The Seventy Weeks of Daniel #1

Wednesday, April 23, 2025

“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” (Daniel 9:24 KJV).

What precisely are these seventy weeks of Daniel? How do they form the backbone of prophecy?

Before we begin, it is helpful to read today’s Scripture in context: “[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.”

Doubtless, these are some intricate, lengthy verses—and, unfortunately, they are seldom understood in their dispensational setting. In them, we see important expressions such as “seventy weeks,” “thy people,” “thy holy city,” “Messiah the Prince,” “seven weeks,” “threescore and two weeks,” “the prince that shall come,” “covenant,” and “one week.” If we search the Scriptures and locate definitions for these terms, the passage itself will be unlocked and we can appreciate it for what it actually says instead of what it is presumed to teach. Let us do just that….