The Daniel 9 prophecy (no 7-year tribulation)

[PaleHorse]

There are many theories out there in regards to the 70th Week of the Daniel 9 prophecy. The most prevalent one talks about a 7-year tribulation just prior to Christ's second coming. Many believers in the 7-year Tribulation don't know that this belief is rooted in the Daniel 9 prophecy. In fact, one of the most important verses used to support this idea is Dan 9:27, which we will look at along with the entire prophecy. Also, it is from Dan 9:27 that the belief in "The Antichrist" and the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on the temple mount comes from. The series of events outlined in this theory is that 1) there will be a secret rapture that takes all true Christians away leaving others behind, 2) then a 7-year tribulation occurs where those who were not taken in the secret rapture will get a chance to "clean up their act" so that when Christ's public appearance happens they can be judged worthy, 3) during the course of the 7-year tribulation the Antichrist will appear, make a covenant with the Jewish nation, then break that covenant in the middle of the 7 years, then he’ll walk inside the Jewish temple and declare himself to be God. But is this theory biblically accurate? That is just what my essay explores.


The Prophecy of Daniel 9

First, let’s read through the entire prophecy so that we get the whole idea first and then we’ll break it down.

Daniel 9
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

One thing that must be understood first is the “a day for a year” rule established in Eze 4:6. For every day that is mentioned in this and all other biblical prophecies they are equal to a prophetic year. There is virtually no debate about this point in Christian circles and we’ll find that the rule holds true in this prophecy.

The Timeframe:
The angel Gabriel starts the prophecy by giving a block of time in verse 24, seventy weeks. Seventy weeks is equal to 490 days, or 490 prophetic years. That is our timeframe for this prophecy from beginning to end.

Verse 25 tells us when this timeframe begins, “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem”. When did this occur? See Ezra 7; for this is the command where the rebuilding of Jerusalem was actually accomplished and that command was given by Artaxerxes, king of Persia; which occurred in 457 BC. There were two other kings that made similar commands to rebuild Jerusalem but those proved to not be fruitful.


This is the total 70-week block given by Gabriel in verses 25 & 27:
Block 1: 7 Weeks - (49 years) - Starts in 457 BC

Block 2: 62 Weeks - (434 years) - Starts in 408 BC

Block 3: 1 week - (7 years) - Starts in 27 AD


Let’s look closely at the last week/ 7-year block (Block 3); for this is the period of time that many think will be the famous “Seven-year Tribulation” of the future:

3 ½ Years + 3 ½ Years = 7 years (one week)
o This block starts in 27 AD. What happened in this year? Christ was baptized, anointed, and started His public ministry.
o The "midst of the week" started in 31 AD (3 ½ years later). What happened in this year? Christ was killed on the cross. (New Covenant confirmed.)
o This block ends in 34 AD. What happened in this year? Stephen, the last disciple to the Jews, was stoned by the Sanhedrin and the Gospel went out to the Gentiles.

So we see that this breakdown perfectly follows the prophecy of Daniel 9 and we find that this prophecy was about the coming Messiah (Jesus Christ); history and later books of the Bible verify this.

Why do people want to put this last week of the 70 at the end times? There is no biblical reason to do so and it breaks the block of time Gabriel started the prophecy with. Let's ask some further important questions;
Is the antichrist mentioned anywhere in Daniel 9:24-27? No. The "he" mentioned in verse 27 is Christ, not Antichrist, for Christ is the focus of the whole prophecy. Also, we find that only Christ makes convenants in the Bible. Is there any mention of a rebuilding of the Jewish temple? No. Any mention of sacrifices being restarted? No. Any mention of a covenant being broken? No. In fact verse 27 says the opposite, that the covenant would be confirmed. So why do people believe this ridiculous theory that there will be a 7-year tribulation at the end of the world?

Here are 10 reasons why the 70th week of Daniel 9 was actually fulfilled by Christ about 2,000 years ago:
1. Verse 24 defines “Seventy weeks” as a single block of time.
2. The 70th week must come after the 69th week; else it can’t really be called the 70th week.
3. It is illogical and unbiblical to move the last week of this prophecy to the end of the world.
4. The focus of the prophecy is on the Messiah, not the antichrist. “Messiah” and “Christ” means “anointed one” – who was anointed during the last “week” of the prophecy? Jesus Christ!
5. Verse 27 says a covenant is “confirmed” in the midst of the week, not broken in the midst of the week. Who creates/confirms covenants in the Bible? Christ only! See Romans 15:8 to see that it was Jesus who “confirmed” the promises made unto the fathers, not antichrist.
6. Verse 27 says “he shall confirm the covenant with many”. Compare this to Matthew 26:28.
7. Verse 27 says “midst of the week” (3 ½ years) the sacrifices would cease. When Christ died the temple veil was “rent” from top to bottom and the Jewish sacrifices ceased. (see Matt 27:51) This was the mark that signified any further sacrifices were of no effect in the sight of God.
8. Verse 27 says “he shall make it desolate”. Compare this to Matt 23:38. Who left the temple desolate? Christ!
9. The first 3 ½ years of the 70th week Christ ministered only to the Jews – the second 3 ½ years the disciples ministered to the Jews; thus the 70th week is finished at this point, 34 AD, not a future time.
10. The disciple Stephan was stoned to death by the Sanhedrin in 34 AD which caused the Gospel to go to the Gentiles.

Further, check out Christ’s words in Matthew 18:21. 70x7=490 which is the 490 years of the Daniel 9 prophecy!

The second Jewish temple (Herod’s temple) was destroyed in 70 AD when Jerusalem was ransacked by the Romans under Prince Titus (see Dan 9:26, you’ll see a “prince shall destroy” = Prince Titus). Compare the “desolation” spoken of in Dan 9:27 to the “desolate” of Matt 23:38 & Matt 24:13-16. This is the very sign, the destruction of Jerusalem, that Christ was warning the disciples about (see Luke 21:20-22).

Conclusion:
There is no 7-year Tribulation at the end of the world. That teaching comes from a huge mistake resulting in reading much more into a verse than what is actually there. There will be tribulation at the end but it won’t be 7 years long for it falls outside of the Daniel 9 prophecy.

Ramifications:
This means that there will be no second chance for salvation as many seem to be counting on. The false 7-year tribulation theory undermines the precept of living by faith for even a non-believer would suddenly change his ways after witnessing millions of people all over the world suddenly vanishing in one day.

 

[Cliff2]

Ramifications:
This means that there will be no second chance for salvation as many seem to be counting on. The false 7-year tribulation theory undermines the precept of living by faith for even a non-believer would suddenly change his ways after witnessing millions of people all over the world suddenly vanishing in one day. (PaleHorse)

That is so true, there will be no second chance. Those who preach a second chance doctrine today will have much to answer for because many will not be in God's kingdom becausae of that.

 

[SassySDA]

That is so true, there will be no second chance. Those who preach a second chance doctrine today will have much to answer for because many will not be in God's kingdom becausae of that.

 

[SassySDA]

There are many theories out there in regards to the 70th Week of the Daniel 9 prophecy. The most prevalent one talks about a 7-year tribulation just prior to Christ's second coming. Many believers in the 7-year Tribulation don't know that this belief is rooted in the Daniel 9 prophecy. In fact, one of the most important verses used to support this idea is Dan 9:27, which we will look at along with the entire prophecy. Also, it is from Dan 9:27 that the belief in "The Antichrist" and the rebuilding of the Jewish Temple on the temple mount comes from. The series of events outlined in this theory is that 1) there will be a secret rapture that takes all true Christians away leaving others behind, 2) then a 7-year tribulation occurs where those who were not taken in the secret rapture will get a chance to "clean up their act" so that when Christ's public appearance happens they can be judged worthy, 3) during the course of the 7-year tribulation the Antichrist will appear, make a covenant with the Jewish nation, then break that covenant in the middle of the 7 years, then he’ll walk inside the Jewish temple and declare himself to be God. But is this theory biblically accurate? That is just what my essay explores.


The Prophecy of Daniel 9

First, let’s read through the entire prophecy so that we get the whole idea first and then we’ll break it down.

Daniel 9
24 Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most Holy. 25 Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks: the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. 26 And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself: and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are determined. 27 And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate.

One thing that must be understood first is the “a day for a year” rule established in Eze 4:6. For every day that is mentioned in this and all other biblical prophecies they are equal to a prophetic year. There is virtually no debate about this point in Christian circles and we’ll find that the rule holds true in this prophecy.

The Timeframe:
The angel Gabriel starts the prophecy by giving a block of time in verse 24, seventy weeks. Seventy weeks is equal to 490 days, or 490 prophetic years. That is our timeframe for this prophecy from beginning to end.

Verse 25 tells us when this timeframe begins, “from the going forth of the commandment to restore and to build Jerusalem”. When did this occur? See Ezra 7; for this is the command where the rebuilding of Jerusalem was actually accomplished and that command was given by Artaxerxes, king of Persia; which occurred in 457 BC. There were two other kings that made similar commands to rebuild Jerusalem but those proved to not be fruitful.


This is the total 70-week block given by Gabriel in verses 25 & 27:
Block 1: 7 Weeks - (49 years) - Starts in 457 BC

Block 2: 62 Weeks - (434 years) - Starts in 408 BC

Block 3: 1 week - (7 years) - Starts in 27 AD


Let’s look closely at the last week/ 7-year block (Block 3); for this is the period of time that many think will be the famous “Seven-year Tribulation” of the future:

3 ½ Years + 3 ½ Years = 7 years (one week)
o This block starts in 27 AD. What happened in this year? Christ was baptized, anointed, and started His public ministry.
o The "midst of the week" started in 31 AD (3 ½ years later). What happened in this year? Christ was killed on the cross. (New Covenant confirmed.)
o This block ends in 34 AD. What happened in this year? Stephen, the last disciple to the Jews, was stoned by the Sanhedrin and the Gospel went out to the Gentiles.

So we see that this breakdown perfectly follows the prophecy of Daniel 9 and we find that this prophecy was about the coming Messiah (Jesus Christ); history and later books of the Bible verify this.

Why do people want to put this last week of the 70 at the end times? There is no biblical reason to do so and it breaks the block of time Gabriel started the prophecy with. Let's ask some further important questions;
Is the antichrist mentioned anywhere in Daniel 9:24-27? No. The "he" mentioned in verse 27 is Christ, not Antichrist, for Christ is the focus of the whole prophecy. Also, we find that only Christ makes convenants in the Bible. Is there any mention of a rebuilding of the Jewish temple? No. Any mention of sacrifices being restarted? No. Any mention of a covenant being broken? No. In fact verse 27 says the opposite, that the covenant would be confirmed. So why do people believe this ridiculous theory that there will be a 7-year tribulation at the end of the world?

Here are 10 reasons why the 70th week of Daniel 9 was actually fulfilled by Christ about 2,000 years ago:
1. Verse 24 defines “Seventy weeks” as a single block of time.
2. The 70th week must come after the 69th week; else it can’t really be called the 70th week.
3. It is illogical and unbiblical to move the last week of this prophecy to the end of the world.
4. The focus of the prophecy is on the Messiah, not the antichrist. “Messiah” and “Christ” means “anointed one” – who was anointed during the last “week” of the prophecy? Jesus Christ!
5. Verse 27 says a covenant is “confirmed” in the midst of the week, not broken in the midst of the week. Who creates/confirms covenants in the Bible? Christ only! See Romans 15:8 to see that it was Jesus who “confirmed” the promises made unto the fathers, not antichrist.
6. Verse 27 says “he shall confirm the covenant with many”. Compare this to Matthew 26:28.
7. Verse 27 says “midst of the week” (3 ½ years) the sacrifices would cease. When Christ died the temple veil was “rent” from top to bottom and the Jewish sacrifices ceased. (see Matt 27:51) This was the mark that signified any further sacrifices were of no effect in the sight of God.
8. Verse 27 says “he shall make it desolate”. Compare this to Matt 23:38. Who left the temple desolate? Christ!
9. The first 3 ½ years of the 70th week Christ ministered only to the Jews – the second 3 ½ years the disciples ministered to the Jews; thus the 70th week is finished at this point, 34 AD, not a future time.
10. The disciple Stephan was stoned to death by the Sanhedrin in 34 AD which caused the Gospel to go to the Gentiles.

Further, check out Christ’s words in Matthew 18:21. 70x7=490 which is the 490 years of the Daniel 9 prophecy!

The second Jewish temple (Herod’s temple) was destroyed in 70 AD when Jerusalem was ransacked by the Romans under Prince Titus (see Dan 9:26, you’ll see a “prince shall destroy” = Prince Titus). Compare the “desolation” spoken of in Dan 9:27 to the “desolate” of Matt 23:38 & Matt 24:13-16. This is the very sign, the destruction of Jerusalem, that Christ was warning the disciples about (see Luke 21:20-22).

Conclusion:
There is no 7-year Tribulation at the end of the world. That teaching comes from a huge mistake resulting in reading much more into a verse than what is actually there. There will be tribulation at the end but it won’t be 7 years long for it falls outside of the Daniel 9 prophecy.

Ramifications:
This means that there will be no second chance for salvation as many seem to be counting on. The false 7-year tribulation theory undermines the precept of living by faith for even a non-believer would suddenly change his ways after witnessing millions of people all over the world suddenly vanishing in one day.

I want to say how much I appreciate your taking the time to break this down for everyone. I know the time it took to do this, PaleHorse, and I love you for it.

Now I have a post that I can refer to whenever I need to on this subject.

Thanks again.

 

[happywiththelord]

i agree cliff! i would hate to be those people preaching that also. Remember what the Bible says about teachers who preach incorrectly and lead people astray. I wouldnt want to be them!

 

[honorthesabbath]

I agree with Sassy--thank you Palehorse for this study. I do hope some visitors from other forums will "stumble" on this information and learn that the "Left Behind" series indeed IS fiction. There is no truth in that whole mess. I have asked ppl who believe in the Left Behind senerio where they get the idea of this--and hardly anyone really knows the Daniel 9 prophecy other than from Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye. Which means they are blindly following a false teacher(s).

When I ask then also to show me somewhere else in the bible where anyone makes a covenant with Israel other than God--their response is..."Well--I know it MUST be in there". And yet--they cannot show me. And so--whoever this anti-christ power is, they say he is going to make a covenant with Israel and then break it. But isn't curious that the text doesn't say he is going to BREAK the covenant (as they teach), but in fact it says he will "confirm" the covenant. So in that respect, the authors seem to not even be able to READ the scriptures clearly!

Let's pray for those who are gullible and for those who satan is out to deceive--(that's all of us)!!

 

[PaleHorse]

To Sassy, Honor, Cliff, and Happy,
You are quite welcome! Putting together such studies/essays is something I enjoy doing (as long as I have the free time to do them) and if others get a blessing from it then God's will has been done and I've served a purpose for the Lord. But obviously, like so many others, I stand on the shoulders of others; if it wasn't for others like Wycliffe, Luther, Crews, Wohlberg, Batchelor, Schreven, and many many others I wouldn't be able to bring the information together as I have. Also the advances in computer technology have allowed me to cross-reference multiple commentaries, Bible translations, and dictionary/lexicons much more quickly than ever before possible. God was kind enough to give me understanding of such technology and that has greatly aided in my studies.

All the glory to God!!

 

[PaleHorse]

Glad to see the "hand" is back, Happy.

 

[happywiththelord]

Thanks Pale! I wonder people get so confused in this study? It seems perfectly clear to me.

 

[PaleHorse]

Thanks Pale! I wonder people get so confused in this study? It seems perfectly clear to me.

I think it is pretty clear too. What astonishes me is that many people just buy in to what ever the mainstream is doing without researching it themselves. For instance, I know someone in my family who admits that he'd rather read what some else thinks of a particular Bible topic rather than read the Bible for himself to find the truth! What this means is that he'll never be more informed than the person writing the other book - he only believes what that other guy tells him believe. To me this is just ridiculous and sad. I hope (and have prayed) that someday he'll come around and open the word for himself.