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HopeLives365

Mark Finley

Daniel’s AMAZING 70-Week Prophecy Verse by Verse

Let's suppose you were talking to a person that was an unbeliever.

Let's further assume that that person is not only an unbeliever, but they're an atheist or an agnostic.

And you only had 1 opportunity to talk to them.

What texts in the Bible, what passages in scripture would you share that can make a difference?

Sir Isaac Newton, famous mathematician and scholar, chose the book of Daniel.

Christopher Columbus, explorer, chose the book of Daniel.

Timothy Dwight, the first president of Yale University, challenged his atheistic students to a debate, and he too chose the book of Daniel.

In the book of Daniel, there are 4 verses that really demolish atheistic arguments.

These 4 verses, once you grasp them, reveal 3 things.

Let's look at these passages from scripture found in Daniel, the ninth chapter.

We're going to go over this passage verse by verse, phrase by phrase, and let its beauty sink into our hearts.

And as we go over it, new conviction will grip our souls that Jesus indeed is the Messiah of the world, that the Bible can be trusted, that prophecy is trustworthy.

Daniel 9, verse 24, 70 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 an everlasting righteousness, to seal up the vision and prophecy to anoint the most holy.

Note therefore and understand, from the going forth of the command to restore and build Jerusalem unto Messiah the Prince shall be 7 weeks and 62 weeks, the street shall be built again, the wall in troubleless times.

And after the 62 weeks, the Messiah will be cut off, but not for himself, and for the people of the prince who is to come, shall destroy the city and the sanctuary.

The end of it shall be with a flood till the end of the war.

And he shall confirm the covenant with many for 1 week.

But in the middle of the week, he shall bring the end to sacrifice and offerings.

And on the wing of the abomination shall be 1 who makes desolate, even until the consummation which is determined is poured out on the desolate." Now, if we grasp those verses, it's life transformation.

You grasp those verses and New truth leaps off the pages.

So let's look at them carefully phrase by phrase.

Here in scripture in Daniel 9 verse 24, it says, 70 weeks are determined for your people and your holy city.

When Daniel prayed this prayer, he was a captive first in Babylon, then later in Medo-Persia.

He was concerned about his people going free and rebuilding the city.

And so he was praying the first 20 verses of Daniel chapter 9 record this amazing prayer of Daniel praying that his people would be delivered.

But God broke through in unusual ways and answered Daniel's prayer in ways far beyond his expectation.

God said to Daniel, 70 weeks are determined for your people.

Daniel's city, of course, Jerusalem, Daniel's people, the Jews.

The word determined in the Hebrew language is chatuk and chatuk means cut off from.

There was a larger prophecy of 2300 years.

These 70 prophetic weeks were cut off from it.

They would apply especially to the Jewish nation.

Now in Bible prophecy, A day in Bible prophecy represents a year.

These would be 70 weeks or 70 prophetic weeks.

Now there are 7 days in a week And 7 days in a prophetic week would mean 490 prophetic days.

Let me repeat it again, just for clarity.

The Bible says 70 weeks are determined upon your people.

They're cut off from this larger prophecy.

These 70 weeks apply to the Jewish nation.

What is the evidence that 1 day in Bible prophecy equals more than a literal day, but a year?

We find that in Ezekiel 4.6, where God makes this prophecy to Ezekiel, I have laid on you a day for each year.

So 490 symbolic days would be 490 literal years.

Some Hebrew translations, when they translate the Daniel chapter 9, where it says 70 weeks, say 70 weeks of years.

This of course is quite familiar in the Old Testament.

You remember when we have the story of Laban and it says there, talking about that story, that there would be weeks of years, weeks of years.

So in Bible prophecy, 1 prophetic day equals 1 literal year.

We find that throughout scripture, not only in the book of Ezekiel, but we also find it in the book of Numbers.

Here in Numbers, the 14th chapter, you remember the children of Israel that spied out the land.

And As they spied out the land, they came back with a negative report.

So God there made a prediction, statement of fact, Numbers 1434.

"'According to the number of days in which you spied the land, 40 days for each day you shall bear your guilt 1 year, namely 40 years, and you shall know my rejection." So here in Bible prophecy, 1 prophetic day equals 1 literal year.

And so when we are looking at this prophecy of 70 weeks, 490 symbolic days, we're looking at 490 literal years.

Is there mathematical proof that Christ is the Messiah?

Is there mathematical proof that this prophecy was fulfilled exactly as the Bible says it would be?

When you look at this 490 year prophecy that's cut off from Daniel chapter 8 to 2300 years, part 1 applies to the Jews, Part 2 applies to the Gentiles or God's people.

70 weeks are determined or cut off for your people, Daniel.

If the shoe fits, what are you going to do?

If the shoe fits, you're going to wear it.

So how do we know this day-year principle mentioned in Ezekiel, mentioned in Numbers, these weeks of years mentioned In Genesis, how do we know that this applies to this prophecy?

By applying the day-year principle to the prophecy, the events that the prophecy said would take place, take place exactly.

Secondly, when you have prophecy and you have prophetic symbolism, when you have beasts rising up out of the sea, when you, You know, Daniel talks about a lion with eagle's wings, a bear rising up on 1 side with 3 ribs in its mouth.

Talks about a leopard with 4 wings, Daniel chapter 7, and this kind of beast that is 10 horns and kind of dragon serpent-like, dragon-like beast.

When he talks, when Daniel talks about that, he's talking about in prophetic terms.

So when you have prophetic terms embedded in a Bible prophecy, then the days are not literal days, but prophetic days.

Now, when the Bible mentions a day, a day is a day.

The 7 days of creation are 7 literal days.

But in the prophecies of Daniel and Revelation, the day-year principle applies.

So 1 prophetic day equals 1 literal year.

Now let's go back to Daniel chapter 9, and we're gonna go back, if you're following along in your Bible, and I know many of you are in these Bible studies, in Daniel chapter 9, we're going to go back to verse 24, and look at the scripture again to see the events that would take place.

Daniel 9 verse 24, 70 weeks or 490 years are determined that is cut off for your people, the Jews and for your holy city, Jerusalem.

What were they to do during that period of time to finish the transgression?

In other words, God was giving them this 490 year period of probation, where they would come to repentance as a nation.

Then it says to make an end of sin, or make an end of the sins, plural, to make an end of their rebellion against God.

And during that time, an event would happen.

The Messiah would come to make reconciliation for iniquity, to bring an everlasting righteousness, to seal up, another word for seal up is confirm the vision and prophecy and to anoint the most holy.

So when Jesus came to usher in everlasting righteousness, as the prophecy says, when Jesus came to make reconciliation for iniquity, when Jesus came, he confirmed the covenant with his blood.

And after his death and resurrection, he ascended to heaven to enter into the sanctuary above to as the high priest did on the inauguration of the earthly sanctuary to anoint the most holy then begin his work in the holy place.

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Daniel’s AMAZING 70-Week Prophecy Verse by Verse

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