What Are the Seventy Weeks of Daniel?

The Most Misunderstood Prophecy in the Bible

Have you ever wondered why so many Christians get confused about Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy? You're not alone. This pivotal end times passage has been twisted, misapplied, and taken completely out of context by well-meaning believers who miss one crucial detail: Daniel 9 isn't about the church at all.

Let me share something that might surprise you. When we dive into Daniel chapter 9 verse by verse, using proper biblical interpretation, we discover that this entire prophecy is specifically designed for Israel as a nation - not New Testament church age saints.

Your End Times Understanding Depends on Getting This Right

Before we go any further, let's establish the foundation. In Daniel 9:19, we see Daniel praying:

"O Lord, hear; O Lord, forgive; O Lord, hearken and do; defer not, for thine own sake, O my God: for thy city and thy people are called by thy name."

Notice something crucial here - Daniel is praying for his people. Who are Daniel's people? The Israelites. This isn't complicated theology; it's basic biblical context.

Then in verse 24, the angel Gabriel tells Daniel:

"Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city..."

Again, we see "thy people" (Daniel's people - the Israelites) and "thy holy city" (Jerusalem, not America, not Rome, not Mecca). The context is crystal clear from the very beginning.

Six Specific Purposes That Prove This Is About Israel

Gabriel outlines six specific purposes for these 70 weeks, and every single one proves this prophecy is for Israel, not the church:

1. To Finish the Transgression

Jesus said "It is finished" on the cross in John 19. Our transgressions as Christians have been dealt with. But look at Hebrews 9:15:

"And for this cause he is the mediator of the new testament, that by means of death, for the redemption of the transgressions that were under the first testament, they which are called might receive the promise of eternal inheritance."

Our transgressions are finished, but Israel's national transgression isn't finished yet. It will be when they as a nation turn toward God.

2. To Make an End of Sins

Whose sins? Israel as a nation. For us as Christians, 1 Peter 2:24 says:

"Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed."

Our sins have been dealt with. Israel's national sins will be addressed when their deliverer comes, as Romans 11:26 confirms:

"And so all Israel shall be saved: as it is written, There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob."

3. To Make Reconciliation for Iniquity

This isn't for us either. Second Corinthians 5:19 tells us:

"To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation."

We've been reconciled to God already. We don't need Daniel 9 - it's not for us.

4. To Bring in Everlasting Righteousness

Why would Daniel 9 be for the church when we already have everlasting life? Jesus said in John 6:47: "Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life."

Jeremiah 31:33-34 shows us this is about God's future covenant with Israel:

"But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my people... for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."

5. To Seal Up the Vision and Prophecy

We've already been sealed. Second Corinthians 1:20-22 says:

"For all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him Amen, unto the glory of God by us. Now he which stablisheth us with you in Christ, and hath anointed us, is God; Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts."

Daniel 9 is about sealing up a vision and prophecy specifically for Israel.

6. To Anoint the Most Holy

This is King Jesus on the throne at Jerusalem when He returns. Right now, Christ is the head of the church, not the king of the church. He's coming back to sit on David's throne in Jerusalem.

Understanding God's Timeline Changes Everything

Here's where it gets really exciting. Daniel 9:25-27 gives us the timeline:

"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..."

That's 69 weeks total. Then verse 26:

"And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself..."

This is the crucifixion of Christ prophesied! The people of the prince (Rome) destroyed the city and sanctuary in 70 AD, just as predicted.

But here's the key: we have one week left - the 70th week of Daniel's prophecy. What are we doing now? God has stopped the prophetic clock. We're in the church age, and Daniel 2 is happening now with these mixed-up Gentile kingdoms.

God's going to start that stopwatch again after the church is called up, and He's going to be back on His timeline to deal with the nation of Israel. That last prophetic week will start with peace, but in the middle of the week, the Antichrist will be revealed.

How This Changes Your Bible Study Forever

Understanding that Daniel 9 is specifically for Israel, not the church, transforms how you read end times prophecy. It clears up the confusion between:

• Individual salvation (what we have now)

• National salvation (what Israel will experience)

• Church age promises (what applies to us)

• Kingdom promises (what applies to Israel)

When you meet someone who needs Christ - whether they're Jewish, Republican, Democrat, or anything else - you don't bring them to Daniel 9. You bring them to the cross. The salvation is the same for everyone individually, but Daniel 9 deals with God's national plan for Israel.

Daniel 7:13-14 shows us the ultimate conclusion:

"I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed."

That's the kingdom Daniel 9 is pointing toward - not a spiritual kingdom we're in now, but a literal, physical kingdom that King Jesus will establish when He returns.

The Bottom Line

Daniel's 70 weeks prophecy is one of the most precise and powerful prophecies in Scripture, but only when we understand it's specifically about God's plan for Israel as a nation. Don't let anyone confuse you by trying to insert the church into Israel's prophecy.

We have our own promises, our own calling, and our own destiny. But Israel has theirs too, and Daniel 9 is all about what God is going to do with that nation when He picks up His prophetic timeline again.

🎧 📖 Want to dive deeper into this life-changing expository preaching? This blog post only scratches the surface of this incredible verse-by-verse bible teaching. I humbly encourage you to listen to the entire sermon message where we explore even more cross-references and biblical connections that will transform your understanding of end times prophecy.

[Listen to the complete message here] - you won't want to miss the additional insights that didn't make it into this post!