Overview of Daniel's 70th Week

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.

This prophecy reveals that there is 70 weeks of years (70 x 7 = 490 years) determined upon Israel and the city of Jerusalem until Christ comes to establish His kingdom (seven is a key number in God's dealings with Israel). We know that 69 weeks (483 years) was fulfilled at the time of the crucifixion of Christ. There is one week (7 years) that is yet to be fulfilled, i.e. the tribulation period. We are living in a parenthetical mystery age that was revealed through the apostle Paul in which God is building the church which is the body of Christ. This age will end with the mystery of the rapture and at some point after that the 70th week of Daniel’s prophecy will be fulfilled. The body of Christ is not the subject of prophecy (it was a mystery, i.e. secret, hid from the prophets, Eph. 3) and will not go through any part of the prophesied tribulation period.

 

Daniel’s 70^th week is split into two periods of 42 months. In the first 3 ½ years the antichrist rises to power through false peace, makes a covenant with Israel, and helps to restore the sacrificial system in the temple. But peace will be taken from the earth and wars will abound followed by famine and pestilence. A fourth of the world’s population will die in the first 42 months of the tribulation period. In the midst of the week Satan enters the antichrist and he will break the covenant with Israel, cause the sacrifices to cease, and will sit in the temple and declare himself to be God (the abomination of desolation). This marks the beginning of the “great tribulation” which will last 42 months. The world will be required to worship him and those that do will receive his mark in their forehead or in their right hand. Those that refuse to take his mark and worship him will not be able to buy or sell. The godly remnant of Israel that refuses to worship the beast will be the special object of his persecution. Many of them will be beheaded and the rest will flee into the wilderness where God will supernaturally provide for them just as He did in the Exodus. In the great tribulation Satan will pour out his great wrath knowing that he has but a short time. But God will also pour out His great wrath. Jesus said of the great tribulation that “except those days should be shortened, there shall no flesh be saved”. After the great tribulation the sign of the Son of man will appear in heaven and He will return in power and great glory to wipe out His enemies, save His people, and establish the kingdom.

 

The Lord Jesus prophesied of the tribulation period in His discourse to His disciples on the Mount of Olives. His prophecy in Matthew 24 lines up perfectly with Revelation 6. Both passages give us an overview of the 70th week of Daniel. 

 

Matthew 24	Revelation 6
False Christs (v.4-5)	False Christ (v.1-2)
Wars (v.6-7)	Wars (v.3-4)
Famines (v.7)	Famine (v.5-6)
Pestilences, beasts (v.7)	Pestilence, beasts (v.7-8)
Martyrs (v.9-28)	Martyrs (v.9-11)
Signs in heaven (v.29-30)	Signs in heaven (v.12-17)