The Moment of Truth - Lesson 20

The Seventy Weeks

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We invite you to join us as we pray:

O Lord, Almighty God,

Today, we will study a long prophetic period, that is, the seventy weeks, which You presented to Your prophet Daniel.

Please guide us in this lesson, so that our understanding of this valuable prophecy may be appropriate, and that our confidence in Your Word may be strengthened.

In Jesus Christ our Savior we pray.

Amen.

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2 Peter 1:19	Comments
We also have the prophetic word made more sure, which you do well to heed as a light that shines in a dark place, until the day dawns.	A special blessing is promised to those who study Bible prophecy. God encourages us to invest time to understand this part of His Word.
Revelation 1:3
Blessed is he who reads and those who hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written in it; for the time is near.

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Daniel 9:1	Comments
In the first year of Darius the son of Ahasuerus, of the lineage of the Medes, who was made king over the realm of the Chaldeans (...).	The prophecy of the seventy weeks is found in chapter 9 of the book of Daniel. Before starting on the content of this prophecy, let's look at its historical context. The events described in chapter 9 took place in 538 B.C., shortly after the conquest of the kingdom of the Chaldeans (Babylon) by the Medes and the Persians.

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Daniel 9:2,3	Comments
In the first year of Darius (...), in the first year of his reign, I, Daniel, understood by the books the number of the years specified by the word of the Lord, given through Jeremiah the prophet, that He would accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem. Then I set my face toward the Lord God to make request by prayer and supplications.	Studying Jeremiah's prophecy, Daniel saw that his people would be slaves in Babylon for 70 years. These 70 years were now over, and Babylon had fallen, but the reconstruction of Jerusalem was still delayed.

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Daniel 9:4,5,18

Comments

And I prayed to the Lord my God, and made confession, and said,

ŤO Lord, great and awesome God, who keeps His covenant and mercy with those who love Him, and with those who keep His commandments, we have sinned and committed iniquity, we have done wickedly and rebelled, even by departing from Your precepts and Your judgments. (...)

O my God, incline Your ear and hear; open Your eyes and see our desolations, and the city which is called by Your name.ť

Daniel thought that the delay in beginning the reconstruction of Jerusalem was caused by the wickedness of his people.

So he prayed to obtain God's forgiveness.

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Daniel 9:20,21	Comments
Now while I was speaking, praying, and confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel, and presenting my supplication before the Lord my God for the holy mountain of my God, yes, while I was speaking in prayer, the man Gabriel, whom I had seen in the vision at the beginning, being caused to fly swiftly, reached me.	While Daniel was praying, Gabriel appeared. Thirteen years before, this angel of God had given him the vision of the 2300 days (which we will study in a future lesson), but this vision still remained unexplained.

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Daniel 9:22,23	Comments
And [Gabriel] said, ŤO Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved. Therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.ť	The angel said he had come to explain the vision. But which vision? The prophet Daniel had received no vision since the beginning of chapter 9, so we must conclude that the explanation referred to his last vision, that is, the 2300 days.

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Daniel 9:24	Comments
ŤSeventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city.ť	The Hebrew word Ťchathakť, translated here by Ťdeterminedť, means literally Ťcut offť. Thus Gabriel informed Daniel that a period of 70 weeks had been cut off for the people of Israel. Now, this period of 70 weeks (or 70 x 7 = 490 days) could only be cut off from a longer period, that is, the 2300 days. We will come back to this point in a moment.

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Daniel 9:25	Comments
ŤKnow therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem (...).ť	The starting point of the prophetic period of 70 weeks is Ťthe going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalemť. When was the command given to restore and build Jerusalem?

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Ezra 7:8,11,13,20

Comments

In the seventh year of the king, (...) this is the copy of the letter that King Artaxerxes gave Ezra the priest, the scribe (...):

ŤI issue a decree that all those of the people of Israel and the priests and Levites in my realm, who volunteer to go up to Jerusalem, may go with you. (...)

And whatever more may be needed for the house of your God, which you may have occasion to provide, pay for it from the king's treasury.ť

In the seventh year of his reign, Artaxerxes, the king of Persia, issued the decree ordering the restoration of Jerusalem.

It was in 457 B.C.

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Daniel 9:25	Comments
From the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.	The prophecy tells us that there are 69 weeks (7 + 62 = 69) between the decree ordering the restoration of Jerusalem and the coming of the Messiah. Let's try to understand what a period of 69 weeks means in Bible prophecy.

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Numbers 14:34	Comments
The number of the days in which you spied out the land, forty days, for each day you shall bear your guilt one year, namely forty years.	The principle of equivalence Ť1 day = 1 yearť is recognized and applied by most Bible prophecy students. We will do the same.
Ezekiel 4:5,6
For I have laid on you the years of their iniquity, according to the number of the days, (...) you shall bear the iniquity of the house of Judah forty days. I have laid on you a day for each year.

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Daniel 9:25	Comments
From the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem until Messiah the Prince, there shall be seven weeks and sixty-two weeks.	Knowing that the first 69 weeks (7 + 62), or 483 years (49 + 434), lead to A.D. 27, we must find out what happened that year concerning ŤMessiah the Princeť.

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John 4:25,26	Comments
The woman said to [Jesus], ŤI know that Messiah is comingť (who is called Christ). ŤWhen He comes, He will tell us all things.ť Jesus said to her, ŤI who speak to you am He.ť	The word ŤMessiahť comes from Hebrew Ťmashiachť (in Greek, Ťchristosť), which means Ťthe anointed oneť. The New Testament declares that Jesus is Ťthe Messiahť, Ťthe Christť, Ťthe anointed Oneť.
Acts 10:38
God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power.

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Luke 3:21,23

Comments

When all the people were baptized, it came to pass that Jesus also was baptized. (...)

[He] began His ministry at about thirty years of age.

Jesus was baptized at the age of 30.

Then, why does prophecy tell us that this event would take place in A.D. 27? When the Christian Era was first calculated, an error of four years was made.

It is obvious that Christ was not born in A.D. 1, since at His birth Herod the Great was still alive, and Herod died in 4 B.C.

Therefore Jesus was born in 4 B.C., and baptized in A.D. 27, at the age of 30 (that is, since there is no year zero: -4 + 30 + 1= 27).

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Mark 1:9,14,15	Comments
It came to pass in those days that Jesus came from Nazareth of Galilee, and was baptized by John in the Jordan. (...) Jesus came to Galilee, preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying, ŤThe time is fulfilled.ť	Jesus was well acquainted with Bible prophecy, and knew that the year of His baptism (autumn of the year 27) represented an important date. This is why He declared that the time was fulfilled.

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Daniel 9:26,27	Comments
And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off. (...) Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week; but in the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.	Now let's look at the seventieth week. Prophecy tells us that in the middle of this last week, ŤMessiah shall be cut offť, bringing Ťan end to sacrifice and offeringť. The middle of the week means 3˝ years (7 years ÷ 2). By adding these 3˝ years to autumn 27, we get spring 31. What happened in the spring of A.D. 31?

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Daniel 9:27	Comments
Then he shall confirm a covenant with many for one week.	The Ťcovenant with manyť, which Christ had to confirm, is the covenant He sealed with His own blood by His death on the cross, for the salvation of all those who would accept His sacrifice for the remission of their sins.
Matthew 26:27,28
Then [Jesus] took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to [the disciples], saying, ŤDrink from it, all of you. For this is My blood of the new covenant, which is shed for many for the remission of sins.ť

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Daniel 9:26,27	Comments
And after the sixty-two weeks Messiah shall be cut off. (...) In the middle of the week he shall bring an end to sacrifice and offering.	Exactly at the predicted time, in the middle of the seventieth prophetic week, in the spring of 31, Jesus, the Messiah, died on the cross, thus bringing an end to the temple's sacrificial system. This is why the veil of the temple was torn in two.
Matthew 27:50,51
Jesus, when He had cried out again with a loud voice, yielded up His spirit. And behold, the veil of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom.

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Daniel 9:24	Comments
Seventy weeks are determined for your people and for your holy city, to finish the transgression, to make an end of sins, to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy, and to anoint the Most Holy.	After Jesus' death and resurrection, Ťmaking an end of sins and bringing in everlasting righteousnessť, half a week (3˝ years) was still remaining before the end of the 490 years of probation set aside exclusively for the people of Israel, who now had to accept Jesus as the Messiah. Did they accept Him?

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Luke 24:46,47	Comments
Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem.	During the 3˝ years following the ascension of Jesus to heaven, the apostles, by preaching and working miracles, invited the people of Israel to accept Jesus as the Messiah.

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Acts 7:56-58	Comments
[Stephen] said, ŤLook! I see the heavens opened and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God!ť Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him.	Unfortunately, the Jewish nation rejected the apostles' call. The end of the 70 weeks (490 years) was marked, in autumn of the year 34, by the stoning of Stephen, approved by the religious leaders of Israel. Stephen was the first Christian martyr killed by the hand of the Jewish nation itself.

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Acts 13:45,46	Comments
But when the Jews saw the multitudes, they were filled with envy; and contradicting and blaspheming, they opposed the things spoken by Paul. Then Paul and Barnabas grew bold and said, ŤIt was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles.ť	With the stoning of Stephen in A.D 34, the Jewish nation conclusively rejected the gospel, putting an end to their 490 years of probation.

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Daniel 9:26,27	Comments
The people of the prince who is to come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary. (...) And on the wing of abominations shall be one who makes desolate, even until the consummation, which is determined, is poured out on the desolate.	The prophecy of Daniel 9 ends tragically, with the announcement of the destruction of Jerusalem and its temple. Again the prediction has been rigorously accurate: in A.D. 70, the Roman army, led by Titus, destroyed the city of Jerusalem, and entirely demolished its temple.

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Daniel 9:22,23	Comments
And [Gabriel] said, ŤO Daniel, I have now come forth to give you skill to understand. At the beginning of your supplications the command went out, and I have come to tell you, for you are greatly beloved; therefore consider the matter, and understand the vision.ť	As we have seen, the period of 70 weeks aimed, among other things, to explain the vision Daniel had received before, that is, the 2300 days. Since these two visions are closely linked, and since we now understand the prophecy of the 70 weeks, we will be able to study the 2300 days in a future lesson.

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Let's thank God for His help:

Father,

The prophecy of the 70 weeks didn't aim only at satisfying the curiosity of its students. Its main goal was to announce the coming of the Messiah, our Savior and Lord Jesus Christ.

We want to take this moment to renew our covenant with Your Son and our commitment to Him, by the precious blood He shed on the cross for each one of us.

Please continue to guide us, as we continue to study Your Word.

In Jesus Christ we pray.

Amen.

The test of Lesson 20 is waiting for you!

Source of the Pictures of this Lesson

Screen 1: Photo in: ŤMaster Clips 500,000ť by IMSI, CD #16, SSGP3604.JPG. Screen 2: In: ŤThe Watchtowerť magazine (June 15, 1994), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.10. Screen 3: In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 6ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.54. Used by permission. Copyright Š1955, 1983 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 4: STEEL, John. In: ŤGod Cares, volume 1ť (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1981, p.201. Screen 5: In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 5ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.192. Used by permission. Copyright Š1955, 1983 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 6: COLLINS, Fred. In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 6ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.62. Picture edited by Cyberspace Ministry. Used by permission. Copyright Š1955, 1983 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 7: CONVERSE, James. In: ŤGod Cares, volume 1ť (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1981, p.206. Screen 8: DROST, Willem. ŤThe Vision of Danielť (1650), Gemäldegalerie, Berlin. From the Web site: http://sunsite.auc.dk/cgfa/d/p-drost1.htm Screen 9: In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 6ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.79. Used by permission. Copyright Š1955, 1983 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 10: QUADE, Lester. In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 6ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.68. Used by permission. Copyright Š1955, 1983 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 11: QUADE, Lester. In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 7ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.12. Used by permission. Copyright Š1956, 1984 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 12: Photo In: ŤMaster Clips 500,000ť by IMSI, CD #17, C0000567.JPG. Screen 13: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: ŤGod Cares, volume 1ť (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1981, p.196. Table of Screen 13: First picture: In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 6ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.79. Used by permission. Copyright Š1955, 1983 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Second picture: In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 6ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.112. Used by permission. Copyright Š1955, 1983 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Third picture: STEEL, John. In: ŤGod Cares, volume 2ť (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.48. Screen 14: ŤHourglass and Shadowť. Photo from the Web site: www.corbis.com. Image ID: CB007962. Table of Screen 14: In: ŤRevue Adventisteť (October 1994), front cover. Screen 15: ANDERSON, Harry. In: ŤL'Espoir de l'Humanitéť volume 2 (Ellen G. White), Editions Le Monde Français, front cover. Used by permission. Copyright Š1962, 1989 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 16: COLEMAN, Ralph Pallen. In: ŤThe Way, the Truth, and the Lifeť, Philadelphia, The John C. Winston Company, 1958, p.67. Screen 17: Picture from the Web site: http://www.ldsyouth.com/ldsimg/johnbapt.jpg Screen 18: QUADE, Lester. In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 6ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.69. Used by permission. Copyright Š1955, 1983 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 19: STEEL, John. In: ŤGod Cares, volume 1ť (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1981, p.232. Screen 20: STEEL, John. In: ŤThe Triumph of God's Love, volume 1ť (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p. XVI. Screen 21: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: ŤImages from the Bible and Sacred History CDť, Chosen Works, MLI Software, JM028.BMP. Screen 22: HEASLIP, William. In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 9ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.51. Used by permission. Copyright Š1957, 1985 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Screen 23: In: ŤThe Watchtowerť magazine (February 15, 1998), Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society, p.15. Screen 24: DORE, Gustave. In: ŤLa Bible de Gustave Doréť, Lausanne, Edita, 1994, p.363. Screen 25: In: ŤThe Bible Pageant, Volume 5: Warriors of the Crossť (NEFF, Merlin L.), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1950, p.45. Screen 26: STEEL, John. In: ŤThe Triumph of God's Love, volume 1ť (WHITE, Ellen G.), Pacific Press Publishing Association and Review and Herald Publishing Association, 1950, p.15. Screen 27: RUDEEN, Herbert. In: ŤThe Bible Story, volume 7ť (MAXWELL, Arthur S.), p.26. Used by permission. Copyright Š1956, 1984 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Table of Screen 27: First picture: STEEL, John. In: ŤProphecy Seminarsť, Seminars Unlimited, 1989, Daniel lesson #31 (ŤThe cross of Christť), p.1. Second picture: STEEL, John. In: ŤGod Cares, volume 2ť (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1985, p.28. Screen 28: Picture from: Generation of graphics on CoolText.com (http://www.cooltext.com/). Screen 29: BERRAN, Robert. In: ŤMy Bible Friends, volume 5ť (DEGERING, Etta B.), p.45. Used by permission. Copyright Š1963, 1991 by Review and HeraldŽ Publishing Association, USA. All Rights Reserved. Table of Screen 29: MANISCALCO, Joe. In: ŤGod Cares, volume 1ť (MAXWELL, C.Mervyn), Pacific Press Publishing Association, 1981, p.196,197. Screen 30: Photo in: ŤMaster Clips 500,000ť by IMSI, CD #16, SSGP5394.JPG.

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The Seventy Weeks

The test of Lesson 20 is waiting for you!

The test of Lesson 20 is waiting for you!

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