The 70 Weeks of Daniel – Part II

In my last post, we covered the first portion of the prophesies in Daniel 9. In this post, we’ll talk about the 69th week and the interval leading up to the 70th week.

On that triumphal day in 32 A.D., when Jesus arranged his entry into Jerusalem as King, He expected the people to know what was occurring. In other words, Jesus Himself held the people of Israel accountable to know prophesy. However, God in his providence knew that He would be rejected.

When He approached Jerusalem, He saw the city and wept over it saying, “If you had known in this day, even you, the things which make for peace! But now they have been hidden from your eyes..” Luke 19:41-42.

Jesus expected the Israelites to have read and understand Daniel 9:26! But since they did not, Jesus continues by prophesying the destruction of Jerusalem.

“For the days will come upon you when your enemies will throw up a barricade against you, and surround you and hem you in on every side, and they will level you to the ground and your children within you, and they will not leave in you one stone upon another, because you did no recognize the time of your visitation.” Luke 19:42-44.

I like Chuck Missler’s explanation on what happens as a result:

Thirty-eight years after Jesus declared this, the Fifth, Tenth, Twelfth, and Fifteenth Roman Legions, led by Titus Vespasian, laid siege upon Jerusalem which resulted in over one million men, women, and children being slaughtered.

During the battle, a torch thrown through a window started a fire inside the Temple. The extensive gold furnishings and fixtures melted and Titus had to order every stone taken down to recover the gold. Thus, the specific words of Jesus were fulfilled in the fall of Jerusalem in A.D. 70.

Why was Jerusalem destroyed in A.D. 70? There are many answers, but the one Jesus gave is the most provocative: “…because you did not recognize the time of your visitation.” He held them accountable to know the prophecy that Gabriel had given Daniel.

VERSE 26: THE INTERVAL

“Then after the sixty-two weeks the Messiah will be cut off and have nothing; and the people of the prince who is to come will destroy the city and the sanctuary. And its end will come with a flood; even to the end there will be war; desolations are determined.”

This verse speaks of the events that take place after the 62 weeks. Since the earlier 7 weeks have also occurred, this makes it a total of 69 weeks, but the 70th has not yet taken place. We must recognize that there are specific events outlined between the 69th and 70th weeks, thus not all the weeks are contiguous.

One of these crucial events is the explanation that the Messiah shall be “cut off” (“karat,” execution; death penalty). This is just another example of the Old Testament foretelling that that the Messiah was to be executed!

The destruction of both the city and sanctuary also occurs between the 69th and 70th week. Inasmuch as this event only took 38 years from prophesy to revelation, this interval period has now lasted over 2,000 years. The “national blindness” of Israel, as termed by Chuck, still continues to this day. We are also living in the “church age” while we await the return of Christ and the culmination of that 70th week.

It is interesting to note that later in chapter 10, Satan tries to thwart Gabriel in delivering additional prophesies. For three weeks there was angelic warfare just to get a prophetic word to Daniel. Satan has been defeated at the cross. The problem is, he’s still on the loose and will stop at nothing to continue putting blinders over people’s eyes and prevent the message from getting through to this day. May we be wise to his tricks and deceptions and realize that though these prophesies are thousands of years old, they are still true and yet future! As Chuck has said: “…we are being plunged right now into a period of time about which the Bible says more than any other period of time than human history.” May He increase!