Daniel’s 70 Weeks

Documentation Published on Friday, 6 February 2026

Daniel’s 70 Weeks

We begin our discussion of Revelation far back in the books of Nehemiah, Ezra, Jeremiah, and Daniel. In the latter, we look specifically at two chapters: seven and nine. Let us first briefly discuss the person Daniel. If you want to understand Revelation, you must start in the Old Testament. There is no other way.

Daniel: Background

  • Daniel was not a prophet by profession. He was a government official in a foreign land. He did, however, act as a prophet during his exile.
  • He was part of the first group of exiles taken to Babylon and part of a select group whose purpose was to strengthen the growing Babylonian empire.
  • Daniel dates his time in Babylon very specifically. See Daniel 1:1. This was the year 605 BC. The last date he indicates is the third year of Cyrus, in Daniel 10:1.
  • Daniel was a contemporary of Ezekiel and also overlapped with the time of Jeremiah. Prophets of that era consulted each other’s writings (see Daniel 9:2).
  • He never returned to his own land. See Ezra 1:1–3 (in the first year of Cyrus – permission was given to return to their land); Daniel 10:1 (in the third year of Cyrus – Daniel is still in Babylon); and Daniel 12:13 (his end on earth). He was probably too old to return.
  • The book is written in both Hebrew (1:1–2:4a and 8:1–12:13) and Aramaic, the language of the Babylonians, (2:4b–7:28).
  • Chapters 1–6 address God’s victory over godless governments. Chapters 7–12 deal with the future of Israel and the establishment of the kingdom of the Messiah.

Daniel 2: The statue; and Daniel 7: The four beasts from the sea

In chapter two, Nebuchadnezzar had a dream about a statue consisting of four parts (Daniel 2:31–33). In chapter seven, Daniel had a dream of four great beasts (verse 3) which refer to the image Nebuchadnezzar saw in his dream. He is more interested in the fourth beast, the one he also explains in detail (verses 19–22). He describes the beast as terrifying and frightening (verse 7), with ten horns. In verse 13, Daniel describes the rule of Jesus Christ (verse 14) in the future and asks the angel to explain the fourth beast (verse 19) and the ten horns (verse 20) to him.

He sees in the vision how one horn that arises from the other ten (ten kings – verse 24), wages war against Israel, and conquers them (verse 21) before Israel takes possession of the kingdom (the millennium). The angel now explains the fourth beast (verse 23), what it will do to Israel and its God (verse 25), and for how long it will oppress them (verse 25b). Note the time – a time, times, and half a time. This is 1,260 days, 3½ years, or 42 months. We will read these descriptions of time frequently, also in Revelation. After this, the beast is conquered (verse 26) and the millennium begins (verse 27) during which Jesus Christ reigns as King over Israel.

Note how Daniel experiences this vision and how the angel explains it. He is terrified and ill (verses 15 and 28). See also Daniel 8:27. This is the result of the disturbing visions he saw of what was still to happen to his people in the future.

Daniel 9: The 70 weeks

To correctly interpret the Word’s description of the end times, especially Revelation, it is critical to understand Daniel’s 70 weeks. If any person wants to teach you about Revelation and does not use Daniel as his basis, pass this person by and do not expose yourself to his teaching. It happens regularly in our larger churches these days that teaching on eschatology is avoided. These teachers proclaim half a gospel.

We will not give a complete explanation of Daniel 9 here, but only the timeline. Let us, however, look at a few important points:

  1. The seventy “sevens” (Dan 9:24) is actually the Greek term “sevens” (Gr. Hepta), where a “week” is a period of seven years. “Seventy sevens” therefore represents seventy weeks, where each week is seven years. Mathematically, this is 70 x 7 = 490 years.
  2. The seventy sevens are determined “for your people” (Israel) and “your holy city” (Jerusalem). Note that nowhere is any mention made of the Church or Gentiles. The 490 years is an eschatological timeline for Israel only.
  3. This period is necessary to achieve six objectives. Look in Dan 9:24 at the six times where “to” is used. If we look carefully at this text, we clearly see that the six “to” reasons for the 490 years will only be completed after the seventieth week:
    1. Wickedness has not yet been finished. In our time, it is only getting worse. Look at what is happening in the world as well as in Israel. Many of them are secular even though they are called Jews.
    2. The measure of sins has not yet been filled up. Sin is increasing but it must get much worse. Israel is at any given time just as secular as other countries. They live like the world.
    3. Iniquity has not yet been sorted out. Iniquity is the order of the day. What was right is now wrong, and what was wrong is now right (Isaiah 5:20). There is also, however, injustice towards Israel.
    4. We are nowhere near bringing in everlasting righteousness. Only the coming of the Messiah for Israel can bring about everlasting righteousness.
    5. Vision (visions) and prophet (the office of the prophet for Israel, not the Church) have not yet been concluded because the last prophecy, the Second Coming (Zech 14:4), has not yet taken place.
    6. The Most Holy, the temple that still needs to be built, has not yet been anointed (consecrated) by the presence of the Messiah. It will first be desecrated in the middle of the tribulation by the Antichrist (Dan 9:27 and Matt 24:15). Only after that, after the Second Coming, will it be consecrated.
  4. The beginning of the seventy sevens (490 years) is the issuing of the decree to restore the walls of Jerusalem, in Nehemiah 2:5–8, by Artaxerxes Longimanus, in 445 BC (this date is disputed by some). There were three other decrees, but their dates make it impossible that any of them could be the one the angel refers to.
  5. Verse 25 divides this into two periods:
    1. Seven (7) sevens (49 years) is the period it took to rebuild Jerusalem; and
    2. Sixty-two (62) sevens (434 years) is the rest of the time it took to maintain Jerusalem, until the Anointed One (Messiah) entered Jerusalem (Luke 19:28).
  6. Verse 26 states that after the 62 sevens (i.e. when they are completed), the Messiah will be “cut off” (crucified).
  7. We now have 69 weeks that have been completed according to the prophecy (483 years: 69 weeks x 7 years = 483 years). We still need one more week, or seven years, to complete the full 490 years.
  8. Let us do the maths. First, remember that we are dealing with the Jewish year here. There are therefore not 365 days in the year, but 360. These numbers are very important:
    1. 490 years determined for Israel to complete the six aspects of Daniel 9:24 is 176,400 days.
    2. 483 years have already been completed, 173,880 days. This was from the issuing of the decree to rebuild the walls and the city, in Nehemiah 2:5–8, in 445 BC, to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ in AD 33.
    3. Seven years must still be completed, 2,520 days (Daniel 9:27 – one week of seven years; [176,400 – 173,880 = 2,520]). This period is divided in two:
      1. The beginning of sorrows (Matthew 24:8), for 1,260 days; and
      2. The great tribulation (Matthew 24:21), for 1,260 days. We often read the following references to time:
        • 42 months (1,260 days) (Revelation 11:2 and 13:5)
        • 3½ years (1,260 days) (Revelation 12:6)
        • A time, times, and half a time (one year, two years, and half a year) (Daniel 7:25 and 12:7)
        • It is interesting to note that during Elijah’s time as prophet, there was a drought for 3½ years (1 Kings 17–18; Luke 4:25; and James 5:17).
  9. This last period of seven years, or Daniel’s 70th week, must still take place.
  10. Daniel “sees” this as one period of 490 years. Remember that the Church dispensation was hidden from him. He was therefore not aware of the period in which we currently stand. This is evident in verses 26 and 27. He explains the period up to the end of the four hundred and eighty-third year. Then, in verse 27, he continues as if there is no interruption, and the four hundred and eighty-fourth year begins. We know that there were originally no chapter divisions or verse numbers. Daniel sees this as a continuous narrative that would be completed without interruption.
  11. Why was there not a continuous period, but rather an interruption? Romans 11:25 gives the answer. The hardening has come in part upon Israel (year 483), until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in. This is the description of the Church period that is now more than 2,000 years long. Once this period is completed, with the rapture of the Church, God deals with Israel as a nation again (year 484), and the entire nation is saved at the end of the tribulation (year 490). See Isaiah 59:20, Matthew 23:37–39, and Romans 11:26.

Matthew 24: Jesus, the Word, quotes Daniel

Daniel’s prophecies are often dismissed as if someone else wrote them and that they should not be interpreted literally. Jesus Christ, however, quotes Daniel and confirms the accuracy and inspiration of the book. Let us look at the context. Matthew describes the final conflict between Jesus and the Jewish scribes in chapter 23. He states that they will not see Him again until they have fulfilled Psalm 118:26.

He departs from the temple and “His disciples” (Mark identifies four specific disciples, in Mark 13:3) show Him the temple and the buildings (Matthew 24:1). He states that nothing will remain of it, referring to the destruction of the temple by the Romans in AD 70. His disciples ask Him two questions:

  • when these things will be, and
  • what the signs of His coming are.

He answers them as follows: Watch out that no one deceives you. The deception indicates the time (when) and is also the sign of His coming. We could talk extensively about the deception of our time, but time will catch up with us. He now begins to explain the seventieth week of Daniel to them. The first part is the beginning of sorrows (verse 8). These things are already happening in our time, but are actually aimed at Israel. They will transition into the first half of the tribulation, which will begin with a peace treaty. Isaiah 28:15 describes it as a covenant with death.

The second part of the tribulation begins in verse 15, when Jesus refers directly to Daniel. He is specific: when the “abomination of desolation” (Daniel 9:27 and 2 Thess 2:4) stands in the holy place (the temple that still needs to be rebuilt), those who are in Judea (i.e. Jews in Israel) must “take notice” (understand). This event marks the beginning of the great tribulation, which is the second half of the seventieth week.

For Jesus, Daniel’s prophecy was so authoritative that He referred to it as proof of what was still to happen to His people. Much later, Paul would expand on this further (1 Thessalonians 5:3 and 2 Thessalonians 2:4). John is the last person who not only hears about this revelation, but experiences it himself. What Daniel describes in one verse, John explains to us in 15 chapters. What Daniel saw as something in the distant future (Daniel 8:26), John sees unfolding before his eyes as if it is happening in the present. This is where our study of Revelation begins next week. We will divide it as follows:

  1. Revelation 1 to 3
  2. Revelation 4 to 5
  3. Revelation 6 to 19
  4. Revelation 20 to 22

Although some of the above may be applicable to both the Church and Israel, the angel’s explanation to, and Daniel’s focus, is not the Church, but to prepare Israel for the coming of the Messiah, which happens after the seventieth week (Matt 24:29 – immediately after the tribulation).


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