divided the
seventy weeks of
years into seven
weeks, and three
score and two weeks,
leaving one more to
make the seventy;
that they were not
going to run
consecutively. They
would be divided
into three separate
periods:
1.
7 weeks of years =
49 years.
2.
62 weeks of years =
434 years.
3.
1 week of years = 7
years.
In his seminal
work - The Coming
Prince,
published in 1895,
Sir Robert Anderson
made an
interpretation of
this prophecy that
became written in
stone for many
eschatologists. In
his book, he joins
the 7 and 62 weeks
of years together,
making them one
period of 483 years.
Then by using the
360-day lunar year
(that he calls a
prophetic year)
starting from the
decree of Artaxerxes
I Longimanus in
445BC,
he comes up
with the date 32AD.
He wrote:
The
Julian date of that
10th Nisan was
Sunday the 6th
April, A.D. 32. What
then
was the
length of the period
intervening between
the issuing of the
decree to
rebuild
Jerusalem and the
public advent of
'Messiah the
Prince,' -- between
the 14th March,
B.C. 445, and the
6th April, A.D. 32?
THE INTERVAL
CONTAINED
EXACTLY AND TO THE
VERY DAY 173,880
DAYS, OR SEVEN
TIMES SIXTY-NINE
PROPHETIC YEARS OF
360 DAYS, the first
sixty-nine
weeks of Gabriel's
prophecy."
By “public advent
of Messiah the
Prince,” Sir Robert
is referring to
Jesus Christ’s entry
into Jerusalem. The
day celebrated as
Palm Sunday.
Sir Robert
ignores the
separation of the
first two periods,
but acknowledges
that of the third.
He also misses the
fact that God said
it would be Cyrus,
not Artaxerxes, who
would enact his
command to rebuild.
Decrees made by
kings of the
Medo-Persian Empire
were irrevocable,
even by the king who
made them. Recall
how Darius could
find no way of
cancelling his own
decree that
condemned Daniel to
the lion’s den
(Daniel 6:14-15).
Artaxerxes decree of
445BC was merely a
reiteration of
Cyrus’ original. He
was seeing to it
that his
predecessor's wishes
were fulfilled. If
we are to correctly
understand this
prophecy we must
find an explanation
that takes these
facts into account.
The first seven
weeks of years began
with the destruction
of Solomon’s temple
and Jerusalem in
587BC, as prophesied
by Isaiah and
Jeremiah.
In 2 Kings 25:8 and
Jeremiah 52:12-14,
both give an account
of Jerusalem and the
Temple being
destroyed during a
period of four days,
from the 7th
through the 10th
day of the month of
Av, the 5th
month on the Hebrew
calendar. The
commonly agreed date
of the Temple's
destruction is 9th
Av. That date in
587BC falls during
early August on the
Gregorian calendar.
In the first year of
the reign of Cyrus
king of Persia, so
that the word of the
Lord from the mouth
of Jeremiah would be
fulfilled, the Lord
moved the spirit of
Cyrus king of
Persia, to make a
written proclamation
throughout his
kingdom declaring: “Thus
says Cyrus king of
Persia. The Lord God
of heaven has given
me all the kingdoms
of the earth. And
he has commanded me
to build his house
in Jerusalem that is
in Judah. Who among
you are his people?
Let them go there.
And may the Lord God
be with them”
(2 Chronicles
36:22-23).
The command
mentioned in Daniel
9:25, was given by
God through his
prophets, Isaiah and
Jeremiah.
Some commentators
insist that the
command to rebuild
Jerusalem was not
given until
Artaxerxes I
Longimanus declared
it in 445BC. But
Isaiah clearly said
that God decreed
that Cyrus would be
the man who would
say, “Let it be
rebuilt.”
“Who says of Cyrus,
“he is my shepherd,
he shall accomplish
that which I
desire."
Saying to
Jerusalem, "let it
be rebuilt,"
And to the temple,
“let its foundation
be laid”
(Isaiah 44:28,
emphasis added).
There is no contradiction in the various statements as to who said what.
The fact that one of
the witnesses only
records Cyrus
commanding that the
temple be rebuilt
doesn’t mean that
witness is saying
Cyrus didn’t also
give the command for
Jerusalem to be
rebuilt. It only
means that witness
didn't mention
Jerusalem in their
record of events.
The seven weeks of
years ended with
Cyrus’ decree,
passed during 538
BC. That decree
completed the
maximum 49 lunar
years the land could
be out of the
possession of its
owners, and although
it may not have been
the beginning of an
official jubilee
year, the timing
conforms to the
jubilee law. We also
see from the 2
Chronicles account
above that Cyrus
acknowledged that
the command
originally came from
God.
“You shall
consecrate the
fiftieth year and
proclaim a release
from debt for all
the inhabitants of
the land. It shall
be a jubilee for
you, and each of you
shall return to your
property, and to
your family”
(Leviticus 25:10).
So by the time they
arrived back at
Jerusalem during
537BC, they had
completed seventy
lunar years in
exile, and it was
the fiftieth year
since the temple was
destroyed.
At that point in
time the prophetic
clock stopped.
“The street shall be
rebuilt, and the
wall,
even in
troublesome times.”
Those “troublesome
times” began soon
after the Jews
reached home.
Chapter four of the
book of Ezra records
that opposition to
building Jerusalem
and the temple
started during the
reign of Cyrus and
continued through
the reign of
Ahasuerus (Xerxes
I), to whom those in
opposition wrote
accusations against
the inhabitants of
Judah and Jerusalem.
And the same during
the days of
Artaxerxes, who
ordered the work
stopped. Ezra
recorded in chapter
4:24 that the
building work on the
temple and the city
was stopped. And it
didn’t start again
until the second
year of Darius, king
of Persia.
“Give the command to
make these men cease
work on this city
so that it may not
be built until the
order to do so is
given by me. Hear
me now; do not fail
to do this. Why
should this be
allowed to damage
the king's
interests? When
a copy of King
Artaxerxes’ letter
was read out to
Rehum, Shimshai the
scribe, and their
companions, they
rushed up to
Jerusalem, and used
force of arms to
make the Jews cease
work.
24 So
the work on the
house of God in
Jerusalem ceased,
and it remained that
way until the second
year of the reign of
Darius king of
Persia” (Ezra
4:21-24).
That has to be
Darius I Hystaspes
who ruled from 522
to 485 BC. The
reason I say this
has to be because it
is recorded in
Zechariah 4:9, that
God declared that
Zerubbabel laid the
foundation of the
temple, and would
finish it. This is
the same Zerubbabel
who is recorded in
Ezra chapter three,
leaving for
Jerusalem after the
decree of Cyrus with
the first group to
return home. He is
mentioned again in
Ezra chapter five,
resuming work on the
temple. In Haggai
1:1-2 he is still
involved in the
building of the
temple during the
second year of the
reign of Darius. He
finished building it
on 3rd Adar/February
during the sixth
year of Darius’
reign - 517BC (Ezra
6:15).
The reason I want to
establish these
facts is because
some commentators
point to Artaxerxes
I Longimanus as
being the king who
ordered the building
work on the temple
stopped. This is not
possible because it
would mean the work
resumed during the
time of Darius II
who reigned after
Artaxerxes I
Longimanus from 423
to 404 BC. That
would make
Zerubbabel around
one hundred and
fifty years old on
the date of the
temple’s completion.
I believe King
Bardiya (or the
usurper, depending
on whose account is
correct) who reigned
for a few months
between Cambyses II
and Darius I
Hystaspes, was this
king Ezra chapter
four, refers to as
Artaxerxes. I am
supported in this
belief by Adam
Clarke:
In the days
of Artaxerxes -
After the death of
Cambyses, one of the
Magi named
Oropaestus by
Trogus Pompeius,
Smerdis by
Herodotus, Mardus by
Aeschylus, and
Sphendatates by
Ctesias, usurped the
empire, feigning
himself to be
Smerdis, the
brother of Cambyses,
who had been put to
death. This is the
person named
Artaxerxes in
the text: or,
following the
Hebrew,
Artachshasta. It is
generally
believed, that
from the time of
Cyrus the great,
Xerxes and
Artaxerxes were
names assumed
by the Persian
sovereigns, whatever
their names had been
before. (Adam
Clarke's Bible
Commentary)
Some modern-day
secular historians
favor Bardiya as
being his throne
name, and
Tanyoxarces as his
original name. It
was this king, whom
Ezra calls
Artaxerxes; who
ordered the building
work stopped.
Darius I Hystaspes
died in 485BC and
Xerxes I ascended
the throne. This is
the king referred to
as Ahasuerus in Ezra
4:6 and the book of
Esther. It was
during his reign
that the
“troublesome times”
reached a critical
stage, and a
massacre of Jews
planned by Haman was
narrowly avoided.
“
The street shall be
rebuilt, and the
wall…”
I believe Gabriel’s
reference to the
rebuilding of the
wall last in that
sentence was
significant. It was
the last major
project in the
building work. But
more important, the
date of its
dedication ceremony
marks the time to
start counting off
the next period of
sixty-two weeks of
years.
Artaxerxes I
Longimanus ascended
the throne in 465
BC. Ezra chapter
seven, records that
during his seventh
year on the throne
he ordered the
decoration of the
temple and donated a
great wealth of
gifts. Thirteen
years later in 445
BC Nehemiah chapter
two, records him
ordering the wall
of Jerusalem
rebuilt. As I have
already explained,
this wasn't a new
command. This was
Artaxerxes seeing to
it that Cyrus’
orders were carried
out. It is recorded
in Nehemiah 6:15
that the building
work, was completed
in fifty-two days,
on the 25th
Elul. That’s the
Hebrew calendar's
sixth month,
equivalent to
September. However,
it does not say the
date it was started.
According to the
historian: Titus Flavius
Josephus
(Antiquities of the
Jews. XI, V, 6-7)
Nehemiah travelled
from Susa (Iran) to
Babylon (Iraq), to
find volunteers who
would return with
him. They would have
needed time to set
their affairs in
order. (Sell
property, complete
work contracts and
any other
obligations.)
Nehemiah also had to
procure equipment
and building
materials. On his
journey to Jerusalem
he stopped over in
Syria, Phoenicia,
and Samaria. All
this could
reasonably have
taken a few years.
Josephus puts his
arrival in Jerusalem
during the
twenty-fifth year of
Artaxerxes I
Longimanus (440 BC).
So the date they
finished rebuilding
the wall, recorded
in Nehemiah 6:15 as
25th Elul
(September) was
probably 440 BC.
That date isn’t
vital to
understanding the
seventy weeks
prophecy. I’ve
included it purely
to give an idea of
the time period over
which events
unfolded. The rest
of the book records
a period during
which the people
rededicated
themselves to the
Lord, and
repopulated
Jerusalem. But it
also records a date
that is vital.
In Nehemiah 13:6 it
is recorded that he
wasn’t in Jerusalem
when they dedicated
the wall. He said,
during that 32nd
year of Artaxerxes
reign (433 BC) that
he had returned to
the king of Babylon.
Chapter nine records
the people
rededicating
themselves on the
twenty-fourth day of
the seventh month
that year. It was
some time after that
date, during the
latter months of 433
BC that the people
held the dedication
ceremony for the
wall.
The timing of that
final act was what
the angel Gabriel
was bringing to our
attention by
describing a period
of building during
troublesome times
that finished with
the wall. “The
street shall be
rebuilt, and the
wall,
even in troublesome
times.”
At that point the
prophetic clock
restarted: Counting
down the second
period of sixty-two
weeks (434 lunar
years).
434 x 360 = 156240
÷ 365.25 = 427.7618 solar years
433 BC – 427 = 6 BC
0.7618 x 365.25 =
278
÷ 30 = 9.26 months (Bringing us to September 6 BC.)
Recall that the
wall’s dedication
was done some time
after the end of the
Hebrew seventh month
of 433 BC (October).
Putting the 434-year
fulfilment date
around July 5 BC
(solar calendar).
There are many
scholars who believe
that Jesus Christ
was actually born
somewhere between
4-6 BC. This belief
is based on records
that indicate King
Herod, who had tried
to kill Jesus as a
child, died in 4 BC.
The prophecy says he
will be cut off
(killed) after
62 weeks.
“And
after the sixty-two
weeks
Messiah shall be cut
off, but not for
Himself.”
Whilst in his
thirties He was
crucified and died
as a sacrifice for
the sins of mankind
(John 3:16). Then he
rose from the dead
and was taken up to
heaven from where he
will return at the
end of the 70th
week.
Another fact that supports my interpretation of this
prophecy is found in
the story of the
Magi, who travelled
from the region that
was formerly part of
the Babylonian
Empire, (today's
Iraq/Iran) to
Bethlehem, looking
for the prophesied
king. These Magi
understood Daniel’s
prophecy. In fact I
think it a virtual
certainty they were
a later generation
of the Chaldeans
whom Daniel had been
made chief over by
Nebuchadnezzar. They
new it was about the
birth of the
Messiah, not his
entry into
Jerusalem.
“After Jesus was
born in Bethlehem of
Judea during the
days of Herod the
king, wise men from
the East came to
Jerusalem,
asking, “where is he
who has been born
King of the Jews? We
have seen his star
in the East, and we
have travelled here
to worship him.” When
King Herod heard
about this, he
became worried, and
all Jerusalem with
him” (Mathew
2:1-3).
If they had
interpreted the
prophecy as Sir
Robert did, they
would have been
looking for a grown
man in Jerusalem,
not a child in
Bethlehem.
There are a number
of Jewish scholars
who have criticized
Sir Robert's work
for ignoring the
separation of the
first seven-week
period from the
second sixty-two
weeks. I hope this
sets the record
straight. And I hope
they can now see
that Jesus Christ is
indeed their
Messiah.
You are invited to
visit my website:
http://danielsealbroken.wordpress.com/